Trout Fishing Tips

Believe it or not, the desert southwest states offer some excellent brown trout fishing - including wild brown trout. Arizona, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, Montana, and Idaho are among those states for some prime brown trout waters.

Fish and Game Magazine wrote a great article this month called, "Browns without the Crowds" which contains more details for catching brown trout in these states. It's a great article and worth a read (especially if you live in any of the states mentioned above).

Do you have a favorite river, stream or lake for brown trout fishing? Post a comment and let us know.

Labels: Brown trout, brown trout fishing, wild brown trout

Anxious to catch a big brown trout? Head out to East Walker River in western Nevada! A sport fishing guide from Mammoth caught and released a 13-pound (29 inches) brown last week.

There were two other browns in the 27 inch class that were also caught and released on Elk Hair Caddis flies.

For more fishing reports for California and Nevada waters, click here.

For more information about fly fishing the East Walker River, click here.

Labels: Brown trout, East Walker River

We've said it before, and we'll say it again .... records are made to be broken!

On May 13, 2007 a new brown trout record was set in Michigan by Casey Richey (owner of Casey's Custom Fly Shop). The fish was pulled out of Lake Michigan in Frankfort and weighed 36.81 ounces and measured 43 inches in length.

Casey caught the trout while trolling a No. 9 Rapala about 100 yards off pier heads between Elberta and Frankfort.

Our congratulations to Casey!

Labels: Brown trout, Michigan, trout records

The Environmental Agency has recently planted thousands of brown trout eggs into the rivers around Cheltenham and Cirencester. This planting is part of an ongoing effort to mitigate declining brown trout populations in these rivers.

Over 110,000 trout eggs will have been introduced into the River Churn, the River Dikler, the River Coln and Apney Brook since the start of the year.

Incubation boxes were used to protect the eggs and newly hatched young fish from predators and let them adapt to the river's environment. After hatch, trout spend an average of 40 days in the boxes after before swimming out into the river.

The native brown trout has suffered from pollution, loss of habitat and competition from rainbow trout over the last hundred years, but the Environment Agency is attempting to increase numbers to preserve the diversity in the UK's rivers.

Labels: Brown trout, Cottswold trout fishing, U.K. trout fishing

When the weather gets cold, Lake Michigan brown trout fishing gets hot!

Lake Michigan brown trout tend to stay in the near shore harbor waters all winter long. The best spots to find them are places where warm water flows into cold water. Fishing near power plants which discharge warm water into Lake Michigan has been a successful winter trout fishing tactic for years.

Many anglers love to fish near the Oak Creek Power Plant and "The Boils," a series of underwater flows about a quarter mile offshore from the Milwaukee water treatment plant. There are also good spots near the mouth of the Milwaukee River where warm water flows into the lake from the Jones Island Treatment Plant.

In winter, warm water attracts gizzard shad and other baitfish which lure brown trout.

To catch these brown trout, try using a large jigging spoon on medium action spinning rod with 8-lb test line. There are several different jigging techniques (as described in the Trout Fishing Tips eBook), one of which involves flicking the wrist. This technique doesn't involve lifting the tip of the rod very much.

The trick to jigging is to make your lure look like a dying or injured baitfish. All trout like an easy meal and they are apt to strike a lure that looks like it will give them that. And they are most likely to strike when the lure is on the way down in the water.

You also want to find the depth where trout are most active. This can be tricky without a fish finder. But the best thing to do is start out fishing deep using this jigging technique. Then if nothing happens, reel some line in about 5 cranks and try again. Just keep repeating that process until you figure out where the fish are feeding at.

If you're having trouble, make sure you're not lifting the tip of the rod too much or letting the flutter down time take too long. Remember, you want your lure to look like an injured or dying fish. Be sure to keep trying this jigging technique at different depths too.

Labels: Brown trout, brown trout fishing, fishing lake michigan, jigging, lake michigan fishing, winter trout fishing

New Melones Lake is the 4th largest man-made lake in California. Built in 1983, it has more than a 100 miles of shoreline covered with trees and brush. New Melones Lake attracts visitors from all over for its beautiful scenery, boating, swimming, water skiing, camping, fishing and more. You can even rent houseboats!

But what really sets New Melones Lake apart from others is its trophy size fish! Dream of catching a double-digit size Brown or Rainbow trout? Then New Melones Lake is the place for you!

The lake is set in the foothills of the Sierra Mother Lode along Hwy 49 between Angel's Camp and Sonora. New Melones has the size, depth and food sources capable of producing trophy size trout.

On December 2nd, 2006 non-profit organization, Kokanee Power, started the first pen-culture in California for Brown trout. Kokanee Power has already been successful in raising trophy-size Rainbow trout in New Melones Lake. Spokesman Gary Coe stated the goal was "quality, not quantity". Each pen is raising 300 Brown trout. He also stated that they hoped to release them next Spring when they've reached about 5 pounds.

Making the trophy trout program work involves the cooperation of the Department of Fish and Game, which provides the fish; New Melones Lake Marina, which provides the boat slip for the fish-rearing pens and employees to feed the trout each day; and Kokanee Power, which provided the materials and built the pens.

New Melones Lake is also the only lake in the Mother Lode that doesn't charge entry or boat launching fees. There are picnic, horseback and riding trails and shoreline camping.

Winter fishing is excellent at New Melones Lake. Folks are catching 3-5 pound Rainbow trout in Angels Cove using PowerBait and anything else that floats.
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Labels: Brown trout, New Melones Lake, Rainbow Trout, trophy trout