Conquering the Northwest Lakes

The Pugett Sound Fly Fishers are offering a one day seminar titled, "Conquering the Northwest Lakes" on April 9, 2011.    Members and non-members are invited to attend this seminar (cost is $65 for non-members and $40 for members). 

The seminar will share key strategies and tactics for fishing the Northwest Lakes, ten habits for success, hatch guide, fishing tips for for bad days, and more!

For more information about the "Conquering the Northwest Lakes" seminar, click here.

For more trout fishing events, click here. 

2-Day Fly Fishing Seminar for Women

If you're woman and live in New York, you may be interested in this 2-Day Fly Fishing Seminar which will be held May 14 and 15, 2011.  The clinic is intended to give women a relaxed and comfortable environment to learn fly fishing as well as improve their skills. Women will learn everything from beginning fly fishing to advanced tips and techniques.

The seminar will take place at the NYS DEC Salmon River Fish Hatchery, 2133 Co. Rte. 22, Altmar.
Classes will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15. Breakfast and lunch are provided.

The deadline to register is April 30, 2011. Registration is $20 per day and $35 for both days. Participants must be age 18 or older and have a current New York State fishing license. Class size will be limited to 20 students.

For more information, about the women's fly fishing seminar, click here.

Trout Fishing Tips for Spring

Although this past week has been a bit cooler than expected in some parts of the world, it won't be long before the Spring trout fishing season starts heating up!  Once the weather warms up a bit more, trout will become active predators and feeders.   Here's a few trout fishing tips to help you catch more trout this spring.

First, as water temps warm up a bit, trout will be moving closer to the surface and near shallow banks.  Warmer, oxygenated water will wake trout out of the sluggish state they've been in during the cold winter months.  This means they will begin actively preying on other fish and aquatic insects.

While artificial lures and power bait continue to produce results in the Spring, fishing with natural baits can produce even better results this time of year.  Night crawlers, mealworms, minnows, shrimp, eggs, and the like are natural food sources for trout.  These baits also have natural odors associated with them which attract hungry trout!

Since trout are feeding near the surface, you want to fish near the surface ... though you may still need to experiment with a different depths.  Learning to read trout lies and moving water will help you pick good fishing locations.

If you do want to give your favorite lure a try, here's a great article by Game and Fish Magazine on 10 Great Spring Trout Lures.

If you're new to trout fishing, check out our beginning trout fishing article.  There's no time like the present to learn how to trout fish!

Last Trout Stocking in Santee Lakes

The last of the trout stockings for the Santee Lakes will take place by the end of the week. About a 1,000 pounds of rainbow trout will be split into Lakes 3 and 4.  As many of you know, bigger trout have stocked the last couple of years in the San Diego lakes.




The Santee Lakes are part of a water recycling/recreation program in San Diego, California.  Seven lakes comprise the Santee Lakes. Lakes 2, 3 and 4 are stocked with rainbow trout. You don't need a California fishing license to fish these lakes, but you do need to buy special lake permit.  

For more information about the Santee Lakes (including trout fishing tips), click here.

New Rainbow Trout Record in Nevada

Nevada's state record for the largest rainbow trout was broken on February 10, 2011 by a Mike Mott.  This 64 year old angler caught the trout on a fly rod while fishing at the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Best of all, Mike had only learned to fly fish a year earlier and so is still considered a novice by experts!

Mike's rainbow trout weighed 16 lbs, 8 ounces and measured 30.5 inches in length.  The previous record weighed 16 lbs, 4 ounces.  Despite the previous record being an inch longer, the weight of the new trout was sufficient to clinch the record.

Mike Mott was fishing with a stonefly nymph on floating line when he made his catch.

You can read the full story of Mike's record rainbow trout by clicking here.

Float Fishing for Trout

Floats (also called Bobbers) are popular with many trout anglers.  In fact, every trout angler ought to have a few in their tackle box.  Floats (or Bobbers) are typically used when trout are feeding just under the water's surface.  That's because floats are ideal for keeping your baited hook near the water's surface.  And the best part is that you can lengthen or shorten your leader to increase or decrease the depth you'd like to fish at.

Floats come in different shapes and sizes.  If you've never fished with one before, the video below shows you the basic setup for trout fishing.

For more Float Fishing Tips, click here.