VOL. 36 • ISS. 22

Oct. 13- 27, 2017

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When

Bank fishing for trout doesn’ t require a bunch of gear. Here we see Cal Kellogg’ s bank fishing backpack. In addition to a tripod and some other photography gear, Cal carries a few lures, a small selection of baits and terminal tackle, two rods, two reels, snacks and a couple bottles of water. It’ s a good idea to travel light because you might have to do a little hiking to reach the best spots. it comes to bank fishing for trout, author Cal Kellogg prefers a fast action spinning rod that is at least 7 feet long. He teams his rods with spinning reels such as this Abu Garcia Cardinal that feature a smooth drag and a line capacity of about 200 yards of 6 or 8 pound mono.

For a bait fishing session, the well prepared trout angler will have an assortment of bullet weights, octopus hooks, bait holder hooks, beads, swivels, a few split shot and some fluorocarbon leader material.

The team at Atlas Mike’ s provides some of the deadliest trout baits on the market. Atlas Glitter Mallows can be used alone, but really shine when teamed with worms or salmon eggs. Zeke’ s Sierra Gold Floating Trout Dough is a special blend of scents and amino acids that trigger the feeding response in trout. The dough comes in a long list of colors and has an elastic texture that molds around your hook and hangs on!

reservoir. For example, Lake Shasta is only down about 40 feet at this point and this is a lake that is generally down 100 plus feet when October rolls around.

With all the water we are blessed with, I can’ t help but think that trout fishing is going to be fantastic later this fall and well into the winter. Trollers have enjoyed brilliant trout action at a number of destinations this summer while working deep water with downriggers. New Melones kicked out epic numbers of 3 and 4 pound rainbows and the situation was much the same at Shasta and several other deep water reservoirs.

Once the surface of our lakes chill, those big rainbows that had been holding 100 feet deep will come right up to the surface and cruise the shoreline looking for targets of opportunity. Sure, casting lures will catch these fish if they are fired up and in a mood to chase. The rest of the time, when the trout are in a neutral mood, soaking bait is a much better option for consistent success.

When bank fishing for trout, my typical outing goes like this. Early in the morning, I focus on big aggressive fish. On one rod, I soak an inflated worm or better yet, an inflated worm teamed with a pair of Atlas Mike’ s Cheese flavored marshmallows. With my second rod, I experiment with Kastmasters, Cripplures, Yo-Zuri L Minnows and perhaps a spinner from Rooster Tail or Panther Martin.

At the point when the lure bite dies or when I determine there isn’ t a lure bite, I’ ll rig that second rod up for bait fishing and use it for soaking floating dough bait. I’ ve caught a lot of winter trout on lures, but I’ ve caught a lot more winter trout on

presents

worms and dough than on anything else. And of course, this brings us back to the title of this week’ s How To column … Soak

Bait For Winter‘ Bows.

For many of the trouters out there in Fish Sniffer Country this piece will be a review of tactics that you are already using, but you might pick up a tip or two that you can use to tweak your approach. If you’ re new to bank fishing for trout follow along closely. The stuff I’ m about to lay out isn’ t glamorous or sexy, but following my recommendations will put you on the fast track to a pan fried trout dinner!

The Rod, Reel And Line

I prefer a 7 to 7’ 6” rod because it offers me to ability to make long casts when the trout are holding offshore. While a light rod is required, avoid models with a slow action. A fast action rod that features a flexible tip section followed up with relatively stiff middle and butt sections provides maximum casting distance, solid hook sets and the power required to wear down large trout.

With a pair of rods in hand, it’ s time to think about spinning reels. Luckily for us trouters, the market is flooded with high quality reasonably priced spinning reels that feature smooth reliable drags. Go with a brand you trust and stay in the middle of the road in terms of price.

In terms of reel size, I like something that can hold about 200 yards of 6 pound mono.

I’ ve gone back and forth on line selection. These days I do most of my bank fishing with 8 pound test moss green Trilene Big Game line. I think green line offers the best invisibility in terms of standard mono and I think 8 pound test walks the divide between stealth and power.

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