Trolling for Trout
 

Hey everyone, just looking for some advice on trolling for trout.

Looking for some techniques, tips and tricks.
What do I need for hardware?
What about fly gear?

Hopefully some of you trout guys will pitch in your 2 cents.

I have no problems on a stream or river, but am a little lost on a lake.

which lake Rap? Carson?

Dace

No lake in specific, I just lack the experience of fishing for trout on a lake.

try and match the hatch as best as you can.nopt always possible
trolling flies would include double shrimps on full sink line and a long leader.
leeches and Bh pheasent tail nymphs are another great choice.

dont troll these guys fast just image a leeches pace crawling across the water as a rule of thumb.
ps:leeches and nymphs dont goto be fished at the bottom.

hardware would include countdowns in size 3-5 usaly nothing bigger. natural colors for alpine lakes and bright colors for stocker bows.
a weight with small spoon attached to 12inches of slack line with 2 circle hooks for worming.
worms are prime food for trout and rarly refuse them if present somewhat naturaly.

always use the lightest line you can get away with spin cast:2-6lb and fly line 5-7x

And if u have no luck theres always catonic leeching.cast out your marabu leech and relax.
if there rising match the hatch or use adams/mosquito.if there cuttys use turks tarantula's

One my buddy's said something about a Ford fender and a worm.
I know the piece of tackle, I've just never used one.

make them yourself. get a spoon take off the treble add 12-24inches of line to the back and attach a circle hook and a worm.

My favorite trolling type is drift trolling (with a bucket providing drag from the bow and facing the wind) at Spray Lakes, if you can get a breezy day as opposed hurricane. We would drift troll the south shore for larger rockies and trout with a straight forward bait rig with a triangle lead 1 oz weight and about 3 feet up the line a small willowleaf and a longer, lighter lined snelled hook (about 5 feet) and whatever your choice of fly/streamer/bead.

The nice thing is, is that you're essentially fishing vertical and can reel in and let out line as you can see bottom. for the murkier lakes you could modify the setup a bit,,, it's nice because the rod is in your hand the whole time, it's like light tackle fishing with a downrigger but without a downrigger.

quick edit; the triangle weight provides a subtle erratic movement to the lure.

troll flys with a sinking line a good distance behind the boat. where permitted if things are slow a worm tipped fly should pick things up. don't troll in a straight line at the same speed. vary your speed and even work the shoreline in long lazy figure eights.

flys

-crystal buggers in olive, brown, and black
-beadhead leech same colors
-doc spratleys

hardware

-frog pattern and black speckled flatfish
-bumblebee panthers
-small red or black 5 o diamonds


i've never pulled wedding rings or willow leafs in conjunction with any of the above. it's just too much trash to reel up for no reason.

Dace

i like to use a small spoon with a shot about 10" in front

Well, you can troll around with little cleo's, etc OR use a willow leaf by Lucky Strike with a hook and worm. Once you figure out your trolling speed and the length of line to let out behind the boat you should do really well. The rainbows that I catch can't resist that rig. :)

http://ca.wholesalesports.com/storef...prod27405.html

trolling
 

Real slow with a size F5 flatfish, frog or black with silver specks, is a good place to start.

Very nice gentlemen, that's alot of good info.
Thanks for the input.
Now what's everyone's thoughts on flies vs. Live bait ?

Lead Line
 

Anyone try lead line before. I have a few guys work with that have used it, and said it works good with little spinners

Flies FTW.
more natural presentation.
better hooksets and less chance of the fish swallowing the hook.
its more exciting to fight the fish.

bait is when i dont have room to cast
wayy to windy to fly fish
or just too lazy

If you are using spinning gear and the trout are not rising I will troll with a lindy rig, phelps floater and power bait. If the trout are rising, then a spoon, deadly dick, len thompson, mepps, most any small flash spoon will work well.

I mostly fly fish for trout now and use sinking line with either standard or floating leech on a sink line. I like fishing chironomids and scuds under an indicator, and will anchor up and fish these techniques quite a bit on stillwater.

Have done this many years ago with mosquito and coachmen flys @ Carson lake.....works really well. Worm on the Wedding Ring and a fly behind the willow-leaf. Dace you are right....extra gear out there but it works.

LC

I went out yesterday and trolled around in the rain for a while, used small spoons with a couple foot leader and a worm. I also switched the worm for a bugger.

Got hits on both rigs.

Good times had by all.

I have use a Willaims Warbler with hook off add swivel and 12 inches to 3 ft line add fly off your choice or worm if allowed or small hot shot. put out 100ft to 120ft and troll at 30 to 50 on mini kota motor make S turns and adjusting speeds staying in 14 to 35 ft ,, the Warbler works as a flasher just as a lake troll or Ford Fender..
use your raps/ shad works well ./speeds 40 to 60 works well and wide open will work too..
when fishing Kootenay we are trying to go 1.9 to 2.9 up to 3.9 depending on water clairity.
When using fly rod trolling full sink going to backing in 8ft to 25 using streamer to dragon fly /leaches/double shrimp/wooly buggers.. adjust speed 25 to 50 and sometimes add ripping your fly.. you can add a flatfish/hotshot etc

Floating line again go to backing same setups

Sinking tip same go to backing same setups

if you get into one fish in area go through area 3 to six time again as trout are schooling fish

Food for Thought:thinking-006:
David

Lots of years ago I was fishing in one of the gin clear lakes in Jasper with some friends. We saw a big dead trpout on the bottom and we managed to sng it and bring it up. In his beak was a big dark wet fly (Dr. Spratley I believe) about 18" behind a gold williams wobbler. It sold me on the rig and I have used it a lot ever since (the same wobbler actually at times)

Recently someone was telling me they had been having good luck on a lake west of rocky trolling a fly that has a little propeller spinner right on the front of the hook. I picked some up at Bass Pro but have not tried them yet.

I think that the silver Williams spoons are plated with actual silver.
I'll have to pick some up.
They were hitting a small silver and blue little cleo with a worm trailer.

what lakes are you going to try and hit up?

A Willow leaf set up ( the fishing store will know exactly what it is when you ask ) tie a small hook about 18" from the end and add a piece of dew worm and your good to go. Troll at a slow speed. I've used this set up lots for trolling and it works great for me

No lake in specific ........... more or less just board out of my skull waiting for the rain to bugger off so I can fish.
So I figured I would broaden my horizon.

I hit star every now and again, and was looking for options other than my fly rod.

sounds crazy
 

This mite sound crazy but trust me you wont be dissappointed weve had crazy luck take a small mepps attach a tiny egg hook as a trailer put a half dew worm on it bybunching the one tip on the treble and the otjer end to the trailer use light line a foot up put a good size split shot and another one a foot up from that troll it really far out in an s pattern with any boat i just go as slow as my8hp motor goes and we get like 30 plus fish days at all those common trout ponds and ebery kinda trout i ever tried it on

willow leaf , bollo , ford fender with a foot long lead with hook and worm...make sure you cover the hook completely.
Fly fishing use chroni's, nymph's, emerges.
Lots more to use but this is a good start.

How we did it at Dragon Lk. using bait they swollow the hook so we fly fish ...it's easier on them cause they'll live!
In the summer they are very muddy so you don't want to keep them anyway.

Not exactly trolling...we used to call it mooching.

We'd just drift with a fly trailing out behind us. When it got warm...we'd use a sinking line and a bucktail...and just let er go to the bottom.

Worked great on most trout.

Otherwise...a willow leaf...a couple feet of line and a worm.