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Fishing for stocked trout?

40K views 12 replies 12 participants last post by  PaxEconomica 
#1 ·
There's a lot of info out on how to catch trout, but not to much information on how to catch newly stocked trout. I know stocked trout are easier to catch then wild trout, but does anyone have any good tips for fishing a recently stocked small creek/river on opening day weekend? I go once a year on opening day and need a few tips. I am mainly a saltwater fisherman.
 
#3 ·
Berkley makes trout hatchery food bait. If you go to a feed supply store and get some sinking fish pellets you just throw a hand full of the pellets to get the fish in a feeding frenzy then cast your line with the hatchery bait on it and fish on. Make sure they are sinking pellets though or they won't work. The berkley powerbaits work well. Spinner baits work well also.
 
#4 ·
Best I have found:
2-6 lb line on reel (I have been using 2 and 4lb flouro line preferred), ultralight reel, light or ultralight 4-5 ft spinning rod
Hooks in size 10,12,14 baitholder bronze
POWER BAIT in corn color, pink or green about the size and shape of a large piece of corn. Cover entire hook with bait. Backup bait meal worms, float worms or wax worms
Hook tied directly to running line using a polomar knot (http://www.netknots.com/html/palomar_knot.html)
small bb split shot on line from 6" to 12" from hook. 1, 2 or 3 depending on current and depth in creek
Worked for me for over 150 trout last year April/May (80% on PB and the rest on baits or lures like mepps anglia, trout magnets) :)

Good luck and let us know how you make out.
 
#5 ·
Fishing for stocked trout is like fishing in a barrel. Those fish are dumb as can be. Once caught the same brown trout four times in one day. I grew up across the street from the Pompton River. Fished the Pompton, Ramapo, Wanaque, and Pequannock rivers as a kid. Used to fish from sunrise to sunset. Once I was old enough to drive, I fished most every stream in North Jersey. Had many 50+ fish days and a few 100 fish days. I am not bragging, but like I said, catching newly stocked fish is easy, if you know how to fish. Try a rooster tail with the blade barely spinning - deadly.
 
#6 ·
I agree

I have to agree with most everything that the previous posters have stated. In hatcheries trout are fed with pellets, using any bait that resembles those pellets will work, powerbait, corn, mini marshmallows, and Velveeta cheese to name a few. Small grubs such as meal worms and bee moths as well as redworms and pieces of nightcrawlers are great. Live minnows will work. Most any small spinner or spoon as well as flies. Light line such as 2 - 4 lb test, ultralight rod and reel, small hook and if needed a small splitshot.
 
#7 ·
Trout advice

I am sure all the talk about how easy it is to catch stocked trout becomes frustating when you are the guy not catching fish, so I tried to think about what I now actually do without thinking. Most of the time, the bait doesn't really matter as much as how you fish it.

If you have the room, slow roll spinners or crankbaits. When bait fishing, the hardest part for a lot of guys is knowing when they are getting hit or not knowing where their bait is. I have fished beside guys and known they were getting hit and they didn't know. I have also watch guys' baits riding up off the bottom and they don't know it.

You need to be bouncing on the bottom and snagging once in a while or you're not going to catch fish. Even spinners need to ride near the bottom early in the season. I lose a lot of spinners and plugs every year. If you are not getting hits, this is usually the reason. Don't be afraid to lose hooks. If you are snagging too much, lighten it up a hair at a time.

Most trout fishermen also cast to the wrong spots. Learning to read the water tips from books are great once the fish have spread out, but on Opening Day, they are right where they were dumped. You also need to cast WAY up stream sometimes. Start at like 2 o'clock, but don't be afraid to go even further upstream with a cast. Keep your rod high until the line comes past you. I even fish spinner and plugs downstream. Trout face the current, even the dumb ones.

Good luck this spring!
 
#12 ·
All good info. Opening day trout fishing means crowds so its hard to move around. The trout stocked in NJ on opening day are brook trout ,they are very agressive and will hit just about anything that is in the water,garden worms , meal worms one of my favs, small lures like the rooster tails pheobes, mepps, I even use a wooly bugger and streamer flies on a leader with a small split shot to cast it with my spinng gear.Its fun when you have the rod in your hand and working it when you feel the strike.You should try to get out after opening day the crowds are lighter and you can fish when the wind is blowing too hard for the salt.
 
#13 ·
There is a small creek about a mile away from my house, I typically ride my bike to it early morning when I can. Anyways it is stocked with Brown Trout every Spring and Fall, and Rainbow trout every Fall. Any Brook Trout in there are natural. While I've never caught any Brookies there, I've caught plenty of Browns, And a Big Rainbow. I tend to use size 10 or 12 hooks, with no shaft, and a Superworm you can get from your local Pet Store. I put a medium size split shot maybe a foot off the hook, and toss the bait near trees or fallen logs. 6 pound test tends to work, but 4 pound is better, and 2 pound is too weak in my opinion. I Would post pictures of some of the fish I've caught there, but I can't figure out how. Anyways, Good Luck Fishing!
 
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