As The Weather Cools Off The Trout Fishing Is Heating Up. Who Doesnt Love Fall Trout Fishing?

So I headed down to the same are of the Swan River that I fished last week, but this time rather than walking along the bank down to the really big "hole" I decided to wade straight across the river. You see, I know that there is a nice hole on that side of the river as well, which I figured needed a little attention too. And being on my little "mini jig kick" (which I referred to in my last post) you can imagine what my bait of choice was going to be on this particular day.  In case you were wondering, the grainy picture to the right shows you the exact rig.

Once I got across the river and worked my way into casting distance of the hole itself I began to drift fish.After two casts I realized that I needed more weight, so I pinched a single split shot sinker onto my line twelve or so inches above the mini jig.  This did the trick, because I began catching rainbows from 8 to 12 inches every other cast or so.  I even changed my trout worm color to natural and the hungry rainbow didn't mind a bit!  After working my way through the hole I waded down river to the BIG hole.

While the action wasn't as "hot and heavy" as it was upstream I did catch a small trout or two and missed what felt like a very nice one.  I then did exactly what I did the prior week.  I switched from a Powerbait trout worm body to a Powerbait Power Nymph body.  I know, it was just like the prior trip and can you guess what happened? 

Once again within a cast or two I felt the familiar "bump, bump", but then a very heavy pull.  I set the hook and immediately felt the weight of a large fish.  "Oh Jesus", I thought to myself.  I figured that this trout didn't realize that he was hooked because judging by the weight, if he made a run, I was in trouble!  So I kept reeling in slowly and could feel the monster shaking its head back and forth the whole time.  It just wasn't making sense, because a rainbow trout of this weight NEVER behaves like this one was.

I then got the fish close enough to see him and much to my chagrin, it was a lake trout!  A five or six pound lake trout, which on my four foot ultralight rod felt like a monstrosity.  I reeled the big fella in, unhooked him, then sent him on his way.  I then couldn't help but think about was terrible fighters lake trout are!  In hindsight, every one that I have ever caught has been just like this they initially bite, then get hooked, and all but roll over, just waiting to be winched in.  Oh well, it makes for a decent little story and the rainbows made for a nice little day.  All in all a good day on the water without a doubt.

A Lone Bull Trout Is All The River Could Muster

The other day I headed out to the swan river to try to get a little spring fishing in.  I figured that the run off shouldn't be too bad yet, so I packed up all of my trout fishing gear and off I went.  When I got to the river I could see that the water was slightly stained, but fishable, so I was pleased.  I hiked down the embankment to the rivers edge and quickly realized that crossing to the other side would be a challenge to say the least.  Sure, 10 years ago I would have made the trek without a problem, but nowadays I figure that's it's just not worth the risk of falling in.  Hey, what can I say, I'm either getting old or am getting wiser?  In any case, although I am very aware of the fact that fishing this stretch of river from the side that I was on is difficult because of the angles, i began fishing anyway.

Getting a good drift was tough without a doubt, but I pressed on working my way downstream.  I even fished a couple of riffles that I often don't, but I figured that with the higher water, something might be different.  Within a cast or two I realized that it was different as I got a nice bite.  On the next cast I hooked the fish and the fight was on.  I figured it might be a squaw fish (as this is often what is caught in this river when the water is high) but after a decent fight I realized that it was a nice 20 or so inch bull trout. 

I admired her and released the trout and continued downstream.  I fished for another hour or so and only received a couple of more bites.  I'm glad I got to get out and fish this part of the river, because it's more than likely the last time I will until late August or so.  The run off is going to be high this year and much of the river fishing around here will be blown out as they say for quite some time.

The Big Fall Trout That Got Away

The title of this post is a but misleading as the trout in question would have "gotten away" no matter what seeing as how I don't kill any of the trout that I catch, but nonetheless this large rainbow released itself before I had the chance to land, admire, and release it.  In any case, as I mentioned in the last post I was having a good afternoon on the water, catching and releasing multiple rainbow trout that ranged in size from 9 to about 15 or so inches.

