Trout Fishing Tips

Here's one of those trout catches that many anglers can only dream of!  This video was produced by JigHeadsTV.

These anglers were ice fishing on Lake Superior when they caught this monster Lake Trout.  It's a great catch and even greater that they released the fish back into the lake.  The only downside is that more care could have been taken when handling the fish since catch-release was intended from the start.

Labels: Eagle Lake Trout, ice fishing, Lake Superiror, Monster Lake Trout, Monster Trout

Summer is fast approaching and this year, Lake Ontario (in Canada) will be hosting a new $1200 a day Boat Derby.  This is event will run concurrently with the Summer Derby beginning June 19th and running through July 18th, 2010.  The LOC boat derby also coincides with the lsat two pro-arms and will utilize the LOC weigh-in stations, hours, and rules (other than described below).

Better yet, if you're submitting fish for consideration in the LOC Summer Derby, all rules, such as all members must be entered would have to be followed ... so yes, you could win in both derby's. 

The LOC Boat Derby prize will be $600 a day for the largest salmon (minimum 20 lbs) and $600 a day for the largest trout, one winning fish per day per boat.

The accepted minimum weight for trout will be:

• Lake trout 15 lbs
• Rainbow steelhead 13 lbs
• Brown trout 10 lbs. 

The goal is to make all trout competitive. For example: If a 12 lb brown trout were entered, it would take a 17.01 lake trout to beat it.
The price for entry is $600 for active USCG registered captains and $300 for non-captains and this covers everyone on the boat.

If you don't hold a USCG license and didn't book a charter in 2009 or 2010, you can join at the $300 rate.

Checks and 1099’s will be sent to the person who registers and any distribution of funds to fishing partners is the responsibility of that person. The weigh in station that weighs each of the daily fish will collect $25.

If enough people haven't signed up for the LOC Boat Derby by May 15th, it will be canceled.  So you might want to sign up as soon as possible.

Signing up is easy ... and you can do it online or by mail.

• To register online,click here.
• To register by mail, click here.

You will be able to sign up at weigh in stations and registration outlets after the minimum entries have been met, but with cash or check ONLY.

Registration will be available after the boat tournament starts, but there is no pro rating of the fee and there is no daily entry fee to this event.

Monies collected over the stated prize structure of $36,000 and administrative fees will be divided up and awarded as prizes for the largest fish in each division.

For more information about the LOC Boat Derby, click here.


By the way, there's only 72 days left til the start of the Spring LOC Derby
(April 30 - May 9, 2010).

Labels: Canada, Lake Ontario, LOC Boat Derby, LOC Derby, LOC Spring Derby, LOC Summer Derby

We've gotten a couple of emails asking about the 2010 Fly Fishing Show.  So we thought we'd post the dates here for everybody!   So if you're interested in attending, you can catch the 2010 Fly Fishing Show at any of the places mentioned below:

Labels: Fly Fishing Show

One of our readers wrote in the other day asking what he could do to clear his muddy pond.  The pond is home to speckled trout and became muddy after heavy rains.  Since the pond is rather small, a quarter acre in size, the muddy water doesn't seem to be clearing.

In response, I did some research and came across this article published by a group in Texas.  Hoping others will benefit from the information, I wanted to publish the link here.

The article is title, "Clearing Muddy Ponds", and you read it by clicking here.

Folks at Virginia Tech published another good article, titled, "Clearing Muddy Pond Waters."

If you have a fish pond you need to take care of, make sure there is plenty of grass around the shoreline.  This will help prevent more mud from washing into the pond during a good rain.

There are compounds you can add to the pond to help clear the water also.  The most popular compounds include gypsum, agricultural or hydrated limestone, aluminum sulfate (also called, alum).  But be careful using these compounds as they can change the pH of the water. 

