Gone Fishin’!

I recall that there was some controversy a few years back when the now famed trout swim bait was first developed. The maker of it was almost busted for using live trout for bait. Anybody else know the story here?

not so much of a controversy. more of an urban legend.
when the castaic trout was introduced, it’s appearance to a live trout was so close, many anglers on the shore and even in other boats thought it’s user was tossing a live trout. especially when fished during a fish stocking. "Hey! that guy’s catching trout and using ‘em!". when viewed from a couple hundred feet away, that is what it looked like. didn’t take long for the warden to recognize these guys.
and the AC plug was mentioned. alan cole had the colorado river stripers to himself for a while on his big plugs. could have also been thought to be using live fish. l seem to recall some problems he was having but as far as l know, he never got ticketed. not real familiar with his story. l do have one of his originals in my lure collection. picked it up at a swapmeet for a couple bucks.
nowadays, it is rarely given a second thought with all the big swimbaits being marketed, up to even 16 inches.
until the AC plug, very few freshwater lures were much larger than 5 or 6 inches. using a lure of 12 or 14 inches (bigger than many saltwater lures) was unheard of unless you were a musky angler, and socal bass fishing wasn’t at all connected with musky fishing. otherwise, musky lures would have been favored for years, which they weren’t.
some lifelike ones now sell for as much as 300 dollars which puts most out of my price range, so l built one of 16 inches and used it a few times (a bitch to cast). had a couple followers on it but no biters.

I understand this is runoff season, but does that affect the quality of fishing? Would you suggest any other state for trout fishing in late May? I’m trying to plan a trip around Memorial Day weekend.

Thanks in advance!

at one time i thought the eagle river by minturn just west of vail. but i think thay let one of the zink mines drain its crap out years ago . maby the fishing is better now. it was great trout fishing

There is a lake that has stocked trout, but the lake is now frozen over about 3.5 inches thick. Can you catch stocked trout on a frozen lake if you break the ice? If you break some ice and fish in that area will the trout bite anything? Or is it best to wait till the ice is melted?

Yeah, drill a hole and get jiggy wit’ it.

My father and I are going fishing at the Salt River here in Arizona. We don’t fly fish, and would like to know how, and where to go to catch some trout? Also, will the water be moving to fast for a bobber? Or even fishing off the bottom? Thanks so much, any info will really help!

I had my best luck floating crickets and crawlers with size twelve hooks under a clear float and 2lb test leader. lures catch up on rocks all the time, I don’t like to eat rocks. an lures are to dang expensive to be using to catch rocks. I have snagged many a radio from the summer tube floaters that lose em. good luck to you

i have notice that the color and shape of many adult male brook trout varies signifigantly, from different populations, why is this?

Trout and Char are known for changing colors with the seasons, water clarity, water depth, spawning, etc. Also male fish look significantly different than female fish in much the same way that hen pheasants look different than rooster pheasants. Surprisingly, even damage to the eyesight of a fish can determine what coloration or pattern it takes on. I once caught a rainbow trout in a Colorado stream that was almost completely black except for a creamy white belly speckled with black edges. On closer examination of that totally rare fish, we discovered it was completely blind. It is surprising that a blind fish could survive as long as it did to grow to be 14" long without getting eaten by a predator. I have seen brook trout that showed almost no colors or patterns at all while others have sported the beautiful vermiculation (tiger stripes or worm tracks) over the back and included bright blue halo’s with red or pink spots. The spawning males get even more intensely colored and patterned, and also develop a kype (hooked jaw) that distinguishes them even more from the less spectacular females. For the record, the brookies are actually Char as opposed to trout and are most closely related to dolly varden and arctic char. What ever you care to call them, I call them my favorite fish to see and catch in trout waters.

Hey I have this big dilemma, I have 2 brothers and some of my mates who don’t like the smell of either ocean trout or rainbow trout, every time i cook it, they just leave and stuff, everytime I speak to them, they are petrified of me, how am I able to fix this problem?
I also don’t eat red meat and chicken so all I have is fish and I need to to eat, I feel badly for them too.

lemon juice is used by many and restaurants

Is there any possible way that I could use bass techniques and bass tackle for rainbow trout? Would a drop shot rig with a zoom magnum shakey head worm work for rainbow trout in shallow rivers? Or what about small jigs, texas rigged lizards, or shakey head worms with stand up jig heads?

Some bass techniques will work on trout, others won’t. I think what you have to consider when using crossover techniques is the differences in behavior in the two fish.

Bass are warmwater fish. As such they are very aggressive attack hunters. They ambush prey from cover, but also run down prey over long distances. They’re opportunistic — if they spend half a day feeding on minnows, they can still be enticed with a crawdad. Best of all they are easily provoked with things like noise, motion, and color — we all know bass will hit a lure that looks almost nothing like natural forage as long as the lure displays a certain color or motion. Bass go after large prey. My assumption is that bass and sunfish will go after prey up to one half of their own total length — I’m sure you’ve hooked little 10- or 12-inch bass on a lure that 4 or 5 inches long.

