Reservoir Browns

[redhooker]

I have been fishing the Roundout Reservoir for a few years now for lake trout with very good sucess.  However, I am not able to hook up with any browns.  I have tried everything.  Lead core, downriggers, anchoring and jigging.  I'm marking fish, putting the bait, spoon, lure right in front of fish no browns, just lakers.  How fast should I be trolling for the browns?  Are they line shy?  I'm using 12 pound floro leaders.  Should I use christmas tree rigs?  Flashers with a fly, short leaders, long leaders?  I'm beside myself here trying to catch these suckers.

[Scientist]

Without knowing the specifics of the reservoir such as depth, how deep the thermo cline is, or the forage base can’t really help you really target them. One guess that I can make is that you could be fishing a little too deep for brown trout if you always catch lakers. At least in the lakes I fish the brown trout are generally found in the thermo cline ranging from 15 to 60 feet deep. The water temp that you are looking for is 60 degrees for browns where as lakers live in water temps of 55 and colder. In other words, try a shallower presentation because you might be fishing tooo deep for the brown trout

[Jimmy]

I used to fish the Rondout and Neversink Res's a ton when I lived right by both of them near Red Hill...

The browns are at the 55A bridge in big numbers in early April- but then move out by the 1st of May...

Crocodile Spoons are the best artificial going on those reservoirs if you can't get sawbellies that early in the season...  The browns in the Rondout are from the "Seaforellen" strains- not "German" browns... 

So they will look JUST like Landlocked Salmon the first time you see them...

Confused the hell out of me for a long time...  I thought the landlockers from the Neversink had made it into the Rondout...

The Rondout fish look like this- these are from 2007 at the junction of 55 and 55A...  Fish that in the spring at night...  In the summer, stick with the MONSTER smallmouth near the Saw Kill outlet and Cooneys Point...

Those fish are amazing in there.... 

Here is a springtime Rondout brownie in the pan-



And a smaller one showing the Seaforellen colors-



Tubby Rondout brown-



And a Rondout Smallmouth-



Prize Fighter from my favorite spot on the 'Dout-

[redhooker]

Thanks for the input.  I am told spring is in when it comes to fishing for those brown in the Roundout.  To answer the other fellas question.  The main forage is sawbellies, which are easy for me to get, I fish them live, mark the fish on my vex, and drop it right in front of them.  If I catch a fish its either a laker or a moster smallie, and those smallies are nothing to shake a stick at.  So, if you say I'm looking for 60 degree water its most likely very high in the water colum.  I have been trolling quite a bit with the lead core either with spoons, plugs, and a sawbellie threaded on a quick strike rig.  So far all I have had is one hit with it.  I troll for about 30 minutes through each color changing my depth to find that sweet spot.  Havent hit it yet.  I guess I'll have to put in more time.  Back to the drawing board.  By the way the body of water's max depth is about 160 feet, depending on how drawn down the basin is, it is about 8 miles long I'd say, fairly clear water.  I know they are in there, I always hear about them and see pictures in the bait shops.  Anybody wanna go fishin???  I'm stumped, PM me if you wanna join me some time.

Jason

[redhooker]

Tried the Browns again this year.  Trolling crocodile spoons, flat fish, mooselocks, and g-fly with a dodger on lead core trolling rig.  Found the fish to be still very high in the water colum on the fishfinder except for the lakers.  Started by flatlining in the morning without the leadcore and then proceeded to let out more line.  I'm stumped.  I even rigged up sawbellies dead and trolled them.  Anybody in the know wanna come out on my resevoir boat on the Roundout and show me how its done?  I'll row you around all day!!

Jason