Willy River for Smallies

[flippinbaits]

Went fishing lots this weekend in the willy and some sloughs just off of it. caught fish on plastics for the majority. Throwing a kalins 5 inch grub was my favorite. Partner was nailing them on the 3'' senko drop shottin. Fishing cranks is difficult with all the weeds floating down the river. Also hit up some sloughs off the willy. Nailed 5 each. All lm bass with biggest just shy of 3lbs. Caught on 5'' senkos and 4.5 inch texas rigged roboworms. just skippin them under trees.

also found some squawfish...

 

[FishSchooler]

Where on the Willy? What are those fish in the second picture, the longer ones? They don't look like no bass to me.

 

[Troutski]

Great post...

Great post...

Went fishing lots this weekend in the willy and some sloughs just off of it. caught fish on plastics for the majority. Throwing a kalins 5 inch grub was my favorite. Partner was nailing them on the 3'' senko drop shottin. Fishing cranks is difficult with all the weeds floating down the river. Also hit up some sloughs off the willy. Nailed 5 each. All lm bass with biggest just shy of 3lbs. Caught on 5'' senkos and 4.5 inch texas rigged roboworms. just skippin them under trees.

also found some squawfish...

Thanks for the great post, those smiles on your faces tells the story...

Chuck

 

[flippinbaits]

Where on the Willy? What are those fish in the second picture, the longer ones? They don't look like no bass to me.

those are considered trash fish. known as squawfish. bounty for them on columbia river. they are an often bycatch while smallie fishing

 

[Troutski]

Trash fish....

Trash fish....

those are considered trash fish. known as squawfish. bounty for them on columbia river. they are an often bycatch while smallie fishing

I can remember when the same phrase(Trash Fish) was used to identify the Bull Trout/Dolly Varden....one anglers trash is another's prize

Chuck

 

[FishSchooler]

Oh, those are squaws. I caught em in tualatin river. There are just too many. You're fishing from a boat right?

 

[Boywhofishes]

they're northern pikeminnow and i don't think they're trash... i don't think there is such a thing as a trash fish... in my opinion if it fights it's not trash... cuz i don't think trash can fight :lol:

 

[flippinbaits]

they're northern pikeminnow and i don't think they're trash... i don't think there is such a thing as a trash fish... in my opinion if it fights it's not trash... cuz i don't think trash can fight :lol:

how many game fish have bounty's on them?

squawfish is the slang for it.

they binge on salmon smolts thats why they are not liked by many anglers. love to see when those ospreys and bald eagles nail them :dance:

oh and trash does fight in current :lol:

 

[SDK]

Hey, how did I miss this thread.

Great report and great Smallies :clap:

Thanks also for the heads up on the Squawfish. I've let a few go not knowing what they were. I'm now leaning towards bonking them pending some more research on my part

Scott

 

[ArcticAmoeba]

BONK! BONK! They make perfect crawfish bait, or if you crab, bait for your crab pots. We catch 'em on the Pudding and Molalla, and bait out our trashy homemade Daddie traps. Osmosis told me today that on one side of their lateral line, the meat is not so bony. I doubt it tastes any good, but different strokes, different blokes. Right? Might be edible...:think: Nice smallies though Flippin! I am actually a fan of Traeger bass, well traeger anything almost...Speaking of bass, another predatory fish we can all use as bait...Oh Geez.

 

[SDK]

Doubly cool! I want to do some crawfishing eventually. In the meantime I'll vacuum seal/freeze any I catch and give them to you crabbers when we have OFF events. This way I can get them out of the ecosystem and still not waste them..

I like crab, but the wife hates them and the whole cooking live thing, so that's not in my immediate future

 

[FishSchooler]

I ate sucker fish once, it was ok. There weren't many bones. The meat of the lateral lines on a shad were bomb-diggity.

 

[ArcticAmoeba]

I ate sucker fish once, it was ok. There weren't many bones. The meat of the lateral lines on a shad were bomb-diggity.

