Rigging Pink Plastic Worms for Steelhead Fishing

Many steelhead anglers have had success with pink plastic worms.  They can be fished under a float or drift fished.  Since plastic worms float, you'll have to add some weight (i.e., split shot) to get them down deep enough to where trout are feeding.

The video below shows how to rig your line with a pink worm.

For more tips on rigging pink plastic worms, click here.

For more steelhead fishing tips, click here.

For float fishing tips, click here. 

Fly Fishing Lessons for Kids

Looking for a great gift idea for the child in your life?  How about fly fishing lessons.  The Rivers and Glen store in Augusta, Georgia will be holding a fly fishing clinic for kid.  There are three different dates available.

• December 21, 2010 from 12 - 2 pm
• January 11, 2011 from 3 - 5 pm
• January 24 from 3 - 5 pm

Each class is $50 and will start with the basics including tying knots and fly casting while actually fishing at the same time.  Parents will be asked to drop their kids off at various local lakes (including Hammond’s Ferry ponds) for the clinic.  Equipment and snacks will be provided, although kids are welcome to bring and use their own fly fishing equipment.


As kids master their skills, they'll be able to attend more advanced classes in the future.  For more information about the fly fishing clinic for kids, click here. You can also call the phone number listed below for more information.

Rivers and Glen Fishing Clinic for Kids
Tuesday, December 21, noon-2 p.m. January 11 and 24, 3-5 p.m.
$50 per class
706-738-4536
We:b:  riversandglen.com

Fishing With Live Shrimp

Fishing with live shrimp is a favorite for many trout anglers ... especially with those fishing for speckled trout.  It's a well known fact that many speck fisherman will follow the shrimp boats when fishing for speckled trout. 

Rigging your pole with live shrimp can be done a couple of different ways.  Regardless of the method used, be careful when hooking the shrimp so as to not kill him.  The best thing to do is to hook the shrimp in the tail.  This will not only help to keep him alive, but also allow the shrimp to swim freely.  Small light-wire hooks are also preferred when fishing with shrimp because they allow the shrimp to swim more freely.

Not sure how to properly hook a shrimp in the tail?  Watch the video below.

Free Lining

One of the most popular (and easiest) methods is to put a live shrimp on a hook and toss your line into the water.  You don't need any additional weight if you're fishing near the surface, although you can add weight if you want to fish below the surface. The goal is to let the shrimp swim freely so they look more natural to trout feeding in the area. This means you need to leave the bail open after tossing your line out.   Because line is being pulled off the spool (either by the shrimp or by you letting more line out as needed), this method is often called "free lining".   You can see free lining in action by watching the video below.  

 

Popping Cork

Fishing shrimp with a popping cork rig is a favorite tactic among anglers. In this method colorful, trout-attracting floats that make a popping sound are used. The popping action of the cork mimics feeding fish. The video below shows how popping corks work.  Plastic or live shrimp can be used with popping corks.

Jigging

Live shrimp can also be attached to jig heads and fished deeper around docks and other deep water structures. Jigging works best in the colder months when trout are feeding in deep holes in channels off the main river. A 1/16 oz jig head with a size 2 hook should work well.  

Putting shrimp on a jig head is done differently than putting shrimp on a hook for free lining.  When jigging, you'll want to hook the shrimp from the underside through the head between the eyes and the brain.  Amazingly enough, this will keep the shrimp alive and allow him to swim freely. 

Top Five Winter Speckled Trout Lures

If you live in an area where you can fish for speckled trout, you'll love this article.  I stumbled across it this morning and thought it was too good not to share. It's titled, "Top 5 Winter Speckled Trout Lures".

For more speckled trout fishing tips, click here.

For more winter trout fishing tips, click here. 

How to Use Augers for Ice Fishing

Augers are a necessary piece of equipment if you want to do any ice fishing.  The videos below explain the different types of augers and how to use them.

Types of  Ice Fishing Augers

 How to Use a Folding Ice Fishing Auger

Pros and Cons of Inline Ice Fishing Augers

How to Use an Inline Ice Fishing Auger

Pros and Cons of Offset Ice Fishing Augers

How to Use an Offest Ice Fishing Auger

Ice Fishing Tips - Identifying Different Types of Ice

It's that time of year again where lakes are freezing over in many parts of the world.  Many trout anglers enjoy ice fishing, so I thought it would be nice to share some ice fishing tips.