Trout are coldwater fish. They are not as aggressive as bass, do not strike as hard, will not chase down prey over long distances, and are more selective. They are less likely to be induced into striking a certain color or motion — they require accurate imitations of natural forage, including color, size, shape, etc. They are also inclined to feed single-mindedly, zeroing in on a single prey item to the exclusion of other forage. My rule with trout is that they will take prey up to one quarter of their total length and may even be spooked by large lures. Also trout (especially in rivers) often feed from "lies." A lie is an optimum position in a stream where the trout has cover, food, and refuge from the current. It’s like a comfort zone. The trout takes up its lie and then moves very little, taking forage that washed down the current.

So, with that in mind, big, noisy rigs will not work well on smaller trout (less than about 18 inches). Most trout that size are eating aquatic insects and similar forage, so a big swimming lizard, or 4-inch worm will interest them less.

Because of a trout’s preference to feed from a lie, they are less inclined to chase fast and far-running lures. A trout won’t move too far from its lie. That’s how coldwater fish are — it’s all about energy conservation. Smaller and slower running lures can be effective, especially if you can fish it so that the trout doesn’t have to move much. There is a trout stream about an hour from where I live where smallmouth bass have been introduced, and at certain times of the year I can catch bass and trout in the same place with the same spinner. I like brass and red colored Mepps and Jake’s spinners and have caught lots of trout with them.

I’m not sure about rubber worms. I haven’t fished for trout much with large rubber worms, and my gut says it’s not a great match. But trout love real worms, so a good worm imitation may catch you some trout. I think the difference will be presentation — a smaller, more subtle presentation is required for trout.

I’ve had a lot of success taking trout on small jigs (1/32 oz. to 1/8 oz.) in rivers and streams. Brown trout will KILL minnow imitations at this time of year — not only to feed but because of territorial impulses (they spawn in late fall). You can also catch trout with jigs by overhanging banks — trout like to hide out under the overhangs and if you don’t scare them off with your approach, you can find some big trout hiding in very shallow water waiting to ambush minnows and fallen insects, both of which you can imitate with jigs.

I am looking for a good way to prepare a trout. what is the best way to cook it and what spices go well with it. also what is a good side dish i was thinking rice but i am open to suggestions

Grilled Trout
Start with:

4 small trout ( 3/4 pounds each )
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. ground sage
1/2 tsp. black pepper
3 cloves garlic (minced)
3 tbs. dried rosemary
1/2 cup white wine

Combine olive oil, garlic, thyme, sage and pepper. Spread evenly over trout and inside the cavity. Grill each side for about 4 minutes during last 4 minutes add rosemary to hot coals and replace grill cover. 1 minute before removing trout liberally sprinkle trout and coals with wine and replace cover. Serve with lemon wedges and your favorite side dish.

Serves 4

Ginger & Lime Peel Trout
Start with:

four 6-ounce rainbow trout fillets
1 tablespoon ginger root
1 teaspoon grated lime peel
1/4 cup safflower oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons lime juice
salt to taste

In a medium bowl, sauté ginger in oil just lightly browned and aromatic. Remove pan from heat; stir in red pepper. When oil cools completely, whisk gradually into lime juice and peel.

Set aside. Heat grill and brush with oil. Grill trout flesh side down 2 minutes. Gently turn. Grill for 2 more minutes, or until trout turns opaque. Serve immediately with lime-ginger mixture.

Serves 4

Trout Almondine
Start with:

6 trout fillets (1/2 lb each)
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/4 cup blanched almonds
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
paprika
salt
parsley

Put fillets on skewers and place on a rack over the grill. Brush with butter. Cover your cooker or make a tent out of aluminum to cover the fish. Cook without turning, 3-4 inches from source of heat until fillets are cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove to a heated platter and sprinkle with salt and paprika.

While fillets are on the grill, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add almonds. Pan fry and stir over low heat until almonds are golden and butter is lightly browned.

Remove from heat, stir in lemon juice, then spoon over fillets. Garnish platter with parsley. Serve with a fresh tossed salad, sweet potatoes and dinner rolls.

Serves 6

I am going fishing this weekend and was wondering what works best for catching Rainbow Trout. What do you use?

just in case none of these helpful hints work, read this, it might help you to find a way to get bit (you know just in case the trout aren’t biting)

I’ll be taking the kids camping, and should we be lucky enough to catch rainbow trout in the creek next to where we’ll be camping, I’d like us to cook it over the campfire and enjoy the fish. Can this be done without a pan? Can we just use tinfoil? Ideas?

Yes to foil……..I can tell you how my husband has done it for 10 years ,on our grill

clean each fish and rinse, leave the skin on for now
put the fish in the foil if you happen to have a lemon with you give it a little squirt and a pat of butter ( it will make a little sauce of sorts)
wrap it up to seal about 6/8 minutes on each side
I would not put it right in the flames only over hot coles or off to the side. when the fish is done the skin will peel right away and you can lift the bones right out and make sure that you have them all . I really hope this helps have fun!!!!