“Fishing from Washington to Alaska with Mister Twister and Mepps Lures with Steve Burress”

Part 5: Time to Get Some Eaters

Editor’s Note: Steve Burress of Winlock, Washington, a member of the Mister Twister pro staff, fishes from Canada to Arizona and even in Alaska using Mister Twister and Mepps lures. This week, Burress will tell us where and how he fishes in his home state of Washington and in Alaska.

Question: Steve, when you want to catch eating fish where do you go, what do you use, and what kind of fish do you target?

Burress: I like to eat walleye, and the Columbia River and Banks Lake in north-central Washington are the most-productive waters for catching good eating-size walleye.

Question: How do you catch walleyes?

Burress: Banks Lake and the Columbia River both home really-nice-sized walleye populations, and I’ve never eaten a finer fish. To catch walleye, I prefer to use the Mepps’ SpinFlex. This lure also is productive for catching smallmouths. I’ll usually use a 3-inch Mister Twister G-Grub on the back of the SpinFlex and attach a night crawler to the back of the hook. I’ll fish this lure around submerged rock piles, which I’ll locate with my depth finder. I’ll use a 1/8- to a 3/8-ounce SpinFlex with a Mister Twister G-Grub tied on it. The soft-plastic G-Grub resembles a leech, and the walleyes will eat up that bait.

If I don’t use the G-Grub, I’ll use a Mister Twister Curly Tail Grub. Now, I’ll usually use several-different-colored grubs, until I determine which color the walleyes are keying on and will hit most consistently. Black and pumpkin-pepper are my two favorite-colored G-Grubs. When I can’t get the walleye to bite the grubs, I’ll also try a 6-inch Super Lizard in black-neon or green-pumpkin.

Question: How do you rig the Super Lizard?

Burress: I’ll Carolina rig it. I like a longer leader on my Super Lizard because I want the Super Lizard to float around like it’s looking for something to eat. On a pretty-good day, I’ll catch 10 to 12 walleyes weighing anywhere from 2- to 6-pounds each. Our new state record for walleye is close to 20 pounds. I enjoy catching walleyes, but I enjoy eating them more.