Tag Archives: fishing

Up Your Trolling Game This Spring!

May 5, 2015 - posted by Regan Taylor

Chris Jacobson, Smith & Edwards Fishing buyer

Chris has great tips for trolling at Willard Bay.

Are you looking to try something new this spring? Have you thought about looking into trolling for fish? Or maybe you’re already troll-savvy and are just wanting to gain knowledge or tips on how-to’s. I talked to Chris, our fishing guy here at Smith and Edwards, to get his TOP tips n’ tricks for trolling!

What Should I Know About Trolling?

The benefits of trolling in a boat vs. fishing from shore are apparent; your fishing range expands, making it easier to find hot spots and catch bigger fish in deeper waters. This can be a great way to get those deep-water Trout and Kokanee.

So what’s the perfect way to troll fish? Well, that may vary depending on your preferences, but here’s what Chris recommends:

1. Speed is Everything: It is very important you monitor how fast you are trolling. Try 1.5-3.5 mph at first and track your results. Different species may be attracted to different trolling speeds.

2. Monitor Speed and Fish with a Fish Finder: This can be a very useful accessory for trolling. It will show you how fast you’re going as well as alert you to fish in the area. A fish finder is a great to scope out schools of fish to drop your trolling line into… they simply won’t be able to resist! One of Chris’s favorites is the Elite Series by Lowrance. Chris’s favorite Elite Series fish finder is sold exclusively in stores, but check out what fish finders we offer online by clicking here.

3. Spice Up Your Trolling Line!: Although trolling lures are made to specifically flash and flutter to attract fish, it can be extremely helpful to use another form of bait or attractant.

Mike’s Lunker Lotion or Berkley Gulp Spray can be a tempting add-on to your set-up. Not only will it give off a “fish friendly” smell, it will also cover up your scent you may have left behind on your lures. If the fish don’t sense a human, there’s nothing stopping them from taking that lure!

A couple family tricks of mine include using old rings or jewelry with your lures and coating them with your favorite fish attracting scent!

4. Try New Spots: Fishing success can be very lake specific. Some of Chris’s favorite trolling spots are Willard Bay and Flaming Gorge. Trying new places can further help you understand which fish take which bait and what time of day they are most likely to bite. (Although most people recommend mornings and late nights).

One of our favorites for trout – the flatfish by Yakima

Chris also recommends:

Squids or Flatfish for Trout
Squids or Kokanee King for Kokanee
Rapala, wedding rings or jewelry, or Warm Harness for Walleye and Wipers

Click here to see the lures you can get delivered to your house here. And you can find even more lures in-store in Chris’s Fishing department at Smith & Edwards!

What Other Fish Trolling Tips Can Help Me?

Chris’s favorite brand of downriggers, Cannon. Model #1901020.

Downriggers, mounts, rod-holders, and different lures or spoons can enhance your trolling experience with versatility and convenience.

Electric vs gas motors are more boat size and water depth specific. Electric downriggers may be more beneficial for deep water fishing areas, where as manual downriggers may be better suited for shallow depths. Chris finds Scotty or Cannon brand downriggers and Okuma Coldwater Reels to be his favorite!

Perfect Coldwater Trolling Reel by Okuma

Have Fun With It!

Try new trolling areas, new lures, and new equipment to find your favorite fish-catchin’ troll setup. The best way to learn is to experiment for yourself!

Remember, if it’s trolling you’re interested in, Smith and Edwards has the knowledgeable crew and the best equipment for the job. Click here to explore the Fishing & Trolling selection online or come in the store today!

No comments

Cisco Fishing Nets are Here!

January 15, 2015 - posted by Chris Jacobson

It’s coming to Bear Lake, Utah… and it’s the only time this year! Are you ready?

The Bear Lake Cisco Run happens 1 time a year and it’s unique in how you fish for them. And it’s only a couple weeks out of the whole year.

This fish, the famous Bonneville Cisco, can only be found at Bear Lake. During this time, they can be caught by using a dip net from a boat.

