As the ice starts melting in the spring, anglers slowly transfer their mindset from hard to open water, creating a myriad of ideas on what species they should target.
As an avid fly fishermen for many years, I have found situations where I have been hampered in my presentation by non-fly fishermen. This has also made me adapt, creating a strong alternative for trout fishing, especially in the spring. This method has made it possible of having as many as five people in a boat fishing effectively, tangle free! Going back to angling as a kid, how many of you can remember the excitement of watching a float go down? The anticipation alone of watching kept us all on our toes waiting for a strike! At 32 years of age I can honestly say the excitement has never left and if anything it has grown stronger.
Location & Setup
Prime areas are along weed edges where minnows, leeches and other aquatic forage are present. This is where you want to set up within casting distance of this location. Being on the outside in deeper water eliminates the factor of spooking shallow water trout and allows you to fight the fish away from the weeds. Big trout will try and run your line into these areas, which will break you off and or tangle you up, losing many fish.
With wind being a factor, sometimes you will have to anchor according to the strength and direction of wind. I like to anchor both ends of the boat to eliminate swing of the boat. This also allows you to utilize the length of the boat, making more room for everyone to fish. The diagrams below will show you a few setups for different wind conditions. When having to take the approach in diagram D, make sure you enter the weed bed as quietly as possible dropping in anchors slowly, to not spook the fish.
Rod & Reel
I prefer an eight and a half foot Shimano medium power Clarus rod. Using a longer rod improves many aspects of this technique. It allows you to make long casts more accurately with less chance of loosing your bait while doing so, plus more effective hook sets with your line being a long ways from the boat. Most importantly more control over your setup in general allowing you to stay tangle free from fellow fishermen and objects on the boat.
I use a lighter 1500 series reel to lower the weight for long days of holding on to the rod and fighting these powerful fish. On my reel I usually run six or eight pound fluorocarbon depending on conditions. Flurocarbon is highly abrasion resistant and nearly invisible in the water. If the water is very clear and the lake is pressured from fishermen I will strictly run six pound. If the water is a little more stained with scattered weeds and less pressured I will use eight pound to have a little more strength for hookups in weeds. After my reel is spooled and line is through my guides I begin the steps to properly setting up my rig.
Slip Bobbin!
First you apply your slip-knot stop. I prefer chartreuse you can see it along ways away. You want to trim the lines of this stop to prevent the water from catching it. Then you will apply a bead, which then is followed by your float. I prefer the Northland Lite bite floats, they go down even on the lightest of strikes. They are also very high in visibility allowing you to see them at far distances. Having the bead in between your slipknot and float eliminates the chance of the slipknot sliding through your float. Below your float I go straight to my split shot weights. I do not apply another slipknot stop because I want my float to stay on the water surface and not shake in the air while battling the fish, which can result in shaking and tearing the hook out.
I then apply three 1/32 ounce split shot weights spaced six inches apart with the bottom one being a foot away from the hook. My go-to hook is the Gamakatsu Octopus in sizes 8 and 10. They are very light in weight and low in visibility. Once again I will drop to a number 10 because of picky over pressured fish and clear water conditions. But for the most part a number 8 will do the trick and will hold its own on a big trout any day of the week. Now I bet you are all wondering what bait is applied to the hook? The most effective bait we have used is the live leech; we have also had lots of success on crawlers and shrimp. Its important to keep your bait between a foot to two feet off bottom so the trout can see it from further distances.
Before using this application on any trout lake make sure you know the regulations for the lake you are on. Some lakes don’t allow bait and some only allow certain kinds of bait. Using this method will bring you back to your youth remembering trips as a kid with parents and grand parents. Memories that will never fade! I hope you all get a chance to try this out. Good luck on the water folks!