mpagri

I am a begginer in the fishing world and I am looking for some advice on how to pull some trout of of a lake that stocked nearby. I have a few questions so I'll just list them and please answer whatever you can, I am also looking for any other tips you can provide...

I understand that anything over 6lb test is prob too thick, so how do I switch from bass fishing to trout fishing with the same reel? Can i just tie on a length of say 4lb to my, whatever this reel has on it?

What are the best times to go? Should I try and cast out into the middle of the lake or look for them close to shore?

Whats the best bait/lure to use? Should I jig it or just cast and wait?

I know thats a lot of questions but I really want to start catching some nice fish.
thanks

DoubleLung55

buy an extra spool for your reel, and have one rigged up with trout line , and one with bass line, the spools will slide on and off easily!

go morning and night , trout dont usually hit during the day in lakes , especially if its hot out , creeks tho , you can get away with pullin a few out in midday!

for casting and letting it sit on the bottom , go with either power bait , or some other baits of that sort , night crawlers .... For fishing on the top , fish atleast 5 ft down and i use waxworms , minnows , mealworms , and nightcrawlers. Top usually produces beter for me when it heats up in the summer!

For jigging , i use minifoo jigs tipped with maggots or waxworms tied aobut 5 to 6 ft below a bobber , cast it out as far as u can , and jsut twitch it in , jig it for 10 ft and let it sit for 10-15 seconds , then jig in another 10 ft , until it is into shore!

For spinning i love Joes flies! they are the best trout spinner i have used! catch fish all year round! Also i use kastmasters , yozuri pins minnows , panther martins , and rooster tails! all seem to work , but joes flies work the best for me!

Good luck!

mauser06

about the reel....buy a new one or a new spool or something.....i mean you CAN catch them on heavy line but they are smart fish and may see it and its too much for most trout.....i like to cast as far as i can when fishing a lake....but ive caught them up close too....just gota find them....like any other fish......my favorite bait for lakes is a minnow......depending on how they are feeding sometimes on the bottom sometimes under a bobber.....but i always fish under the bobber deeper then most people......3-4 feet minimum...but i like to get down to 5 or 6......takes a long rod and practice to cast it though......watch what the other guys are doing and try to copy them to find the fish the first few times.....or find someone to lend a helping hand to show you the ropes......i know if the guy beside me is catching them 20ft from shore ill try that too.......but i only fish one lake for trout and i always find them way out there....but thats alot of structure too.....its a man made lake and has submergded channels and islands in it.....and old trees standing ect......good luck......oh ya.....livelier the minnow the better......ive never had a trout take a dead one.........if it isnt swimming full force i put on a new one.......

Jimmy S

The advice given about usng two spools is right on the money. If you have 8 lb for bass, then you can use 8 lb for trout as well. It's when the difference is large that you need two spools....ie... 6lb for trout, 12+ lb for bass. There are many types of bait that can be used for catching trout, but the main thing to realize is that trout are cold water fish. They need cold water to live and the colder the water, the more Oxygen it contains. As a general rule, no trout can survive in water temp above 75F. They thrive in temps 50-65F, with 55-60F about the optimum temp. What does all this mean? You will find the trout in these cold waters...Fishing off the bottom always seems to produce fish, but if you're in 12 feet of water and the temp down there is 70+ degrees, the trout will be elsewhere. I have friends that bottom fish from a boat and they drop a thermometer in the water to determine where the expect the trout to be...Most small lures will work for trout as well as a variety of bait fished off the bottom. Worms, crawlers powerbait, salmon eggs etc. should all work, and my advice for this type of fishing is...use small hooks, trout like to "suck" in salmon eggs, powerbait and if using worms or night crawlers, keep them moving every few minutes. A slight movement of the bait on the bottom may make the difference in a a trout going after your bait....or not. Good Luck.