MyFishFinder Forum
MyFishFinder By Species => Trout => Topic started by: ChuckB1 on Apr 20, 2005, 11:40 AM
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Can anyone give me some general advice on trout (Brown, Rainbow) fishing on lakes in the spring? It is something I have never done and would like to try.
I would like to know if they are normally in shallow or deep water at this time of year.
Do they relate to dropoffs or other structure?
Are they normally on the bottom or suspended, chasing baitfish?
Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.
Chuck
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Try fishing where a river or stream empties into the lake. Trout and salmon will be chasing spawing baitfish near these areas. Should be pretty shallow, when the water warms up a bit they will start heading deeper, although in my experience, big browns love to cruise the shallows any time of the year. If you can find a gravel bottom coupled with a river/stream mouth, you should be in business. Some people like trolling, I like to cast and feel the slam of an aggressive trout. My opinion only.
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Generally this time of year the weather will determine where the fish are. Remember the water is still pretty cold so they won't be in shallow all the time. In my experience if the temp is cold and the weather cloudy the trout will be on the deep side. Try finding some lake maps to find the deep spots. On the other hand if the weather is warm and sunny the water will heat up in mid day so the trout will probably be close to shore, sometimes within 10 feet in my experience. Also as previosly mentiong inlets are a great place to fish and even just places of runnoff that are just little trickles. More importantly than baitfish the water is alway warmer where an inlett creek or rain runnoff comes in. Also remember that some rainbows will start to spawn soon so they will start to gather sometime usually by outlet and inlet creeks.
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Why do so many people think all trout eat baitfish?? Our trout eat bugs......only. Only the big dollies and char eat baitfish like kokanee or whitefish or peamouth. Rainbows and brookies here never eat other fish. At least I've never caught any that have, and I've caught a lot of trout.
For the springtime? On the fly fish a chronomid pattern under an indicator about 6" - 1 foot off the bottom. Leech patterns also work well as do shrimp. Fish the flat shoal zones near the shores of lakes where the fish will be cruising looking for food.
If you're chucking gear then go with small spinners with worms. Stuff like wedding bands, mepps aglias, bolos, flatfish or blue foxes work well trolled. As far as where they are.....it never hurts to troll past creek mouths but off points or between islands works well too. Fish from point to point across bays and from point to point between islands.
If you're going to cast, fish off points and dropoffs or near inflowing creek mouths. Spinners again although I should mention lures like the Crocodile, Williams Wabler and Gibbs F.S.T.
Good luck
KRIS
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Thanks for the information guys. I'll try it out this weekend.
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Why do so many people think all trout eat baitfish?? Our trout eat bugs......only. Only the big dollies and char eat baitfish like kokanee or whitefish or peamouth. Rainbows and brookies here never eat other fish. At least I've never caught any that have, and I've caught a lot of trout.
I disagree, rainbows in the colorado river gorge on suckers and chubs. I have caught many that burp up suckers and chubs, and have them lodged in there throats. In lakes, I find the same thing. Of course, the rainbows really don't start baitfish eating until they are about 14", the brookies and browns typically start smaller at about 10". But to each his own...I just have found what you said to be a complete 180 of what I've experience.
As for location, kodiakcommando hit it pretty well. I also like to focus on rocky points and rocky areas for browns and rainbows, especially if your lakes have crayfish that these fish love to gorge on. I like these rocky points to have quick access to fairly deep water, and preferably good proximity to a nice cove with weed growth.
For gear, I like to use a 3/8 oz. spoon, preferably a buckshot rattlespoon or a daredevil. I also like to use 3-4" curly tail grubs, and 1/8-1/4 oz. rattletraps work well also.
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Kodiaks trout and landlockes salmon feed very little on bugs when they reach 10 plus inches. They mosty all feed on leeches or their numer one baitfish, sticklebacks. Since i mostly fly fish this time of year i would recomend thuder creeks, small clausers or woolybuggers. Generally a slower retrieve than you would use in the summer works best.
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Man it never ceases to amaze me that trout from different areas differ so much. The only trout in BC that will actively seek out baitfish are the big rainbows in the Babine and other such rivers that are following the salmon fry migrations and the coastal cutts that do the same thing.
In the central interior where I am, the trout, no matter what the size, eat bugs.....dragons...damsels......leeches....shrimp ......chronnys.....mayflies...etc. I've seen 8 pound plus rainbows consistently taken on size 12 chronomids.
It's crazy how the techniques differ
KRIS
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Man it never ceases to amaze me that trout from different areas differ so much. The only trout in BC that will actively seek out baitfish are the big rainbows in the Babine and other such rivers that are following the salmon fry migrations and the coastal cutts that do the same thing.
In the central interior where I am, the trout, no matter what the size, eat bugs.....dragons...damsels......leeches....shrimp ......chronnys.....mayflies...etc. I've seen 8 pound plus rainbows consistently taken on size 12 chronomids.
