Trout Help??

[FishGuy603]

I need some real help targeting trout. Tried a lot of things, shallow and deep but still not much except one brookie at the start of the season. When I try shallow near inlets, as I've been told, I get perch, which are great when I target them, annoying when I go after trout. Actually this year, I have gotten more perch fishing in 1-3 ft of water than any other year combined! Deep under the ice doesn't get me anything. Fishing drop-offs for bass has gotten me the occasional brown. I fish exclusively shiners but will make a change soon if needed. Any help is appreciated. Thanks and tight lines!

[Arctic Addict]

I've had success with salmon eggs in the shallows for Bows.  Find a nice sandy shallow inside bend and drill a lot of holes.  Put salmon eggs in each hole then check on them.  Fish the home where the salmon eggs are being eaten.  On 2 trap lakes, you can drill and drop eggs in a lot of holes and then move the traps accordingly.  Good luck

[NH Trout Fisherman]

Not sure where You are fishing?

Aside from ponds that are freshly stocked... Trout fishing is generally slow anyway. Either the put and take ponds have been hit hard and the catching has slowed down? Or maybe the lake you're on is full of natural bait and the fish are a little more selective when its time to eat.

Depending on what I am targeting and the lake I'm fishing?
I try to mix up my presentations until I find what works.

If on a 2 line lake for rainbows. I usually use 2 lines with smelt just under the Ice in shallow water and drill several other holes and drop a few salmon eggs in each. If the eggs start to disappear? Then I will make the switch. If after a while I don't have any action? I will move the two lines out over deeper water with smelt just under the Ice and find another location to drop some eggs.

If You're on a 6 line lake? Even better! Now You can really mix it up! Smelt or Native bait, night crawlers, salmon eggs... etc.

Target spots with inlets/outlets, points, humps, drop offs...
Eventually You will find what works on that particular lake.

I've been targeting Trout exclusively for years. The way I improved my catch quality and quantity was through years of trial and error until eventually I figured out what worked where. & even then sometimes... It's just plain slow.
Persistence pays off. Keep at it and You'll find them.

Feel free to PM Me if You have any other questions on  particular lake or tactic.

 

[AQUAASSASSIN]

Not sure where You are fishing?

Aside from ponds that are freshly stocked... Trout fishing is generally slow anyway. Either the put and take ponds have been hit hard and the catching has slowed down? Or maybe the lake you're on is full of natural bait and the fish are a little more selective when its time to eat.

Depending on what I am targeting and the lake I'm fishing?
I try to mix up my presentations until I find what works.

If on a 2 line lake for rainbows. I usually use 2 lines with smelt just under the Ice in shallow water and drill several other holes and drop a few salmon eggs in each. If the eggs start to disappear? Then I will make the switch. If after a while I don't have any action? I will move the two lines out over deeper water with smelt just under the Ice and find another location to drop some eggs.

If You're on a 6 line lake? Even better! Now You can really mix it up! Smelt or Native bait, night crawlers, salmon eggs... etc.

Target spots with inlets/outlets, points, humps, drop offs...
Eventually You will find what works on that particular lake.

I've been targeting Trout exclusively for years. The way I improved my catch quality and quantity was through years of trial and error until eventually I figured out what worked where. & even then sometimes... It's just plain slow.
Persistence pays off. Keep at it and You'll find them.

Feel free to PM Me if You have any other questions on  particular lake or tactic.

X2!

[fullerbn]

well these guys pretty much hit it right on the head, i usually use eggs, sometimes crawlers are the way to go and other times even power bait will get the ones nothing else works for good luck!

[wreckitross]

Not sure where You are fishing?

Aside from ponds that are freshly stocked... Trout fishing is generally slow anyway. Either the put and take ponds have been hit hard and the catching has slowed down? Or maybe the lake you're on is full of natural bait and the fish are a little more selective when its time to eat.

Depending on what I am targeting and the lake I'm fishing?
I try to mix up my presentations until I find what works.

If on a 2 line lake for rainbows. I usually use 2 lines with smelt just under the Ice in shallow water and drill several other holes and drop a few salmon eggs in each. If the eggs start to disappear? Then I will make the switch. If after a while I don't have any action? I will move the two lines out over deeper water with smelt just under the Ice and find another location to drop some eggs.

