Trout for Beginners
This post is aimed at beginners who want to go out and catch some trout this summer. Now that school is out for the summer, and the weather is nice, it is a perfect time to take off for the lake for some trout. I'm not going to address stream fishing here. Maybe another time.
It is not necessary to break the bank in pursuit of trout. It can be done rather simply and inexpensively. All you need is a medium or light action rod and reel, brand does not matter, four or six pound test line, size 14 or 16 treble hooks, Power Bait, egg sinkers, and BB split shot sinkers. Run the line through the egg sinker, and crimp a split shot on the line, leaving about two feet of line at the end. Tie on the hook. Put just enough power bait on the hook so that it still floats. Cast out, and you are fishing. The line will not be straight after the cast. There will be a bow in the line, creating slack. Reel in the slack. More slack will form as the bow slowly goes out of the line. Keep reeling in the slack, until it doesn't form any more. Then pull about four inches of line off the reel. This keeps the fish from feeling resistance on the line when it takes the bait. Otherwise it will either let go, or pull the bait off the hook without hooking itself. Watch the slack in the line. When it starts to dart out, you are getting a bite. When it disappears, firmly but gently set the hook.
The color of power bait doesn't matter a whole lot, but I find that red is a good all around color. The bright colors sometimes get fewer bites in the middle of the day. You will need to experiment with how far to cast before you get bites. One way is to cast as far as you can, then pull the line in about ten feet every ten minutes until you start getting bites, then cast out that far the next time. This has more to do with the depth of the water.
Where to fish? The best place is the one closest to you. Go to the ODFW webpage, and look up the weekly fishing report, or the stocking schedule. That will tell you where to go. Ask people you know who fish where they go. Most fishermen are glad to tell you. when you get there, look at the water. Good places are near dams, where the water is deep, near streams entering the water, or anywhere the lake forms small bays and inlets. This indicates deep, cool water.
If you aren't getting bites off the bottom, switch tactics. Use a bobber, with the hook anywhere from two to six feet below, and use just enough power bait so that the hook sinks. It helps to use a size ten treble hook, so that you can use more bait and still allow it to sink. Don't set the hook until the bobber goes completely under.
The best times to go are early in the morning, and in the evening. I've noticed that often times the bite will drop off around 11:00 AM, the start to pick up for an hour or two around 1:00 PM, then die until after 5:00 PM, when it will slowly pick up, until around dusk the fishing is fast and furious. You can still catch fish anytime of the day, but those are the times when you will catch the most fish.
Other good baits to use are salmon eggs, on size 12 or 14 egg hooks, or nightcrawlers with a marshmallow on size 6 hooks.
Good luck fishing!
happybrew
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