A difference of inches. Remember the last time you caught a hatchery rainbow trout? It probably measured 10 or 11 inches, slim and trim, a fighter.
Picture that fish, its lateral line on the same plane as its eye. Think about the vertical measurement from the lateral line to its belly. On a 10-incher, there is a difference of an inch-and-a-half from lateral line to the bottom of the belly.
What about a triploid, a couch-potato trout weighing 15 pounds? If the fish is measured in pounds not inches, that vertical dimension might be 4 to 8 inches. A 30-inch triploid with a 20-inch girth will weigh about 13 pounds. That fish’s belly when it is 8 inches above the bottom is about 8 inches from the plane of its eye. If the eye is at 16 inches, the bait should be positioned at 16 to 18 inches.
To present a bait or a fly to a big trout, think in terms of where the trout likes to rest. Because of the position of a trout’s eyes, its vision angles upward, leaving a large blind spot below its body and directly in front of its snout. It can see with one eye anything to the side of its head and behind, but another blind spot exists along its flanks, beginning at the pectoral fins.
Picture the large and small trout side by side, both hovering at rest in light current, 6 to 12 inches off the bottom. The big trout will more often be in a position to grab a morsel drifting toward the pair. That huge mouth can displace way more water than the smaller fish that might try to steal a bait.
What really happens is that there are a thousand or more “legals” for every brood stock or trophy fish. The problem is to present the bait or fly in the zone where that one big fish can grab it before a 10-incher does.
Floating bait/length of leader
For the bait angler, the leader length is critical when targeting salmon-size rainbows. The bait is presented with a sliding sinker to a swivel and a 2- to 4-pound monofilament leader. A lot of us like fluorocarbon because it is stealthy. The problem though, is fluoro is heavier, adds more resistance for fish to feel, and can drag the floating bait down. Use light mono. At rest, the biggest fish’s eyes are going to be 15 to 25 inches above the bottom.
Because resting trout tend to look upward and even the lightest leader is probably not going to be completely vertical, a leader length of 20 to 36 inches is more desirable. Now the floating bait, when used with a light hook, should be presented in the prime feeding zone for the bigger fish.
Cast, let the bait splash down and sink with an open bail. When the weight touches down, turn the reel till the weight bumps against the swivel. Put the rod down and wait. Holding the rod transmits jitters and scares off critters. Watch the rod tip and the line, but don’t walk too far away. A big fish will yank the rod into the water.
Two rods better than one
If you’ve been looking for a reason to get a two-rod license, this is it. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife offers a two-rod endorsement for $28. With two rods, a bait fisherman can anchor off a point of rocks and cast one bait to one side of the point and another offering to the other side.
Sometimes one color of floating bait works better than another. With a two-rod license, one angler can use yellow and chartreuse while side by side, his buddy could use flo orange and rainbow.
Trolling, a single angler can fish for legals on one line with a Mack’s Lure Trout Spin on one rod and run a fly with a sinking line to target bigger fish. Another angler might fish jar bait on one rod and cast a chironomid with another.
When ODFW stocks a lake with 10,000 legals, they may also plant 10 or 20 or 50 fish which look like salmon next to a limit of 10-inchers. They are hungry, too. These fish weigh between 2 and 15 pounds. Somebody is going to catch them. With a two-rod license and a well-placed bait or fly, it could be you. Sometimes the difference between catching a big one and a cookie-cutter hatchery trout is just a few inches of leader.
The Link LonkFebruary 02, 2021 at 01:00PM
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How to salmon-size your trout fishing | Outdoors | bendbulletin.com - Bend Bulletin
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