The really challenging thing about trout fishing is that you don’t always know what to expect from day to day. Monday I fished Goldwater Lake and caught trout after trout using my blue fox strobe spinner. Everybody around me was catching trout using spinners – all while shore fishing.
Yesterday, it was a different story. Trout wouldn’t touch spinners. They did seem to like one guy’s minnow lure – but that was it for lures. What did they want? PowerBait – and preferably Rainbow PowerBait.
While fishing yesterday, I also made quite a few observations and had the opportunity to talk to some real old-time fishermen who fish this particular lake every day.
I spend most of my time fishing a different lake (Lynx Lake) due to it’s location. But this week Lynx Lake has been closed, so I’ve been fishing Goldwater Lake instead.
Lynx Lake is quite large and is a standard man-made lake. The lakebed is shaped pretty much like a bowl, with the deepest part of the lake being in the middle. There are a lot of weeds and rocks on the bottom of the lake. The water is a bit murky, but not too bad.
Goldwater Lake is a bit smaller and is also man-made. The water at this lake is much clearer compared to Lynx Lake. But the really interesting thing about this lake is the water shelf. There is a really shallow end, which drops off into a deep end. In the past, I’ve fished the deep end, but not the shallow end. But the last two days, I’ve been fishing the shallow end – and it’s been an eye opener!
Just knowing I’m about to catch that trophy trout any day, I like to use 6 – 8 lb test on my spinning reel. If I’m bottom fishing, I use a ¼ to ½ ounce slip sinker above the swivel and an 18-inch leader. When spinner fishing, I don’t use any weight and just attach the spinner to the swivel. At Lynx Lake, I have much success with this setup.
But at Goldwater Lake (where the water is really clear), the 8 lb test line is too heavy. Trout have an easier time seeing it (especially when fishing in the shallow end of the lake). Local anglers tell me they have better success with 4 lb test than they do with 6 lb test.
Another thing that worked really well for folks yesterday was PowerBait and bobbers together. At the shallow end the lake, trout are near the surface of the water. The weather and water temps are cool and so trout are very happy and actively feeding on the surface. Going any deeper than 16 inches below the surface right now, destroys your chances of catching trout.
Removing all weight from the line, and placing a bobber above the swivel and adding PowerBait to a treble hook on a 12 – 18 inch leader proved very successful for anglers yesterday. Trout just couldn’t resist this setup! People were barely getting their lines into the water before having to reel in another trout.
Here are some fishing tips from this excursion to remember:
- Pay attention to the water. The clearer and shallower it is, the lighter test line you need (stick with 2 – 4 lb test).
- Don’t be afraid to talk to locals. Even though we have several good trout lakes in our area, people tend to frequent one or two over the others. Fishing can be quite a bit different at each of them. The water shelf and clearer water at Goldwater Lake requires different tackle and fishing tactics than at Lynx and other nearby lakes.
- Most people associate bobbers with nightcrawlers and not PowerBait. Don’t be afraid to try something different – especially if you see folks around you catching fish using a different setup.
And most of all, have fun and take lots of pictures!
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