Tools of the Trade

 I looked outside today and saw that the bay looks like a millpond, just as flat and beautiful as a mountain lake. Of course, just because it looks nice doesn't mean that the fish are biting. At least that's been my experience. I always get all spastic this time of year with the weather getting better. I'd really like to get out there and run the gear up and down, but I think  my best bet right now is to try and prepare,so that when the fish are biting I'll be ready- or at least as ready as I can be. It seems like there is always something unexpected that crops up that has to be dealt with. I don't know what I'd do if I actually went out and something didn't break down or I didn't leave the dock without some important piece of equipment that I need. I think I would contact the folks at Guinness Books. I'm sure it would be some kind of a record.
 For several days I set up shop at my dining room table so I could tie some hoochies for the up and coming dog salmon season. The season doesn't really start until June, but I'm really trying to be ready. I bought ten packs of M85 hoochies- supposedly the ones the dogs really like. I hope they still like them and haven't gotten all preppy on me- "sorry, we only want designer hoochies by Ralph Lauren this year." I ordered #6/0 stainless steel hooks that have been blued, like a gun barrel. They seem to be preferred by choosy dog salmon over the bright hooks- or so I've heard. Of course they cost more. I put a bunch of them in the stainless bowl of water to take off any residue that might scare off the fish; their olefactory nerves are very sensitive. It didn't seem to matter that they soaked for days, when I grabbed them, some of the blueing came off in my  hands. Par for the course I guess. I use the black pliers to close the hooks around the swivel that's built into the hoochies. Unlike hooks that I use in fresh water, these have open eyes and have to be manually closed. The red handled pliers are for crimping a loop  in the end of the leader. I use a little Jinkai sleeve for that purpose. The only thing I forgot was a small bastard file for sharpening the hooks. I learned years ago that even though these hooks are new, they're just stamped out and need to be sharpened before use. The exception would be the laser sharp hooks that I think Eagle claw puts out.  So that's about it. The hoochies are snapped on behind a flasher which rotates in the water and attracts the fish and gives the bait (hoochie) some action. I can't recall the exact story of where hoochies came from. I think a Japanese pilot was shot down during WWII and noticed the fish were pecking at his tattered clothing. Anyway, when the war was over I guess he started making small plastic replicas of octopus or octopi,and the rest, as they say, is history. It was obviously a great idea. There have been tens of thousands of packages sold since they first came on the market and I've probably bought half of them- or would if I could. You have to understand, hoochies are to a commercial troller what shoes are to a woman. Sometimes you see some you just have to have. In my minds eye, I'm always catching mass quantities of fish on these special hoochies that I just purchased, which of course no one else has. They watch me in despair as I pull fish in front of them until I'm exhausted, while their lines hang limp as a noodle, until they finally leave in disgust. The fact that it's never happened doesn't mean that it couldn't. More likely than not though, I'll be outfished by a novice using bits of hot dogs or marshmellows. Oh well, it's fun to be on the water anyway.