FishwithJD

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Bows not Biting!

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JD,

On Nov 6, two of us went to Bowman Lake for the first time with our boat…what a long bumpy road! We used the rock boat ramp down to the lake and launched. The weather was good, plenty of sunshine, but the wind came up and made it hard to troll. Plenty of fish on the fishfinder but could not get a bite. We tried everything in the tackle box, top water, downrigger, trolling close to the shore. Then my friend started throwing rip bait toward the bank and caught a brown. After that he caught three more browns to three pounds! He had just the right rig for the browns. It was late , so we left the lake. Why do you think the rainbows were not biting? Do you have any experience with Bowman Lake?

Thanks, Ken P.

Ken, it’s a good question…in the fall, all trout put on the feed bag as they prep for the lean winter months ahead, so it’s strange that the ‘bows weren’t biting. Perhaps Bowman simply has a better population of browns than it did in the old days. And if the brownies are eating rip baits, I’d be okay with that!

Small Creek Troutin’

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Small Creek brown trout fishing

Sometimes, you’ve just gotta leave the boat, the expensive graphite rods and 27 tackle boxes at home and head for a tiny creek for some trout fishing. There’s just something so pure and basic about it. I don’t care if most of the trout are 9 inches long — it’s still a blast and, if I happen to catch a 12 incher, I’m as fired up about it as I would be a 12-pound steelhead.

Of course, summer’s the time to head out and try a little small stream fishing or “crik hoppin,” as we used to call it when we were kids. To get you all primed up for a season of light tackle fun, here are some basic tips.

Let’s start with the four main lure styles you’ll need to be successful.

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Fall Trout Tips

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Fall Trout Rig.JPG

Now that the heat of the summer (finally) seems to be behind us, it’s time to start thinking seriously about fall trout fishing.

This is the time of year that the fish begin to feed actively in preparation for the lean winter months to come and that means you can have some outstanding action over the next several weeks.

To help you cash in on the autumn trout bonanza, here are some tips and techniques to think about. Keep in mind, however, that there are no absolutes in the world of fishing and trout operate on their own schedule with their own agenda. Think of the following more as general rules of thumb with which you can get pointed in the right direction.
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