Old Timers I Crave Your Wisdom!

[roasterx]

Old timers,

I cry into the wind, seeking the wisdom of the ages!

Verily, I was not skunked, yea not once, the entire year of 2014 and now I seek a higher challenge.

I beseech the old timers. This year I shall only seek large, humongous, gigantic fish of the trout variety. What setups have you used in the past for these pearls of the deep?

Please pass on your wisdom as I have proven myself worthy at the altar of the mighty salmonid.

Yours in passion to the mighty Utah trout (mainly of the Deer creek kind).

Oh, and if you aren't old and still want to help me out that'd be great too!
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[SkunkedAgain]

You catch more fish with your line in the water.... Also, you got to fish where the fish are.... location, depth etc... welcome to the forum, most of the forum members will be glad to help, but your request is a little over the top... Try something like what's working at Deer Creek and see what that does for you... I fish further north mostly so I won't be a lot of help down there, but I like trolling my trout.... Been using a kokanee rig and doing rather well, but not necessarily for big ones... Good luck... J
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[liketrolling]

do a search
put some work in
give somthing you may get somthing back
The way I fish may not work for you.
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[HD7000]

bigger bait deeper water
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[albinotrout]

A lot of generalities wanted here. For starters narrow your search. Ask about certain times of the year. Different conditions also mean different presentations.
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[roasterx]

[quote SkunkedAgain]You catch more fish with your line in the water.... Also, you got to fish where the fish are.... location, depth etc... welcome to the forum, most of the forum members will be glad to help, but your request is a little over the top... Try something like what's working at Deer Creek and see what that does for you... I fish further north mostly so I won't be a lot of help down there, but I like trolling my trout.... Been using a kokanee rig and doing rather well, but not necessarily for big ones... Good luck... J[/quote]

Thank you sir for answering me. I've gotten quite good at slamming your run-of-the-mill trout in a variety of ways and during all seasons. My goal is to shoot for the hole-in-one, the lightning strike, the rare 3 pound and above trout. The waters I fish nearly exclusively are Deer Creek. I think it is absolutely one of the most underrated waters around and it seems to march to the beat of its own drummer.

I'll rephrase my question as per your advice.

I'd like to start catching big 'uns. I don't care if I catch one every five outings, I want to hunt for the big trout. I am on Deer Creek most of the time.

Does anyone have any old school solutions? I think I am going to forego Powerbait and start using nightcrawlers, marshmallows, and minnows.

I appreciate the reply so much! Happy fishing!
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[Tarponjim]

Big fish eat little fish, not worms and marshmallows. (though they will at an odd moment). Feed them something closer to what they eat. Rapalas, hard swim baits, soft plastic swim baits, oversized jigs, large streamers, etc. If its a big brown you want, fish at night, and in low-light conditions like pre-sunrise, after sunset, when the wind is howling, when its very cloudy, etc. Cover lots of water, 'cause there isn't just a big trout lurking everywhere. 3 pounds isn't really "big" in the grand scheme of things. You'll catch them if you put in a little time, at the right time, with the right offering, presented to them in a way as not to spook them.

If you wanna keep it simple, fish a #11 gold countdown rapala in the dark. Cast, retrieve with some snaps, cast again, repeat, and be ready. Been millions big browns caught that way.
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[Watershadow]

I might not be an old timer yet (1962) but been around a little bit roasterx. If you're looking for big trout IMO, put away the pooh bait. Most larger trout are almost exclusively piscivorous. Think large minnow type offerings, foul weather, and nocturnal. That will get you started. FYI, if you use minnows in Utah, check the proclamation....they need to be dead and there are multiple restrictions depending on locale. Good luck.
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[SkunkedAgain]

If you really want the big ones, check the legality of this advice. But if you can use a dead minnow in your pond, find a big chub minnow and wrk it slowly near the bottom in the spot where your big fish live. It will catchem just might be slow to find them. I like catching fish so I don't try it often, but it will work. Got a couple last summer that beat your 3lb mark by several times. When you get tired of the trout take that technique and chase catfish so you can catch 3lb + fish each trip. Or hit Bear Lake and Flamming Gorge and jig for big trout there. Good luck. J
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[roasterx]

[quote liketrolling]do a search
put some work in
give somthing you may get somthing back
The way I fish may not work for you.[/quote]

Yessir! That's why I'm here, to sit at the feet of greatness! I'd love to hear what has worked for you in the past for those big trout.