It's crazy how the techniques differ
KRIS
That and/or trout (except lakers) will take about anything you throw out there at 'em ;)
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I have found that trout get most of their nutritional value from baitfish. They gorge on suckers, chubs, other trout, and bluegills, walleye, or basslings.
However all trout are opportunistic and will take easy insects. So that's why it's common to catch big trout on small flies. Have seen it happen plenty.
The best place in lakes for trout in spring are in shallower rocky areas that warm faster than other places. As well as near inflowing creeks or rivers. You just have to have a slow presentation and these areas need to be near deep water.
Tyler
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The best places here are over submerged weedbeds in less than 20 FOW because at those depths you get more photosynthesis taking place and more bugs emerging. More bugs = more fish. Trout here do not eat baitfish as a main staple. I'm not saying a monster trout might whack off a chub or something on the way by but they eat bugs.
KRIS
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I have yet to find any sort of baitfish in any trout other than a laker or splake, and with splake usually its sticklebacks, I would definitley say invertabrates can grow trout just as large an forage fish, seeing as i have yet to find a rainbow in the last 12 years with minnows in its gullet, just for the record the sask record rainbow is 26lbs and a 31 was taken spearfishing last summer. Very few to no trout lakes in our province have a forage base, what they do have are massive food sources found in scuds, chironomids, backswimmers, beetles, mayflys, dragonfly nymphs etc. Why would a big ol bow chase a minnow around when there are clouds of scuds who couldn't try if they wanted to actually escape?? I think this is why mere puddles around here have a habit of growning big rainbows and browns.
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Why would a big ol bow chase a minnow around when there are clouds of scuds who couldn't try if they wanted to actually escape?? I think this is why mere puddles around here have a habit of growning big rainbows and browns.
Exactly!
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I know for a fact that trout here in WNY eat forage fish.
As stated earlier, the difference is amazing from one region to another.
And like TFB said- at times they will eat anything!
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yeah from region to region it definitely varies alot, great lakes techniques IE trolling big cranks and spoons on planer boards and dipsy's etc. are definitely methods that are super effective for tageting trout which feed on smelt, shad, alewifes, and the like. where in our neck of the woods you would probably get skunked if trying to catch bows and browns using fl 14's and other big minnow baits. And conversely if i went and trolled the great lakes with a fly rod and no. 6 doc spratley i'd catch dick all more than likely. Another difference is we have no trout rivers to speak off, only small lakes which are entirely naturaly devoid of gamefish and roughfish (suckers etc).
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Another difference is we have no trout rivers to speak off, only small lakes which are entirely naturaly devoid of gamefish and roughfish (suckers etc).
We may not have large trout rivers here, but there are some small ones. ;)
I have caught trout on some of our lakes.
On what? Minnows!
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In the central interior where I am, the trout, no matter what the size, eat bugs.....dragons...damsels......leeches....shrimp ......chronnys.....mayflies...etc. I've seen 8 pound plus rainbows consistently taken on size 12 chronomids.
It's crazy how the techniques differ
KRIS
Fished around Vernon, and Kelowna lot's and I'll have to tell ya that I have caught lot's of Rainbows on Rainbow Rapalas. Trout in my mind are definetly not just "bug eaters"
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In this area, once stream trout get to be about 15 inches or better, they definetly starting eating more minnows. I have found tons of minnows, sticklebacks, sculpins, crayfish and leeches in the trout around here, especially those over 15 inches. Minnow imitations are really killer 'round here for the big'uns...just ask slipbob ;)
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Very true, our trout over about 14" turn to a very meat oriented diet. They eat almost anything, and their diet often reminds me of smallmouth bass. I've even seen some salamanders in browns stomachs! Like Lance said, our trout eat alot of minnows, especially our lakers! ;)
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Trout in my mind are definetly not just "bug eaters"
They definitely aren't, although groups like TU want you to think that.
I do agree with whoever said the scuds thing though. There are some high mountain lakes here that have a bunch of mysis shrimp, and you see 3-5 lb. cutthroats swimming around, just grabbing mouthfulls of shrimp. Do these trout eat anything else, at all? No. Trout eat whatever, in some lakes around here the forage is crayfish, so they eat crayfish. In others it is suckers so they eat suckers. In some its shrimp so they eat shrimp. No in the colorado river there are good numbers of crayfish, roundtail chubs, 3 different kinds of suckers, sculpins, and some freshwater shrimp. There are also great bug hatches and let me tell you the trout in that river eat anything and everything they can get to. I've seen them caught on 4" sucker steaks and I've seen a decent number caught on nymphs. Trout eat anything IMO, which makes them the easiest fish to catch.
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Oh yeah, some of you may think I'm nuts but trout eat plankton too.
My advice for trout: match the hatch, weather the hatch be anything from a green drake fly to an 8" sucker.
