Trout Gear

Spanning through the past 130 years or so, Washington’s lakes have been stocked with a variety of fish species. The types of fish typically fall under two categories, the first being game fish like rainbow trout, Kokanee, steelhead, and cutthroat. These are all planted for the specific purpose of increasing public angling opportunities. The second category would be an aquatic vegetation control fish like the common carp, that was planted primarily by private landowners intending to mitigate overgrowth of vegetation in lakes and ponds. Regardless of the purpose of fish stocking, the practice has generated various stages of controversy throughout the years, and rightfully so as the early versions of fish stocking had been practiced without much consideration of ecological impacts on native fauna. Thankfully, the days of reckless and illegal stocking of ecologically sensitive lakes by private citizens are, for the most part, a thing of the past in Washington state. Nowadays, The Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and local tribes operate stocking programs that involve strict management guidelines and make use of both surveying and long-term field studies to effectively provide anglers with fishing opportunities while not disturbing vulnerable ecosystems.

Rainbow trout are by in large the most widely stocked fish in Washington lakes, thus, they are the most common trout targeted by Washington State anglers. And though a stocked rainbow trout from a local lake might not be quite as alluring as say, a wild rainbow trout from some remote stream in the high-country wilderness, comparing these two is a bit like comparing apples and oranges. One can consider these stocked fisheries to be the staple of a lifestyle that places high value on family-friendly outdoor recreation, whereas the wild fish pursuit is an activity that often takes a bit more work and travel, and isn’t always quite as easy to get the family involved in

So, each has its place, and lucky for us, springtime marks the beginning of the trout stocking programs around the state. There’s a good chance that if you live on either side of the cascades, you won’t be far from a lake that’s getting a dump of catchable-sized hatchery-reared rainbow trout right about now. A visit to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife website will show you all of the recent catchable trout plants in Washington lakes. Here’s just a sample of some recent western and eastern Washington trout plant reports. 

• Lake Thomas, Stevens County: 9,000 catchable trout 
• Devereaux lake, Mason County: 7000 catchable trout 
• Klineline pond Clark County: 10,000 catchable trout 
• Black lake, Thurston County: 10,800 catchable trout
• Rotary lake, Yakima County:  3150 catchable trout
• Columbia Park pond, Benton county: 2012 catchable trout

There’s a myriad of techniques you can deploy to catch rainbow trout. Methods range from dropping jigging spoons down through a hole in the ice during the winter to casting flies out of a float tube in the summer. Stocked rainbow trout are not terribly picky and are known to strike at many different types of lures and bates. A surefire way to get some hookups would be to bring an arsenal of tackle so you can use the process of elimination in figuring out what the fish are biting on for that given day (it shouldn’t take you long). Below is a list of common techniques to catch stocked rainbow trout during the spring and early summer seasons.

Casting lures 

This is by far my favorite method for rainbow trout. It’s simple in that you hardly need any gear other than rod, reel, and lure, but it also keeps you busy and engaged as you are constantly casting and retrieving while feeling for a strike. Casting lures like Rooster tails, spinners, spoons, wedding rings, and plugs have all proven effective at catching rainbow trout. Fishing during the morning and evenings when the fish are up near the surface will only increase the effectiveness of casting lures. 

Trolling 

Casting lures like the ones mentioned above can all be trolled behind a kayak or motorboat. If the fish are holding lower in the water column due to midday heat, try using a lightweight downrigger with a dodger. Or, if in a kayak, you can use a diver like a Deep 6 or Dipsy diver. Rainbow trout generally like faster trolling speeds around 1.5 to 2.0 mph

Sliding egg sinker rig.  

This rig is very easy to set up and will get you onto the fish if they are holding deep towards the bottom of the water column. Slide a 1/2 oz egg sinker onto the mainline. Beneath that egg sinker attach a snap swivel. From there, attach your leader. Depending on how high off the bottom you want your bait to float will determine the length of your leader. 2-3 ft is generally a good bet. Tie your size 8-14 hook and bait it with a worm or dough bait. You will need to make sure your hook and bait are both floating. So, if you’re rigging an earthworm (or anything else that doesn’t float) you will need to add something with buoyancy. That can be either a small marshmallow (like the ones you’d buy from a grocery store) or a piece of buoyant dough bait.

Fixed Bobber 

This is a fun and easy method for kids or new anglers to try out. Plus, it can also be extremely effective. Attach a fixed bobber to the mainline, and then anywhere from 18-24 inches beneath that a number 5 lead split shot (add more if there’s current). About 6 inches beneath that you can attach a size 8-14 octopus hook with a night crawler. Nightcrawlers can be replaced with a red plastic worm or dough bait. 

Slip bobber rig

A slip bobber has a few more parts than a fixed bobber setup, though, unlike the fixed bobber, this setup will allow you to adjust your rig to virtually any depth. This is very handy for when the fish are suspended midway in the water column. 

