Fishing Forum

[size 1]In an effort to help each other get on the fish, we will be adding a series of posts entitled by the type of fishing we are targeting and would like all users who wish to include their "favorite way to catch these fish", "favorite spots" (doesn't have to be exact), "favorite guides for these fish", "tackle tips", "recommended tackle", "beginner tips", "boating techniques" or any other information you feel would be helpful to other anglers targeting this type of fish.

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Every lake has it's own tricks,but we have found that in the spring and fall when the water temp. is below 60 degrees that trolling on top with a gold or gold with red spoon at 2mph will pruduce hits if biting.We switch to live bait if nothing happens after a couple of hours and fish it at the thermocline. When the water warms past 60 degrees we use planers at 10,15,20ft to find fish.If all this doesn't work ,crack a beer and enjoy a day on the water.
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fishing from shore ( no boat ) i prefer to use in line spinners and small 3/16 oz rapalas ice season is almost here and i fish with a small 1/16 oz jig head with a 1" white or light green tube tipped with a meal worm
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Hey there lonehunter,

This ain't much of a secret or fantastic tip but.... When I'm not fly fishing for local planters, I've got my 2lb flurocarbon line and my super duper set of crappie tube lures and heads. I fill the 3/4 inch tube lures with whatever powerbait I think suits the tube color. It sure will draw fishys in if you're making long searching casts.

With the right consistancy (with a secret kitchen ingredent) the powerbait will last fairly long in the tube or you can leave a milky trail for a few casts.

JapanRon
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Where did you find the 2# fluorocarbon? I've been looking for about two years and the lightest I've seen is 4#.
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Hey there hharada,

Seaguar Carbon-Pro and Triple Fish Fluorocarbon are just two makers that produce 2# test line. Next year you won't find a single manufacturer that doesn't have 2# fluro!

Most all the Japanese manufactures have had 1/2, 1, and 2 pound test line for over ten years (carp and trout). Mono, Fluorocarbon and some of the carbon infused lines. Germany's Maxima and Ande were next then US makers.

JapanRon
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Thanks for the info. I've only been checking the local stores and Cabela's, Bass Pro, and Netcraft catalogs. Unless I missed something, 2# fluoro hasn't been available from those vendors. Cabela's doesn't even list 2# Mono Ande which I have been using nearly since Garcia dropped their Platyl. I did use Maxima's 2# Mono a couple years in between, but liked the Ande once I tried it.

I guess I should have also asked you who/where have you been getting it?
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You'll find a lot of the following is largely a long-winded (for which I apologize, but I never learned to be very concise) compilation of my replies to several different posting, the most recent being tubeN2's "Nightcrawlers". This one does have several additions which should be some added help.

My fishing is almost exclusively stream fishing and most of these ideas will work for rainbows, browns, and brookies.

I divide my fishing into three types:

Small brushy streams (ultralight)
Medium to large streams where expected fish are in the 12 to 18 inch class (ultralight and light)
Big, fast, canyon rivers when a fair number of fish in the 3 to 5+lb class are expected and big boulders on the bank prevent you from running with the fish (Heavy).

The tackle I use:.

Ultralight (2# Ande blue line): 5'6" Fenwick HMG GFS 55 or 7' G Loomis SR 841-2 depending on size of stream and amount of brush. I’ve recently picked up a 7' St. Croix Avid/AS70ULM2 whose action is not as fast as the G Loomis. I’m using it instead of the G Loomis if conditions, i.e., climbing up and around boulders, give me concern over damaging my Loomis because the St. Croix is less expensive. I've tried Bass Pro's 8'6" ML86ULS-2 Micro-Lite but found it too whippy for hardware. It may be good for bait – possibly similar to bait fishing with a fly rod like I used when first taught to stream fish. My reels are a Bass Pro Pflueger UL Supreme or Alcedo Micron. When fishing this equipment on larger streams, I carry a spare spool of 4# in the event I start to have too many fish break off. I tried the Shimano Spirex 500, but I was cranking my arm off because the gearing is too low for good stream fishing. I’ve also inherited a ultralight backup combo of a 6'6" rod I built my Dad out of a Fenwick UL glass blank and the Mitchell 908 he used with that rod. I do lose a few, fishing ultralight in the bigger streams, but have landed quite a few up to 18 inches and 2+ lbs. in fairly fast water with the 2# line.

Light (4# Ande blue line): Sometimes the previously mentioned 7" G Loomis SR 841-2 but usually a 6'6" Fenwick HMG GFS 64. Use the Fenwick on bigger streams/rivers where most of the expected fish are in the upper part of the 12 to 18 inch range. Backup: Old, old, 6'6" Shakespere Professional Xtra-lite Wonderod. The reel is a Shimano Stratic 1000 with an old Mitchell 300 and Orvis 100 as backups.