Now I'm not sure if it was because the fishing trip was going so well or because of the fact that I'm really out of practice and don't get to spend nearly as much time on the water as I'm used to, but I neglected to do many of the things that I normally do when fishing for fall trout.  One of those things is always checking my gang hooks (particularly the leader) for wear and tear each time that a trout is caught and released. 

It had been 10 minutes or so since my last bite and I had worked my way 20 or so yards downstream when during a very nice drift, I felt the familiar 'pull' from what is often a good sized fish.  I quickly set the hook and immediately felt the weight on the end of my line.  I raised my arm high in the air, making sure to not give the fish any slack, as I stepped backward towards the edge of the river.  Almost immediately the fish jumped completely out of the water.  When the trout landed back into the water it sounded like someone threw a cinder block into the water.

I was a bit shaken, haven not felt a rainbow of this size on the end of my line for more than two years, but at that point it didn't matter because the fight was on.  Although the trout was 20 or so feet away when it jumped, I could tell that it was 20 plus inches long, and as wide a rainbow as I have ever come across on this particular river. The fish then peeled off a bunch of line and towards the bottom of the river.  It then began to slowly shake it's head (as large troiut tend to do), before bolting towards the surface of the river once again. 

This time rather than jump the trophy sized rainbow trout opted to shake it's head on the surface and when it did, snap, it was gone.  That's right, the massive rainbow broke my line, something that rarely happens.  Unless of course you don't visually inspect your gang hooks when you bait up to make sure that there are no nicks or other wear and tear on the leader, which I had failed to do on this day.  There is no doubt that this is the reason that the large trout got away, but in truth is that as rusty as I am, I'm not sure would have had a hard time landing a rainbow of this size by myself in any case?

Fall Trout Fishing Is Upon Us

When I got done with my morning run I checked the times when the moon was rising and setting for

the day and found out that neither of these events were going to be "in my favor" on this afternoon.  I knew that the moon was almost full as I saw it when I awoke (yea, I tend to get up a little early) and know from experience that a full moon can be okay for fishing, but a new moon is much better.  I was going to fish a spot on this day that I hadn't been to in a couple of years, one that involves a mile or two hike down a dry creek bed, so I figured, "what the heck, if nothing else it will be good exercise and a beautiful walk" so the preparations for an afternoon fall fishing trip began.

I packed my fishing gear right after I ate lunch and headed out.  It's an hour or so drive to the area where I park and once I arrived there it was a little after twelve noon.  I began the hour or so hike down the creek (which had water in it by the way) and worked my way over and through all of the fallen trees that had obviously emerged due to the high spring run off.  After about a half an hour of walking, the water in the creek dried up and I was hiking through the dry creek bed that I remembered.

While traversing one particularly jumbled maze of fallen trees I managed to have to jump/fall a nice little four foot drop that  caused me to have to throw my fishing rod into the air, which ended up with a broken rod tip. This would have upset me, but I was thankful for the fact that I didn't break my ankle or leg on my little fall, so I proceeded to the river with my fishing rod minus the last eyelet.  

Twenty or so minutes later I arrived at the river, took a ten minute water break and began to fish with my broken fishing rod.  I fished the first hole that I came to (one that I hooked and lost a VERY large rainbow in about 10 years prior) but only managed to catch one little 8 or 9 inch rainbow.  I proceeded to cross the river and work my way downstream.  I then began to fish a great looking stretch of water that was absolutely perfect for drift fishing, which is exactly what I did. 

Within 3 drifts I had hooked and landed 3 more small rainbow trout ranging in size from 9-12 inches.  10 minutes later I hooked and landed a very nice 15 or so incher and was feeling pretty darn good about my day.  I continued to work my way downstream for the next 20 minutes or so only hooking one more fish, which I lost, when something special happened, of which I will discuss in my next post.  The bottom line is thta fall trout fishing is without question here my friends. 
 