Add a pre-tied bobber stopper knot to your mainline. From there, add your bobber stop bead so that the bobber won’t slip past that knot. Add the slip bobber to the mainline, then add 1/2 oz egg sinker, and then a snap swivel. From here add 2-3 ft of leader and then your size 8-14 octopus hook. Now you can put your gear into the water and start sliding your knot up the mainline to adjust the depth of your hook and bait.

I’d wager that if you polled some friends and family and asked them what their first memories of fishing are, a good portion of them would likely start to share stories of fishing for rainbow trout off a dock during a hot summer day, or out of a john boat cruising around the lake hoping to land a big silver and pink beauty. I know this is true for me, and I encourage anyone who has kids (or adults for that matter) who are new to fishing, to take them out to your local lake and try out some of these tactics to bring home some fish. Despite what anyone might say about stocked trout, I assure you, they make great table fair, and they also do very well in the smoker. Fish on!

These are some of the best days on the water, in December and January, when a lot of other sportsmen are watching football. Fly-rodders watch the weather and hope for a hatch of midges and look forward to the little black stoneflies, but there are better ways to tempt bigger trout in December and January. Plastic worms and minnows can tease big trout out from beneath the undercut banks and beads, tailored to size and color can turn on the bite.

TWITCHING PLASTIC 

Plastic worms tend to produce as many fish as natural baits. And you don't have to dig through the compost pile to find them.  

Adapted from steelhead drift fishing the best rig is a six-pound main line tied to a barrel swivel. A sliding sinker on the main line is a good way to get the bait down but another option is to leave a tag on the main line knot and crimp on removable split shot. The leader should be 20 inches long terminated at a No. 10-8 single egg hook. 

Rig to drift the edge of a seam with just enough weight to tickle the tops of the rocks. Jeff Warner, founder of X Factor Tackle, relies on three main colors in cold winter water - hot red, fluorescent pink, and natural worm. 

Warner's go-to for brown trout on his home water is a 1/16-ounce jig head on a No. 4 hook and an X-Factor Teaser minnow. He fishes without a float. 

"In my experience, it is better to allow the bait to do its work as an injured bait fish. I don't want a natural drift, I want violent rips and jerks. It's why I like the lightweight jig. I don't need it to be down on the bottom. It lets the bait look more erratic than it does with a heavy jig head."

Jeff Warner

Warner's favorite on a bright sunny day is motor oil with red flake. Warner recommends a plastic minnow in the tail-outs and along the seams and ripping it back.

"I like to cast it upriver and then work the clock so to speak. Even cast it straight downriver and twitch it. If I don't catch a fish by that time there ain't one in there."

Jeff Warner

The bite can be hard to detect. Keep the index finger on the line to stay in touch with the rocks and set the hook at the least tug that signals a grab.

FLY ROD EGGS/BEADS

When fishing egg imitations and hard beads, the big challenge is to get them at the level the fish are holding and allow a dead-drift presentation.

Try to position the bead about two inches above the hook. This can be accomplished in several different ways. One easy way to do it is to nail knot a piece of clear mono on the leader and position it two inches above the hook acting as a stop. 

Set the indicator (a good one is the easy-to-cast plastic Thingamabobber) and put split shot on above the tippet knot (or swivel) and set the float about the depth of the water. 

When the trout bites the bead the angler reacts with a short upward lift which tends to pull the bead through and pin the hook in the outside corner of the mouth. 

With whitefish spawning in western rivers in late January and February we have bait to match. Trout that key on whitefish spawn get used to gobbling the yellow eggs and its why some fly-fishermen tie on yellow wet flies in February without knowing the reason why the trout are biting. Summer steelhead may also spawn in January and February, in which case, the trout are eating orange eggs. In any case, small orange beads or tiny yellow eggs can turn a rainbow's head this month.

SOFT PLASTIC BEADS

One of the greatest moments in drift fishing is to watch a trout peel away from its holding lie and follow a soft orange egg downstream then crush it. A squishable, scented egg imitation tumbled along the gravel with a drift fishing rig or a bottom-walking drop shot setup is a good bet in December. 

My favorite hook for this work is a Daiichi salmon egg bleeding bait hook sized No. 12 up to No. 8. Again, the soft bead is best positioned two inches above the hook, which can be accomplished by using a nail knot, a blood knot, a sequin or similar bead stopper. 

One of the mistakes we make is using an indicator in shallow, clear water. If the fish and the bottom is visible, dispense with the indicator and just watch for the take. 

A mistake we often make is allowing the weight to control the movement of the egg. This is why a sliding sinker is sometimes the best choice. And why a drop shot weight might be the best choice with a tag end of a surgeon's knot used to splice on a bit of 4-pound fluoro. That bait should present as freely as possible in multiple braided currents. The egg wants to be free!  

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