(Be careful not to net the Bear Lake MONSTER, though!)

And if you’re participating in the Cisco Disco, a cisco net is a MUST!

Get your Cisco Fishing Net today

This Ranger 173 wire smelt net is perfect for Cisco! Get yours before you miss the season.

What’s the Cisco Disco? This year on January 24th, start fishing at sunrise at Cisco Beach on the east side of Bear Lake. There will even be prizes for largest catch of the day!

From now through the first of February, get your chance at a cisco with a cisco net! My Cisco fishing nets just arrived here at Smith & Edwards, I’ve got the Ranger 173 wire smelt net for you here in the Fishing department.

It has a telescoping handle, and an 18″ net perfect for cisco. Plus, it’s got a handle on the bottom so you can empty your catch easily!

Exclusively available in-store at Smith & Edwards (not online), come in & get yours today for just $29.99.

More Information about the Cisco Disco

Click for all the details about the Cisco Disco & Polar Bear Plunge on BearLake.org, and make sure to Like the Bear Lake Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau on Facebook!

Plus – New Lures online

Before you go, check out the new Maniac Lures I just added to our web store. New colors of Gizzybugs, Gizzillas, Cutterbugs, and new Vertigo. Give these jigs a shot and let me know how they work for you.

No comments

Northern Utah Fishing Report – September 5

September 5, 2014 - posted by Chris Jacobson

This last month has been a relatively slow one here in Northern Utah. The rain has really put a damper on the fishing. You can’t really cuss the rain though; we can use all the moisture we can get.

Some of the higher reservoirs are doing okay as far as water level goes but as for the closest reservoir to me, Willard Bay, that is not the case. It has gotten a little better with most farmers not irrigating anymore, but Willard Bay is still way low. Despite the weather being less than cooperative, fishermen have been able to get out and make the best of it.

Fishing at Willard Bay

Willard Bay has been slow with all these storms and cold fronts moving through. As the weather stabilizes for a bit though, look for the fishing to improve.

We have been getting reports that the water clarity is low, but that people are seeing fish on their fish finder screens all over the place. We have even heard of people getting in on the action of a boil or two. Although most boils are short lived. Boils are a lot of fun if you can get there just as it starts and fish it for the whole duration.

Using shad colored Rapalas are the best when fishing for boils. Trolling has produced some okay fish as well. Walleye and Wiper fishing will be great in the fall and is a great way to spend an afternoon off from work.

Other Fishing Spots to Try

There are a few other areas that I suggest you try out if you want to travel a little farther and get away from more people.

Fishing in the higher lakes and reservoirs can be great this time of year. As people go back to school and finish taking summer vacations, Bear Lake and Pineview will be great places to watch. Fishing should pick up there as fall goes on.

Also, with less pressure in the fall, the Uintah lakes should be a great place to catch a nice trout. The lakes are fished hard during the summer but as fall winds down these lakes are going to be great places to spend a weekend away.

The fall is a great time of year to get out and go fishing. Taking your family out and spending some time on the lake is something that you and your family will never forget.

A few weeks ago we had one of our cashiers, Bekah, go fishing with her family up at the Brigham City Community Pond. She had a great time and even caught a “monster”! She said even though she didn’t catch the biggest fish, it was a great time spent with her family.

Bekah and her fish at the Brigham City Community Pond!

We like to see the pictures of you guys catching fish and love it when you do wearing Smith and Edwards gear! Send us your pics of your fall catch or that monster buck that you bag this year at info@smithandedwards.com or on our Facebook page!

No comments

Northern Utah Fishing Report – August 1

August 1, 2014 - posted by Chris Jacobson

Has July been a hot one or what?! Summer heat is not great on anglers, but it hasn’t been all bad. There have been a lot of guys coming in and telling us about their stories of success all around the state. Earlier this summer, the DWR posted a blog report saying that they predicted this year to be one of the best years in recent memory for fishing. I didn’t believe it at the time, but it sure has turned into one of the best I can remember. In fact, we heard that the fishing was good over on Willard Bay so we decided to send two of our sporting goods employees out to check it out.

