Trout Fishing Tips

Although Spring is quickly approaching, many of us are still enjoying the winter trout fishing season. Depending on where you live, you may be ice fishing or fishing in very cold water. Cold water means lethargic trout.

Some anglers are under the misconception that trout hibernate in winter when water temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. But this isn't true. The truth is that trout are generally holding in water to conserve energy during the cold winter months. You can still catch them - you just need to get your offering to them.

While trout aren't actively feeding in winter months, they still need eat to survive. Their feeding turns more to "maintenance" rather than eating everything nearby that appeals to them.

In rivers and streams, trout will usually be found hugging the bottom, where the water is warmer. They like deep pools of water, where the water is calmer. In lakes, trout will usually be found in shallower water, often times near shore. Again, they're looking for warmer water that has a good balance of dissolved oxygen.

Artificial lures are very effective on winter trout. Spoons and spinners often produce great results. When fished properly, these lures emit a flash and vibration that can entice non-feeding trout into striking. Often times, this is a defensive strike (trout trying to protect their territory). The flash helps trout to see the lure at a distance and can help wake them out of lethargic stupor. The vibration emits a frequency that sounds similar to baitfish.

Given the choice between a spinner of a spoon, choose spinners when fishing in calmer water and spoons when fishing in fast currents. This is because spinners tend to rise in fast moving water (which may not be where fish are). Likewise, faster moving currents help spoons move more erratically (making them more effective).

Some spoons are designed for jigging, meaning they're fished vertically in an up and down motion. Jigging spoons are typically used by ice fishers. Jigs are another popular ice fishing lure. There many variations to choose from , some with bucktails and some plain.

One way to make your lures more effective in winter is to add a mealworm or a piece of minnow or nightcrawler. Doing so will help appeal to a trout's sense of smell in addition to sight.

Just be sure to check your local fishing regulations ahead of time as some places have rules restricting the use of live bait and artificial lures.

Labels: spinners, spoons, trout fishing, winter trout fishing

One of the biggest keys to successful trout fishing is being observant. There are usually telltale signs around you that will give you an advantage of how and where to catch trout.

Watching the birds is one of these telltale signs. Birds have an uncanny ability to spot trout in the water from the air! If you pay attention to the section of water they're flying over and where they're swooping down to grab fish, you'll know where the trout are!

And if you know where the trout are hanging out, you'll have a better chance of catching them!

You'll notice in the image above, that this Osprey has a trout in his claws. I took this picture a few weeks ago at my while I was fishing at Lynx Lake. I watched as he swooped down and grabbed the trout from the lake. By being observant, I was able to stay in touch with where the trout were hanging out in the lake that day and make sure our kids took home their bag limit.

Watching the birds (as well as the rest of your environment) is important when trout fishing. Being observant of these little telltale signs will make you a better trout angler!

Labels: trout fishing, trout fishing secrets, trout tips, Watch the birds

In the past two weeks, I've made several trips to Lynx Lake in Prescott, Arizona to enjoy the fall trout fishing action. I've been teaching my nephews and their friends how to trout fish ... so we've taken full advantage of their days off school.

As usual, we've managed to walk away with our daily bag limit on each fishing trip. But in addition to sharing our boy's excitement when they reel in their catch, one of the more interesting things to me is watching others around us get skunked.

It doesn't take long before they start moving in closer to us (thinking we've found a secret trout hole), and eventually they start asking our secret - of which I'm always happy to share (especially when there's kids involved).

Anybody can bait a hook and throw it into a lake and wait for trout to swim by. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. But the good anglers are always paying attention to the little things .... such as outdoor temperatures (especially water temps), where trout are rising, and other things.

These are the things that separate intermediate trout fishers from advanced ones. If you want to be a successful trout fisher, you need to understand these things and adjust your fishing tactics accordingly. And the longer your fishing day, the more changes you may have to make.

Fall is one of the best times of the year to be out trout fishing. Water temperatures are cool, and so trout are usually actively feeding near the surface. Pay attention to where they're rising (or jumping). That will tell you where they're feeding - and if you look closely, you may even see what they're feeding on!

Trout are lazy fish - they don't want to work hard for a meal. So if you can get your baited hook to them (rather than wait for them to swim by and find it), you'll have a greater chance of catching trout.

For more trout secrets and tips, check out the "Trout Fishing Tips" eBook. Take advantage of the fall trout season while you can!

Labels: arizona, Fall trout fishing, lynx lake, trout fish, trout fishing, trout secrets, trout tips

I spent most of last week taking my nephews and other friends trout fishing. The kids were on Fall break from school, so we spent most of the week on the lake.

Fishing with kids is always a lot of fun for me (despite all the tangled lines). I love watching their joy and excitement as they're reeling in fish. And I'm always happy to to take time to capture the memories on film!

