Tricks for Summer Trout

Summer time is not usually considered prime time for trout, but if you start treating the fish that made it through the spring like natives you can score. Most states stock huge volumes of trout in rivers, streams and even ponds prior to the opening day and many “inexperienced” hatchery fish are caught quickly in the first few weeks of the season, but certainly not all of them. Some states do follow up stockings later in the spring and a greater percentage of those fish escape capture to become and join the others to become what are generally called holdovers.

The survivors learn quickly to become more wary and adept at finding hiding spots and ambush points for feeding. They aren’t getting a daily dose of pellets in the hatchery anymore and have to learn to fend for themselves. They start to take on characteristics of native trout and that makes them a more challenging to catch, so you have be a more savvy angler to score, but there will be a lot less angling pressure and more opportunities to have some great spots all to yourself.

Learn to read the water and pick out ambush spots where feeding trout will position themselves to grab prey drifting by. Places like undercut banks, runs with rocks to hide behind, heads of pools, seams and riffles that channel prey items into a specific spot. Acclimated trout will feed on insects, but also have a preference for small fish and that means using tiny spinners and swimming plugs and they can produce some surprisingly large trout. One of my favorites for holdovers is the Rapala F5, a 2-inch wonder that imitates a variety of tiny fish found in streams and rivers. Cast it across current so it swings downstream through a potential feeding station and it is one tough offering for a hungry trout to let go by. Ditto some of my favorite small Roostertail and Vibrax spinners.

To make any of these offerings more inviting line choice is an important component of your strategy and the main considerations are thinness and invisibility. I have walked stretches of streams in the summer behind another angler fishing with just slightly heavier tackle and caught fish that never took a second look at his offerings because I was using Hi-Seas White Lightning monofilament in 4 pound test. This clear, co-polymer line is so thin, only .006 inches diameter, it lets the lures work in a totally natural way and is near impossible to see. Take my word on that because I have a hard time seeing it to tie knots in it! Using the right line and lures will have you catching more and bigger trout during the summer months than you ever thought possible.

Caputi’s Blog Tip:

Summer trout tend to feed most heavily under low light conditions so plan on being on the stream at first light and being done by 8 or 9 AM or go fishing after dinner and watch the stream light up with feeding activity at dusk.