Hanna and Tyler with their catch from Willard Bay

Tyler and Hanna teamed up with Randy from our surplus department and took a trip out on the bay after work. They found that the fishing has slowed considerably in the last month, but they still caught fish. The Walleye were not biting at all, but the Wiper were still doing okay. They even got treated to a great sunset as they came in from fishing.

So what do I think is going to happen this next month? Well, here you go.

Fishing Willard Bay

Like I mentioned before, the bay has been slowing down with this hot weather. The bay isn’t nearly as deep as the walleye and wiper would like it to be. The water temperature has been in the mid to upper 80s and that makes the fish want to go to deeper water, but there isn’t any. This means that most of the Walleye and Wiper are most active at night; wipers are still being caught though. The best times are dawn and dusk. Be on the watch for boils too, we have heard that a few anglers have seen boils. The Rapalas are still the best lure out there; although bottom bouncers are also doing well.

Fishing Flaming Gorge and Strawberry Reservoir

Generally I like to highlight the close reservoirs around for other places to fish, but this month I have heard some great things coming out of Flaming Gorge and Strawberry Reservoir. These two reservoirs have been heating up with fishing activity lately. We even heard reports of a 6lb Kokanee being caught at Strawberry. That’s awesome! Flaming Gorge has been producing some big fish too, with some angler’s averages being in the 3lb range.

I got a visit the other day from Christenson Lakeshore Tackle and Rocky Mountain Tackle and they have some great dodgers and squids and they let me in on what they have seen as the best colors.

Both of them told me that a shattered glass dodger with a blue squid has been working really well. You can also try pink and green squids, as these are colors that work often as well.

Fishing should continue to be great in Utah this next month. Fishing is a great way to get out of the hot valley and get up in the mountains where it is a little cooler. Remember to send in pictures of your catch for our Braggin’ Board!

[yop_poll id=”2″]

A few of the pictures that got our attention this month were some great fish caught by Jake Gertsch who was fishing up in Fort Peck Lake in Montana. He caught a Pike and a Walleye on a fly rod! Great job Jake! Send in your pictures to info@smithandedwards.com and good luck out there!

Jake’s pike on the fly

Jake’s walleye on a fly rod

No comments

Scout Camp, Fishing & Camping Checklist

July 17, 2014 - posted by Rose Marion

It’s the right time of year for fishing, hiking, and camping. This time of year, we get a lot of people coming in and asking, “What gear do I need for…”

Whether you’re hiking, camping, fishing, or even sending your Cub Scout off to camp for a couple days, this checklist has everything you need to make it a great adventure here in Utah or in the mountains or lakes of our neighboring states.

If you’re camping or hiking, or sending a Scout to camp, here’s what you need:

If you’re sending a scout, remember his uniform, too!

For fishing:

Enjoy!

Click here to download a printable PDF of both lists.

Did you have fun? Make sure and send us pictures for the Bragging Board!

These lists were made after we had lots of families looking for a Scout camp checklist for their boys about to go to camp. We find them useful as a camping checklist so we’re sure we’ve got the car packed with all the gear we need. These also work great for packing your gear even for a fishing getaway on a Friday afternoon!

No comments

Willard Bay Fishing Report – July 1

July 1, 2014 - posted by Chris Jacobson

June has been a great month and we have seen a lot of fish being caught out on Willard. The stellar year of fishing has continued to produce some of the best fishing in recent memory.

A couple of our employees, including our own sporting goods employee Hanna, went out about mid-June and had a very good outing. They caught lots of Wiper and a few Walleye and had a blast doing it. They even stopped to pose with a few of their catch.

Nice job guys!! Although I don’t think licking it will taste very good!

