Trout that are hugging the bottom

[Bassmaster-ND]

Went out fishing on the boat today to a lake and the trout were just stacked on top of eachother like there was no tommorow according to the fishfinder. Never caught one of them. We tried bottom bouncers with spinners, crankbaits, jigs and not a bite. They were in about 30ft of water.

What are some good lures to use when the trout are hugging the bottom?
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[tubeN2]

I find it usefull to Carolina rig a real night crawler. You may also get success with crickets in the same manner of rigging.
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[aquaman]

try a 2" tube jig with a peice of nightcrawler drop straight down to the bottom and jig up an down

you could also try a small jigging spoon like a swedish pimple again attach a peice of crawler good luck
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[patches]

i,d be just changin strategy, sit still thow a night crawler down or a minner? maybe there use to natural bait. one will git ticked that ones thinkin bout it haha just like kids not wantin the other to git it sos they,ll fight over it and youll be gittina a big one! hahaha later[][] or maybe there just playin lazy. hahaha patience is a virtue! haha
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[TroutFishingBear]

Patches is on. maybe rig a shiny castmaster about 12" above the hook and nightcrawler and vertically jig like icefishing.

Just a thought...
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[daymere]

[font "Arial"][size 2]This technique can be used for Rainbow Trout and Brook Trout when fishing in a lake down deep. You can also use this technique for Salmon but you may want to go to 8 or 10 pound test. The technique below is for fishing in smaller lakes out of a small boat or for fishing deep when you don't have downriggers. For this to work, you need to be in a boat that trolls very slow. A larger boat would require downriggers to fish deep. The technique was originally written for Lake Trout fishing but it works for any trout or salmon species.
[font "Arial"][blue][size 2]Change Your Thinking:
[font "Arial"][size 2]It takes a bit more skill to catch Lake Trout, especially in the summer-time. For years people have been using trolling rods with thick wire line or downriggers to fish deep. It's the exact opposite ideology if you want to catch lots of them. Thick heavy line causes more friction with the water, thus it is harder to go deep. Thick line is too visible and downriggers scream through the water spooking the fish, thus you would only catch 1/5 the amount of fish compared to the method below. Plus heavy trolling rods are not sensitive enough to feel a small fish hit your lure when you are fishing 60 feet deep.
[font "Arial"][size 2]You need a light action rod with six pound test line. You also need three-way swivels and a 3oz weight.
[font "Arial"][blue][size 2]Below is a diagram showing the setup:
[font "Arial"][size 2]By using light line, the line has less friction with the water and slices through so that your line goes down to the bottom without having lots of line out. Tie two 4 foot pieces of line to your three-way swivel. Use a 3 oz. weight on one line and a light lure on the other. Lake Trout like small lures. Use #1 or #0 Mepps or Blue Foxes. The absolute best lure for Lake Trout is the Sutton Silver Spoon. Try to find a 2 inch weightless. Your local bait store will have to order them for you. It's very rare to see them on the shelf.



