Northwest Fishing Reports

This may seem kinda basic for you guys, but some of us who are new to fishing will appreciate it. Rainbow trout are the target of many trout fishermen. They are very common, so much that when people refer to trout, they usually mean rainbow trout. Rainbows like deep water, and are good eaters. Power Eggs off the bottom take many of the abundant rainbow. They are probably the least cunning and finicky of the trout family, but they are still smart enough to fool you. If these moody fish have turned off the bite, a very slow, small and drifting lure may interest them, and they may forget their lockjaw. Dawn and dusk are a good time to fish them, but they can be caught in the day frequently enough. There are some things that I have not listed, so feel free to add to this.

Ahhhh, the mythical, magical, aerial-displaying, drag screeching rainbow trout! Yep, definitely the most versatile, hardy, and adaptable trout species going....these jokers are world-wide! They're perfect for mass rearing and stocking. Just like we have german browns in America, rainbows exist throughout Europe and other places. I used to fish for them while stationed in Germany many years ago.

While usually a trout anglers best friend and susceptible to being caught, they can often be very picky and finicky. Like any other fish, if they aint hungry then they aint hungry! I don't care if you are fishing West Medical and it's legions of trout, sometimes the feed is off and you're left wondering what happened to the 150,000 or so trout that inhabit it. A major feed can be reduced to tap, tap, tap and shortly thereafter, nothing at all. We've all seen it and it doesn't matter what kind of bait, lure or fly pattern you are using. Take a break, have a sandwich and a beer, at least somebody will be eating!

As iPodrodder mentioned, sometimes little things can entice a few. While fly fishing I'll go to a very small pattern if the bite is slow. This often works. Sometimes I'll get my pattern 25 feet down in 30 feet of water and rip it to the surface as fast as I can. This has worked on numerous occasions. Maybe it just irritates them or the prospect of something getting away causes them to suddenly go active and give chase.

Often times it is something as simple as getting back on the fish. Just because you were getting them on the bottom in the morning doesn't mean they are still there in the late morning or afternoon. They often suspend, say 10-15 feet down in 30 feet of water, and could still be feeding. Rainbows do this a lot! If you are fishing under them (as I've done on MANY occasions), you are spinning your wheels. I often fish chironomids a lot in deep water with a full sink line, utilizing a slow retrieve that allows me to cover the entire water column. Initially when a hatch begins I will nail them on the bottom. As the hatch and feed progress, and the chironomid pupa slowly rise to the surface, I can literally track the fish through the water column by the strikes I receive. Eventually I'll be getting strikes just a few feet under my pontoon boat! My Bottom Line Fishing Buddy 1200 crapped out a couple weeks ago but when it was functional I could easily observe this.

Speaking of chironomids (or any fly pattern), here's something else I've observed on numerous occasions. If the rainbows go into a feeding period, but there's no major chironomid or insect hatch, guys throwing bait will catch many more fish than fly fishermen. But, if this feed coincides with a major hatch, especially a chironomid hatch, the fly fishermen will catch most of the fish. The trout will instinctively key in on the bugs, a natural food source that is appearing in abundance. When there are few or no insects, they'll go on the search and run into bait.

When ice fishing I will keep my jigging rod in hand and give it a constant jigging motion. Additionally, you must remember to keep your offering small, whether worm, meal worm, salmon eggs, or power bait. Too often I see guys fishing globs of bait like they would in May or June. January and February trout, under a layer of ice and subjected to roughly 35-37 degree water temperatures, don't have the remaining spunk to take something that big! They are slow and lethargic. Go to a size 12 or 14 hook and reduce your offering by one-half or two-thirds
and see what happens!

Awesome post Raffen! I hear you about when the fish are not hungry they are not hungry. I experienced that Thursday at West Medical. I will be back often though. I work at the prsion that is 1/4 of a mile from the lake. Again excellent post, very enjoyable.

good post raffen... you offer some useful perspectives for the many who have misconceptions about this species....

the typical first time sportfisher experience with rainbow trout is with a worthy fish that grew up in a fish hatchery and only recently took a ride in a tanker truck that dumped it into the lake the sport fisher is fishing.......

finning around, confused, looking for food in the top 10 feet or so of the lake these trout make easy targets and too many sporties, though enjoying the experience, have started taking the rainbow trout for granted......

but once a rainbow has settled in and adapted to it's environment it becomes a different fish... a fish that can be very selective and challenging to pursue.....

Pay close attention the the water temperature. I have a fish finder and a thermometer on a drop line that I have maked every 5'. I have found that fish, just like us have a comfort zone. Generally, as the surface temp. rises, the fish go deeper. I have seen shore fisherman waiting all day long for a bite when they are fishing in, say, 15' of water. I will notice that on the fish finder the majority of the fish are 20-25'. They are at that depth for a reason.......comfort. So the frustrated shore worm soaker is fishing in the wrong depth and temperature. I see that a lot at West Medical.
Also as the water temperature rises, the fish are more stressed and exert less energy. Just like us on a hot August day. So as Raff said, sometimes a very slow retrieve on the bottom is the only way to entice them. They just don't want to chase anything!

I agree with Marc Martyn. I fish out of a float tube usually but bring a thermometer with me usually. If the water seems warm I will fish bottom with about 5' of leader. That is where i usually get my luck at times like that. I will fish the surface mostly when the sun is almost down. Seems to be the time the fish are comfortable at the top

Just a little background on the species, if you're interested:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainbow_trout


- tcb

Jeez I could go on forever talking about rainbows...I don't wanna get started, I'm afraid I'll never stop