Fishing Frenzy

To increase your fishing success it is important to know how and where trout will be. Finding productive water will hold the trout we are after. I troll to find the fish and once hooking up, I will cast around the area to find more.

Trout need several things to survive. Among the most important is security. Fish will be more comfortable and therefore active in water that has a chop on it rather than calm. The same is true for shade and overcast days. Birds and people can easily see them when conditions are right and they will shy away from them.

The first 6-10' of water is usually the most productive. This is best trolled where you can see the bottom on one side of the boat and not on the other. The feeding fish will usually be on the shallower side, so have your surface presentation there.

Weed beds, downed trees and rock piles are trout attractors. They will find food and security in these areas. Even in shallow water a weed bed will give them the allusion of protection. In a reservoir the bottom can be extrapolated by extending the shoreline contours into the water. Look for areas that form points and other features.

In warmer water or when fish are not found on the surface a depth finder can be a big help in locating fish. Increasing the sensitivity to maximum on the unit will allow you to see the difference in the bottom and distinguish between rock and grave, which will hold fish, and sand which won't.

Once the fish are located either by trolling or by a visible indicator such as rings or bulges on the surface made by feeding fish it is the time to cast. Cast in a pattern starting close to the boat and moving in a fan pattern outward. It is easy to spook fish when casting so be careful to use a methodical approach.

If there is no surface activity use finding the right depth to fine tune your presentation.