I'm an Avid Trout Fisherman, Why Would I Need a Trout Fishing Boat?

I have been fishing for trout for almost 30 years and for 20 of those years I never even considered

owning or using a boat while trout fishing. Then, once I moved to what many trout fishermen consider the Mecca of trout fishing (Montana) my perspective began to change. Although I am not a fly fisherman and rather choose to fish for trout while using ultralight spin fishing gear, I often encounter fly fishermen on the water. One of the things that I quickly noticed about many fly fishing trout fishermen and women is that they often utilized small personal boats while they were fishing.

At first I thought this was totally unnecessary and was just another example of fly fishermen demonstrating there portentousness, but the more I observed, the more I started to think. "Maybe these guys and gals are onto something, and why is it that one of these boats wouldn't be helpful to me?" I observed some, thought some more, and began to do some research. You see, I enjoy fishing for trout while wading in rivers, hiking up and/or downstream as I fish. Fishing this way is a ton or fun and very productive, but no matter what trout river you fish, when you fish for trout in this way you inevitably reach areas of the river that can't be crossed or traversed, unless of course you want to do a little swimming.

The next thing I knew I was buying my first used trout fishing boat, which was similar to this boat . This particular trout fishing boat served me well for a few years, before I needed to upgrade, because as I said I bought the boat used and it already had quite a few "miles" on it.  Eventually the "miles" caught up to my used trout fishing boat and I upgraded to a frameless pontoon boat from Sea Eagle which now serves me extremely well in all of my trout fishing endeavors.

The bottom line is that this experience has taught me that while it isn't totally necessary, I needed a trout fishing boat without ever realizing it. I learned that I could access a ton of water that I otherwise would have never been able to access. I learned that I could shoot down river and stop at all of the good looking areas, step out of my boat, and fish the area thoroughly. This has become my "go to" trout fishing system whenever the option presents itself, because as you might imagine there is a 'rub' to using a trout fishing boat.

As I said, I prefer to fish for trout in rivers and when you use one of these boats in a river it means that your trip comes to a conclusion many miles from the place where it begins. This means that you need to be fishing with a friend who can park their car where you want to end your trip so that they can take you back to the place where the fishing trip began and you can get your vehicle. This isn't a huge deal, but it does mean that a trout fishing boat can't be used solo, at least when a stretch of river is going to be fished.

So, to answer the question posed in the title of this post, you don't need a trout fishing boat, it's just that having one has some advantages that can make your trout fishing experience more enjoyable and productive. I know that for me as an avid trout fisherman who fishes for trout 2-5 times a week during the season, now that I know how much a boat can help, a trout fishing boat will be used anytime that I can.

Trout Fishing During The New Moon, Just After A Cold Front

The cold front that I mentioned in the last post made it's way through my favorite trout fishing area,

and the temperatures warmed, the skies cleared, and I decided to hit the river again.  After all, in a month or two I'm going to be doing much less fishing for trout and more sinking deep into the depression that comes with the wintertime in Montana.  I mean sure, I'll go out and wet a line a time or two in the winter, but as you may or may not be aware, trout become much more difficult to catch when the temperatures are consistently below the 20 degree mark, which is what we have to look forward to here in Northwest Montana for five or so months of the year. 

In any case, rather than focus on what I have to look forward to in a month or so, I choose to focus on what is happening right now and that is fall trout fishing.  So after my morning run, I noticed that this was the day of the new moon and that the temperature was quite a bit warmer than it was a couple of days before.  I figured that I should give the old Swan river another shot after my less than stellar performance a day or two ago, so after lunch I headed out. 

On the drive to the river I thought about where to go, and I concluded that I needed to fish the same stretch of river that I had on my last trip, if for no other reason so that I had a record of the difference between trips.  The air temperatures were about 15-20 degrees warmer, there was only a slight wind, and the skies were peppered with a few cloud, but mostly clear.  Would my results be any different?