To ice fish, you have to use an auger to cut a hole in the ice first.  As you cut through the ice, you may notice the different layers of ice.  The video below will help explain the different layers of ice you may encounter.

There are different types of augers and as the video explains,the kind of auger used, often depends on the type of ice you're cutting through.

Anchor ice is the hard, submerged ice layer.  It gets its name from the fact that it is "anchored" on the bottom. If cutting through anchor ice, you'll want to use an inline, solid stem auger.

Another thing to consider is the size of the hole.  Fishing for large lake trout through the ice is a favorite winter activity for many trout anglers.   Some of these trout are too large to be landed through a 7-inch hole.  What's the solution?  The video below explains.

For more winter trout fishing tips, click here.

How to use Downriggers & Dipsey Divers & Sonars

In our Trout Fishing Tips eBook, we discuss the ways that downriggers, dipsey divers and sonars can help you catch more trout. This video gives shares a few tips on using these things as well.

 

Now that we're entering one of the more challenging seasons for trout fishing, sonars can be particularly helpful.   And of course, any time trout go deeper in the water for food and comfort, downriggers can also be very helpful in getting your baited hook down to them.

Free Fishing Seminar Nov. 29 & 30

Avid Anglers will have a chance to learn more about fishing including how to catch more and bigger fish from the man who writes the weekly fishing reports at Irvine Lake (California).   Steve Carson is his name and he is ranked as one of the top t0 anglers in the world according to the IGFA.

The seminars are FREE and open to all who wish to attend.

The first seminar will be on Nov. 29 from 6 to 8 pm at the Sport Chalet in Marina del Rey.  The second seminar will be on Nov. 30th at the Torrance Sport Chalet (same time).

Topics will include both freshwater and saltwater fishing tips.  And of course, trout fishing at Irvine Lake and other urban lakes will also be discussed.  There will also be a few tips for parents who are actively teaching their kids to fish.

Free seminars tend to fill up quick, so you should plan on arriving early if you want to get a seat.  If you love fishing, this is a great opportunity to learn more from an experienced angler. For more information about this fishing seminar, click here.

Roe Bait Tips for Steelhead Fishing

Steelhead fishing is popular with many trout anglers!    There are several different fishing techniques used by Steelheaders, but fishing with roe (fish eggs) is one of them. Like salmon eggs, fishing with roe can be as simple as baiting the hook or more complicated by adding other things to the hook to make the bait more visible and attractive to fish.

The video below does a nice job of showing you different ways to bait a hook with roe for steelhead fishing.

Need help tying the egg loop knot mentioned in the video above?  Check out the video below:

For more steelhead fishing resources, click here.

For advanced Steelhead fishing techniques, click here.

Dough Bait Tips for Trout Fishing

Most trout anglers are familiar with dough baits such as Berkley's PowerBait.  These baits are specially formulated to attract trout and the nicest thing about them is that they float ... which helps to keep your bait off the bottom of a lake bed.

Dough baits are especially effective when fishing lakes stocked with rainbow trout.  That's because these baits are similar to the food fed to hatchery trout.  While Berkley has it's competitors in the dough bait business, I've had the best luck with Berkley products.  So I personally tend to stick with them.  Rainbow glitter powerbait is one of my favorites! 

Fishing with dough bait is really easy.  I typically use 6-lb test line with a 4 or 2-lb leader.  Between the two, I attached an slip sinker on the 6-lb test line and then tie on a snap-swivel.  I attach my leader (typically 18-24 inches) to the swivel.  At the end of the leader is a treble hook (usually size 12).  This rig is typically a bottom fishing rig. Using powerbait on this rig gets the baited hook off the bottom of the lake (making it more visible to trout swimming by). However, I have had success using the same rig (minus the sinker) when fish are feeding off the surface.

When baiting the hook, most anglers just make a ball around the hook to cover it up.  And while that does work, the video below offers a few more tips.

Another thing I like to do sometimes (especially when fishing is slow) is grease my leader and dough bait with trout attractant. The advantage of this trick is that the trout attractant can help disguise human smells transferred to my line and bait while handling them.

For roe bait tips for steelhead trout, click here.

Have any more dough bait secrets?  Feel free share them here!

Tempe Town Lake to be Stocked Nov. 23rd

Every year the AZ Game and Fish Department stock Tempe Town Lake with thousands of rainbow trout. This year, the event will take place on November 23rd from 3 to 5 pm.

