26 June 12, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 13
Spotlight On Kayak Fishing...
Sponsered by Kayak City
in Citrus Heights, CA
Kayak City.Com 916.565.1400
Kayaking For River Trout
By Cal Kellogg
When most of us think about trout fishing we visualize mountain streams, lakes and
reservoir. This is only natural, since these are the types of waters we fish most often, but
in doing so we are missing out on some of the most productive trout waters the west has
to offer!
I’m talking about tailwater fisheries…The river trout fisheries that exist below dams
both large and small. Many of these tailwater fisheries create a situation that is perfect
growing big numbers of big trout.
First and foremost, most dams release water from deep in the lake’s water column. This
means that the water in the tailwater river
below the dam is cold and features a relatively
stable temperature throughout the year.
The process of releasing the water and in
some instances pushing the water through
turbines for generating electricity oxygenates
the water. And at many dams it isn’t just water
that flows out of the reservoir and through those
turbines, baitfish such as pond smelt and shad are
Back trolling with small plugs like this pulled through them as well.
is one of the top approaches for kayak Some of these baitfish and killed and chopped
anglers looking to hook river trout. up, while others emerge below the dam alive,
but stunned and confused. These baitfish
provide a buffet for trout and other gamefish residing in the tailwater river below the dam.
In addition to the proliferation of baitfish that most tailwater fisheries feature, aquatic
insects also prosper in the cold temperature stable water.
When you combine trout, cold well oxygenated
water and ample forage you have a situation where
trout numbers soar and trout grow large.
For an example of just how productive tailwater
fisheries can be, we need look no further than
California. California is dotted with hundreds of
trout lakes and thousands upon thousands of miles
of streams. Yet it wasn’t any of these “traditional”
waters that produced the state record 27-pound
rainbow for Frank Palmer back in 2005. He caught
that rainbow in a little known tailwater fishery
located below Folsom Lake a short drive from the
State Capital in Sacramento!
I think a major reason why more anglers don’t fish
tailwaters is that many of the traditional approaches
they use for hooking trout don’t work very well in
tailwaters fisheries.
Back Trolling: The Gateway To Success!
To understand back trolling, allow me to contrast
it with traditional trolling. In its basic form, traditional
trolling is dragging a lure through the still
waters of a lake or reservoir behind a slow-moving
boat. The pressure of the still water against the slowmoving
lure creates the action.
Anytime you are kayaking, whether on a lake or river, life jackets are
mandatory for everyone.
Back trolling isn’t done on still waters. Instead it is an approach that relies on current.
When back trolling, the motor of the boat is used to keep the boat stationary or slowly
moving backward downstream at a slower rate than the water beneath the boat. In this
situation, your lure is put into the water a distance behind the boat and the pressure of the
flowing water pushing past the slower moving lure creates the action.
With a skilled hand on the motor, backtrolling allows anglers to present lures and other
offerings very precisely, steering them into prime areas and keeping them there for extended
periods of time.
When trolling traditionally, the lure or offering passes by the fish and they either strike or
they don’t. When back trolling, you have the opportunity to put your lure right in the trout’s
face and keep it
there for a long
period of time
and that results in
strikes from both
active and inactive
trout.
Hook Up! Both fly
and conventional
gear can be used
successfully by
kayakers.
Kayaking is a great way to access river trout.
Tackle & More
Picture yourself on the bank of a trout
stream. You’ve got a spinning rod rigged
with a spinner. You toss it across the current, close the reel and allow it to swing across the
current on a tight line. This is a standard presentation for a stream angler and it is a form of
backtrolling.
Now let’s say the water is deep. You’re going to have to add some split shot to your line to
get the rig down to the trout.
The same is true for the back troller working a tailwater fishery from a boat. In some situations
when the water isn’t too deep you can run crankbaits or spinners behind the boat with no
additional weight.
If the water is deep, you’ll have to add weight to get
your offering down and split shot aren’t going to get
the job done. Instead Most back trollers utilize either a
three-way rig to add sinkers to their gear that range from
a half ounce up to several ounces and they might change
the amount of weight they are using several times during
a trip to accommodate the depth and current of any given
spot.
A three-way swivel is the heart of the three-way rig. To
set it up, attach your mainline to one eye of a three way.
To the second eye add a short 3 to 10-inch dropper
tipped with a snap for attaching the weight. To the third
eye attach 36 to 48 inches of fluorocarbon leader and tip
it with the offering of your choice.
When backtrolling a rig with a sinker attached you’ll
want to hold your rod as you backtroll. Use a controlled
free spool to get the sinker to the bottom and then
constantly lift and lower the sinker, allowing the weight
to “walk” downstream along the bottom. This ensures
that the lure is in the strike zone, but the lifting and lower
of the weight keeps it from getting snagged in the rocks.
In terms of rods and reels, a fast action rod capable
of handling the weights you anticipate using is key.
Traditional baitcasting reels, preferably with an integrated line counter are preferred. Some
guys are still using mono for this work, but most including myself have made the transition to
employing 20 or 30-pound braid for their mainline for the increased sensitivity braid offers.
Other Considerations
Lure selection for backtrolling is pretty simple and you probably have most of what you
need if you are an established trouter.
Traditional metal shaft spinners as well as spinners snelled on mono work well. Small to
medium size crankbaits and minnow plugs are the most popular offerings and crankbaits that
dive allow you to work water up to around 8 feet deep without having to mess with adding
sinkers to your rig.
In terms of artificials, steamer flies and soft plastic grubs 2 to 3 inches long are sleepers that
will produce big numbers of trout and are often overlooked by the backtrolling community.
When folks backtroll for steelhead and salmon in rivers they commonly utilize both lures
and bait. Trouters on the other hand seldom employ bait and that’s a big mistake. Cured roe,
live and dead minnows and night crawlers will all draw strikes when backtrolling.
One of my favorite tricks is to remove the hooks from a crankbait and attach a short 12 to
18-inch leader tipped with a bait hook to the back of the bait. I pin either a small hunk of cured
roe or a threaded night crawler on the hook. Rigged this way I utilize the diving ability of the
crankbait to get my offering down and the action of the lure catches the attention of the trout.
The next thing you know, they gobbled down that succulent natural bait and its Fish On!
Before you hit your local tailwater fishery you’ve got to give some consideration to your
boat and safety. You’ll be dealing big current and cold water when backtrolling for trout. Your
boat has to feature a reliable motor that has the power to deal with the current and you’ll want
to wear your PFD the entire time you’re on the water.