fall fishing for trout?

[adolson]

I keep a fishing journal of pretty much all of my catches and the last fish of 2011 came on October 10th. I tried many times afterwards, and came up empty-netted, not to mention usually soaked and cold and tired (especially on aurora's closing day).

 

Late last year I switched my fishing focus to trout, and haven't looked back.

 

I don't have access to steelhead or salmon anywhere near me, but I am fortunate enough to live within day-trip distance of many, many lakes, including a bunch of year-round trout lakes stocked with brook trout or lake trout, as well as various splake lakes (and a handful of rainbow trout lakes, but they're mostly harder to access without an ATV). So I don't have to quit fishing in the fall, but I kinda feel like I'm wasting my time.

 

The lakes I fish are usually fairly small, so I can cover them usually fairly well. The fish have to still be in the lakes, obviously, but they don't seem to want to come out and play with me. I don't think it has anything to do with the moon or the wind or weather, since I've tried on full moon, new moon, and everything in between, wind from N, S, E and W, rain, snow, sun, clouds.. The good days seem to be very random, even during the summer. Some days I can catch them on hook and worm under a bobber, other days they want spinners or spoons. Sometimes they want them in close to shore, other times in the middle of the lake. Sometimes near the surface, other days you need to go deep. Retrieve fast, or sometimes slow, and sometimes at a medium pace...

 

But none of this seems to matter once the fall season kicks in. I can try everything I can think of, but I just wind up with shiny lures and frozen hands (gloves don't help much at all on the rainy days, I've learned). It's like they're hibernating. Or just pointing and laughing at me.

 

So, I must ask: do you have any tips for me? Or should I just give in and take up hunting? I see a lot of grouse and rabbits around here... But I'd kinda rather have a trout on my plate.

[camillj]

 

The good days seem to be very random, even during the summer. Some days I can catch them on hook and worm under a bobber, other days they want spinners or spoons. Sometimes they want them in close to shore, other times in the middle of the lake. Sometimes near the surface, other days you need to go deep. Retrieve fast, or sometimes slow, and sometimes at a medium pace...

 

 

I thikn you have it covered ... although when the fishing gets really tough .... try speeding up a wee bit and turn hard (had some great days when the rest of the gang got skunked ... givin' her a little more 'essence' on the zig-zag

[Musky or Specks]

Dana the fish are on the spawn. Do you eat while your ..you know? The sandwich comes after.

[Twocoda]

Dana the fish are on the spawn. Do you eat while your ..you know? The sandwich comes after.

 

i might add if your "..." and a group of friends walk right into your "working area" you might take an aggressive action towards them to get back to your "..."

[singingdog]

I love fishing small lakes for splake and open-season specks this time of year. Everybody seems to have moose/deer on their minds, and the lakes are pretty much deserted. In my experience, small-lake trout (as opposed to small lake-trout ) turn on and off for mysterious reasons. I have had 20 fish days on a certain lake, only to return and get skunked on all the same presentations. If I have learned one thing it's this: mix it up (sounds like you might be doing that).

 

On a small lake, that is known to hold fish, you know you are putting your lure in front of them. If it's not getting hit, change something. A buddy of mine and I were fishing a small, walk-in lake last year. We watched a guy across the way throw the same spoon, off the same point, at the same depth for at least 2 hours with no fish. In the meantime, we had at least 6 decent fish each. I start by changing the retrieve (speed, depth), then change the profile (size, shape), then start worrying about colour last. It's amazing how often my luck changes by switching from a little Cleo style spoon (short and fairly round) to a Krocodile style spoon (long and thing). My trout box also contains several lures that most folks would not consider throwing for trout: small jigs, countdown raps, and small blade baits (that used to be a secret, you owe me a beer).

 

Given all that, sometimes the lake has just "turned off". At least that's what I tell myself when I can't find a pattern.

[Christopheraaron]

and small blade baits (that used to be a secret, you owe me a beer).

 

 

 

Izumi already blew it!

[BillM]

Dana, your issue is most likely fishing where there are no fish... It's like that in the fall, especially for specs in lakes... you find one, you'll find them all.. Figure out where they are spawning (or at least staging) and you'll be into the motherload.

[adolson]

Do all trout spawn in the fall? I thought rainbows maybe spawned in spring for some reason, and I have no clue about splake, they're a mystery. Regardless, I put in many days and never seem to catch anything after a certain point, no matter what I do or what I target (I did try for bass and pike last fall).

 

I don't want to give up so early, because the wait for ice is a long one. So if the fish are catchable, then I will get out there again a few more times.

 

I have one blade bait, or snag machine, as I call it. Never tried it for specks. Maybe that's the secret weapon I need...

[BillM]

Slow it down in a fall, one of my favs is a perch coloured shad rap.

[camillj]

sometimes they are off all day except for the 'witching hour' ... then every fish in the lake eats for about 25 minutes ... then back to lolly-gagging around laughing at your presentations

[bigcreekdad]

Find some streams feeding into, or emptying from, those lakes. Try a fly rod with a bright streamer....a bit of orange will work. However....watch for spawning reads.....don't wade into them, and don't cast to them. I usually release most of my trout, but always when they are spawning.

 

I'm heading up to Michigan's Au Sable River today for a long weekend. I'll be flinging streamers quite a bit, and usually do pretty well.