This is a fun family event which is not only FREE but there will also be fishing rods and bait available for folks who don't have their own. For many kids, this is an opportunity to catch their first fish!   There will be plenty of experts around to lend a hand .... so don't worry if you don't know how to fish!

No fishing license is required during the event (3 - 5 pm).

By the way, the AZ Game and Fish Department have recently stocked all of the Urban Lakes, so anglers can enjoy more trout fishing opportunities.

Kayak Fishing - The 3 GOLDEN Rules

I stumbled across this video today while surfing the internet and thought our readers might find it useful.  Trout fishing in kayaks has been on the rise the last few years due to the fact that Kayaks are less expensive than boats and easier to transport.

But fishing from a kayak does pose some challenges and this video does a good job addressing some of those challenges.

New World Record Brown Trout

This year during the Salmon-A-Rama tournament, Roger Hellen landed a 41 lb 8 ounce brown trout near Wind Point (Racine, Wisconsin).  The trout was pulled out of Lake Michigan  at 8:30 am on July 16, 2010.

Needless to say, the trout won the tournament's grand prize (and was the largest fish ever caught in the tournament).  However, it took four months before the IGFA declared the brown trout a new world record in one division and a shared tie in another.

The new trout, officially broke the 24-year old record in 50-lb line class division (held by Paul Loquasto).  The previous record (set on April 29, 1986 in Lake Ontario, N.Y.), weighed just 14.4 pounds.  While it may seem incredible that this record hasn't been broken sooner, it may be because most anglers aren't targeting brown trout in the 50-lb line class division.

Hellen's brown trout catch will share the all-tackle record Tom Healy who caught a 41.7-pound brown trout Sept. 9, 2009 at Manistee River, Mich.  If you're wondering why this record is considered a tie when Hellen's catch is an ounce heavier, you're not alone.  According to IGFA rules, Hellen's trout needed to be one-half of one percent heavier than Healy's trout to claim sole ownership of the record.  In other words, Hellen's trout needed to be about 2.1 ounces heavier than Healy's trout to officially break Healy's existing record.  None the less, Hellen will share this record with Healy.

Hellen is having the catch stuffed for display in his home.  For more information about this record brown trout, click here.

Trout Plants in Northern California

During the week of  7 - 13 November, 2010, the California Department of Fish and Game will be planting trout in several fisheries in Northern California.

For more information about the fisheries being stocked, click here.

Speckled Trout Fishing Good in Florida's Intracoastal Waterway

Speckled trout fishing is reported to be excellent in Florida's intracoastal waterway.  Cooler temps and plenty of shrimp have played a role.

Trout are near the surface right now so topwater plugs, Mirrodines and 1/4 ounce jigs with plastic tails have yielded results.  Fishing under lighted docs up and down the Intracoastal Waterway is also a good bet since specks tend to hang there. Plastic tail grubs and Mirrolures are good bets under lighted docks too.  If you have a boat, you might try trolling slowly on the creeks and grass edges

You cand read the full report on Speckled trout fishing in the Intracoastal Waterway by clicking here.

For more tips on speckled trout fishing, click here.

Trout Fishing Report for Oklahoma

There's a great fishing report out of Oklahoma this morning.  Trout fishing is being reported as excellent in several fisheries at the moment. 

Folks trout fishing on the Lower Illinois River are having great success above Gore Landing using rooster tails(1-2 feet below surface), flies on the surface, and power bait.

Folks fishing Pawhuska are doing well with powerbait and small spinners.

Trout fishing on the Blue River is also reported to be good. Anglers are using powerbait, inline spinners and super dupers with success.

For the complete fishing report, click here.

Trout Stocking at Beaver Lake

Beaver Lake is scheduled to be stocked with rainbow trout on November 8th, 2010.  The department of fish and wildlife is planning to release 2,300 rainbow trout.


Beaver lake is open year-round for fishing.  The daily bag limit is five fish — and only two of the fish exceed 15 inches in length — and bait anglers must keep the first five trout caught.

Since temperatures are cooling down, trout fishing action should be heating up!  While Beaver lake has a maximum depth of about 50 feet, try fishing closer to the surface (up to about 18 feet in depth).  Lures, PowerBait, etc. should all be good.

Trout Fishing Activity is Heating Up at Dsvis Lake

J and J’s Grizzly Store and Camping Resort out at Davis Lake (California) is reporting that trout fishing activity is really heating up!  Not only are the number of catches improving, but also trout sizes are increasing.  Anglers are reporting catching trout in the 20+ inch size.