Good fishing 8)
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They definitely aren't, although groups like TU want you to think that
While i can't say if your CDOW comments are true or not i think some of your TU statements, especially the one above are a little misguided. First and foremost TU does not want you to think that trout are just bug eaters if you want proof just read their magazine. They currently have published 2 of a 3 part series on imitating different types of fish like sticklebacks, sculpins and shad. In fact a while back they published an article about how big trout feed more of fish than bugs and you should target them with fish patterns. Overall TU is not an fly fishing elitist organization. Sure there are some bad apples but most members of TU like me respect lure fisherman just like most all fly fisherman. I Have met some jerks who poached ducks and were members of DU, that doesn't mean all members of DU poach. Also TU has put more money into conserving trout than anyone else, which i can back up with hard evidence. Something you can't back up with hard evidence in conspiracy theorys about TU trying to stop all lure fishing or convincing everyone trout are bug eaters.
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Overall TU is not an fly fishing elitist organization...
Also TU has put more money into conserving trout than anyone else, which i can back up with hard evidence.
Trout Unlimited is a worthy organization whose members really do care about their favorite species and the environment.
I'm not a member, but I have seen their work personally. Bank restoration, dam removals, etc.
It's groups like this that keep sportsmen united.
JMO
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Mysis are an introduced species too eh..... Mention the word mysis shrimp with favor in your tone south of here in Kelowna BC and you might just get shot. D@mn near killed off about 100,000 Kokanee. I'm not sure of the biology of the ordeal but man those shrimp are bad news. I'm talking gammarus shrimp when I talk about the shrimp rainbows eat here. The smaller ones.
I don't know anything about your "Trout Unlimited" organization but I'll go out on a limb here and say that I fly and spin fish equally with a leaning toward fly fishing. Anyone that says gear chucking is wrong or unethical needs to pull his head out of his a$$. Purists like that really get under my skin cause they're the kind of people that cause rifts in the sportsmen community. Some guys thinking they're better than others. We're all in this together so who cares whether you pick up a spin rod or a fly rod?
And TFB, I don't think an 8" sucker is considered a "hatch" lol ;D I invite you all to come up here and try to fish a minnow pattern with any kind of success. If you can out fish me with a minnow pattern on any lake up here, I'll pay for your trip.
From what I've heard about brown trout you guys are probably right, they are meat eaters and a lot more agressive than rainbows. I've never fished brown trout so I've got no experience there. You won't catch a rainbow here with minnows in it unless its been eating salmon fry. I'm basing my posts on rainbows and not browns. As far as I know browns will eat anything and are more agressive.
Someone said something about lakers......I think it was pasquatch......not trout stick to topic :laugh: lol yeah lakers eat kokanee, peamouth, rainbows, squawfish, chubs, ducks, anything they can fit in their mouths. Thats why they get big.
Fished around Vernon, and Kelowna lot's and I'll have to tell ya that I have caught lot's of Rainbows on Rainbow Rapalas.
I find this weird. Down south in some lakes like Shushwap and such I encountered the same thing. I think it's because these trout are also chasing salmon at parts of the year. In the bigger lakes that do have salmon migrations through them, these fish key in on baitfish patterns. I found the same thing in Takla lake up north. Baitfish patterns do produce well but I find these fish to be mostly agressive and you can catch them even without bait, they just smack spoons with random abandon.
I think I covered it ;D
KRIS
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Mysis are an introduced species too eh..... Mention the word mysis shrimp with favor in your tone south of here in Kelowna BC and you might just get shot. D@mn near killed off about 100,000 Kokanee. I'm not sure of the biology of the ordeal but man those shrimp are bad news. I'm talking gammarus shrimp when I talk about the shrimp rainbows eat here. The smaller ones.
Mysis shrimp eat the same plankton base that kokanee salmon feed off of. Our CDOW did not understand that 20 years ago though, and they put mysis in at the time the best big rainbows fishery in colorado. The rainbows got big off of eating kokanee salmon. The kokanee salmon were big and prosperous. When the shrimp came in (introduced by CDOW) the lake's food chain was destroyed...
I can see why some people like trout unlimited, its just the agendas and members that I have met around here are very fly fishing elitist. I don't know about everywhere though.
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Riiight ok I remember now. It was the mysis eating all the zooplankton and then the kokes had nothing to feed on and the pops crashed. Again with the rainbows, they were safe eating bugs......they don't rely on kokanee for a food source and there was no impact on the rainbow population.
In that lake they've now gotten rid of almost all the mysis shrimp and the populations of kokanee are going back to where the were.
They've actually determined that there are 2 different types of kokanee spawners.....shore and stream although the shore spawners represnt a small percentage of all the kokes.
The thing with info like that is they also know that the stream spawners attain larger sizes and are more targeted by anglers so they need to figure out what size limits they might need to put into effect. It's been a great project I suppose. It's been an on-going study of mysis/kokanee interaction for d**n near 20 years in two different lakes here that I know of.
KRIS
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I can see why some people like trout unlimited, its just the agendas and members that I have met around here are very fly fishing elitist. I don't know about everywhere though.
My point exactly, your last sentence hit it right on. You have only met a fraction of TU members not only nationwide but probalby in Colarado. Can't judge a organization on a few bad apples.