Trout Fishing Tips

The future of Oklahoma trout fishing is looking a whole lot brighter!

For the last two years, biologists have verified the natural reproduction of wild rainbow trout in the Lower Mountain Fork River in McCurtin County, Oklahoma. These trout spawns are the first of their kind in Oklahoma!

This means that in the future anglers may be able to fish for wild rainbow trout in one of Oklahoma's most popular trout streams.

Why is this such a big deal? Because wild trout are getting harder to find due to various factors including man-made dams, water contamination, over-fishing, etc. In order to spawn and reproduce, wild trout need very clean and cool flowing water with gravel beds. In addition to man-made problems, this is the time of year that many wildfires result in contamination of nearby streams.

And from an angling perspective, catching wild trout is like no other experience. Wild trout tend to be much more acrobatic, colorful and more challenging to catch than hatchery trout.

Labels: Lower Mountain Fork River, Oklahoma Trout Fishing, Rainbow Trout, Wild Trout

While there are lot of different trout species, the majority of trout fishers fish for rainbow trout which have been planted in their local waters by state run hatcheries. Hatchery rainbow trout are the most prevalent across the country - and some of the easiest trout to catch. Still there are some rainbow trout fishing tips which will help you catch more trout.

Artificial flies, lures, spinners, nightcrawlers, mealworms, salmon eggs, grasshoppers and other common bait sources work well on hatchery rainbow trout.

But there are some other baits that work well also that most people would not consider. Cheese, marshmallows and corn are the top of the list. Many anglers even use corn for chum. Lake fishers often consider these bait sources some of their favorite rainbow trout fishing tips.

PowerBait is another one. It's not uncommon to find several anglers carrying multiple PowerBait colors along with a bit of cheese, corn, and marshmallows in the cooler. In fact, these three things are so effective on hatchery rainbow trout, that Berkely has even started making PowerBait that mimic corn, cheese and marshmallows.

One of the primary reasons PowerBait such an effective bait source is because it floats - which keeps your baited hook off the bottom of the lake. This makes it easier for trout swimming by to see.

Many anglers will blow air into their nightcrawlers using a worm blower or syringe. Doing this gives you the best of both worlds - natural scented bait that floats so your baited hook stays off the bottom of the lake! This again, betters your chances of catching trout passing by.

Trout attractant is another great tip for catching rainbow trout. Live baits have the advantage of providing their own scent which trout can smell from a distance. But artificial baits usually lack this quality. Adding a bit of scent to lures and spinners will greatly improve your chances of catching trout.

And here's the best rainbow trout fishing tip for kids. The hardest part about teaching kids to trout fish, is the wait between catches (which is often far and few between). Kids lack patience and not catching fish can be frustrating. The best way to overcome this difficulty is to take them to a rainbow trout farm.

These trout farms usually allow the kids to fish (and even provide poles and bait) in an environment where they are pretty much guaranteed to catch fish. Reeling a fish in will give them a joy and excitement they will remember for a lifetime and it will help them gain interest in trout fishing.

A word of caution though - some of these trout farms can be expensive (as they make the size and number of trout you catch). So pay close attention to the kids and how many fish they are catching (catch and release is usually not allowed on rainbow trout farms).

Arizona has one of the best rainbow trout farms in the country. If you've never been to a trout farm, you can get an idea of what they generally have to offer by checking it out. Others trout farms are pretty much the same, with costs being the main difference.

Next time you go trout fishing, you might want to give some of these rainbow trout fishing tips a try. For more trout fishing tips, click here.

Labels: Rainbow Trout, Rainbow Trout Fishing, Rainbow Trout Fishing Tips

Arizona is blessed to have one of the best rainbow trout farms in the country! It's located in Sedona off Highway 89A between Slide Rock State Park and Sedona's tourist's district in the heart of Oak Creek Canyon.

First opened in the 1950's, the Rainbow Trout Farm is open year-round, seven days a week and gets visitors from all over the country. If you just want to come in and look around, admission is FREE! But if you wish to fish, you will have to pay some fees.

This is a great place to bring the kids and teach them about rainbow trout and pretty guarantee their success in catching them! The Fishing equipment and bait is provided for you. Don't bring your own - it's not allowed!

In addition to being able to see rainbow trout up close, the trout farm also has BBQ and picnic tables for folks to enjoy. In order for the maximum number of folks to enjoy the trout farm, people are asked to limit their stay to 2 hours.

Fishing is allowed at the Rainbow Trout Farm - and you don't even need a fishing license! The fishing fee is only $1 per person - but be forewarned, there is NO CATCH AND RELEASE! You'll pay $8-$12 for every fish you catch depending on size. The average trout size is 11 to 12 inches. So you might want to keep a close eye on the kids!

You'll be given a fishing pole and bait to use while at the trout farm. The staff there make the dough bait which is used for fishing and it consists of fish food mixed with flour and water. They even sell it if you'd like to try it in your local trout waters.

You can also choose to let the staff at the trout farm clean your fish for you at a cost of 50 cents per fish (no filleting). Once your fish is cleaned, you can cook it on the BBQ grills at the park or pack it on ice and take it home (the trout farm does sell ice for this purpose).

Another option is to take your trout to the Heartland Cafe in Sedona and have them cook it for you. Then you and the family can either enjoy it there or take the cooked trout home. This is a great option for folks visiting and camping in Oak Creek Canyon.

For more information, call (928) 282-5799.

Labels: Arizona Rainbow Trout, Rainbow Trout, Rainbow Trout Farm, Trout Farm

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

How would you like to catch some large Rainbow trout? On November 21, 2006 the Colorado Division of Wildlife will begin stocking the Vallecito Reservoir with 13-inch Rainbow trout (as opposed to the usual 10-inch size). They plan to plant about 45,000 of these trout in the reservoir.

This stocking is part of an effort to restore previous populations of Rainbow trout in the reservoir. Although fire and drought have contributed to the decline in Rainbow trout, Pike are believed to be one of the biggest causes. It's generally believed that Pike have been feeding on the Rainbow trout (especially the 10-inchers).

The Division of Wildlife hope that by stocking the reservoir late this year, it will give the Rainbow trout time to grow. Like a lot of freshwater fish, Pike stop feeding as actively when water temperatures cool. This will help give the trout time to grow during the winter. It's also hoped that the larger size trout will deter Pike from feeding on them.

Come spring, those 13-inch trout should be a few inches bigger! Anglers will have the chance to catch some really nice Rainbow trout!

Read the full story on the Colorado Division of Wildlife site.

Labels: Colorado Trout, Rainbow Trout, Vallecito Reservoir