wrote on Jul 29^th, 2010 at 4:39am:

I've got a 7 day trip planed for the middle of Aug up around darky and just want to know what are the MUST HAVES. Please list that one thing you would never leave at home bait and tackle or camping gear. But mostly bait and tackle.

For the middle of August you must have lures that dive to 15 feet or more, 20' being preferable while trolling. You will catch all four species trolling at that depth in August. Also go big. Don't be afraid to troll lures that are 6" or more. For Shad Raps go size 8 or 9. The Yo-Zuri in the large size is also good. I also like Deep Reef Runners and Deep Thundersticks in the largest sizes.
The lakers I caught in Darky this year in late July were burping up 7" smelt. A blue and chrome Deep Reef Runner was the go to lure.
And then there is the Betts Jig Spinner in size 3. Gold is my favorite and I add a 1/4 oz. jig with a heavy duty wide gap hook coupled with a 4 or 5 inch bright white grub. This combo will outfish a standard jig and grub especially when fished in current. This can also be trolled but usually I use it for probing various depths in and around current. With a little practice this lure can be fished in some very snaggy areas and actually get hung up less than a plain jig head.