VOL . 36 • ISS . 26
Tempting Trout When the Going Gets Cold
Dec . 8 - 22 , 2017
11 presents Strategy For Frigid Water Winter Trout !
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When the icy jaws of winter descend on our lakes trout fishing can get tough , but there are some strategies and tricks you can employ to keep your landing net busy . This big rainbow was caught during a mid-winter adventure at Lake Almanor
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If you have to absolutely positively hook trout during the winter when the water is at its coldest , a threaded night crawler like the one shown here is the way to go . For the best results keep your trolling speed at 1 mile per hour . It often pays to experiment with worms trolled naked and worms paired with dodgers or flashers .
^Do trolling flies work ? You bet they do ! Shown here are some of Bryan “ Big Daddy ” Roccucci ’ s flies . Here ’ s what Bryan has to say , “ I regularly use trolling flies especially at lakes like Almanor , Eagle and Davis and Arctic Fox Trolling Flies are tops . Tons of versatility in rigging their Tube Flies for presentations from mild to wild .
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One of the ways to trigger strikes from lethargic trout is to present them with a lure that stays in the strike zone for an extended amount of time . That ’ s what makes Flatfish a great choice for winter trollers . Flatfish display tons of wiggle and put off a bunch of vibration at slow trolling speeds .
Be aggressive and troll fast . Zip into those coves and around those
points at three miles an hour , challenging those aggressive trout to pass up your quick moving spoon or plug …
You ’ ve read my stuff , you know that fast and aggressive is the way I like to troll for trout and that tactic generally works … generally but not always .
At times the trout simply are not aggressive , are not chasing and to hook them on the troll you ’ ll need to get slow , get seductive and show them something that stays in the strike zone for a bit .
In recent years , I ’ ve been using three offerings extensively when trout are the target and I have to slow my troll . Let ’ s take a look a close look at each of these offerings . I know if you fish them with confidence you ’ ll catch more and bigger trout this winter .
Now the first question you might be asking is why three offerings ? Why not two or four ? The answer is simple . Most of the time when trolling with a partner in an average size boat we run three lines when prospecting for fish . More lines often creates more tangles , especially when top lining is involved . If you run only two , you ’ re cutting your chances of a hook up by a third ...
Mind you this three-rod business is just my theory , your mileage might vary . Anyhow I ’ ve babbled long enough , let ’ s fish !
Trolling Flies While I do fish some “ bug lakes ”, most
FISH SNIFFER HOW – TO by Cal Kellogg
of lakes and reservoirs I visit are “ bait lakes ” meaning that the trout residing in them feed mainly on baitifish rather than insects . As a result , most of the trolling flies I use are either baitfish colored or brightly colored . If you fish waters with a strong insect forage base , by all means stock up on those olive , black and brown hues to “ match the hatch ”.
Looking at my fly selection most of my bright colored flies come from Sep ’ s Pro Fishing with orange being my favorite . For imitating baitfish , I ’ ve not found any flies better than those offered by Arctic Fox . Cop Car No . 2 is my hands down top choice , but I also utilize Rainbow Trout and UV White .
The dark over light Cop Car No . 2 pattern was specifically designed for lakes like Shasta and New Melones that have a shad based economy . This pattern features purple holographic and UV Flash on the back , making for an extremely realistic shad imitation when drawn through the water .
While a lot of guys have heard how effective trolling streamers can be , many of them don ’ t really understand how to fish them properly . I rig flies a few different ways . Teaming the fly with a clear Wiggle Disc is an easy and effective way to impart deadly erratic movement to your fly . To vary the action , I monkey with the distance between the Wiggle Disc and the fly .
If the Wiggle Disc routine isn ’ t working I ’ ll sometimes team my fly with a small dodger like a Sep ’ s Side Kick or Strike Master . At other times , I ’ ll run a fly
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