[font "Arial"][blue][size 2]Trolling Slow:
[font "Arial"][size 2]You only want to move just fast enough for your lure to work and no faster. If your boat is moving too fast, it will be very hard to find the bottom of the lake. If you are using a boat with a bigger motor and it's hard to keep slow, try back trolling.
[font "Arial"][blue][size 2]Finding the bottom:
[font "Arial"][size 2]The most important aspect of Lake Trout fishing is letting out line to get to the bottom. DO NOT JUST LET YOUR LINE OUT UNTIL IT HITS BOTTOM. Hold the rod in one hand with the bail open. Let the line run through the palm of your other hand and grip the line. Once the boat starts moving and you have a good straight troll going, open your hand with the line then close it again. This way you can let out a foot or two of line at a time. Get a rhythm going. Open, close, open, close. Your rod tip will bounce up and down as you release little bits of line at a time. The rhythm of your rod tip bouncing will be disrupted when your weight hits the bottom of the lake. When this happens, reel up a foot or two. The purpose of this procedure is to keep your three way swivel setup from getting tangled.
[font "Arial"][size 2]Trout are funny when it comes to hitting your lure. Small ones will hit and then take off so you know you have a fish on. The really big trout will hit the lure and slowly swim away. They are so big they don't know they're hooked. So if you get a snag, make sure it's not a fish before you start toughing on your line. If it's a big trout, loosen the drag on your reel because they will go nuts and strip a 100 yards of line off your reel before you can turn them.
[font "Arial"][blue][size 2]Weather:
[font "Arial"][size 2]In the summer time, Lake Trout hit best in the morning between first light and 10:30 AM. They will hit better if the surface of the water is dead calm and it's a clear sky with high pressure. Any other conditions will cause them to slow down. If it's early spring, the trout seem to feed in other parts of the day, thus they are easier to catch. In some lakes the trout feed before dark.
[font "Arial"][blue][size 2]Structure and wind:
[font "Arial"][size 2]Take a close look at the structure of the shoreline and try to extend the elevation patterns into the lake. If you see a cliff, odds are the water is deep at it's face. If you see a string of islands, odds are there is a shallow shoal that runs between them. Trout like drop-offs so you would want to troll parallel to the string of shoals and not over them.
[font "Arial"][size 2]When you drop your line to the bottom, count how many times you let out line. You can get a good estimate of the depth. Try to stay in 40 to 60 feet of water. If you come across a spot and catch a trout, odds are there are more of them there. The wind is very important when trout fishing. Traditionally for warm water fish like Walleye or Musky, you would fish on the side of the lake were the wind is blowing. The logic being that the fish follow the surface food that is being blown in. With trout it is the exact opposite. The wind also blows the warm surface water which does not hold enough oxygen for the trout. Thus fish the side of the lake where the wind is coming from.
[font "Arial"][blue][size 2]Depth:
[font "Arial"][size 2]In the Spring, the Lake Trout will be right up to the surface. As the water starts to warm up with the changing weather, the trout start to go deeper. Here is the approximate depth for different times of year. This is not true for all lakes. Some smaller spring fed lakes will have Lake Trout shallow all year.
Just after ice-out --> Between 10 feet and the surface
Mid Spring --> About 35 to 45 feet deep
Late Spring --> About 50 to 65 feet deep
Summer --> Summer is the tricky part. Many believe that the Lake Trout go to the deepest part of the lake and stay dormant. In actual fact, the Lake Trout stay suspended in 53° thermal layers. Why are they there? That's where all the bait fish are. Lake Trout feed on White Fish and Suckers which they find suspended in schools. There will be trout on the bottom but they are not feeding. When they do feed, they come shallower to feed on suspended bait fish.
[font "Arial"][blue][size 2]Depth Finder:
[font "Arial"][size 2]It's good to have a depth finder so you can map the schools of bait fish that are suspended. When you do come across a school, troll around the outside of the school. The Lake Trout sit right underneath the school waiting for weak or injured fish to venture outside the school. Out in the middle of the lake, you will find these schools of bait fish in the 40 to 60 foot range. It's different on most lakes but this is a good place to start. this is when you use you live bait over. the school and this will trigger a hit.


[url "http://v1.nedstatbasic.net/stats?ACcILQ/E1uAK/cYz+f3bSjI6SPKg"][/url] [url "http://v1.nedstatbasic.net/stats?ACcILQ/E1uAK/cYz+f3bSjI6SPKg"][/url]
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****removed brown bar at the bottom*****
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[patches]

hey there, sorry havent got back to ya, been BUSY! haha well is that a lure?? with the night crawler on the bottom huh?? well i got me some new hooks, i like em, it,s got a gold little lure thing at the end, looks like a lure only tiney, and also has red beads up above that look like salmon eggs, and i put a night crawler on the hook, and it,s been doin pretty good fer me! i,ll tell ya. i go up to this pond on top of the mountain and generally ya cant git the trout to bite on the hot days, they just go to the bottom and do this same thing and dont want ot hit. course i fsh from shore, but this little riggin i got now, i,ll tell ya, it,s the ticket, i believe when it sits on the bottom, the little lure still moves with the current, and the red beads thinkin there salmon eggs, and if not, they like the night crawler. haha got there pick. haha and they take it out like crazy! ahha fun., there size 8 hooks too. i generally use 8 or 6 anyways. fer the trout, they come in both sizes, but generally when it,s that hot out we go fer the little horn pout jack likes, but the trout been hittin this real good! later have fun fishin this weekend.
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[patches]

hey there deymere, how ya doin?? had that little one yet??? well anyway, that s also how i fish fer browns here too. but with a night crawler whreya got the lure. i havent tried my new hooks like that yet but am gonna. that,s a good article ya did, this is when its good and deep or medioker, haha as fer as depth off shore and just sittin still. jack lies the boat thing, but i always said that as fer as that lead line, i didnt understand how they could feel it either and not only that i like my light tackle more anyways. but that was a good article fer those who dont fish the salmon trout much. and good learnin one. thanks later have fun fishin. i,ve also liked and used my slidin sinkers which are good fer this alos. can do the same thing. i find and with the minner or nightcrawler at the end. ya tried that?? that,s fun! especailly when they run twice.with the minner.that takes some line ahhaha later
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[daymere]

little girl and she has had a rough time we have almost lost her a few times thats why i havent been on as much .
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[Bassmaster-ND]

Thanks for all the replies. I'll be sure to give the suggestions a try.
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