The Thrill Continues – Summer Edition
June 2020
Stocked Trout, do they survive?
The common perspective is that in most lakes, stocked Trout do not survive the warm summer months in the lake due to lack of oxygen and water temperatures. I can assure you that for a few bodies of water even those where the perspective is strongly against fish holding over for a year, they often do survive yearly after being stocked. I have caught Brown, Rainbow and Brook Trout all before the yearly stocking has occurred in some lakes. These fish are larger than the newly stocked ones and given when they were caught before the lake was stocked, these fish are definitely “hold overs” from previous years.
Hold over Trout (who are from previous year stocking), are much more difficult to catch. They are mature and “smarter” than stocked Trout, as they have survived the summer and winter seasons. It is best to consider using native baits, flies and presenting them in the most natural way. Look to use ultra-light line (4lb or less) and small hooks (size 6 or less) and focus on “peak” times of morning or dusk as those are natural feeding periods for most Trout.
Lake Fishing – Summer Season (Northeast)
The fishing seasons on the lakes in the Northeast transition in May/June from the cool water Trout fishing to the warmer quarries of Bass and other species. This is not to say that Trout cannot still be caught, but that they are just not going to be as cooperative as they were in the early spring. Trout tend to move to deeper water, low light hours (dusk/dawn) the day when the fish should be more active.
The Bass fishing is typically particularly good from late May through the summer. The bass have completed their spring spawn and are actively feeding on almost anything that they can fit in their mouths. Their primary forage for bass in lakes are minnows, sunfish and crawfish. I have often caught bass with smaller tails of unlucky sunfish/bluegills sticking out of their gullet. Popular baits for bass include plastic worms, plastic and hard body minnow type baits, spinnerbaits, live bait (worms and shiners) etc. Bass are typically not very picky. You can step up your fishing line to 8 to 10-pound class, as bass are larger and tend to frequent weedy, snag-filled areas where a heavier line can save the day. Bass tend to orient themselves towards structure areas with easy access to deeper water. Structure is any discontinuity in the surrounding underwater area. It could be as simple as the edge of a weed line, an underwater or shoreline tree, group of rocks, or any similar feature. Bass also grow much larger than the Trout. I have caught quite a few largemouth bass in the 5+ pound class with my largest weighting 6.25 pounds. That fish was released unharmed. I would suggest that while it is exciting to keep a large fish “for the wall”, that the release of a trophy can also be rewarding. Taxidermy shops can create realistic replica fish mounts, if you can supply a color picture and measure the length and girth of the fish accurately. I keep a camera/phone, tape measure and scale in my tackle box for that explicit purpose.
I have often re-caught some of the same fish year after year in certain lakes. I have seen a largemouth bass called OneEye for obvious reasons (not of my doing) many times. I have caught and released OneEye at least 10 times since and am excited each time, I see him swim away. Catch and release fishing does work effectively if you minimize stress on the fish.
Knots and Tips
In the last issue, The Thrill Begins, we discussed the Palomar knot. This time another popular knot, the Improved Clinch Knot (ICK) will be highlighted. The Clinch Knot is used when the Palomar is too hard to tie (due to small hook eyes), as the Palomar requires you to double the line through the hook eyelet, and the ICK can be tied with a single length of line. You can look at the Stren web site for details – (Improved Clinch Knot).
It is important not to store your fishing reels/line in direct sunlight. The sunlight degrades monofilament fishing line over time, so where possible minimize the exposure. This is not an issue with the sun during fishing, but it can be a problem over time if your equipment is stored where the sun is constantly shining on the line.
Here is a list of auxiliary equipment your summer fishing expeditions:
- Sunscreen – Yes.
- Polarized Sunglasses – To minimize glare and see your fish underwater. It is amazing how far you can see underwater with a good pair of polarized sunglasses.
- Camera/phone – To capture fish pictures for the skilled angler and the beautiful scenery
- Needle nose pliers/Hemostat – To unhook your catch more easily
- Life Jacket – Stay Safe
You can contact me by email – paul@thrillfishing.
Tight lines …