troublesome Browns

[NickAdams]

I've been fishing an area that is chock full of brown trout -you can literally see them swimming by. The problem is, they will not take anything I throw out. I've tried worms, spoons, crankbaits, spinners, etc etc. and they wont even look twice. I'm going to take my fly rod out there tomorrow and see if i have any luck with that, but is there anything else i should try? They're hanging out in warm shallow water.

[quest32a]

I've been fishing an area that is chock full of brown trout -you can literally see them swimming by. The problem is, they will not take anything I throw out. I've tried worms, spoons, crankbaits, spinners, etc etc. and they wont even look twice. I'm going to take my fly rod out there tomorrow and see if i have any luck with that, but is there anything else i should try? They're hanging out in warm shallow water.

Let me ask you this and I am not trying to be a prick. Are you 100% sure they are browns and not suckers or big chubs? I have never in my life seen browns hang out in shallow warm water.

And if they are browns if you can seem them they can probably see you and your line. Go ultralight w/ 2-3 lb flurocarbon for a leader with a very small piece of bait attached, ie a piece of crawler, or a single waxworm or maggot.

[NickAdams]

Of course i can't be certain without holding one in my hand, but I highly doubt they are chubbs or suckers. They all had distinct speckle patterns and looked exactly like trout. A few buddies told me about this place and I didn't believe it either, but after seeing them for myself i dont know what the heck else they could be.

Also I've been catching the occasional smallmouth in the same area, and if i remember correctly in a previous post you said that smallmouths and browns like the same kind of water. And when I say warm water i mean about 60 degrees. If i cant get one to take a fly tomorrow i will at least try to get a decent picture.

[WILDCATWICK]

I know a spot just like that up there. Water is only about 3-4 feet deep, clears as gin, flat as can be, and loaded with trout. They are there because of the springs and the grass mats. These fish are almost impossible to catch except with the cover of darkness. You must approach from hands and knees and cast well above them with the lightest tackle possible. If you can catch a good hatch they will let their guard down for that.

I have seen a lot of bait fisherman go there and I have yet to see one pull a trout out. But I have pulled out many and seen others do it on feathers when a hatch is going.

Best of luck.

[NickAdams]

thanks for the advice wick, thats my plan for tonight

there were a few rising every now and then yesterday so today i'll try the dry fly approach tonight.

[derdmann]

They may be trout that were just stocked. I saw a place like that once; hundreds and hundreds of them. They would not hit anything that I threw at them. Very frustrating.

[BeWild]

Could this be the Marquette Fish Hatchery? :lol:

I would heed Wick's advice and use no weight at all, maybe a tiny split shot if need be. Don't even look into the water or get close to it if you don't have to, stand way back and fling it in there and let it sit until you feel something on. It's more of stalk than it is anything else in a situation like this. My .02.

Let me know where it is and I will go investigate and let you know what works!

[Magnet]

Similar deal in the western UP several years ago. Water was way low and some trout had collected in a pool where a tube went under the road. If I threw bait to the left side of the pool, the trout moved to the right side and vice versa. Visited that spot 3 days in a row. Tried sneaking and all kinds of other stuff that didn't work.

Good luck.

[jellybread]

If these are indeed trout, then I know the type...

I will go out on a limb and guess that these fish are either in very still moving water or that they have access to it (e.g. - a cold lake).

??

If this is true, then you should probably just quit now.

But if you are hellbent on catching these unprocessed fish sticks, then you should investigate "chironomid fishing (http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=chironomid+fishing&btnG=Google+Search)". In summary, chironomids (also known as midges (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGQEPZqNZU8)) are abundant in certain areas (mostly cold, high alkaline lakes). When they establish themselves, they thrive (you will see them crawling on the snow in winter). Subsequently, the available coldwater fish have an abundance of nutrient... so it is typically not worth their while to chase down food or anything that doesn't resemble a chironmid.

Fish that are accustomed to this situation will typically not respond to anything that is not EXTREMELY close to this preferred food. If you do happen to catch one of these fish, try to get a look at what the fish has been eating (if you keep the fish, then open the stomach and examine... but sometimes, you can scoop the nymphs out of the mouth or get a throat pump).

Chironomids are tiny. Don't be afraid to go very small. Only when you finally give up will you catch a fish.

[UPJerry]

I would agree that if you can see them, they can probably see you. Also, if they consistently ignore your offerings it probably means they are highly pressured. You will have to be really clever (moreso than me) to get them to bite. Good luck.

[NickAdams]

I'll be damned, I caught one!

Granted it was the only bite we had all night, but I'll take it. It was the very first cast, made from about 10 feet from shore. After I hooked him we made all kinds of ruckus in the water trying to net him and that was the last action we saw all night. I just waited for a rise and threw a dry fly out and bam, he smashed it.

I'll get a pic up in a minute, some guy walking along the shore said it was a lake trout and that they stocked them in there every year, so i didnt feel so bad about keeping it :) I still think it looks a bit more like a brown, i dunno.

also i cut the gullet open and it was empty!? just some nice brown juice :sick:

[maak]

Looks like a laker.

[kingwilly]

2nd that, oil can.

[UPJerry]

Laker.

Browns and rainbows = dark spots on light background.

Brooks, splake, lakers = the opposite.

[WILDCATWICK]

Congratulations on catching a trout in one of the tougher scenarios. Sounds like you did everything right and you wound up with great results.

Those fish are certainly catchable but many fisherman will not be able to do it. It takes knowledge, patience, stealth, & a great presentation at the right time. What a thrill it must have been when that trout took the fly under those conditions. You must have been extremely excited.

Way to go!!!!!!!!!:woohoo1:

[stinger63]

Looks like a laker.

Hemm I dont see anything espeacialy a laker?

[cane crazed]

i know a place like that in the north carolina mountains. if you see the trout you can be sure that they have noticed you. you may try a marabu bunny leech, it seems you are going to have to agitate them to stike

[maak]

Hemm I dont see anything espeacialy a laker?

He did'nt get the photo posted on the thread, but it's in his photo bucket.

[Barrister]

Nice catch, Nick!

[brookie~freak]

I have a feeling that we are talking about stocked splake here. Lets see the picture. Good going on figuring out how to catch them.

[NickAdams]

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/photopost/data/500/medium/fishing_040.jpg