Trout love cool, clear water saturated with oxygen. They seem to feel at home
in fast currents as well as in the still water of lakes and. In shallow water
they will keep to shady hideaways. The native brown trout lives in brooks,
rivers and lakes, where it ist also found in the variaty of the lake trout (
ferox trout). The sea trout on the other hand lives in the ocean and comes to
freshwater onlxy for spawning. These trout all belong to the same species and
there are a lot of regional forms which differ in coloration, behaviour and even
anatomy. Variants even exist in one body of water not counting influences by
artificial stocking measures. The american rainbow trout is very similar in behaviour
to our brown trout and there is also a form living in the sea called steelhead.
It does like sligthly warmer water and needs less cover in brooks. Chars are
closely related to trout, the canadian lake trout is one of them.
Behaviour
Trout are extraordinary fast and enduring swimmers. In a river they will hold
in protected areas with a calm to strong but not torrid current, rarely though
will they stay at the exact same place over days. They prefer shady and deeper
places, especially the bigger ones. Sometimes you will see them roaming
about, in still water (back waters, lakes, sea) they seem to be constantly on
the move.
Fishing
In flowing water you will soon know if there are trout around, because they
like to follow the lure and nibble at it, so searching
is the right strategy. Often enough large stretches can be like dead and staying
in one place and excessively changing lures would be a complete waste of time.
In still water on the other hand waiting
can be an alternative, especially if you know or recognize good places. In small
streams, which can be easily covered, the populations tend to suffer under the
fishing pressure and then you will catch mostly fish near bag size and often
smaller. under these circumstances you should release most of the fish you
catch, especially if you want to catch a big one every now and then.
Trout usually prefer to chase lures swimming down the current. The best way to
present your lure is to make it sway around in the current at the end of the
retrieve. Often the trout will grab it, just as it start to change from the
downstream to an across movement. A lot of the time they will also readily grab
the lure during the first turns of the reel handle, especially if you have accurately
targeted there hiding place by casting slightly past it.
Trout normally take the lure with a vengeance but will also get rid of it again
by wild jumping and shaking. To keep the quote of lost fish low you can: use
braided line which lets the (sharp!) hook enter the mouth more easily, but don't
overdo the hookset. The rod shouldn't be to fast and stiff but has to cope with
the water resistance of the lures in the current. Hooks are an important factor:
hooks on lures which lose a lot of fish should be changed, try larger, sharper
and thinner models. When the fish starts shaking during the fight you should
hold the rod freely in one hand without touching it with an elbow or anything
else. By that the rod and your wrist will neutralize the movements of the fish
as good as possible. Cutting one hook from a treble not only makes removing the
hook out of the fishes mouth much easier but also lets you lose less fish during
the fight. The barbs should always be flattened because they don't help to hold
the fish, but hinder the penetration of the point and do more harm to the fish
directly and also indirectly because removing the hook takes longer. But you
will always lose more trout than other fish, because they just shake faster and
with more energy than other fish.
Lures
Spinner preferably with willow leaf or other sleek blades (Comet, Aglia
Long, Roostertail, Vibrax,
Panther Martin )
in natural colours, shiny is good or a lot of black, when the water is stained
or in low light bright colours like orange and yellow can also be effective. A
fly on the hook is never wrong. Medium sizes (Mepps 2-3) are best, smaller ones
will catch you to many small fish. In Spring, when the water is high and turbid
and in dusk or down I will choose larger models. In Summer when the water is low
and clear I prefer smaller models and if they catch too much small fish I will
switch to Plugs (Shad Rap, Minnow,
Salmo Groppe, Thunderstick,
Firestick, Team
Esko for Trolling also Risto
Rap, Wally Diver) in natural
designs imitating minnows, bullheads, cyprinids or small trout. On lakes and in
the ocean i will use different colours. It seems that trout love orange in
waters with low fishing pressure but in my civilised home venues it rather
frightens them. Plugs are better in warm water with active fish. My rule of
thumb ist, to use them as soon as the fish seem active and follow the lure. If
only one hook is allowed the belly hook can be more effective than the rear one.
But you have to check how the lure runs and maybe you have to put on a small weight
where you removed a hook. The single treble should then be chosen slightly
bigger than the original. the tail treble can raise the risk of hurting the
fish, because often it hooks gill plates, neck or eyes if the fish grab the lure
sideways.
Tackle
For trout you need light to medium tackle. For big fish or a strong current
it shouldn't be all too light. A heavy trout rod can also be used as a light or
even medium pike rod. If the water is clear a fluorocarbon leader of c. 0,5 m to 1,5 m
length is a good idea. Sometimes I will then even tie the lure directly to the
leader to achieve a more inconspicious presentation. When wading a small stream,
a short rod which can be quite light is the most comfortable option.