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply to me.
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[roasterx]

[quote HD7000]bigger bait deeper water[/quote]

My man! I think shall be what I live by. It seems to be the consensus.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to a stranger, I appreciate it.
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[roasterx]

[quote albinotrout]A lot of generalities wanted here. For starters narrow your search. Ask about certain times of the year. Different conditions also mean different presentations.[/quote]

Thank you for responding albinotrout. You and tubedude are some of my favorite posters here on BFT. I love your fishing reports and have been lurking these boards for years. In fact, I started at the beginning of the Utah General Forum and wrote down every single lure used at Deer Creek and compiled times and seasons of the reports. This data collection helped me to make Deer Creek a place that I could and did catch fish at every single outing in 2014. The information in these posts is phenomenal and it's time I make myself a part of the community.

So, to answer your questions.

Let's say that I am at Deer Creek in May-June, and I am hunting for the big trout. What combination would you tie up and hurl into the drink?
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]Sounds like you are at that phase in the progression of anglership where you have already caught your first fish, lots of fish, lots of small fish and are now ready to focus on quality vs quantity. A worthy goal.

In my former life...in which I regularly disguised myself as a business person...I often compared fishing to selling/marketing. You gotta go where the prospects (big fish) are, make good presentations, have positive expectation, use the right lures, be attuned to what is happening at all times...ready for a positive response (strike), set the hook with strength and conviction...and then play the catch so it does not wiggle off the hook.

I have been a lifelong student of both business and fishing. I believe that you cannot be over-learned in either...but especially in fishing. And with all of the new tackle and philosophies being developed every year you gotta stay up or you will be left behind. Thankfully, that does not mean that you always have to have the latest and hottest lures on the market. Fortunately some of the old tried and true stuff still works as well as ever. The new stuff just gets all the publicity (advertising).

I don't believe one has to spend the money to buy all of the most expensive gear. But I do believe that it is false economy to go cheap on terminal tackle. I can't believe all the reports in which anglers lost fish because of line breakage, malfunctioning reels or broken rods, etc. Ditto for hooks. Buy good sharp hooks...of the right type and size for your type of fishing...and keep them sharp and rust free.

Just remember...fish don't break lines. Fishermen do...through poor tackle, faulty knots, improper technique, etc. If you are going after larger fish, be prepared with gear that will not only attract those fish but will properly handle them once hooked too.

It all starts with habitat. There are a few larger than average fish in almost any water. But catching them is often more a matter of luck...or stubborn persistence...than focused fishing. So do your homework and fish waters in which there is a good population of good sized fish...with some that can make your entire fishing career.

Best baits and lures? As you have already been advised larger fish generally eat bigger meals...and usually don't snack on "junk food". As a general rule, using minnows or good lure imitations will usually get you more big fish opportunities than pitching small stuff or soaking "bottle baits". There have been some big fish caught on crazy stuff but that's not playing the odds.

If you want to take it one step further, spend some time to get to know the ecology of the waters you fish. What is the primary forage of the big boys? If...as in Scofield...it is large chubs, then either fish large whole dead chubs or lures that closely imitate them in size, color and action.