Just a little bit I would say.   After catching and releasing five or six rainbow trout that were in the 10-13 inch range I hooked and landed one that was about 16 inches.  After missing a few more, I caught another rainbow that went about 16 inches.   Although the weather was much nicer than the prior day, it is the fall remember and my fingers began to become quite chilled after handling so many rainbows, so I decided to call it a day.  The bottom line is that the couple of hours that I spent on the river fishing for trout was well worth it if you go by numbers of trout caught.  All in all it was a good day, and like I have said before it sure beats a couple of hours working.  And now I have a hard record of the difference that a passing fall cold front causes to the trout I enjoy catching so much. 

How To Catch Rainbow Trout In A River

By far, my favorite place to catch a rainbow trout is in a river, and to be a bit more specific, a small to medium sized river that can be fished while wading. This "is" rainbow trout fishing as far as I'm concerned and at the end of the day there is virtually no activity on this earth that I enjoy more. Below I will outline how to catch rainbow trout in a river, at least in the manner that I prefer to use to catch these beautiful fish. Sure, you can "fly fish" or use another technique to fish for rainbows in a river, but this entry is about the way that I learned to catch rainbow trout in a river and the technique has almost never let me down. 

The technique is known as drift fishing and is an extremely effective way to catch rainbow trout in a river. The technique involves allowing your bait (my favorite is a live worm) to drift naturally with the current of the river that you are fishing, usually while "bouncing" along the bottom. During feeding periods, rainbow trout feed heavily of virtually anything that is flowing with the current, and drift fishing is an excellent way to take advantage of this phenomenon as a trout fisherman.

Although the technique takes a bit of getting used to, learning to tell the difference between the bottom and a bite, drift fishing is no doubt how to catch rainbow trout in a river. I prefer to use live minnows, worms, and meal worms rigged on a set of gang hooks, but synthetic baits such as Berkley trout worms and Power minnows are quite productive as well. The bottom line is that if you want to consistently catch rainbows out of rivers, the technique known as "drift fishing" needs to be a part of your repertoire.

As you gain experience and become familiar with the technique, artificial lures such as jigs, spinners, and artificial nymphs can be added to your arsenal for the times when the rainbows aren't in the mood for something "natural". In time you will come to realize just how effective "drift fishing" is and I'm sure it will become one of your "go to" rainbow trout techniques.

Sometimes the Trout Gods Smile Upon You

When I headed out this afternoon I was skeptical to say the least because it has been fairly warm for the past 3-4 days and I assumed that the run off would be in full swing. But when I arrived at my favorite trout river I saw that the Trout Gods were smiling upon me. Although the water level was a bit high, the river wasn't muddy yet, which mean that the drift fishing should be pretty good. I pinched a night crawler in half, baited it onto my #10 gang hooks, and began to drift fish. Withing a cast or two I felt the familiar "tap, tap" from a hungry trout, which I proceeded to miss.

 I kept fishing for a half an hour or so, working my way downstream to some green water (in my extensive experience "green" water usually means deeper water that will often hold a hungry rainbow trout are two). Once I positioned myself in an area of the river where I was getting a good drift, I began to fish the stretch of river thoroughly, varying the length of my casts and position of my rod as I fished.

 Withing 10 or so minutes I had another bite and again missed the fish. Oh well, early season rust I guess, then on the next cast I felt the familiar "pull" that often means a bite from a larger trout. This time when I set the hook, I immediately felt weight, yep it was a nice one. I saw the fish flash downstream of me and knew it was a rainbow trout, and a nice one at that. I adjusted my drag and fought the fish for 10 minutes or so before landing her. A beautiful seventeen inch rainbow trout that was as beautiful as any I have ever seen. I revived her, closed my eyes and said a silent prayer to the trout Gods, watched the beautiful rainbow swim away and continued to fish for a while. Does it get any better than this? You know what, if it does, I'd really rather not know about it.