I am a maggot only half the time. If I want a wilderness experience, I'll take a boat ride down the river. But, as a maggot in December and January I usually "make like a tree and grow roots," i.e. pound that hatchery gate until something breathes my offering in. Sometimes If it gets a little cozy, or if I have grampa crossing my line, I'll meander down to the tailout for a sabbatical. Yet I firmly believe in pounding the "meat" of hatchery holes. Occasionaly I'll see some dude working the odd water catch the odd fish. But that is more often than not the exceptional fish rather than the rule. Places such as the confluence of the Hump/Stevens Creek, Calawah/Bogey ponds and Rieter; very rarely will I pound these areas all day and not get at least a strike.

On the peninsula I'll usually go 16 lb Ande mainline and 12 lb ultragreen leaders with 2/0 Gammies. I always use bait with a rag or cheater to top it off. In town I'll scale down to 10 lb Stren mainline and 8 lb ultragreen leaders with a #2 or #1 Gammy. Corkie/yarn with or w/o bait and floats and jigs are usually the ticket. The reason for such big stuff so early in the season on the peninsula? I have had too many hatchery infiltrators rip me a new one while playing around with the peninsula's brats.

"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." -- Mom