Chumming For Trout With Dog Food

[Kellyb]

Hey I read this story on a fishing blog about a guy that chums with dog food to catch hatchery rainbow trout in lakes

http://www.fishingwithrandle.com/2009/07/f...s-with-dog.html

He claims that it has been a very successful method for him. Can this really work? Has anyone here ever tried this before?

[Sebastian]

Didn't want to get ripped off on the pellets so I tried it out. ...........Tried it and killed it in Parry Sound. Same round brown circle as the "trout pellets" just a lot more cheaper for a larger quantity. Most are too stiff and solid so they break when you put it on the hook. Try ones with a hole in middle so it just slides onto your hook.

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i've heard of guys doing similar tactics through the ice when all the fish got out of the farm pens on manitoulin island.

[Jonny]

I hear chumming with dog food only works for catching cat-fish.

[JohnF]

A quarry in Ohio where we dive has stocked a few kinds of fish including some big trout. They love dry dogfood. The shop sells little packets to divers to feed the fish. They go nuts on it.

 

JF

[craigdritchie]

Hmmm ... another old secret bites the dust.

 

Mark Kulik and I were doing this 12, maybe 15 years ago. Hatchery trout are fed by machines that disperse small pellets. Don't laugh - one of the most common commercial fish foods is actually called Trout Chow, and yes, it's sold by Purina (in 100 pound bags, under their agricultural products division). Back then, we had a mutual friend who worked at a trout hatchery, and who told us all about the feeding procedure. Of course, we had to give it a try.

 

Mark had so much fun with this that at one point he actually experimented with different varieties of pet foods to see if one worked better than the others. It was pretty funny - we would go fishing someplace and every pocket in Mark's fishing vest would be stuffed with different kinds of cat food. I'm really surprised he didn't get mauled by some animal. In the end, we agreed that Tender Vittles cat food worked the best. I think the food is all basically the same, but the Tender Vittles pellets were exactly the right size, and being moist to begin with, they sank at exactly the right speed as soon as they hit the water. Dried food floats like a cork, and the fish ignore it till it soaks up enough water to sink.

 

I can remember a couple of trips with Mark when we would pitch in handfuls of Tender Vittles and watch the water surface literally boil with fish. Cast anything brown into that frenzy and you would have a an immediate hit. We gave it up after a few months because it had become ridiculous. We might as well have just used a net.

 

So, there you have it.

 

Pet food works best with fish that have only recently left the hatchery. The longer they're in the wild, the less effective it is.

[pike slayer]

i've heard of that and also colours of pellets being used on section fish being planted in lakes. i was told from a few ppl that the splake planted in our local lakes get red pellets and bright red lures, spoons, etc work best and are most appealing to the eye for the fish even after they have "oute grown" the pellets or have been out of the hatchery for a long period of time. I have not tried it myself and it may just be a tall tale. Also i heard of guys ice fishing and putting chicken bones in pop cans and dropping them down the hole if you plan on returning in the next few days and its suppose to keep the fish around haha cant say i ever did that myself, that littering i dont want a thousand cans at the bottom of the lake and i didnt feel the need that i had to put something down there cause i already know hot spots.

[Chuck Best]

Some 15-20 years ago,we used to go to Parry Island and use 'Wiskas',for the 'escapees'....We used to pound them up then make a dough-ball,and catch the rainbows....Haven't been there in years.....TC and tight lines....Chuck.....

[Jonny]

We got into some recently released hatchery brookies once and had a field day with them, simply with a worm on a hook and then also with dry flies. We took a few home to eat and man, they were awful. White meat and very poor taste. Don't bother fishing for them if you want some table fare.

 

I think they would need some considerable time in the lake eating natural forage to turn the meat the customary pink or orange and improve the taste.

Edited July 24, 2009 by Jocko

[wolfville]

Hooking a pellet or dry cat food directly on the hook isn't easy, but you can learn from how UK guys fish for carp in commercial lake by using a hair rig with a bait band, then loose feed some free offering. I'm sure this will work for trout that are fed with pellets.

[misfish]

Some 15-20 years ago,we used to go to Parry Island and use 'Wiskas',for the 'escapees'....We used to pound them up then make a dough-ball,and catch the rainbows....Haven't been there in years.....TC and tight lines....Chuck.....

 

Thats probly the last time I was there too Chuck.We used that power pro paste.Worked awesome.Never tried the dog or cat food tho for chumming.

 

 

Hi ya Randy.

Edited July 24, 2009 by misfish

[Musky or Specks]

At my buddies stocked pond we tie a Trout chow fly. Never fails.

[bluesky1713]

Any idea where one could buy a bait band? Would Bass Pro carry them? I know it's a UK think but I would love to buy some.

 

http://www.bristolangling.com/8750/Maver-S...Bait-Bands.html

[wolfville]

Any idea where one could buy a bait band? Would Bass Pro carry them? I know it's a UK think but I would love to buy some.

 

http://www.bristolangling.com/8750/Maver-S...Bait-Bands.html

 

 

Try the Canadian online shop New World Carp. Stephen is nice to deal with.

 

Misfish, yeah, long time no see.

 

Randy