If You're on a 6 line lake? Even better! Now You can really mix it up! Smelt or Native bait, night crawlers, salmon eggs... etc.

Target spots with inlets/outlets, points, humps, drop offs...
Eventually You will find what works on that particular lake.

I've been targeting Trout exclusively for years. The way I improved my catch quality and quantity was through years of trial and error until eventually I figured out what worked where. & even then sometimes... It's just plain slow.
Persistence pays off. Keep at it and You'll find them.

Feel free to PM Me if You have any other questions on  particular lake or tactic.

X3! One other suggestion, if the eggs start to dissapear... pull your second tip up, and drop a hookless egg back into the hole where the eggs are missing. More times than not it seems the trout hang around the hole, and you can watch it eat the falling egg... then drop your line in with a couple eggs on a small hook and watch them eat it. By far one of my favorite ways to catch them.

[Troutpursuit]

All great suggestions.  I've found the trick to trout fishing is to be mobile and scout area's during the down time of no action.  Another thing that's worked for me is to find runoff streams leading into the lake.  In the Spring and this particular year the melting water provides food and aeration to a confined area.  Just be careful of ice conditions around these areas.  Check as you go and place traps off to the side of these areas.

[sorelippin]

There's nothing else I can add as the guys hit on the spot already and that's how I approach trout fishing as well.  Having said that, I will also try to jig for trout when things are slow because some times, they want something different and a certain type of jig just might provide the type of action to entice a strike.  One thing that hasn't been mentioned is your setup.  Tell us what your set up is because trout can be finicky at times and maybe you can lighten up your set up or rig a bit differently to get more hook ups.

[FishGuy603]

Sorelippin, I use 6 lb ice line leader, which so far has been my most successful. I used to use 4 lb seagaur fluorocarbon but got way too many breakoffs. I jig with a forage minnow tipped with a piece of dead shiner. It works miracles for panfish, even on slow days so it should theoretically work for trout. Thank you for all your suggestions, I will take all of these into account on my next trip out! Tight lines!

[fisherhawk55]

4 pound test ,small salmon egg hook long leader off the barrel swivel or blood knot ,pay attenion to the weather ,the methods above on other post are correct ,trial and error

[FishGuy603]

Thanks fisherhawk55! I thought 4 lbs was too small and prone to breakoffs? Do you mean mono or fluoro, because the latter has resulted in some breakoffs for me? Tight lines!

[fisherhawk55]

I use berkley vanish or stren green color ,if it gets a helix i use a peice of rubber to straighten it 4 lb will pull trout all day seagar is good to also make sure your traps spool off easy and trip easy i fish just under the ice until i see the bait disapear and off the bottom

[haightdaddy]

I always do well with crawlers on a red #6 hook or even raw shrimp believe it or not! Nice sandy bottom at a pond or lake that you know has trout in it

[fullerbn]

one other thing that has upped my catch exponentially on trout that i don't believe anyone has mentioned is using a hook setting trap of some sort whether it be a jaw jacker, automatic fisherman or a home made version, definatelly worth the money invested.

[Mr.Harry]

Really focus on dawn and dusk 'peak periods'. Make the effort to get up a little earlier than you might like, and get your traps IN before the sun's up. Ditto p.m. - maybe stay a little longer than you'd like too, even after a long cold frustrating day of getting skunked. Leave those traps in as long as you can. I say this even after I just had a hot bite blow up right in the middle of the early afternoon, but I've found this to be the exception to the 'norm'. I started catching more trout when I started adding an hour or two to my fishing at the beginning and end. I still remember catching my first bow ever through ice. Staring at flags that hadn't flipped all day. Looking in holes to see eggs that hadnt been touched, about 20 minutes to close of trout hours and I could barely see my flags ... Flip! Flip! and the obsession was born.

