Quote:
Originally Posted by Dunit35
This thread has me wanting to go fishing. My dad and I are looking at a trout trip. A small lake near me stocks them this time of year. I've never been. What tackle should I be using?
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Stocked trout are pretty easy actually. I fish for them frequently at a small lake in the SOCAL mountains where we have a cabin. Here are some tips:
Use spinning gear, with a Light or Ultra-Light Rod, between 6 or 7 feet long. I use monofilament line or fluro line, between 4 and 6 pound test. Don't go over 6 pound test with trout, they actually have fairly decent eyesight and they get spooked easily.
Small egg type hooks will suffice #4 to #8 size. Now, if you are using dough style baits, the trout will always swallow the hook...so I usually rig up several leaders using monofiliment, ranging anywhere from 3 to 5 feet long, with a hook on one end and a snap on the other. Then just tie on a swivel or another snap to your combo and when you get a fish, it's as simple as unsnapping the leader and throwing the fish on the stringer, then you just snap on another leader and bait and you are good to go.
I just use a simple split shot rig and a bell, you don't really need much of a weight, a few split shots on the line will work. DO NOT USE A FLOAT IF YOU ARE USING FLOATING DOUGH BAIT. It defeats the purpose.
I usually use Rainbow Colored Berkley Power Bait, the one with Garlic. It works great. I have also used Berkley floating corn nuggets (garlic flavored) and the floating Dough Bait that simulates hatchery pellets (it's brown) with good success.
You can use small worms such as meal worms and regular earthworms, but you will need a float to determine where in the water column the fish are...but again, I have such great luck with the floating dough style baits, that I rarely do it that way. I just stick to my split shot rig and leader method with a bell.
I have also used Mepps or Panther Martin inline Spinners, Kastmasters, Phoebes, with success if you want to go the lure route.
As for cleaning the fish, I usually just gut and scale them, fry 'em up with the skin on, but you can filet the bigger ones. Pretty dang tasty.
