Need of help for fishing trout for christmas!

[garret1990]

Hey, I just need a little help understanding some ways to catch rainbow trout this christmas. I have no idea how to catch rainbows this time of year. What depth would they be at? Tell me everything you guys know about trout this time of year please. And also I will be visiting Black Lake in Thurston county. Oh, and lastly, what crankbaits would be good for trout?

[Dave]

Hey Garret,

Welcome to Washingtonlakes.com. I am sure you will get a variety of responses to your question, and it is a good question. This time of year in my experience, the water is obviously colder so the trout are likely going to be lethargic and not interested in feeding very often if at all. This means you will have to work a little harder for them. If the lake you choose allows chumming, then definitely do that. There are a variety of chum recipes you can find on line and make yourself, or you can buy chum already made in some sporting goods stores.

In my experience this time of year the trout will be lying on the bottom just hanging out. I would fish bait on the bottom. If you use power bait or like bait that is going to float, I would recommend using a short leader (maybe 18 inches) so your presentation is right in their face. This time of year a large night crawler and a marshmallow to keep it up off the bottom can work well. If you are in a boat you can use a worm by itself and when your sinker hits the bottom, just bring it up the length of your leader placing your bait just off the bottom, and wait for the bite. If you are chumming put your bait when you have put the chum mixture. You can also use a worm injector and inject an air bubble into the worm which allows it to be suspended without using a marshmallow. If the water you are fishing is shallow, you can also suspend a worm under a bobber as long as your bait is just up off the bottom.

You can try some spinner type baits such as a rooster tail spinner or maybe a Kastmaster but I believe your best bet is using bait. I hope this info helps. When the opener comes next year (after most lakes are planted) you will catch these trout in the top 8 feet or so of water and the bite will be much more active because the water will be warmer and the newly planted fish will be hungry and aggressive. It’s a great time for sure. Good luck and let us know how you do.

Dave

[garret1990]

Thanks Dave! Also, should I use a half nightcrawler or a whole one?

[clam man]

It doesn't matter how much nightcrawler you use, but typically if you can cover the hook you are good. Fish can see really well, and might not bite an exposed hook.

Keep in mind though, if you are fishing with bait, and you do not plan on keeping the fish, you can really damage them, and even kill quite a few when trying to remove the hook. Some fisherfolk will even just cut out hooks that are too deep to recover. So make sure you have a nice pair of pliers or forceps to remove these hooks, because they will be deeper than when you fish with spinners or crankbaits.

Good luck, I have had some nice fish in the cold water. It takes more time, but I seem to catch larger fish than normal!

[Anglinarcher]

LOL, yes indeed, you will find as many answers to trout in the winter as there are lakes or streams to fish.

Bottom huggers, well, yes, in some lakes. There are usually a few trout that hang on the bottom year round.

Still, look at the reports from Roosevelt and you will see that most of the "monsters" are caught trolling on the top, during the winter. Rufus Woods in another example of fishing near the top, or mid depths, during the winter. This is so true for many lakes I know of, and Brown Trout are also quite vulnerable near the top during the winter.

I have caught hundreds, no, thousands, of trout in the mid depths while ice fishing. Catch the "ice fishing"; that is surely in the winter.

So, I have indicated that you can catch them on the bottom, mid depths, or top. I'll bet that helps a lot (ROFL).

Here is my best advice. If the water is below 39 degrees, fish on the bottom. Water is "densest" or heaviest at 39 degrees. If the water is colder than that, the 39 degree water settles to the bottom, so the warmest water in the lake is on the bottom, not the top.

If the water is super clear, and above 45 degrees, the fish are probably in the mid depths, but they will venture near the top of the lake to feed if you have bait fish to feed on. At this time of year, trolling often is the best way to hook up, but the fish may be found at any depth, at any time. Fish like a "hunter", look for fish, find fish that might move to you, don't sit in one spot all day.

If the water is not super clear, and it is above 45 degrees, fish near the top. If you have bait fish, or other season long food, this is a super time to catch that big one. Remember that "on the top" should mean the top 10 feet of water, and should be near structure, not just the open lake. Rock Lake in Whitman County can be hot this time of year for those that don't mind casting to the shore line.

If the water is between 39 degrees and 45 degrees, then all bets are off. This can be some of the hottest fishing, or the worst. This is when many lakes 'turn over'. When that happens, patterns are often lost, fish are unpredictable, and nothing is for sure. I would still go out, but I would expect unpredictable results.

If you think the fish should be deep, and you are not hooking up, then change up and go shallow. If you think shallow, but no hookups, go deep. Winter is a time of change, and sometimes success comes with the next change.

Most of all, have fun.

[fishaholictaz]

Thanks Dave! Also, should I use a half nightcrawler or a whole one?

I would use a full one and add some air to help float it the rest seems good but fish perfer bigger bait combos during the winter so they get the most food with least waste of energy.