Try fishing near the surface (and up to 18 feet below).  Bank Mallard Cove is a hot spot at the moment. Power Bait and Nightcrawlers have been successful!

For a more detailed fishing report at Davis Lake, click the link above.

Rainbow Trout Being Released Today in Ohio Lakes

Good news for trout anglers.  The Ohio Department of Natural Resources will be releasing about 300 rainbow trout today at Kiwanis Recreation Park in Painesville and Granger Pond in Mentor’s Veterans Park.

Anglers should see an improvement in Steelhead trout fishing too.  According to a fishing report posted on Cleaveland.com .....

Rain has kicked up local steelhead rivers and streams, especially the Rocky and Vermilion rivers. The fresh flow and cooler nights should bring some steelhead trout into the rivers. The best fishing will be in the lower stretches of the tributaries as the waters begin to go down and clear a bit.

Anglers are working spawn bags close to the river bottom, and casting spinners and spoons. Fly fishermen are tempting trout with minnow imitations and darkcolored stone fly nymphs.

You can read the entire fishing report, by clicking here. 

Trout Fishing Activity Heating Up

It's that time of year again, temperatures are dropping and so trout fishing activity is heating up before Winter sets in!   Fall is always one of my favorite times to be out fishing. In addition to good trout activity, there's plenty of Fall scenery to enjoy (at least in my neck of the woods).

Trout fishing should continue to improve through October and even the early part of November (depending on where you live).  With cooler temperatures trout will be moving closer to the water's surface which offers many advantages to anglers.

Lures, Power Bait, and nightcrawlers are good bets in Fall weather, though you'll still have to experiment to figure out which one works best on a given day.

Good Fishing Activity on Yuba River

The latest fishing reports coming out the Sierras report that fishing activity has been good on the Yuba River.  The trout have been small, but there is lots of them.

Fishing activity has also been good along Highway 4 Corridor, the Stanislaus is also reporting good trout activity.

You can read the full fishing report, by clicking here.

Share the Outdoor Experience with a Low-Income City Kid

Want to help show a city kid what summer fun is all about?  Here's your chance!  There's an organization called, "The Fresh Air Fund" that is dedicated to helping low-income city kids enjoy a summer experience they'll never forget.

Here's how it works ....

Folks volunteer to host a child in their home for 2 weeks. The goal is to help that child enjoy the great outdoors with you and your family.  So whether, you're in to hiking, fishing, camping, boating, etc. ... you have an opportunity to share the great outdoors with a city kid who who might not otherwise have this opportunity.


The Fresh Air Fund is in need of host families for this summer. Host families are volunteers who open their hearts and home to a child from the city to give them a Fresh Air experience that can change lives.  Here's a little more about the program.

Even if you can't host a child, you might like to consider making a donation to the program. You can donate online ... and if you donate now, your donation will be matched dollar for dollar.

To learn more about the Fresh Air Fund, click here.

If you've ever worked the program or know anybody who has, we'd love to hear your story!

Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge Closures

The Arizona Fish & Wildlife have recently closed portions of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge due to heavy Mexican Drug and Human traffickers. 

Although there isn't any fishing at Refuge, it is is (or was) a popular recreation spot.  So I wanted to make folks aware of the dangers in the area of the Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge. 

For more information, click here.

National Fishing & Boating Week

National Fishing and Boating Week (NFBW) is coming up June 5-13 and is a great way to get families outdoors and in the conservation mindset! There are many different activities to participate in during NFBW.

Those looking to participate should visit TakeMeFishing.org, where they can find waterways and fishing hotspots near them, plan trips and even get assistance in getting a fishing license or registering a boat. There's also a full list of events, or for information on planning events.

Also keep in mind that 37 states offer Free Fishing Days during NFBW.

Trout Fishing Remains Excellent in Florida

It's been another great week for trout anglers in Florida.  Anglers having been catching 18-24 inch trout around Hurricane Pass.

Folks fishing near Dunedin Causeway have reported great success using live shrimp (on a rig with split shot)! Folks fishing north of the Dunedin Causeway along the Intracoastal Waterway spoil islands have been scoring good numbers of trout 18 to 20 inches.  Live shrimp and sardines has yielded the best results.

More more fishing reports in and around Florida, click here.

