Wild Trout
Written: Dec 20 '03 (Updated Dec 20 '03)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Just go fishing
Cons: Absolutely none
The Bottom Line: Do what feels right to you. If you had fun, your doing it right.
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| Logster55's Full Review: Rainbow Trout |
I don't need my alarm this morning, the sun has not risen yet, and I am in the garage getting my trout fishing gear ready. I can see my breath, and my anticipation makes it hard to take the time to take a sip of coffee.
Fishing for wild trout is an art form. I know I will need to be very mobile. I take my favorite lures, and knowing there are many snags in the river, I remember that I will need to re-tie my line fast and quietly.
Knowing that I will be walking up and down a untapped and wild river, I will need my hands as free as possible. Thinking that it is a good idea to leave the bulky tackle box, I have a small box, purchased at almost any outdoor store that will fit in my jacket pocket. In this very small box, I can fit almost everything I need.
I will need lures, Panther Martin, or whatever your favorites are. I believe if you think your lure will work, it will. I also will need the basics, swivels, small hooks, slinkie weights. I have some color in there in case I can use live bait like a worm.
My trusty fishing rod is ready to go, but I check to make sure the 6-8 pound line is not rough. I look to see if it is straight when there is some slack, and has no memory of being on my Shimano reel. I have a small reel, lightweight rod, and very good quality fishing line. It is proven that a good quality 6 pound line can outlast a cheap 10 pound line.
I have it set up where the only thing that will be in my hands is my fishing rod. In my pockets is my trusty box of tackle, I even have some worms in another pocket.
I will now skip to the river. Find a spot you like. There is no scientific proven fishing areas. I have caught more trout at places I never see people. I have had bad luck fishing where there are always people. What I am saying, is just becuase people fish there, doesn't mean there are actually fish there, kind of like the saying, "Blind leading the blind."
I have a spot I like, and quietly walk to the shore. I kneel down, and get my line ready. I have found, to catch the last of the wild trout, you have one chance to catch him. Read the river to the best of your ability. Look for eddys, look for different colors, look for rocks, look for everything. On your first cast, feel the river. That first cast can be the most importaint.
If your first cast is not successful, remember where you casted exactly, and try inches from that spot. Work your spot like a grid using different angles, speeds and depths. You will know when you are on the right track. Drifts are very importaint. You will need to find the right spot to cast upriver. You need to plan ahead, find out where you have to start, just to get to a spot downriver. There may only be one second, in a 15 second cast where your chances are good of finding a fish.
Sometimes you may find a fish that will bite twice, but in my experiance, that last wild trout will give you one chance to catch him. Be ready at all times.
Maybe your first spot yeilded a fish, perhaps it didn't. Now that I have read the river and gotten a feel for the right weight to have on my line, I make one last cast. The edge of the river is cluttered with rocks and trees, but I get a bit farther down river and start my grid again. Once again, read the river, if you get snagged, don't cast there again, learn how to cast around that obsticle.
More steps downriver, more casts. Finially a fish attacks my bait. I could feel the anticipation before the bite, like I knew it was going to happen. I was excited but knew I needed to keep calm for the first few seconds. I let the fish do what it needed to do, while keeping my rod tip up, and no slack in my line. I will find out what size fish I am dealing with. Rainbow trout vary greatly in size. If a rainbow finds his way to the ocean, he turns into a Steelhead trout. Rainbows vary in weight from an ounce to 10-12 pounds in this river. I usually catch them at about 1-2 pounds.
There are Steelhead in this river, and they are just rainbows on steiroids. They range from 1 pound to 30 pounds. On this river, they are usually 1-6 pounds.
To clear things up, a wild rainbow trout is a complete different animal than a steelhead. Steelhead are silver bullets. Rainbow trout can be very colorful, like a rainbow. They are usually shaped more like a football than a bullet.
This one is large, but I have confidence in my gear. I smile and let him run. Fishing to me is a sport, and I like to give the fish a fighting chance. I will be releasing this fish either way, he can release himself if he wants, or I can carefully remove the hook without taking him out of the water.
With a Rainbow Trout on, I will always remember where my feet are and be aware of my surroundings. Is there a rock out there that I got snagged on earlier? If so, lead the fish away from that spot. Is there rapids there, lead your fish to the dead water where you can get a handle on him. If you can walk down the river, or upriver do so. Walk with him, let the fish teach you where the depths are, remember what he does for next time.
This time everything goes right, I get the trout to a quiet place, kneel down and keeping him in the water, release him. It can be easy to release a fish with a barbless hook. this time he gets away. I will always release the last wild trout. There will be a day when you will catch the last of the wild trout.
Today, I continued on with my good luck, and caught some trout, gathered up a bag of other peoples garbage, was blessed with good weather, and a safe return home.
I hope you can see in this review that it fairly packed with information on fishing and trout and not just a fish story.
Recommended:
Yes
Recommended Line/Rod Weight: 4 To 6 Wt
Recommended Lure/Bait/Fly: Check your local regulations
Region Where Found: This review is focused on Northern California, Oregon and Wa
Recommend Guide, Outfitter or Boat: Just go fishing
Flavor: A delicacy
Recommended Tackle: Ultralight
Recommended Line/Leader Weight: 1 To 6 Lb Test
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Epinions.com ID:
Logster55
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Member: Logan R
Location: Washington State
Reviews written: 51
Trusted by: 112 members
About Me:
Hello, I enjoy writing from a different point of view.
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