Heavy (8# Caleba’s Lo-Vis fluoro line): 7' Fenwick HMG GPLS 70. Backup: 6'6" Ugly Stick SPL 1100. My reel is a 4000 Shimano Stratic. Backups are a 4000 Shimano Aero Symetre and a Mitchell 410A.

Technique:

You can fish more efficiently (faster) and cover more water with hardware and that is my first choice assuming the water is clear enough. On streams, if the water is somewhat turbid, but still clear enough for lures, I start out with a plain silver Mepps Aglia (00 or 0 for ultralight, 1 or 2 for light, and 3 thru 5 for heavy) If I get no action, I’ll switch to gold which I start with when the streams are clear. If the silver or gold doesn’t work, I switch to a Mepps Black Fury. If those don’t work, I go down to the next size and start over. It’s said you can spook fish if your lure is too bright or too large for the water clarity and my experience seems to support this statement.

I attach all my lures directly to the line with an improved clinch unless the attachment point on the lure, such as on spoons, looks rough enough to abrade the line. In those cases, I put a small snap on the lure and tie an improved clinch to the snap. I normally avoid using a swivel, particularly a snap swivel, for two reasons. First, one tends to not retie the knot very often when it’s so convenient to simply open the snap to change lures. The knot is normally the weakest link of the terminal tackle and should be frequently retied. Tying directly to the lure forces you to retie each time you change lures. Second, some lures, such as the SuperDuper rely on line twist to produce their action. Use of a swivel would interfere with its action.

With lures, I try to work upstream, first casting straight upstream, close to the bank I’m on and rapidly reeling in. My next casts are just upstream and beyond any holding water behind obstructions like rocks or boulders in the stream, working the lure through the slack water on retrieve. My final casts are upstream at the opposite bank. For the opposite bank, I work the lure as slow as possible, without hanging up, with the bail open. I try to keep the lure moving parallel to the opposite bank as long as I can by letting out line as the current moves the lure downstream. When I’ve reached a maximum point, I close the bail, wait a couple seconds and then start to slowly retrieve. I particularly get ready for a strike when the movement of the lure changes from going downstream to when it turns back toward me. Head ends of holes and transition zones are worked extra diligently. I also give extra attention to riffles, particularly when water is low and temperatures up.

When I’ve fully covered the area I can from one location, I move upstream to the next good looking water, casting upstream and retrieving on my way because I’ve more than rarely gotten a strike out of the most unlikely looking water while moving.

If the water is too turbid, or if hardware doesn't produce strikes even in clearer water, I switch to crawlers.

The crawler is put on an Eagle Claw #4, #6, #7 (the best sized hook I've found for general trout fishing, but unfortunately no longer available unsnelled), or #8 unsnelled baitholder hook. It’s attached to the line using an improved clinch. I start the worm just above it's collar, fully loading, but not packing, the hook shank. I ensure the barb is passed back out of the crawler to better ensure it stays on the hook.

This rig is usually fished ultralight (#6,7,or 8 hook) with no added weight except in the larger of the medium to large stream class. With the ultralight, when weighting is needed, I use one of the tiny cylindrical nymph weights sold by Fly-Rite. In the large medium to large streams, I use 4# line (#6 or 7 hook) with Bass Pro clam shot equivalent to BB shot. In extremely heavy, fast water, I go with the 8# and will weight with up to a #4 Bass Pro clam shot. One friend, who is the best stream bait fisherman I’m aware of, only uses BB shot for weighting in that heavy, fast water and usually out fishes all of us. I haven't got to that point yet.

In areas where I run into all "little" trout (10 inches and under), I pinch the crawler in half and use only a half crawler at a time. This not only avoids waste, but better ensures hooking a fish without having to wait for it to almost digest the crawler. Using the "shortened" crawler, for me, also produces more lip hooks allowing releasing of the fish in the event I don't want to keep it. I use the tail end of the "halved" crawler first. The head end of a crawler will survive in the event it isn't soon used. The tail end will not. The tail half is put on the hook starting right into the cut-off end. The head half is put on the hook as described above for a whole crawler.

I fish the crawler rig, letting it run with the current, with a bow in the line between my rod and the water with the reel bail open, letting out more line as the situation requires. If the line straightens out or stops moving, I carefully take up the slack. If I feel a fish on the end of the line, I engage the bail, wait for the next tug and strike.

