Trout jigs... hopefull

[AtticaFish]

State of OH does some stocking of rainbows in small reservoirs and lakes in both spring and fall. They just stocked a lake today about 30 mins away and hoping to get to it over the weekend. Here is 1/2 my plan of attack... i have some flies i am going to try also on the long rod. But MY fishing may end up taking the back seat. Told both my kids (7 & 5) about it and they said they would like to tag along so that may mean not a whole lot of fishing for me, oh well - there's always next weekend.

Last year was the 1st i had tried for the stocker trout and i caught them mostly on very small minnows. Also had got the wink and nod from a fisherman i met there last year that they really prefer gold shiny things. I saw him C&R several on his gold spinner/fly combo....

#8 eye bent Aberdeen, Shaped split shot. Pheasent tail.

#8 eye bent Aberdeen, shaped splitshot. Rabbit tail

1/64 with some dubbing i have been making myself from nylon craft yarn and flash. Rabbit tail.

1/32 darter head. I love the clouser flies. This is my adaptation to a jig... i always try to leave them sparse like the originator of the pattern liked them, but think i always end up putting in too much buck tail. :dodgy:

 

[Pup]

AF, Very nice assortment and wonderfully tied. I especially like the red-n-gold jig in the fourth photo down. Looks like trout candy to me.

 

[crappiecripplerjigs]

Really enjoy seeing your work. The styles and patterns you come up with are amazing! Many jigs and flies can be identified as to their makers and yours are one of them. Great looking stuff there!

 

[Fish Candy Bait Company]

Our stocked trout hit cheese and corn fairly well as that is what the leeches seem to use. I plan on making some yarn type to resemble the pellet food they raise them on. Some seem to convert right away into local food/insects and others seem slow to change. I figure give them a pellet and insect/fry in a popper/dropper set up. So with that said I would rig up some bobber rigs with corn or even crappie type nibbles for the kids. They chum with corn throughout out the day as they rebait. Cast out and use two fingers to scoop corn out and sling it to where the bobber is.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Are you throwing those lil' jigs on spinning or fly gear? I've outfished my PowerBaiting grandsons with 1/32 #8 fluff jigs similar to yours on spinning gear, but will upsize to 1/24 #8 next season. Also been soundly spanked by a guy throwing spinners when the jig bite was off. Indeed, with kids that young you can forget about fishing yourself, unless Mama is along.

If gold flash is the ticket, perhaps some gold Flashabou or better yet a gold prop in your ties might help?

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Here,anything small,black,brown and olive with a tiny bit of flash will work on trout. Those brown hardbody jigs would be what I would try first.

 

[LedHed]

Awesome tyes - all those - would work here

 

[AtticaFish]

I got out with only my daughter (7) along with me on friday night after dinner. We had about a total of an hour & a half of daylight left by the time we got there. She hooked 2 and landed one of them. Funniest dang thing i ever saw, she was waaaaaay too hyped to catch one of these things!!! EVERYONE on the lake had to know she hooked into a...... RAINBOW TROUT, RAINBOW TROUT, I HAVE A RAINBOW TROUT, I HAVE A RAINBOW TROUT, I HAVE A RAINBOW TROUT!!!!!! I think the first one she hooked was so scared by her screaming that he found a way off the hook! We had a very good time & she asked me earlier today when we could go back.

With only one kiddo in tow, i did actually get to fish some but went troutless. :-/ I used my flyrod 1st off with one of the chart flies i posted in the fly board. I caught 3 decent sized gills for this lake, around 7.5" & 8". Then i switched to spinning gear using a float and the orange jig (the one Pup mentioned as being red & gold - not sure why it came out red on your comp. screen? looks pretty orange on my monitor) and caught 1 more gill. By then it was too dark and we packed it up.

Pup - Thanks! I really liked the orange one also.... was the 1st jig i tied on!

CrappieCrippler - Thanks, but you make me nervous that i tie things looking too much the same! haha - just kidding. But i may have to see if i can come up with something crazy next time to throw you (and the fish) off from my normal habbits.

FCBC - I have heard the corn theory and had a can along with us. was the first thing i tried on my daughters rod, but no hits. Both her fish came on waxworms.

HawnJigs - Yes, using spinning gear for the weighted styles on the aberdeen hooks. I am horrible at casting anything weighted on my flyrod... results in bruises and welts! :beat-up: But..... I am still just dumb enough to do it sometimes!! haha. For these tiny eye forward jigs, i do fish them mostly under small weighted floats so i can add distance to casting unless i am trying to fish deep water. I just keep the rig moving the whole time to keep it horizontal.

JJ1 - Next time i will throw that one 1st!!

LH - Thanks.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Was your Lil' Gal dunking bottom or floating the waxies? I observed in CO stocker Powerbait dunkers way outfishing the floaters.

Bet those chunky gills were more fun than dinky stockers!

 

[slipbobber]

hey attica check my site. I have the top trout jigs that here in WV they tear up...Blacks and browns and olives are 3 best producers...tip them with a meal worm about 20 inches below a float...its a blast...

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

I'd check local regulations in regards to chumming.I believe it is illegal in some states. Tiny jigs tipped with wax worms fished below a float will catch anything that swims in your trout lake. They stock trout in some local lakes aroond here from Nov.-Feb. They are fun to catch but I'd rather eat crappie and gills. When the water is still warm in the early season I retrieve the jig fairly fast with a lot of sharp twitches and snaps of the rod.Trout love to chase baits even when they aren't hungry.

 

[AtticaFish]

Got the pics off my camera...

She was using a bobber... holding the pole and keeping the line tight would just be too much attention needed! After a stretch of about 5 mins of her not getting any bites, i was the one watching her bobber while she was 'feeding' the small bluegill and bass near shore some of the corn. Haha! If she is willing to go along, i let her do whatever she wants.

Tried fishing them shallow and she got no bites. I ended up setting her float to about 4' deep and casting it out for her and that was when we started getting bites. Next time i go back and try again, i am going to have to give a try with the natural colors you guys are mentioning. Everything i used was BRIGHT that day!

 

[JUNGLEJIM1]

Looks like that bow made her day,I love seeing pics like that.

 

[Hawnjigs]

Hey, thats chunky for a stocker - judging by the smile, you might have a fishing buddy.

Nice color co-ordinated jacket & gear.