See? Simple...but not easy.
[/#0000FF]
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[albinotrout]

Well I have caught trout on a 3" chartreuse jig dropped to the bottom and brought up. I believe the last one I caught that way hit it on the way down. I was I 30 feet of water. Also spoons drug behind me worked and when using my fly rod I use woolly buggers. For the bass there slow roll a spinner bait near the cover and hold on tight.
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[scartinez]

Personally I would start by ditching Deer Creek for Strawberry cutts or Jordanelle browns. Fish with tube jigs tipped with bait (chub or crawler), gulp minnows, spoons, or jerkbaits ( rapala - husky jerk, countdown, or x rap). Your worm and mallow isn't a terrible choice either. I've got some solid browns and cutts on that bait.
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[WaveWolf]

[#000000]How about trading a year of wisdom for a year of youthful energy?[/#000000]
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[roasterx]

[quote Tarponjim]Big fish eat little fish, not worms and marshmallows. (though they will at an odd moment). Feed them something closer to what they eat. Rapalas, hard swim baits, soft plastic swim baits, oversized jigs, large streamers, etc. If its a big brown you want, fish at night, and in low-light conditions like pre-sunrise, after sunset, when the wind is howling, when its very cloudy, etc. Cover lots of water, 'cause there isn't just a big trout lurking everywhere. 3 pounds isn't really "big" in the grand scheme of things. You'll catch them if you put in a little time, at the right time, with the right offering, presented to them in a way as not to spook them.

If you wanna keep it simple, fish a #11 gold countdown rapala in the dark. Cast, retrieve with some snaps, cast again, repeat, and be ready. Been millions big browns caught that way.[/quote]

This is what I am looking for! Thank you my friend for being so specific about what to use and with ideas to aid me in my quest. I am especially receptive to the idea of "big fish eat little fish." That has been my (limited) experience as well. When I've cut open a big trout, their guts were full of little fish, and a few crayfish.

Thank you for taking the time to respond to me personally.
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[roasterx]

Hello TubeDude!

I have thoroughly enjoyed your CD and ebooks! That is some great information packed into them. You are a man of fishing letters. I hope someday you'll do something as comprehensive on my favorite Utah reservoir - Deer Creek. I appreciate your thought out and lengthy response to my query. I hope that you are having a great season and have caught some big kitties by now. I feel like you understand my quest and my progression to this part of mastering this lifestyle. I am a Biology teacher by trade and my field of occupation lends itself very well to my hobby.

Thank you so much for your response. I'll take what you have to say to heart.
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[TubeDude]

[#0000FF]I wish I could offer more help on Deer Creek. I hesitate, not from lack of experience on the water but from the current state of things.

I first fished good old DC in the early 1960s...when there were fishing seasons, high trout limits, lots of big browns, lots of perch, lots of crawdads...and no smallmouths, walleyes, white bass, bullheads or crappies. The rainbows were plentiful but then as now the average was mid teen-inchers. But there were a lot more beefy browns.

Since the introduction of the smallmouths the lake has changed...and not for the better. Oh, it was good for an exploding smallie population until they cleaned up the crawdads and started on the perch. Once the food locker was depleted they stunted and the once-abundant perch fishery pretty much crashed. And since the big browns relied heavily on young perch for much of their growth food the decline in perch saw a reduction in both size and numbers for the browns.

Still some dandy browns in the lake. And learning where they hang out at different times of the year...and what to offer them...can be rewarding. But since the most successful usually get their fish by trolling...with downriggers...I don't chase them much in my tube.

Now that the nasty scourge (quagga mussels) are a fact of life on DC I am even less likely to launch there...until it is given a clean bill of health and/or the monitoring and decontamination processes are improved.

In short, I think you have a better shot at a 10# brown from Jordanelle than from DC. Think late fall and ice out...fishing both the shorelines and mid lake (deep) with big trout-imitating hardbaits...and big plastic swimbaits in trout colors. The bigger the browns the more they enjoy planter rainbows.
[/#0000FF]
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[roasterx]

[quote albinotrout]Well I have caught trout on a 3" chartreuse jig dropped to the bottom and brought up. I believe the last one I caught that way hit it on the way down. I was I 30 feet of water. Also spoons drug behind me worked and when using my fly rod I use woolly buggers. For the bass there slow roll a spinner bait near the cover and hold on tight.[/quote]

Wooly buggers are my "go to" whenever fishing is slow. Thank you for coming back and responding to me.
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