Trout, a fun and fiesty fish that's delectable to eat.
It's soft, buttery and great prepared in a variety of ways.
For all my life, I've fished for trout.
All over Colorado I've searched and fished for rainbow, brown, lake and--the Colorado state fish--cutthroat trout, and caught a great many over the years.
There is no real "right" or "wrong" way to fish for trout, and these are simply some tips and tricks that should help you land a big, beautiful and tasty fish the next time you go out.
1. Styles of fishing
There are an almost unlimited number of ways you can fish for trout; from bobber fishing to fishing the bottom, to lures and fly fishing.
Of course, it all depends on where you are and what the fish are biting on that particular day.
I've never been fly fishing--though I plan on learning and buying the gear soon--and many anglers say this is by far the best way to fish for trout. Dropping the fly on the top of the water and quickly pulling it away time and time again will result in multiple strikes, and I've seen it work on both lakes and rivers alike.
But this blog pertains to reel fishing, at least for the time being.
When at the Poudre River or other rivers, I like to use lures that are light, ones that will stay off the bottom and not get hung up.
Spinners work wonders, especially vibric rooster tails, as they create a clicking sound in the water that is irresistible to all types of fish, trout included.
A variety of colors is key, from yellow to blue and silver and even rainbow colored--it's good to have a variety to test and see if the fish are biting on one color rather than the other at that particular time and place.
When using spinners on the river, cast a little down stream and make sure to reel very slowly as the current will help the lure spin and maximize the time in the water.
When fishing from the shore of a lake, the options open up.
You can bobber fish near the surface, using a weight above the bobber and a hook with either live or powerbait 12-18" below the bobber.
Nightcrawlers work well in some places, and balls o' fire seem to work nearly everywhere.
If you want, you can fish the bottom, using a few small barrel weights 12-18" above the hook with 2-4 balls o' fire. Simply cast out, let the weights take the bait to the bottom and reel your line tight. Trout like to fish the bottom of shallow places and hits can be near immediate.
When you feel those first few little nibbles, wait a second, then pull on the rod quickly and forcefully to set the hook. Then reel in and enjoy a great dinner!
My friend Koby and I caught our limit of eight trout in 45 minutes using this method on Pinewood Reservoir, just west of Loveland.
If lures are more your speed, try 1/8 and 1/4 oz. Kastmasters, especially blue and silver, brown/rainbow trout and gold colored ones. Reel them in at about a medium speed and feel the play on your rod as you reel, which will let you know you've got the right speed that makes the lure look like a baby fish swimming along.
2. Trout have a strong sense of smell
Trout can smell very well, even in the water, which is why the balls o' fire work so well. That salmon smell is irresistible to those little fish and they go for it every time.
But when hooking your bait, make sure to not touch the salmon eggs--or any other powerbait or live bait your're using--because your human smell can scare away the fish. So can the smell of cigarettes if you're a smoker, so make sure not to touch the bait while smoking or soon after.
A trick I've learned is to pour three or four salmon eggs into the top of the container and grab the eye of the hook and turn it sideways to then hook the bait without using your fingers to grab the eggs. Use the rim of the lid to help push them on the hook and boom, they're on!
3. Trout can hear you as well
Trout can also hear quite well, so you want to make sure to keep quiet.
This is especially important when on a boat or canoe, as dragging things on the bottom of the boat will scare away potentially caught fish.
It's also important while on the shore, so keep communication with your fishing partner to a minimum as to not scare away the fish.
4. Wet your hands before grabbing the fish
After landing your fish, make sure to get your hands wet in the river or lake you're fishing from before picking up the fish.
Dry hands will hurt the fish's scales and we don't want to do that now.
5. Nurse your trout back to health before releasing
Don't keep your trout out of the water for too long, or it will die.
If you're going to release the trout, put it in the water, oriented top up, and let it get re-acquainted with the water for 30 seconds to 1 minute before letting it go.
Let it swim away from your hands otherwise it may just go belly-up and drift away from the shore, something that should never happen.
If you accidentally kill a trout, or any fish, take it home to eat--if eatable--do not just leave it to float along dead in the river or lake.
Hopefully these tips and tricks will help you land lots of trout!
Have a great time in Fort Collins, and all of Colorado fishing for brown, rainbow and the state fish, cutthroat trout, my friends!
Rich Kurtzman is a freelance journalist. Follow him on facebook and/or twitter.