[FishGuy603]

Thanks everyone! Hope to try these new tactics out soon! The weather has really messed things up though. I tried to make a stopover on the way to an appointment at home since one of my classes was cancelled but Massy was really sketchy today. Had to settle for some warm water fishing which wasn't too bad. For 10 mins of jigging and 30 mins of tip up fishing (shortened due to travel time), I hooked into three crappie, lost two absolute slabs at the hole and brought one over, all jigging. Tight lines and I hope this cold blast next week will set things right!

[winnisquam guy]

great tips here, I like areas that are quiet too

[FishGuy603]

Winnisquam guy, I agree. When I have caught trout through the ice (brookies/ browns), it has been deathly quite. I'm so surprised how bows (at least in my experience) have been so finicky through the ice. In open water season, they hammer any spoons I troll past them or flies that I dead drift. Ofcourse one of my evening fishing trips was ruined by this idiot on a snowmobile asking how thick the ice was. Maybe he should have asked BEFORE he did donuts out in the deep area  . I had some choice words for him but he had his kid so I kindly told him it was safe. Tight lines!

[peteinvermont]

I've never caught brookies, but for me, the flags start flying when we get off the ice.  If there' a lot of ice, snow on top, it doesn't matter.  But in a year like this, set up the tipups, right under the ice, then go stand on shore.

[Jacktrapfever36]

Myself and our group have had a banner year on trout this season. Fishing Powerbait 6-8" off any Sandy bottom in under 7' of water. We've cot over 40 including 3 over 3 lbs. Best of luck.

[fullerbn]

I've never caught brookies, but for me, the flags start flying when we get off the ice.  If there' a lot of ice, snow on top, it doesn't matter.  But in a year like this, set up the tipups, right under the ice, then go stand on shore.

This is a great tip that i never even thought to mention, i myself practice this very act, i think it makes a huge difference in the amount of action you get with trout, this in my opinion may be one of the best and most productive tips given here.

[peteinvermont]

This is a great tip that i never even thought to mention, i myself practice this very act, i think it makes a huge difference in the amount of action you get with trout, this in my opinion may be one of the best and most productive tips given here.

Thanks Fuller.  I don't claim to be an expert by any means. I never used to target trout at all until a couple years ago, so I'm still learning a lot.  And like I said, I've only caught browns and bows, no brookies. 

We drill all our holes ahead of time too.  That might not be as big of a deal on the 2 hole lakes in NH, but I fish mostly VT where I drill a lot of holes in a single spot for me and my 2 sons.  Drill them all, go quietly set them up, then go stand on shore. 

[NH Trout Fisherman]

I also agree that with Trout its better to keep quiet and keep the noise down.

However the last two trips out have been fairly slow. So mid morning we would drill a few more holes and move a couple lines. Almost Immediately after drilling the hole (Propane Auger) and dropping in the bait (smelt) I had a fish on.

That's the thing about fishing... Ya Never know?

[peteinvermont]

I also agree that with Trout its better to keep quiet and keep the noise down.

However the last two trips out have been fairly slow. So mid morning we would drill a few more holes and move a couple lines. Almost Immediately after drilling the hole (Propane Auger) and dropping in the bait (smelt) I had a fish on.

That's the thing about fishing... Ya Never know?

That reminded me of something.  2yrs ago, when my oldest son first got the trout itch, we had plans on fishing in the morning.  Woke up and it was -15, and we didn't have a shanty.  It was already light when we finally got to the ice, drilled the first hole with the 30yr old jiffy (means: LOUD) and we used that hole as the example on how to rig the tipup.  Set it up, and before I could walk to the next spot, the flag went up.  So NH Trout is right...you can be ninja quiet on the ice, and sometimes, you can catch one with a 3 ring circus above them.

Here's that video if anyone wants to see it.  Its his first good sized brown (4.5lbs) and the first trout that really made some runs on him.  His hands were freezing, he made every rookie mistake in the book, and the fish still ended up on the ice.  Again, like NH Trout said, it never hurts to be methodical, but this is another example of catching fish anyway.

[HuntnFish603]

Thats a beauty of a fish! What a great thing for a kid to experience.

[whitewing]

Great fish! If he's that good as a rookie, what's he going to be when he grows up!! Watch out dad you've got a real fisher on your hands. Great job!