Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3911 May 2020 | Page 6

6 How To... May 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 11 Key Tips For Stream Fishing Success < Pansize trout like this feisty American River rainbow are the most common target of stream fishing enthusiasts in northern California and why not. They are fun to catch and if you keep a few they fry up to a mouthwatering golden brown. presents Your Guide To Stream Trout Action! I ^ by Cal Kellogg < When planted trout are in the mix, few baits are as effective as salmon eggs. Pin one or two on a hook, add a split shot and get ready yell, “Fish On”! > For anglers that enjoy the challenge of using artificials, spinners and flies are cornerstone offerings. The KFBK OUTDOOR SHOW 3819 1 Rated Outdoor Radio Show for 26 years! with your host Bob Simms Fishing • Hunting • Destinations Conservation • History Dedicated to the Northern California Outdoorsman BOB SIMMS trout I’d ever seen, measuring 16 inches in length and weighing in at about two pounds. I remember being super excited and hoping that someday I could land a big ‘ol trout like mom’s! Targeting stream trout is the quintessential trout fishing experience. Sure, in general, trout found in reservoirs and lakes average larger than stream trout, but fishing for stream trout reduces the sport of trout fishing to its basic elements. There are no sonar units, downriggers high powered boats or extensive tackle assortments to depend on. Stream fishing pits the angler against the trout. It’s largely this chess game like quality that makes stream fishing so exciting and satisfying. As with other forms of trout fishing, having the proper tackle is a crucial component of stream fishing success, second only in importance to employing proven tried and true tactics. The spinning rod and reel combination used for stream fishing is a lot like the outfit used for bank fishing at lakes, except the stream combo is lighter and nimbler. Some experts recommend using a short spinning rod in the 5 to 6 foot range, reasoning that a short compact rod is easier to carry when maneuvering through streamside willows and brush. I won’t argue that a short rod is easy to carry, but what is the purpose of a fishing rod? To catch fish, right? Well do you want a rod that is easy to carry or do you want the most effective rod for catching fish? If you’re like me you want the most effective tool for hooking trout and that’s why I use a, 6’6” to 7 foot rod for stream fishing most of the time. A rod rated for 4 to 10 pound line is perfect. It needs a moderately fast action with plenty of flexibility in the upper third and solid backbone in the lower two thirds. Match the rod with a spinning reel spooled with 6 or 8 pound fluorocarbon line, further enhancing the rig’s sensi- tivity and responsiveness. For all practical purposes fluorocarbon is invisible to fish, which is important in the gin clear waters of a trout stream. In addition it stretches very little and sinks readily. It is fluorocar- Fish Sniffer how – to Author Cal Kellogg tempted this husky American River brown with a night crawler bounced along the bottom of a deep pool. Day in day out, worms are one of the best offerings you can use for stream trout. # was about 10 years old. In my hand I held a willow switch with a half dozen rainbows and browns hanging from its length. Mom and I were sneaking along the banks of the Feather River a few miles from Quincy, California. We were taking turns fishing from the holes in the stream- side brush that anglers had hollowed out over the years. The trout were feeding on cased caddis worms and they had a real fondness for the black and yellow Panther Martin spinner knotted to the end of our spinning rod’s line. Both my mom and dad are crackerjack stream trout anglers and I learned a great deal about effective stream trout tactics from them back in those days. On the afternoon my mom and I spent fishing the Feather more than 30 years ago I learned the importance of keeping my feet quiet and staying low. All the trout I caught were on the small side, but mom’s were quite a bit bigger. “You stay back and watch how I sneak up on this spot,” she told me as we approached a pocket in the brush. Stopping on the trail I watched as mom crouched down and softly walk up just close enough to the opening to get the rod tip out over the water. Making a short underhand pitch she shot the spinner out into the current and closed the reel’s bail. Almost instantly the line came tight and the lure swung across the current and came to a stop next to the undercut bank below mom’s position. Just as she started to turn the reel handle an unseen trout that had been lurking among the roots under the bank rocketed forward, grabbed the spinner and then darted back into its lair. The light fiberglass rod bent nearly double. Looking back on the scene today, I’m surprised the line didn’t hang up on a root. Keeping her cool, mom put the rod tip in the water and slowly used the reel to coax the trout in her direction. After what seemed like an eternity the thick bodied trout boiled to the surface at mom’s feet and she deftly slid it onto the bank where I pounced on it. Up until that time the holdover rainbow was the largest Listen Every Saturday Morning from 5 am to 8am CALIFORNIA’S LONGEST RUNNING OUTDOOR TALK SHOW! AMERICA’S FAVORITE LANDING NET BRAND! 55555 "BEST NET I HAVE OWNED" "EXCELLENT HIGH QUALITY NET" "GREAT CUSTOMER SERVICE" SAVVY ANGLERS VISIT WWW.EGOFISHING.COM CONTINUED ON PG 7