What's new

advice for trout?

scottb

scottb

Hey fellas--

I live in upstate New York. A couple days ago I had one line with red worms and another line casting lures, mostly spinners, and didn't get so much as a nibble. Yet fish were jumping all around me--what am I missing?

I should mention that trout, pike and salmon are all new to me. I grew up catching bass and panfish but I'm having to relearn some things now.

I fish catch-n-release with spinning reels. Fly fishing is fascinating to me but I don't really have the time and $$ to add that to my re-emerging addiction to "regular" fishing (and shaving gear...)

Since the season opened I've caught a couple trout on spinners and spoons but none too large. The live bait has been favored by sunfish and shiners, but I'm discouraged because most of those are so small. It seems a little cruel to yank in a fish that can barely pull a bobber down.

Thanks in advance for any info.
 
The Nid Hog

The Nid Hog

I used to get good results in Western PA with a kernel of canned corn early in the season. I know that you do catch-and-release, but if you keep the first one you do get, you can check to see what it's been eating.
 
H

HDPaul

There may have been an insect hatch going on which means buffet time for the trout. They werent interested in worms or spinners.
 
S

slooby_doo

First....realize that you probably will want to use ultralight gear. Smaller rods and line weights of no more than 4lb test.

If you don't want to invest in fly fishing gear, try a bubble and fly rig. You can find many diagrams online, but essentially you get a bubble float (the kind you can put water in) for weight. Tie it behind a barrel swivel. Then tie anywhere from 2-4 feet of tippet. Tie a fly on the other end. This can be substituted for fly fishing with spincast gear.

If that doesn't work, I recommend getting a small 6 inch trout worm, cut it in half. Rig it on a size 10-12 aberdeen hook and cast/retrieve with jerking motions. Add as little weight as necessary to cast it.


My second piece of advice is look on the internet for forums (like this one) that cater to the geographic area, and body of water you intend to fish. There are tons of such forums out there and they are full of advice. Any advice here would probably be more general than specific.
 
ackvil

ackvil

It may be that these are hatchery bread fish which when first released seem to have strange tastes in what they want.

When I lived in NJ the trout their seemed to like salmon eggs the best - particularly those eggs that were in garish colors!
 
goby

goby

scottb said:
I fish catch-n-release with spinning reels. Fly fishing is fascinating to me but I don't really have the time and $$ to add that to my re-emerging addiction to "regular" fishing (and shaving gear...)
Click to expand...

This is seriously my advice.......

Stop spending money on "regular" fishing and shaving gear. Invest in some decent fly fishing gear. You won't regret it. :thumbup1:
 
Indaco

Indaco

ackvil said:
It may be that these are hatchery bread fish which when first released seem to have strange tastes in what they want.

When I lived in NJ the trout their seemed to like salmon eggs the best - particularly those eggs that were in garish colors!
Click to expand...

It sounds like they were hitting insects this time around. I've had luck with hatchery-bred trout in the Sierras using salmon eggs and brightly colored Powerbait. In fact, my first association with chartreuse was that the trout always seemed to bite it when I was younger!
 
Memorex88

Memorex88

Match the hatch! That's how you go about catching Trout.
I got into fly fishing over 20 years ago because of the experience your going through right now.
It was frustrating trying worms, Mepps spinners, yes I tried corn too and all on 4 lb test line with very little luck.

Then I tried a fly on the end of my spin-casting setup and standing on a bridge, letting the fly bounce on top of the water got me 3 gorgeous brown Trouts! That sold me on Fly Fishing.

I would try the smallest Rapala you could find and cast it around big boulders in the stream.

Good luck!
 
Navig8tor

Navig8tor

One thing to remember is they are all distinct species and are fished for in different ways.

Pike can be caught on most bass tackle. Spinnerbaits and crankbaits work well for them. It is advisable to use a wire leader or high # test line for them, their teeth can really do a number on your line. They like to prowl transition areas like bass do to.

Trout can be caught a number of ways. Some people use small spinners and lures, others use baits. Some of the popular baits are corn, red worms and small marshmellows. I like the powerbait nuggets the best. You can get a lot of colors and they seem to stay on the hook well. The most important thing to remember is that they are very leader shy. Even stocked trout usually won't bite well on any line over 6# test. If you don't want to respool a whole reel for them you can use a long leader of 2# or 4# test. If you don't want to get a whole flyfishing outfit but want to try flies I would suggest using a float rig. They are cheap and they work.

I really don't know much about salmon. I would suggest you talk to some of the guys at a local sporting goods store and see what they say.

Don't forget smallmouth bass. If they are in your area they can be a lot of fun. They are great fighters and jump more than a largemouth, at least around here. Most largemouth tackle works well for them too. We have caught a few here already while trolling lures for walleyes.

Don't forget to look on the web for info.

Good luck.
 
S

slooby_doo

I'm paraphrasing......but most of what a trout eats is brown, fuzzy, and about 5/8" long.

Keep that in mind always when trying to "match the hatch"
 
scottb

scottb

Thanks fellas, this is all good stuff.

It's been raining here a lot so the water is high and murky for now.

So far this season I have caught:
1. couple trout
2. smallmouth bass
3. handful of shiners
4. enough branches to build my own wicker furniture
5. my left pants leg
5. old bag of Popeye's chicken.

(Guess which one I had an audience for?)
 
Blue Raccoon

Blue Raccoon

you can get a very serviceable rod and reel combo from Cabela, LL Bean, etc.. around $100 +/-. But, frankly unless you are prepared to learn the casting and get waders, yadda, yadda (I have a ton o'crap stashed around here) you can do just as good using a ultralight spinning reel and a bubble (clear bobble) when using dry flies and skip the bubble when using small spinners particularly Panther Martin's. Be sure to check regulation where you are fishing lots of trout water does not allow 'live bait' or barbed hooks or trebble hooks on spinners. Don't know about NY but lots of states besides a regular fishing license you also need a trout stamp.
 
scottb

scottb

fellas, I've been catching fish, but mostly small guys--bass, trout, shiners, etc., but 3 out of 4 are little guys. Is there something else I'm doing wrong?

I've been told that trout require smaller lures and smaller hooks than most bass and have switched a lot of my gear, but it seems like there's something I'm still missing.

BTW, for those of you that recommended taking the plunge into fly fishing, I'm definitely thinking it over. Hopefully I'll find some gear on craigslist or a yard sale or something.
 
M

MrMurphy

I grew up in a 'trout state' (California) and moved to a bass state (Texas) for quite some time.

Trout generally do require smaller hooks. I don't fish really anymore, but i've caught hundreds of trout over 20 years and the default for hatchery trout is salmon eggs, powerbait, etc on a small treble.

If they're wild, bubble-dry fly as Blue Racoon suggested works well, you can 'flyfish' without the fly rod.

I tied my own in high school, and even caught some wild trout with them in the CA deserts (Sierra Nevadas and high mountains). Doesn't take a fortune, just some time and patience.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

SpartanDes
Tenkara Fishing
Replies
6
Views
3K
DukeGrad
D
Top Bottom