Adding Alum to the pond will lower pH, and keep in mind that trout typically don't do well in water with a pH lower than 6.  The lower the pH, the more acidic the water.  If using Alum, most experts recommend using it in conjunction with limestone at a ratio of 2:1 (Alum to limestone).

Read the above mentioned articles for more information and if you have questions, your local fish and game department will most likely be able to offer more detailed help in regards to using compounds to clear your muddy fish pond.

Labels: clearing muddy ponds, muddy fish ponds, muddy ponds

Roundtail chub are native to Arizona and are commonly referred to as "Verde Trout".  These fish live in the Verde River and are known to bite on many of the same lures and baits that trout do. 

The Arizona Fish and Game Department has been working the last few years to turn Fossil Creek into a prime fishery for Verde Trout.  On October 3, 2009, Fossil Creek will open for the first annual Verde Trout fishing season.

Fossil Creek will open the first Saturday in October every year and remain open through April 30th.  Only the middle 4.5 miles of the creek is open to fishing (there will be signs).

Since this is a special fishery, special rules are in place including:

• Single Barbless hooks only
• Artificial lures and flies only
• Catch and release only

The fishery is open to both spin and fly fishers alike, provided they follow the rules mentioned above.  Of course, all other Arizona Fishing Regulations remain in effect as well.

The AZ Fish and Game Department hope that this fishery will help anglers learn more about its native fish. 

Other fish can also be found in Fossil Creek including the Speckled Dace, Longfin Dace, Desert Suckers, and Sonora Suckers.

You can find more information about each of these fish, by clicking here.  Just click on each of the pictures on the web page for more detailed info.


Fossil Creek is located on the Tonto and Coconino National Forests approximately 15 miles east of Camp Verde and 5 miles west of the town of Strawberry. You can find it by driving along Forest Service Road 708.

Labels: arizona, AZ trout, Fossil Creek, Roundtail Chub, Sucker Fish, Verde Trout

I don't know about the rest of the country, but where I live (northern Arizona), temperatures are starting to cool down ... which means the Fall trout fishing is just around the corner.

Trout become a lot more active when warm summer temps starting cooling down. They like cooler water (which is typically more oxygenated) and so will start feeding near the water's surface. This is good news for anglers!

This time of year, the best trout fishing still tends to be early morning and early evening ... but as mid-day temps drop further, trout will be easier to catch all day long.

Happy fishing!

Labels: Fall trout fishing, fall trout season, rout fishing

Mepps Aglia Spinners have been a favorite lure for trout anglers since their invention. These simple in-line spinners have a great success rate in catching trout. Check out any trout angler's tackle box, and you're sure to find a couple of these spinners in it.

While in-line spinners aren't typically used by bass anglers, one guy discovered that Aglia spinners have helped him catch more white bass than the traditional spinner baits usually favored by bass anglers.

Judging by the Mepss Lure Selection guide, this comes as no surprise to them. They suggest several different Aglia spinners for white bass anglers.

So why are in-line spinners (like the Aglia) often overlooked by bass anglers? Probably because they're famous for getting stuck on weeds and rocks and anglers are always losing them. Unfortunately for anglers, large fish often hide in those same weeds and rocks (especially bass) and so if you want to catch them, you'll have to contend with the frustrations of getting your spinner stuck (and possibly losing it).

One of the attitude problems that many anglers tend to adopt is a "spare the spinner" mindset. Out of fear of losing $3-$6 lures, they tend to avoid rocky, weedy areas when fishing. While this can be more cost effective for the angler, the downside is that you're sacrificing opportunities to catch more and larger fish.

One way to combat this mindset is to make your own spinners. You can buy the parts in bulk and assemble your spinners which in turn can greatly reduce the cost of each spinner. And when they cost less, you don't mind losing them as much.

So the moral to story is don't be afraid to think outside the box (as this one bass angler did) and don't worry so much about losing those spinners (especially when the opportunity exist to catch more and larger fish).

Labels: Aglia, in-line spinners, Mepps, mepps Aglia, spinners