Trolling For Trout

Now that May is here, it’s a great time to hit the trout waters of the state. Stocking of trout is still taking place and anglers will encounter some excellent size trout this season. Many anglers enjoy fishing bait from shore or still-fishing bait and lures from boat or canoe. My preference has been and always will be, trolling for trout. Trolling has a great advantage over other methods because it allows you to cover a far greater area of water. It gives the angler a better chance of encountering action than one who still-fishes.

My first experience with trolling, as a young kid, turned me off this method for many years. I think I was seven or eight when my uncle took me out salmon fishing on Lake Winnipesaukee. It was early May. We trolled the lake for about nine hours without even a bite. I swore that I would never go trolling again. And I didn’t until I was 20 years old, when I was vacationing at 2nd Roach Pond, in Maine. A Native American was staying at the lodge I was at and he took me fishing in his canoe.

“We will be trolling,” he informed me and I shuddered. I told him about my experience with trolling when I was a kid and that I didn’t want to do it again. He informed me that my first experience was indeed unfortunate, but he would show me the ways and means and our outing would not be a disaster. He hit the nail right on the head. In four hours time, we caught 35 nice size brook trout, releasing all but four.

“First, you need to understand the water temperatures that each species of trout prefer and are most active in. Second, You need to realize what the different species of fish prefer to feed on and when. Third, you have to be willing to change your trolling tactics when needed as well as being willing to switch to different baits, lures or flies. Fourth, you must remember that trolling gives you the advantage of covering a far greater area of water than any other fishing method and that is very important,” my new friend told me. Needless to say, he changed my mind about the advantages of trolling and I’ve been doing it ever since and not just for trout or salmon, but for other species as well.

Brook trout spawn in the fall. They are voracious carnivores, feeding on all sorts of aquatic insects and other invertebrates. They eat many terrestrial insects that not only fall into the water, but hatch in the water. They also occasionally eat fish and other vertebrates, such as salamanders, tadpoles, snakes and other small animals.

Rainbow trout thrive best in cold waters, but can withstand temperatures up to 77 degrees provided the water is well aerated. This trout species was introduced to New Hampshire waters in1878 from California. The rainbow trout is one of the most popular sport fish among anglers in the state. When hooked, it often jumps repeatedly out of the water before coming to net. Any trout fishing method can be used to catch rainbows. Spinners, flies, small spoons and bait, such as worms and night crawlers, are effective. Rainbows have been known to grow as large as five pounds.

The brown trout is a native of Western Europe and the British Isles. It was first introduced to New Hampshire waters in 1885. Like the brook trout, it adapts more easily to warm waters than the rainbow trout. Water temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees are best. Brown trout are hard to catch and therefore are difficult to “fish out”. They are known to withstand heavy fishing pressure . After reaching a length of 12 inches, they feed almost solely on baitfish during twilight and nighttime hours. Live bait (small shiners, smelt and worms), spinners and flies are equally effective to use for brown trout. Two to four pound fish are not uncommon to catch in New Hampshire trout waters.

Back to trolling. My own preference for catching trout is with the use of flies - streamers, wet flies and nymphs. But, I go prepared and also have dry flies with me with a second rod that is rigged with floating fly-line, as compared to a full sink or a sink-tip line. In that way, should the water be calm and show signs of trout rising, I can opt to stop trolling, switch over and then enjoy casting to the trout. As much fun as casting is, remember one thing. For every trout that rises, there are ten below that don’t.

I recall one day when my friend, Andy Bisson, and I were fishing Whittemore Lake, in Bennington, N.H. The water was calm and we could see trout rising in a number of locations. We decided to try casting to them. In an hour and a half, we caught and released four fish, three brook trout and one rainbow. But although they kept rising, we weren’t getting any more takers. Finally, we decided to get trolling. We ended up catching and releasing 25 more trout in a two and a half hour time frame.

Another important fact in trolling is knowing the depth the trout are swimming. Thanks to modern technology today, unlike yesteryears, we have the electronic “Depth Finder”, most often called a fish-finder. This gives you the advantage of finding where the fish are and the depth at which they are active. Once they are located, it is up to the angler to adjust how much line to let out so that the lure, bait or fly will be at or near that level.
Trolling never will guarantee a successful day on the water with trout, but it certainly does give you the upper advantage and is one of the oldest forms of fishing methods. Good luck and tight lines.

Bob Harris can be reached via e-mail at: outwriter2@aol.com

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DISCLAIMER:  The opinions expressed by Mr. Harris are not necessarily those of the Goffstown Residents Association or its members

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