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Yo Buc. Turn up the volume control on your cell phone. You need to hear this. I'm getting calls and e-mail from angry readers complaining that you didn't  have an article in the January issue. What's up with that? What have you been doing and where have you been doing it?
"Settle down Jim," Buc replied. "I've been doin' research for stories. Lots of research!"
"Are you kidding me. The wind has been howling. The temperature hasn't been all that warm. The relentless squall has lasted for weeks. And you're doing research? I asked.
"Jim, as you know, I'll fish anytime. Even if the biting sucks, the fishing doesn't. I had the Triumph 150 in a couple of rivers but that went sideways with all the rain. Not the fact that there was so much water there, just that it resembled a chocolate milk shake. Same color and darn near as thick. The fish didn't need me tormenting them too. Went and did a little blackmouth fishing, lake fishing and, while I was still able, sought out some monster crab and froze them up for my Famous February Football Crab Fling."
Blackmouth salmon season started out a little slow so I spent a few days slinking around in tackle stores, sitting around at the ramps, getting all the information I could. Some of the old curmudgeons can be a little bit testy and a lot "reserved" until they realize you're just one of them and want to go catchin'. These guys go out in any wind-safe weather short of a hurricane, find the fish on their Lowrance, and start catchin'! Sure, you gotta put the hours in but if the fish are there, they'll bite.
In the fall I put two Scotty manual downriggers on the Triumph. Went with the model 1080 which is 24 inches long and has a strong one inch diameter stainless steel boom with a rod holder attached. As a little treat for myself I added the Scotty 1026 swivel mounts. Don't get me wrong here cuz I love the Scotty electrics but these fit the Triumph just perfect and besides, for me it was the next best step.
I did a lot of trolling and quite a bit of catching with those babies in the early winter but after talking to the old timers I was reminded of other ways to fish too. Remember jigging and mooching? Well, they would get themselves in some semi-protected water, find the fish and go to jigging. Who could argue. That's what we were doing before the downriggers came along and although I still think using the Scotty is the most productive way to fish and cover water, it's kinda fun to cut the motor once in a while and jig away.
I added a couple of more tools to the arsenal too. Rods and reels. I'll bet that doesn't surprise anyone.
At one of our fishing club meetings a few years ago the guest speaker was a sales rep from one of the top "expensive" rod manufacturers. I remember the speech very well in that he spent the first twenty minutes telling us how to fish without breaking their rods. I thought to myself, why in the hell would I spend that kind of money and then have to worry about new techniques to keep their rod safe. I have never bought one of those rods and probably never will. On the other hand, I wanted the best rod that I could buy and, in my opinion, our own Northwest rod manufacturer, Lamiglas, has all their rocks in the right pile.
 Since jigging was the order of the day, jigging it would be. I went shopping and picked up two of the Lamiglas Series 1000 Salmon Moocher G 1308-T rods. Great for jigging or mooching and the perfect rod for winter blackmouthing, summer sockeying, and fall cohoing. The rods come in two sections and go into one at 8' 6". They are rated at 1½ to 4 ounces for lures and 12 to 30 pound for line weight. Their action is moderate, power is heavy, made from natural graphite blanks with Fuji guides, a quality reel seat and comfortable cork grips. Just what the doctor ordered and boy have I had fun with these.
Then I needed the winch. There are so many reel manufacturers that think their reels can do everything from deep-sea fishing to spin casting. Whew. I went home and looked through my stack of reels and then took a vote. It seems to me that the best buy for the money and the next best step was to go with Abu Garcia Ambassadeur reels. When I got to thinking about it, I've had a very long relationship with Ambassadeur – way back to their red and white G2600 which I still use occasionally on the rivers, even though it's now a collectors piece. Boy, are their new reels nice.
For the jig-mooch thing I went with the 6500C3. It's priced right and priced even better on sale. Here's the scoop:
- Gear Ratio 5.3:1
- Rated line capacity for 14 lb. test is 245 yards
- Weighs 11/3 ounces
- Brass gears
- Stainless Steel ball and roller bearings
- Corrosion resistant
- Instant anti-reverse
- Syncronized levelwind system
- Titanium Nitride line guide
- Right and left handed models.
I challenge anyone to compare this to the higher priced jigging reels on the market. It's sweet.
And finally there comes the eatin' part. Last spring I upgraded my smoker and  stepped into the world of delicious delight with one of the new-fangled smokers that are out there. This is one of those that hook up to the barbecue propane tank and shortens the smoking process by about two-thirds. It has a thermostat to control the heat depending on the weather and speed I want my fish smoked, it adds moisture and it holds a huge amount of smoke-flavoring chips. The old smoker was good and served me well but this one is culinary-complete. The next best step. Now to go with the crab we have added the Famous February Football Smoked Fish Fling too!
Gave the old smoker to bro-in-law Max Grommet. What the heck, it still worked just fine and you shoulda seen him trying to figure what that smell was coming from under the Christmas tree. My new friends The Curmudgeons would be proud. 
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when the notion hits me. That includes well oiled and spooled with fresh line. 