Trout Fishing Tips

It's not secret that fishing for trout during the Fall season usually produces great results. However, many anglers don't understand how altering their fishing tactics can help them catch even more trout!

With cooler outdoor and water temps, comes a few other important environmental conditions during the Fall season - which can affect the number of trout you catch. Heavy rains can make the water murky or muddy ... which can affect a trout's ability to see your lure or bait. Overcast days can also affect how your lure or bait look underwater.

One of the unwritten rules of trout fishing is that darker lures tend to work better on overcast days and in murky water. Without going into a long explanation, this has a lot to do with the visual light spectrum and how colors are under water.

In any case try this theory out for yourself. As we get later into the Fall trout season, try fishing darker lures. Try black and gold patterns. Lures with red and copper in them also tend to work well. Chartreuse is another good color during these conditions.

You also might like to try some glow in the dark lures - especially when fishing at night or in very murky water. These lures are effective because they're easier for trout to see under water.

Mepps makes some of the best trout lures available. They sell special trout lure kits containing some of the most effective lures in a single kit. Here are some of the more popular trout lure kits offered by Mepps.

Mepps Killer Hot Trout Kit Mepps' Killer Hot Trout Kit features an assortment of some of the hottest colors in fishing today. Assembled with the stream trout angler in mind, these inline spinners also work well for various panfish species. Hot Trout Kit includes: #0 Aglia Green Platinum #0 Aglia Rainbow Trout #1 Aglia Hot Firetiger #0 Aglia Hot Chartreuse #1 Aglia Hot Pink #1 Aglia Hot Orange

Mepps Killer Trouter Kit Mepps' Killer Trouter Kit includes six inline spinners in three different sizes, ensuring that you've got something in your box that'll entice those wary trout to bite. Trouter Kit includes: #00 Syclops Rainbow Trout #1 Aglia Copper #1 Black Fury Fluorescent #1 XD Silver Body/Silver Blade #0 Aglia Long Rainbow Scale #1 Thunder Bug May Fly

Be sure to share your results here!

Labels: dark lures, darker lures, fall trout season

Trout anglers in Illinois are anxiously awaiting the 2008 Fall Trout Fishing Season. This year, October 18th, 2008 marks the season opener. Over 30 lakes and ponds will be stocked with trout before the season opener.

It's important to remember that trout may not be taken from these lakes and ponds from October 1st until 5 a.m. on October 18th.

A valid fishing license and inland trout stamp is required for all trout anglers unless they are under the age of 16, blind or disabled, or are an Illinois resident on leave from active duty in the Armed Forces.

For more information on the Illinois fall trout season, contact the IDNR Division of Fisheries at (217) 782-6424.

Labels: Illinois, Illinois trout fishing

The Arizona Fish and Game Department is co-sponsoring a trout fly fishing workshop at Becker Lake for anglers on October 4, 2008.

The 3 and half hour workshop is open to the public and will feature one-on-one instruction on the use of lures and artificial flies to improve angling success. Fly-fishing techniques, proper use of trout lures and presentation, use of casting bubbles with flies and trolling techniques will also be covered. There will be demonstrations on fly tying and methods of cooking and smoking fish.

Bring your own equipment if you have it .... otherwise equipment will be provided for those who don't have any.

There will be a morning session and and afternoon session with each session limited to 20 people. The cost is $10 per person. You must pre-register at the Pinetop Office if you want to participate. For more information, call (928) 367-4281.

Labels: arizona, Becker Lake, fly fishing workshop

In addition to Spring, Fall is traditionally one of the best seasons to catch trout. One of the primary reasons is because several water changes take place which in turn affect trout feeding habits.

First, water temps cool down. Trout prefer cooler water. Cooler water also becomes more oxygenated so trout have plenty of oxygen to breathe. Fall also brings new insects (caddis and mayflies) into the world for trout to feed on.

Together, these things make Fall one of the best trout fishing seasons for anglers everywhere.

If you're a fly fisher in the Pacific Northwest, you might want to focus on the October Caddis. This dry fly represents some of the bigger Fall caddis hatches.

Spin fishers usually do well on a variety of baits including worms, powerbait, and spinners.

While trout fishing generally tends to improve in September, October and November are typically better. Much of this depends on where you live and how early winter sets in.

If you've been frustrated by slow summer fishing, then you don't want to miss the Fall trout season. To help you get ready and get the most out of your fishing efforts, check out the Trout Fishing Tips eBook.