I've been working to teach our boys the secrets of trout fishing - and so it's always exciting for me when they call it a day after catching their bag limit. They go home proud, knowing they're becoming skillful young anglers.

Despite the great week we had on the lake, we watched other anglers around us struggle. Although some of these anglers were fishing right next to us, they just couldn't seem to catch trout.

Several frustrated anglers came over to ask what our secret was. Each time, I was happy to show them how our poles were set up and offer some bait and fishing tips. As I explained to others, the real trick to trout fishing is understanding trout - what their needs are and how their environment affects them.

While all of these secrets are shared in my "Trout Fishing Tips" eBook, I did my best to condense the information into a few verbal tips.

Of course, I did my best to help other kids on the lake too by re-rigging poles and offering them some of our bait. And it was exciting to watch to watch those efforts pay off as they too started catching trout.

Our boys enjoyed their Fall break trout fishing adventures. Each day became a competition to see who could catch the most trout.

My oldest nephew (pictured on right above) usually caught the most trout - but my youngest nephew (also pictured above in the middle) usually caught the largest trout! His biggest for the week was an 11.5 inch rainbow trout on his little Jack Sparrow fishing pole!

My nephew's best friend (pictured above on left) caught his first fish ever that particular day (not to mention several more). He was so excited that we told him to take the all the trout home and tell his family he was providing dinner that night!

The whole week was like this! We caught our bag limit every outing - and captured many new memories on film.

Fall is one of the best times to be out trout fishing due to cooler water temperatures. And since trout are easier to catch this time of year, it's a great time to get the kids out fishing. Enjoy it while you can!

Labels: fishing with kids, secrets of trout fishing, trout fishing

Lynx Lake is one of the nicest fishing lakes in Prescott, Arizona. I spent much of yesterday fishing there with family and friends ... and despite the water levels being very low (lowest I've seen in 30 years), we were still able to catch our limit of rainbow trout.

And of course, as we continued to reel in trout after trout, folks continued to ask us to share our secret - which we were happy to do. But few realized that as the weather changed, so did our fishing tactics - which is what allowed us to keep catching trout when others weren't.

We started off the morning fishing spinners - which worked well. The water was cool and the trout were feeding on the surface. So spinner were very effective.

But by about 10 am, the sun was starting to get a bit warm. As we took our off jackets, we knew water temperatures were rising and trout were no longer feeding on the surface of the water. So we put away the spinners and rigged the poles for bottom fishing.

My favorite bottom fishing rig consists of adding an egg sinker above a snap swivel, and then adding an 18-20 inch leader with a treble hook to the swivel. I like to use the 1/2 oz. egg sinkers because it gives me greater casting distance. We were also using 6-lb test line.

There were three of us fishing yesterday, and some of us used nightcrawlers and some of us used powerbait (all colors). Another thing we did was to add a bit of trout attractant to the leader and bait (many anglers don't think to do this).

Bottom fishing worked very in the late morning and early afternoon hours. And because we were able to recognize when trout changed their feeding zone, we were able to keep catching fish (when others weren't).

These are the kind of secrets that I've revealed in the "Trout Fishing Tips" eBook. Learning to recognize changing weather and feeding patterns is one of the biggest secrets of trout fishing.

Not only did we catch our trout limit yesterday, but we had a fun watching the bald eagles catch their trout too. And I was even fortunate enough to catch some great photos of the eagles. You can check out some of our pictures below.

Labels: arizona, lynx lake, secrets of trout fishing, trout fishing, trout fishing tips

Fall has arrived in many parts of the country. And cooler temperatures mean better trout fishing action!

So now is the time to get out and fish. Take the kids fishing and enjoy the outdoors and fall colors.

Trout fishing should improve through October and early November as water temperatures continue to cool. Once winter sets in, trout fishing action will slack off again. So enjoy the Fall action while you can!

Click the links below for more trout fishing tips and information ....

Labels: trout fishing

Want to know where the trout fishing hot spots are? Where folks are catching steelhead trophy size trout?

Check your state records!

Each time a record trout is recorded on the books, the name of the water that trout came from is recorded too. In Washington and Oregon, all steelhead kept must be recorded too.

This little trick has been used by advanced trout anglers for years and is one that many would like to keep secret. But while these records are a great source of information, they are somewhat limited.

For example, if an angler decides to release his catch rather than use it to enter the record books, then the location of the catch may remain secret forever (if he/she isn't talking). Again, many advanced anglers will keep their favorite fishing holes secret because they like the solitude of fishing more than anything else.

Most states list the details for record fish on their web site. So this information can be easily checked. So have a look. You may just discover some great new fishing spots in your area!

