troutdude
As my understanding is that Oregon State Patrol enforces our game laws in oregon and we dont have many if any specific game wardens as well. I remember last christmas i was at JCP and they had just stocked the brooders and steelhead in there... I had osp come out but the folks had just left who were snagging.
Any Powerbait with sparkles usually really catches their attention, Pink Lemonade with the glitter is awesome, but everyone always has their own favorite color, I have had luck with probably every color besides the purple nymph flavored stuff.
No they're out there and bustin butt to bust poachers of all kinds. Usually driving there blue trucks. Here's a link to there website, the second link is to there monthly field reviews, very interesting read.
Oregon State Police - Fish and Wildlife Division About Us
Oregon State Police - Fish and Wildlife Division Monthly Newsletter
I'll slay them just as they come out of the truck while using powerbait at Wirth, you only want a short low diameter 4lb leader with a 1/8 oz slider, about 10 inches of leader since the water is real low, I'll usually bump it up to no longer than 14 inches in high/normal water.
If you get bb split shots and an ultra light rod with 4lb test, you don't need a slider, I'll pin the shot down as low as 4-5 inches sometimes, I picked up a good 4-5lb sucker out of Wirth last year on sherbert powerbait while pinning it close to the bottom, really good fight, and released of course.
Drew,
I always start w/ 3' - 4' of leader when trout fishing w/ a egg shaped sliding sinker. And this has been a very successful techniques over the years; netting hundreds of trout. But, I have also caught many trout w/ only 10 - 14" of leader. I typically re-tie my leader (with 3 new feet), when I get down to around a foot [unless I caught no fish w/ longer leader].
However, how do trout even see your bait with only 4 or 5 inches of leader? I'm just wondering, cuz don't trout (and other fish too, I assume) "see" directly above and slightly forward of the their heads? My understanding is that they see this area above and ahead of them, in a conical shape. But, they can't see right in front of them (at least from what I have read over the years).
If how I understand their vision to work is true--and then they literally hugged the bottom--how would they still see bait only 4 inches "OFF" of the bottom (since they are basically looking up)? Do you catch only suckers, or do you catch trout this way too?