Alright, so you are yet another person to say the lateral line meat on a shad is great. I better figure out a shad plan and see what i can't do. At least try to catch some for bait...I'm terrible at handling a filet knife, so I'm sure I've just cut the pikeminnow up in a poor fashion, leaving a forest o bone!

SDK - The crawfish round these parts are actually really good to eat,(depending on where you trap 'em) and use as trout bait too.
It's too bad your wife doesn't care for crab. I find them to be absolutley delicious...Especially dungees, MMMMMM. You'll have to try and convince her man!

 

[FishSchooler]

You don't have to fillet to eat any kind of fish, it just looks better. My parents just take the fish, gut it, put a little bit of olive oil in a large, flat pan, just enough to cover the bottom, then cut the fish in half. Just put it in, sprinkle some onions, celery, black pepper, spring onions, lemon juice if you like that tangy taste, then finally, some soy sauce, it tastes magnificent for such a simple recipe. If you like salty foods, just put the fish in some salt in a plastic bowl, put the lid on, shake the container, then add a little water. If you eat this with rice, man it is a good dish, chinese like it a lot, like me. My parents don't do anything with filleting knife (if that is how you spell it). All we chinese use to cook is 1 simple knife, and a pair of chopsticks. It is as easy as casting. Try it! You don't need some fancy smancy knife or spice to cook excellent fish. I can even do it myself! Us chinese do not deep fry freshwater fish.

Oh yeah, for the bones in shad... I'm used to eating the meat, swallowing the meat, and seperating the bones all in my mouth, just don't swallow any bones. That's the only way without trying to fillet it for me.

 

[ArcticAmoeba]

MMMMMMMMM....That sounds so good! I bet it would be good with any fish. Asian food, especially Japanese, but Chinese as well are some of my favorite style of preperation. Everything just has that real earthy taste, like its made by skillfull hands, from good ingredients. But whatever fish i catch next I am going to try something like what you have posted, one variation or the other. They both sound excellent. WE should have a little Off Topic thread about our favorite fish recipes, or any recipe for that matter i guess? As long as it's good. I'll get working on posting something. I love eating...Especially when you caught it!

 

[FishSchooler]

I think that american chefs are a lot more skillful and careful about there cooking. A lot of chinese dishes (not in resteraunts) are just a bunch of things boiled or lightly fried together. It can turn out good or bad, heh heh I cooked some noodles and the corn turned brown cause I put too much soy sauce. You just gotta improvise in cooking, that's how you find what you like to eat.

 

[chris61182]

Thanks also for the heads up on the Squawfish. I've let a few go not knowing what they were. I'm now leaning towards bonking them pending some more research on my part

You're very wise to want to do more research, as most of the crap you hear about them being so terrible is really further from the source than even 3rd hand. If you're interested here's the url for the bounty program 2008 Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery which explains most of the reasoning behind it, and I thought that at one time they even had some research papers and data linked but I'm not seeing it at a quick glance.

 

[SDK]

Chris- Thanks for the link and further information. I always try to research any subject I'm interested in so I can make the most informed decision possible.

Fishschooler- I'm going to try that recipie. I travel to Honk Kong, Kowloon and Shenzhen once a year or so for business, and have a lot of friends in China. I have endless respect for their ability to use simple techniques and make just about anything taste good.

I was in a fancy restuarant in HK, and they served us a whole cooked pigeon. The head was sitting on the plate as a garnish and staring right back at me. It was actually pretty good, and I was the only westerner at the table brave enough to try it. My boss named it Stanley, and my wife couldn't even eat chicken for a month after that night

 

[FishSchooler]

Pigeon? Eww...... I always thought that they were dirty birds, at least here in Portland, they scavenge half eaten food, the garbage... They also poop everywhere...

 

[Boywhofishes]

well i suppose if you raise them carefully and clean then they wouldn't be to bad