If the switch to crawlers doesn't bring action and the water is clear, I then switch to a single #14 or #10 salmon egg hook using a single Fireball. A Fireball seems to work even better than a crawler in clear waters with predominately Rainbows (I have yet to catch a brown or brookie on a Fireball).

I, again, try to fish the single Fireball with no added weight, but often find this more difficult than fishing an unweighted crawler.. When I do weight, I go no further than one of the Fly-Rite nymph weights.

With crawlers and Fireballs, I work the stream as best as I can as I described for lures. I, however, work downstream when fishing bait. With bait, I can work the stream better and move faster going downstream.

If I still get no or little action, I go back and try some of the other lures I carry. In addition to the previously mentioned plain Aglias, I carry some dressed hook Aglias, Aglia Longs, along with a few Super Vibrax, SuperDupers, Dare Devils, Panther Martins, Rooster Tails, in various sizes and finishes, and a couple Rapalas. Some people swear by the Super Vibrax over Aglia, but for the way I fish, I usually get more strikes with the Mepps and get significantly less line twist than I do with the Super Vibrax.

On occasions when I mostly end up bait fishing, except when using 2#, I’ve gone to Hi-Vis Yellow/Gold mono or fluoro in order to better see, with my aging eyesight, how/where my bait is drifting and to watch the curve I try to keep in my line while drifting bait. During these times, as a leader, I use three to four feet of Lo-Vis fluoro of the same test when fishing 4# or 6# Lo-vis fluoro when fishing 8#.

In most cases, I attach the leader directly to the main line using a blood knot (which I think some call a barrel knot). If there's a lot of moss in the water, I use a small swivel between the main line and leader using improved clinch knots. The swivel is small enough to pass through the tip top and guides, but causes a lot of the moss to catch on the swivel and keeps the bait clean over a longer drift.

That friend of mine, who's the best stream bait fisherman I've ever seen, has switched to Hi-Vis yellow/gold mono because he's even older than me. Although he strictly uses mono for both the hi-vis main line and low-vis leader, my use, described above, of a lo-vis leader and small swivel, is patterned after his technique. As I said previously, he nearly always out fishes (more and bigger) than the rest of us, several of whom only fish low-vis line, both mono and fluoro.

I haven't tried hi-vis in 2# yet. JapanRon has recently been nice enough to give me information on the availability of 2# fluoro and I'm planning to try and get some soon. If I can find it in hi-vis, for bait fishing, I'll be using a 2# lo-vis fluoro leader.

On beaver ponds, I fish ultralight, starting with a gold #500 or 501 SuperDuper. You can retrieve a SuperDuper slower, get good action, and stay off the bottom which all seem benefits in beaver ponds. If those don’t work, I switch to silver then copper finishes. If those don’t work, I try different finishes of Aglia and Super Vibrax in ultralight sizes. As final resorts, I go to halved crawlers then Fireballs, sometimes floating them through the pond using a small wooden bobber.

Because of the previously mentioned problem of line weakening at the knot, along with retying every time I change lures, I retie after each good fish and after each time I'm lucky and get my hook/lure back from a snag.

To finish, I want to mention a technique that on two occasions has made trout go crazy when nothing else worked. Many years ago, my wife and I were fishing a remote spot on the Gunnison and having absolutely no luck with hardware, crawlers, or Fireballs. Some locals were in the same general area and were landing fish right and left. The men, the women, and the kids were all hooking and landing fish!!. I finally got up courage and asked one what they were using. “Grasshoppers,” he told me. “Just walk through the tall grass, grab a hopper and hook it through its collar. My wife and I did this and began getting all kinds of action. Recently, a friend and I were fishing a small stream Northwest of Denver. Again, no luck with lures, crawlers, or Fireballs. After quite a while, it finally dawned on me that hoppers were flying all over the place as we walked the stream. I grabbed one, put it on the hook, and tossed it in. It barely went two feet before I had a rainbow hooked. I removed the hook, put another hopper on and tossed it in with the same result, only this time a brown. My friend switched to hoppers and we both caught fish until we finally tired. I’m not sure how they work when hoppers aren't prevalent on the shore, but when hoppers are heavy on the land, they’re dynamite in the water! Because of those times, I’ve bought some of Rebel’s hoppers along with a few of their bees and ants, but haven’t tried them yet.

I know you also asked for us to indicate where our favorite spots are, but this "book" has already gotten too long. Besides, I've already given you most of my "secrets" -- where is one I'll keep to myself.
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skullpin is a trouts favorite food and is easy to keep alive or frozen doesnt matter it works great
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