Speckled Trout Biting Feverishly in Florida

Captain Mark Howard reported today that the speckled trout in the Brandenton area of Florida are biting feverishly on moving water.  He also went on to say that shiners hooked in the pectoral area have triggered the most strikes. Captain Howard also recommends fishing the drop-off of flats and the intercoastal waterways.

You can read his full report by clicking here.

For more speckled trout tips, click here.

Arizona State Parks Open for Camping & Fishing

Now that it's Memorial Day weekend, many Arizona State Parks and Campgrounds are opening up.  Some of these spots offer great fishing opportunities. 

Some of the more popular camping and fishing spots in Arizona include:

• Dead Horse Ranch (Cottonwood)

• Fool Hollow Lake (Show Low)

• Lyman Lake (St. Johns)

• Patagonia Lake (Patagonia)

• Roper Lake (Safford)

• Alamo Lake (Wenden)

• Lake Havasu (Lake Havasu)

 Enjoy the weekend and happy fishing!

Splake Trout in Copperas Pond

We received this email tip from of our readers and wanted to share it. 

Copperas pond in Essex County in up state new york  has large splake trout in it. Apparently the local fishing guides don't normally mention this.  Our reader reports that he caught a 3 plus pounder there and hooked into a larger fish which snapped his 8-lb test line.

We'd love to hear from other trout anglers who have tried their luck at Copperas pond.

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Fishing Derby Saturday in Southern Maine

The Southern Maine Fish and Game will hold its 51st annual Free Kids Trout Fishing Derby from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday (1 May 2010).  The derby will be held at a spring-fed pond next to the club's 30 Martin Road headquarters.  Seacoast children, ages 15 and younger, are welcome to cast for some of the freshly stocked trout in the pond.

Each kid will receive a free lure courtesy of the Kittery Trading Post. The event is rain or shine. Trophies and prizes will be given in several categories, including first fish, first limit, youngest fisherman/fisherwoman, largest fish and more.  Food and refreshments will be available.

For more information, click here.

Monster Lake Trout Caught While Ice Fishing

Here's one of those trout catches that many anglers can only dream of!  This video was produced by JigHeadsTV.

These anglers were ice fishing on Lake Superior when they caught this monster Lake Trout.  It's a great catch and even greater that they released the fish back into the lake.  The only downside is that more care could have been taken when handling the fish since catch-release was intended from the start.

$1200 a Day Lake Ontario Boat Derby

Summer is fast approaching and this year, Lake Ontario (in Canada) will be hosting a new $1200 a day Boat Derby.  This is event will run concurrently with the Summer Derby beginning June 19th and running through July 18th, 2010.  The LOC boat derby also coincides with the lsat two pro-arms and will utilize the LOC weigh-in stations, hours, and rules (other than described below).

Better yet, if you're submitting fish for consideration in the LOC Summer Derby, all rules, such as all members must be entered would have to be followed ... so yes, you could win in both derby's. 

The LOC Boat Derby prize will be $600 a day for the largest salmon (minimum 20 lbs) and $600 a day for the largest trout, one winning fish per day per boat.

The accepted minimum weight for trout will be:

• Lake trout 15 lbs
• Rainbow steelhead 13 lbs
• Brown trout 10 lbs. 

The goal is to make all trout competitive. For example: If a 12 lb brown trout were entered, it would take a 17.01 lake trout to beat it.
The price for entry is $600 for active USCG registered captains and $300 for non-captains and this covers everyone on the boat.

If you don't hold a USCG license and didn't book a charter in 2009 or 2010, you can join at the $300 rate.

Checks and 1099’s will be sent to the person who registers and any distribution of funds to fishing partners is the responsibility of that person. The weigh in station that weighs each of the daily fish will collect $25.

If enough people haven't signed up for the LOC Boat Derby by May 15th, it will be canceled.  So you might want to sign up as soon as possible.

Signing up is easy ... and you can do it online or by mail.

• To register online,click here.
• To register by mail, click here.

You will be able to sign up at weigh in stations and registration outlets after the minimum entries have been met, but with cash or check ONLY.

Registration will be available after the boat tournament starts, but there is no pro rating of the fee and there is no daily entry fee to this event.

Monies collected over the stated prize structure of $36,000 and administrative fees will be divided up and awarded as prizes for the largest fish in each division.

For more information about the LOC Boat Derby, click here.


By the way, there's only 72 days left til the start of the Spring LOC Derby
(April 30 - May 9, 2010).