Labels: Fall trout fishing, fall trout season, october caddis

Are you one of those people who likes to trek off the beaten path to your favorite fishing hole? Then you might want to sign the petition that Arizona Off-Roaders is circulating.

It seems that legislators and others are complaining in Maricopa County and parts of Pinal County that off-roaders are stirring up too much dust by riding quads, 4x4's, motorcycles, etc. And they want to restrict or close access to many areas on Arizona State Land.

For those of us who enjoy spending time in the great outdoors, this news is distressing. It's already getting harder and harder and to find good places away from other people to fish, shoot, ride quads, etc. Now the Arizona State Land Department wants to make it even harder!

If you live in Arizona, I urge you to sign the online petition and spread and word. You don't have have to live in Maricopa or Pinal County to care about this issue. Rulings like this have a way of spreading once they pass they pass in one area.

For more information, visit ArizonaOffRoaders.org.

Labels: Arizona Off-Roaders, Arizona Outdoors, Arizona State Land

Having trouble figuring out what depth to fish for trout at? It's common knowledge that trout like cool water. This means that when the water's surface gets too hot (like it does in the summer months), trout will head for deeper cooler water.

So if you want to catch them, you'll have to fish deep. But figuring out the right depth can be tricky - and often frustrating!

Remember that trout have a few basic needs. And their primary concern is being comfortable. This means they will gravitate towards water that is within their ideal temperature range (50 - 68 degrees Fahrenheit) and is well oxygenated (so they can breathe). Once these two needs are met, they'll also gravitate to the area that provides a food source.

So when fishing for trout in deep water, you'll want to keep this simple rule in mind: look for water that is cool, oxygenated, and has a food source.

While knowing this information is important, it can still be tricky to figure out at what depth these conditions exist. And the only sure way to know the precise the depth to fish is to use a fish finder (one that gives you depth information).

Without a fish finder, the only other thing you can do is to experiment through trial and error. Knowing what trout need (cool, oxygenated water and a food source) will help you to start fishing the right area (especially if you know the body of water you're fishing well.

Once you've dropped your line in a "likely" area where you hope to find trout, experiment with various depths. The easiest way to do this is to let your line go deep and then wait a few minutes. If you don't get any nibbles, then reel in a little line and wait again. Keep repeating the process until you can find the right depth.

If you still can't figure out the right the depth through the process described above, it you may be in spot where trout aren't. In that case, you need to try again at a new location.

One more trout fishing tip to remember, is that if you're fishing in a lake, trout tend to frequently hang out near the dam when the weather is hot. That's because there is usually deeper cooler water there along with plenty of dissolved oxygen and food sources.

For more tips on catching trout, check out the "Trout Fishing Tips" eBook.

Labels: catching trout in summer, depth, finding trout, summer trout fishing tips, where to find trout

If you've been fishing a while, you've probably heard the phrase, "Tight Lines" at some point. There's a reason this phrase is so popular. Simply put, loose lines lose fish.

I constantly see inexperienced anglers rest their pole on a rock, chair or stand and ignore the slack line drifting in the water. Unfortunately, chances are high they'll miss subtle nibbles on their line while fish steal their bait.

Another common problem when fishing is thinking you're stuck on the lake or river's bottom and releasing the line to correct the problem. I've lost a couple of fish making this assumption a time or two - especially when fishing from a boat.

Many times, anglers get used to feeling the "take" when a fish is at the other end of their line. But sometimes the pole will bend, and you won't feel the normal "take" (or vibration from nibbles). I've experienced this a lot when fishing from a small row boat on my favorite lake.

When you don't feel the bites at the end of a pole but the pole bends in half, it's natural to think you may have gotten stuck on the bottom rocks. But don't be fooled into making this assumption. Try and reel in the line the first - and if you can reel in line, chances are you're not stuck, and may have a fish on your hook.

One of the tricks used to get line unstuck is to release the bail hoping the loose line will free the obstruction. But if you've hooked a fish, loose line may help him escape. So this is the last thing you'll want to do.

It's very important to keep the line tight when you've hooked a fish. So even if you think the line may be stuck on the bottom of the lake or river, try and reel in first. As long as you can continue to reel in line, you can rest assured that you're not stuck.

You can also try releasing the drag a bit to double check. If there's a fish on the end of your line, you can bet he's trying to swim away and you'll hear it in the reel's drag.

Worst case scenario, you can always release the line later if still certain that your line is stuck - but until then, keep those lines tight! Because lose lines lose trout!

Labels: knowing when you have a fish, line stuck, stuck line, tight lines