Fishing at Willard Bay

In July we should see the fishing continue to be good, but it has slowed down in the last few weeks. As the weather and the water gets warmer, you will start to see the fish be more active in the mornings and evenings. The shad that are in the reservoir are getting bigger, and a lot of anglers are saying that is why we are seeing a slowdown in fishing activity. With the bigger shad, the fish aren’t as active and willing to chase the shad raps or bottom bouncers.

July is the month that we should start looking for some boils. We haven’t had reports of any good, consistent boils in a few years. Hopefully, with any luck, this year will be different. We would love to hear of any boils you guys see out there!

Don’t let the slowdown scare you though; the fish might not be as active, but you still can catch them using bottom bouncers with a worm harness or floating Rapala. You will want to fish in some of the deeper parts of the reservoir, although it is Willard and that means it’s not very deep at all.

At any rate, there is still some good fishing to be had out on Willard this year and July will be a great time to get out on the water!

Fishing at Other Reservoirs

Pineview Reservoir has started to become a little more active these last few weeks as anglers have been able to catch a few more Crappie from shore using a small jig and a bobber. This reservoir gets to be hard to troll with it being used by a lot of wakeboarders and skiers.

Mantua is still a good spot to go for some great bass fishing. Look for those bass to be hidden in any structure along the edges. Mantua has also been a pretty decent spot to catch some Rainbows while trolling. Wedding Rings or Pop Gear with a worm behind them have had the best success.

There has been some great fishing this in Northern Utah year and we look forward to it continuing.

I have been asking for you guys to send in your photos and you haven’t disappointed. Truman Holbrook sent in this pic of this big ol’ Wiper that he and his family caught in their secret spot!

Great catch guys! Be sure to keep these pics coming and we will put them on our bragging board and on our blog! Good Luck Fishing!

Hey – what do you want?

What do you want to hear about in these fishing reports? Any specific lakes or reservoirs, or any specific fish you want advice on? Leave a comment & let us know so we can get you what you need!

No comments

Willard Bay Fishing Report – June 5

June 5, 2014 - posted by Chris Jacobson

May was a great month if you are an angler. Willard Bay has been on fire for any type of fish in the reservoir. Wiper and Walleye fishing has been and continues to be off the charts. Not to mention the Crappie fishing this year has been stellar, some anglers telling us that they caught the biggest crappie ever this year!

A coworker and I went out on his boat on June 2 and limited out on Walleye and Wiper. It was my best day ever on Willard Bay and my best trip so far this year for any lake.

Wiper – Willard Bay

Walleye – Willard Bay

We were trolling using shad Rapalas. We used some planer boards at first and did really well trolling about 2-3 mph for Walleye. The wind started to pick up so we pulled off the planer boards and started trolling a little faster at 3-5 mph and that’s when we started really getting into the wiper. We were using the same black and white/silver shad rap for both fish. The cool thing about it was that the total time on the water was a little over 3 hours and we had limited out. You can’t beat a day like that.

Now you might be saying “Enough about May, what does the fishing in June look like?” Here is what we are looking at for the next month. It should be just as good as the last!

Willard Bay

Willard should remain great fishing well into June. The Walleye and Wiper are hungry and will be looking for food. Shad colored Rapalas, including the shad rap or Rattling Rapala will work great.

As the weather gets warmer, look for the fish to mover lower in the water column. This means a bottom bouncer will be an awesome choice to get you down where the fish are. You can put a worm harness or even a floating Rapala on behind the bottom bouncer. For Walleye and Wiper, try varying the speed you are trolling. If you are catching Walleye but not Wiper, try speeding up. This could trigger a strike from a hungry Wiper that a slower speed might not.

Crappie fishing has started to taper off in the marinas, although you should still be able to catch some using a bobber and small jig throughout the summer.

One last bit of advice for fishing Willard: Make sure to pack the bug spray! The bugs can get bad no matter if you are fishing from the shore or in a boat.