Labels: Fishing Hot Spots, trout fishing, trout fishing tip

More and more people each year are coming to the water looking for tips and advice on how to catch trout. Some anglers will gladly share their trout fishing tips and secrets - and others will guard them closely. Worse yet, ask ten anglers a question, and you're likely to get ten different answers.

While there are some common techniques in trout fishing, there are a lot of differences too. Some people use spinning rods and reels while others use fly rods. Some anglers prefer to fish in lakes and others fish in rivers, streams, and creeks. Some anglers fish for wild trout, and others are perfectly happy to fish for hatchery trout.

Then there are the differences in trout species. Some trout anglers primarily fish for steelhead, speckled, or lake trout as opposed to rainbow, brown or brook trout. Geography has a lot to do with being able to fish for certain types of trout.

There are many factors that affect the answer to, "how to catch trout". The type of rod you use (fly or spinning), where you fish (lake or river), time of year you fish (spring, summer, fall or winter), what species of trout you're fishing for (steelhead, speckled, rainbow, etc.) .... all determine how you will go about catching trout.

There are other factors involved as well. But if you seriously want to catch trout, then you must consider these variables and then use the fishing technique that offers success for your water and weather conditions and the species of trout you're fishing for.

While anybody can have random luck in catching trout - few can catch trout consistently again and again. And the reason great anglers catch trout more often than not, is because they've taken the time to learn the science behind trout fishing.

Understanding the science part of trout fishing will help you catch more trout because, you'll know:

• When to fish for trout (time of day, season, etc.)
  
• Where to fish for trout (you'll know where to find their hiding places)
  
• What kind of bait, lure or artificial fly works best in different weather and water condition

Trout behave differently in stillwater (lakes) and moving water (rivers, streams, and creeks). And they behave differently in different water conditions (warm water versus cold water, colored water versus clear water, etc.)

Taking notes and paying attention to variables like outdoor weather (sun, clouds, rain, snow, wind), water temperature, water clarity (colored, clear, muddy, etc.) and whether or not trout are striking your offering (bait, lure, fly, etc.) will help you start putting the pieces of the puzzle together. You'll start to learn the science of trout fishing through your own experimentation.

But here are a few things to help you jump start your knowledge on the science part:

• Spring and Fall are the best time of year to fish for trout (water temperature is a big factor behind this)
• Trout are primarily concerned with safety, so if they don't feel safe (because there aren't any good hiding places or the water is clear and shallow), they won't feed
• Trout are very sensitive to their water temperature. If it's too warm, they become uncomfortable and can die. If it's too cold they become very lethargic. In both conditions, trout won't feed

As you'd expect, there are some gray areas with the variables above. While trout become very lethargic in very cold water, there are times you can entice them into striking your lure if you present it correctly giving the current conditions.

These things and more are discussed in greater detail in the "Trout Fishing Tips" eBook. But for now, these are some of the variables you'll want to start paying attention to.

Tomorrow, I'll share some more information that will show you how to catch trout.

Labels: catch trout, catching trout, How to catch trout, trout fishing

Mild winters have continued help trout fishing anglers. While ice fishers have been disappointed in different parts of the country, Speckled trout anglers enjoying great winter fishing. And trout fishing is expected to remain strong until the annual closure in February in North Florida.

Several folks fishing in Steinhatchee River reported catching small Speckled trout last weekend. But the folks fishing shallow waters near Rocky Creek were enjoying the larger Speckled trout, with the largest catch measuring 25-inches and weighing 6 pounds. The best fishing action occur ed after noon when water temps topped 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

Labels: gulf coast fishing, saltwater trout, Speckled trout, trout fishing

Trout fishing continues to be excellent at Goldwater Lake (Arizona). Folks are catching their limits in record time using PowerBait.

At this time of year, trout are feeding off the surface of the lake all day. So to catch them, you want to keep your bait on or near the surface of the lake (no deeper than 14-16 inches). Most of the people at the lake are using bobbers (no kidding) instead of sinkers with their PowerBait. This gives them casting distance as well as help keep their bait on the surface of the lake. In all of my years of fishing, using PowerBait with bobbers seemed dumb to most anglers since it went against common sense logic. But it works!

While others at my lake are using bobbers with PowerBait, still others are using slip shots. Once again, this is one of those things that defies logic.

Shots are most often associated with river, stream, and creek fishing - not lake fishing. But when trout are feeding on the surface of the water - you don't want those heavy sinkers taking your bait to the bottom of the lake. But if you've ever tried to cast a weightless line, you know it just doesn't work well. Using a slip shot on the line (just above the swivel) is a way to add a bit of casting weight, while ensuring your PowerBait stays on the surface of the water.

Sometimes you just have to think outside the box (or fishing net) to catch trout.

Labels: bobbers, lake fishing, PowerBait, trout fishing