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Quick question - What would you throw at this stocked trout?


Wheeler

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12 hours ago, Wheeler said:

Yeah, that's kinda what I was wondering... if the fish has only been in the stream a short time, is it feeding on natural bait or is it looking for pellets? I dont have any powerbait. Maybe something flashy to go for a reaction bite? 

 

You don't need power bait.

 

Just because a trout was recently stocked does not mean it lacks a predatory instinct. Stocked trout tend to hit everything, but the more natural the bait is the quicker you will draw a reaction strike. It is tough to beat a Rpala minnow or a live minnow when looking for a reaction strike.

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20 hours ago, Wheeler said:

Yeah, that's kinda what I was wondering... if the fish has only been in the stream a short time, is it feeding on natural bait or is it looking for pellets? I dont have any powerbait. Maybe something flashy to go for a reaction bite? 

 

I've  reared trout and for those fingerlings can tell you they dont care if its a worm or a pellet or flake food or a piece of paper.  They are on it like pirhana.  

 

perhaps the big stocked trout are substantially different, but i doubt it. 

.

 

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Most Hatcheries pick strains like Kamloops Rainbows because they are easy to catch and this is a trend that has accelerated over the years. The idea of managing sustainable freshwater fisheries seems to be too challenging and expensive for most state agencies these days. If a new sustainable fishery does happen it is most often an accident. They put in easy to catch fish and walk away because it is the easiest and cheapest thing to do. Rainbows are the easiest to catch and are the first to go. Some states also brown and brook trout and the stocky browns are a little more difficult to catch, tend to hold on longer, and sometimes survive more than a year if the river conditions are right.

 

A number of years ago my state had a hatchery failure and got some rainbow trout from the Fresh water institute that were another strain that was more challenging to catch and the opening day fisherman complained bitterly. 

 

The stocked fish that survive the first couple of days of opening season do tend to be a little shyer, but they will never be like wild trout. Even if they have a chance to naturalize somewhat they will still be easier to catch.

 

The larger brood trout that are stocked do seems to be a little more challenging to catch IMO. Maybe because they are older and larger they feel more uncomfortable in their new home and that makes them more wary, but that is just a guess.

"May your travels always take you to where the water meets the shore"

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23 mins ago, gobigblue said:

thats embarassing

 

I feel the same way Gobigblue, however for beginning fishers, and parents taking their kids it is a good way to introduce them to fishing and help build knowledge and confidence.

 

Unfortunately we have lots of poachers and stocking truck chasers that really don't fish the rest of the year and take more than their share. One guy I met bragged that he took over 200 trout opening day and the day after when the limit is 5.  What it also really sad is that many of the states have given up on developing and managing freshwater fisheries. They give it lip service, but that is about it.

 

I mostly fish for wild brown trout, but it takes time and effort to get good at it and I have to go out of state to find good fishing.

"May your travels always take you to where the water meets the shore"

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Thanks for all the suggestions. No luck. I'll give it a try again next week if she's still there. 

If only I could cast into it, hook up, and be connected to it. My line would be attached to the chaos and, for a moment, I would mainline the power of nature.
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I have seen a couple large trout, including a large palameno, swimming in the shallow creek inlets, that open up into the main river, lately.

 

I may try casting for them. More then likely, they are trout that have survived a few years and made it into the main river and have grown large.

 

These fish are easily 20in+.

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21 hours ago, Jay Blair said:

Most Hatcheries pick strains like Kamloops Rainbows because they are easy to catch and this is a trend that has accelerated over the years. The idea of managing sustainable freshwater fisheries seems to be too challenging and expensive for most state agencies these days. If a new sustainable fishery does happen it is most often an accident. They put in easy to catch fish and walk away because it is the easiest and cheapest thing to do. Rainbows are the easiest to catch and are the first to go. Some states also brown and brook trout and the stocky browns are a little more difficult to catch, tend to hold on longer, and sometimes survive more than a year if the river conditions are right.

 

A number of years ago my state had a hatchery failure and got some rainbow trout from the Fresh water institute that were another strain that was more challenging to catch and the opening day fisherman complained bitterly. 

 

The stocked fish that survive the first couple of days of opening season do tend to be a little shyer, but they will never be like wild trout. Even if they have a chance to naturalize somewhat they will still be easier to catch.

 

The larger brood trout that are stocked do seems to be a little more challenging to catch IMO. Maybe because they are older and larger they feel more uncomfortable in their new home and that makes them more wary, but that is just a guess.

^^^^^^^ This man knows trout. Jay is the 1 that introduce me to the Wild Browns in the Upper Delaware River. Imo there is no trout like a wild trout. Totally different then the hatchery raised variety. 

What real angler would want to catch easy fish anyway ? . For me its all about the search and to angle them to feed. Presentation is everything  

I live to fish. Not fish to live. 

I fish because things in my head tell me to.

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15 hours ago, vce12342000 said:

^^^^^^^ This man knows trout. Jay is the 1 that introduce me to the Wild Browns in the Upper Delaware River. Imo there is no trout like a wild trout. Totally different then the hatchery raised variety. 

What real angler would want to catch easy fish anyway ? . For me its all about the search and to angle them to feed. Presentation is everything  

Eh... wild trout do fight harder then stocked trout, but I wouldn't nessesarily call them harder to catch; weary from pressure yes.

 

My experience with true wilds out in the mid west taught me that trout, by nature, are pretty easy to catch on nearly anything, initially. But, that is true of any fish that isn't pressured and hasn't been caught and released.

 

To answer your question, no real angler here in the US would want to catch fish easily because there is no fun, no challenge, and no addictive draw if catching fish was overly easy.

 

However, the average human wants things to be as easy as possible to do, and so you end up with forms of fishing like snagging, trotlining, jugging, hand grabbing/noodling, gigging, spearing, and bowfishing. We are not so hard pressed here in the US that we need to resort to these forms of fishing to survive, but people still feel the need to catch fish as easily as possible because anything that requires effort is just to taxing. Sadly, the majority of these people that prefer to use the easiest means possible when it comes to fishing also tend to care the least about the fisheries, thus they kill everything they can.

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