Other Reservoirs

Pineview is starting to warm up and because of that, the fishing has picked up. Small mouth bass have been caught in Anderson Cove. Look for Crappie fishing to pick up early in June as the water gets warmer as well as the Tiger Muskie and Bullhead fishing.

Mantua will also be a good alternative reservoir to get some good fishing in. Trout fishing has picked up as the planters get bigger and as the water gets warmer the Bass fishing is always good there. You need to get on this reservoir early because the moss will soon become too thick to fish in most places.

The DWR predicted a great summer of fishing and so far it hasn’t disappointed! June is shaping up to be just as good as May! As always we are here to help you in the Fishing department here at Smith and Edwards.

We also love to hear your fishing stories and see your pics. Email them into us at info@smithandedwards.com and we will put them on our bragging board! Also email us or call us at 801-731-1120 if you have any questions or want the latest fishing reports!

One more tip for you…

Fish Secrets: Furry Flies

Check out Mike Vause’s fishing tip for Curtis Ray when Curtis was here in May.

No comments

Willard Bay Fishing Report – May 1

May 1, 2014 - posted by Chris Jacobson

Willard Bay:
As the temperatures rise and we have a string of warm days in a row, Willard Bay will be a great place to fish. As the weather gets warmer, you will see the wiper and the walleye become very active.

The wiper will be doing a “false spawn” early this month and the crappie will be spawning as well. During their spawns, you will see both of these fish come close to shore, which will make shore fishing excellent.

Using small jigs about 3ft underneath a clear bobber is a popular choice from shore. You will reel your rig in very slow, letting the waves do the jigging for you. Trolling will be an excellent choice as well. Lately, fishermen have been targeting walleye and wiper with a Rapala shad imitation lure hooked to a weight or a bottom bouncer.

Other places to fish:
For some great fishing other than Willard, look for Pineview Reservoir to be very good fishing as the weather warms and the reservoir fills. The crappie will be spawning here as well and will be a great place to take kids to catch fish. Mantua is also really good this time of year generally. You want to get on this reservoir before it warms up and the moss gets too thick. Hitting this reservoir at just the right time will produce some great bass fishing as well as pan fish and trout fishing.

We are excited for May. It should be a great month to get out and do some fishing. Also, we love to see our customers successful using the gear they got at Smith and Edwards. Email us your pictures to info@smithandedwards.com and your pictures might end up on our Bragging Board!

As far as us, we never did catch anything picture worthy, but here are some great views of Willard Bay and Holmes Creek Reservoir this last week.

Willard Bay

Holmes Creek Reservoir

No comments

Willard Bay Fishing Report – April 2

April 2, 2014 - posted by Chris Jacobson

WILLARD: Fish at Willard has been spotty at best lately. A few weeks ago, we had a warm spell where there were reports of some walleye becoming active but that ended when the weather turned off cold again. Walleye and Wiper are warm water fish, and generally are more active when the water gets warmer. The current water temp that the Willard Bay state parks website gives is 43 degrees but reports from anglers have it somewhere between 37-39 degrees.Catfish activity has been picking up and anglers are catching some nice ones using worms or carp meat right on the bottom.

Looking at the weather report, it should be getting a little warmer and in a week or two the Walleye and Wiper should be getting more active. As their activity increases, green or white grub jigs with the curly tails will be the ticket. If rapallas are more your speed, white or silver with black shad are going to be what you need. Trolling with a bottom bouncer and a worm harness also works well when the fish become more active.

A few other local spots that are hot right now are Hyrum and East Canyon Reservoir. Both of these reservoirs are great right now for Rainbow Trout. Marabou Jigs or Rainbow powerbait seem to be the best right now. As always with trout, gold and silver lures like a Jake are never a bad option. As the ice starts to come off of these higher reservoirs, look for the fishing to become really good!

New in the store:

It’s the reel everyone loved – and now it’s back.

A legendary reel reintroduced with new features, the Mitchell 300 and 308 Spinning Reels are $44.99 in the Smith & Edwards Fishing Department.

No comments