TROUT TECHNIQUES THAT WORK
Fishing the skinny water
TROUT TECHNIQUES THAT WORK
As spring rolls around , anglers begin daydreaming about coming days on the water . First light a week after ice-out , waterfowl returning , fog on the water , otter or mink hunting the shoreline , the slap of a beaver tail , the first strike of the season . There are few things more satisfying . But fly-fishing purists take warning , what I ’ m about to share might make you shudder . Catching trout on a fly rod is a fleeting opportunity lasting only a few weeks in spring . I do something else .
For decades , I have used a technique that allows you to concentrate on the shallow three- to five-foot depths and stay in the strike zone . It ’ s the first part of the lake to warm up , and trout gravitate to warmer water and the first insect activity . Shallow shorelines also coincide with stream mouths bringing in warmer water and , in smelt-based lakes , the spring smelt run – a smorgasbord for hungry trout .
A six to nine line weight and an 8½- or nine-foot fly rod and reel are your hardware . A regular fly reel will do the job but a large arbour model or multiplier reel helps retrieve line when trolling with 150 to 200 feet of line out . Load your reel with backing , a full sink fly line and 50 to 100 feet of quality four- to six-pound monofilament . I prefer Maxima brown Chameleon in tea-stained waters of the north and Ultragreen or clear in lighter southern waters .
MARK STIFFEL
The 27-yard leader wheel put-up is an ideal leader length . This presentation allows you to stay in the strike zone .
Flat-lining monofilament in the spring is a very effective method . It needs an added split shot to keep you out of the three- to five-foot due to the drop as the boat pauses on a turn . The sinking fly line takes the flat lining presentation to the next level . Mono cuts through the water and long-lining forces take the boat out of the strike zone as it cuts out around points or to avoid shoreline obstacles . When using a fly rod , the larger diameter fly line follows the path of the boat allowing you to maintain the contour of the shoreline and keep your fly or spoon in the strike zone . In the shallows , the boat should be distanced 150 to 200 feet back in a trolling presentation . For the northern speckled trout fishery , my preference is pulling small-pattern trout flies like # 6 or # 8 Muddler minnows and / or small streamers like the Maynard ’ s marvel or a gray ghost . Tie a smaller fly in line three feet ahead of the trailing fly for a tandem presentation . Adding a small bit of leaf worm to the trailing fly will increase strikes . The technique works just as well for rainbows , browns and lakers .
Up your fly sizes to tandem streamers and / or small minnow or smelt imitating spoons like the D1 Williams Dartee or the Peewee or Junior Mooselook wobbler . The full sink line when trolled slowly will bring you down roughly three feet . Add a foot in depth when pulling a small spoon . Work your sonar and stay in the four- to five-foot range . Pick up the speed slightly to
work through a big back bay with three- or four-foot shallows and a stump field you just know holds trout .
This technique allows you to pull your flies through water previously off-limits .
Especially for lake trout , this presentation need not be limited to the shallows . Think of the top five to 10 feet of the water column as the shallows and work around rocky points , cuts between islands and shorelines . I have had countless screaming lake trout strikes over 200-foot depths when lakers are cruising the top . Throw in a wide S-pattern troll to pause and speed up your offering on the turns and you will be hooking more trout .
In lakes that hold smallmouth bass you will know the skinny water season is over when you start catching them . They are a pleasant addition when trolling for trout and move into the shallows as they warm . Big smallies will be caught exceptionally at this time of year while trolling for trout .
Practise a selective harvest by keeping
Author Mark Stiffel ’ s father Arnold with some nice looking trout ! ( bottom left ) Mark releases a behemoth brook trout at Quebec ’ s famous La Reserve Beauchene ; Mark with a pair of
Eastern Townships browns !
some fish for the table but release the larger ones back into the gene pool to help ensure a future fishery . As anglers , we are all stewards of the sport , and owe it to ourselves to preserve the resource .
Tight lines .
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