Titicus Reservoir 7/3/10

[HungryFisherman]

My friend and I spent about 6 hours out on Titicus today (10 AM - 4 PM), fishing for trout in the deeper areas close to the dam.  Embarrassingly, we ended up with only a few small panfish (one perch and 2 sunnies) -- and that was only when we made a half-hearted attempt for bass in some of the weedier areas by the shore (north and south banks at the dam end).  I also think the reservoir looks about two feet shallower than it was last summer.

Has anyone had success lately for trout on Titicus?  We were fishing with an assortment of rigs; I was primarily using a fairly heavily weighted Carolina with assorted rapalas, spoons, and plastic worms (plastic worms were gang-hooked).  Admittedly, we were fishing at a pretty lousy time of day, but I still thought we might come up with something.  It occurred to me that we should have brought the boat right up to the dam, where I suspect the water is deepest and the trout can find some shelter -- but I was a bit worried about it being dangerous.  Does anybody know if it's safe to boat around there?  I'm not thrilled at the thought of finding myself being sucked towards the outlet (which drops very, very far down).

I would also love to know if rapalas on a carolina is in someway fundamentally flawed.  My hope was to get the sinker near the bottom and have the rapala float above it (it had about 3 ft of fluorocarbon leader on it). 

Anyways, it was a beautiful day out on the water.  No fish, but time well spent.

Best,

HF

[KenH]

I've never fished Titicus but it sounds like the dam is like Cross River, where you can't
see it from water surface level but if you go over it it's a big fall down. If that's the case,
aren't there signs up or buoys to let boaters know not to go past a certain point?

>I would also love to know if rapalas on a carolina is in someway fundamentally flawed.  My hope was to >get the sinker near the bottom and have the rapala float above it (it had about 3 ft of fluorocarbon >leader on it). 

The rapala isn't flawed. But a carolina rig is designed to put your a lure just off the bottom. And the trout aren't on the bottom now, they are in the close vicinity of the thermocline which could be anywhere from 20 to 35ft depending on the reservior.

Ken H

[canoejon]

You won't ever go over any of the spillways even if you tried. It's illegal to get that close and all the reservoirs have signs saying so. Years ago, as a prank, someone took me right up to the spillway on the Croton Dam (it's a pretty big drop) and of course I was upset. It turns out we bottom out instead of going over; my friend new what was going to happen but is scared the shit out of me.

I'm curious how deep you were able to get the rapala. That's the difficulty this time of year. And you were out at a lousy time of day, but I once had a nephew and niece out on Titicus (little kids) who were so bored we were all having a water fight, splashing and jumping and making a racket in the boat and amidst all that, a huge brown took one of our sawbellies around 2:00 PM on a brutally hot day in July. Go figure. Every once in a while a fish is simply suicidal.

Titicus used to be an incredible trout lake years ago before they lowered the water to work on the dam. It is still recovering, but it seems to be more erratic than it was. I've taken some big trout there in the last couple of years but other places seem to produce more consistently. It also is a great bass lake.

If you look at the contour maps, you'll see the deepest spot (about 65 feet) is not right at the dam but back a few hundred yards on the north side.

[HungryFisherman]

Ken and Jon,

Thanks for your replies.  The dam didn't appear to be marked, which I find pretty odd.  We were relatively close, so if there had been buoys or signs we should have seen them.  I'm going to call the DEP and find out what the story is.  Until then, I'm not eager to get any closer than we were.

Ken, thanks for the tip about the thermocline!  I don't know why I was under the impression that it would be near the bottom this time of year.  Later in the summer will it sink deeper?  Next weekend I'll try trolling at 20 - 35 ft.

Jon, I think my rigs must have been at the bottom, since I let them sink until they stopped taking line.  I did notice that several times the line never stopped, like it was being carried away by a strong undercurrent.  I didn't reel in until all my line had been spent (probably more than 200 ft). 

In a way, it's good to hear that the trout fishing lately has been so lousy on Titicus.  This is my second summer with a boat on Titicus (because of school, I've only been able to get here in the summer), and we had rotten luck last year too.  Because I'm interested in trout, I wonder if it wouldn't be better to relocate my boat?  I know Kensico is great, but I imagine there still aren't any boat spots.  Would Croton be a better bet?

Thanks again,

HF

[Fisherman14]

I had a boat on Titicus but moved it to Croton Falls this year, the fishing was very good for trout between 2006-2008, but for whatever reason it slowed down a lot last year, not quite sure why? I've been told that reservoirs will be "hot" for a few years then slow down a bit and the cycle will repeat its self. There's still trout to be had however.
You dont need to get that close to the dam, you simply need to be fishing in the "strike zone" which would be as stated above in the thermocline this time of year. The thermocline will always be between 15-40 ft. THe water stays well over 40 ft way back from the dam. The majority of the brown trout you catch in the summer will be in that zone unless you fish very early, or sometimes later in the day will they will occasionally be found closer to the surface.
Fishing on the bottom for Brown Trout is not a good idea. Unlike Lakers, the Browns will suspend in the water column, and not be found on the bottom. Sawbellies are the best bait for trout. You just need to add a few split shots to get them down into the thermocline.
Hope that helps.

[HungryFisherman]

Thanks Fisherman,

How is the trout fishing at Croton Falls?  I'm seriously considering moving my boat elsewhere; last summer I logged in quite a few hours out there and never got a bite. I'm definitely a newbie -- so I don't want to just blame the lake –– but there's a point where I wonder whether Titicus isn't just too difficult for my current skill level.  Does anyone have suggestions for good trout lakes that have boat spots?

Best,

HF

[biggamee]

Ok just to let you know in May the derby winning brown trout came from Titicus..11lb 1oz. and there was a 12lb and a 7lb 13 ounce brown trout pulled out this week from Titicus..So like the stories of miners mining for gold ...you have to keep going and going ...you might get skunked 5 times in a row but that 6th time you might catch the big one..and fishing from 10am to 4pm you must be looking for a serious sun tan not a brown trout..use common sense dude..

[HungryFisherman]

LOL, I'd be lying if I said this sunburn hasn't changed my attitude towards Titicus a bit!  I guess it was the only thing I managed to catch out there yesterday (the panfish were my buddy's doing).  Also, thanks for the word about those Browns, biggamee -- that does offer some hope.  In my defense, I wasn't basing my comments about Titicus just on that one outing.  Last summer, I easily spent 10 full days of fishing on the water, many of which beginning before sunrise, and I've never gotten a bite. 

That said, I spent most of today reading about trout/fishing, trying to see how I can improve -- next weekend I'll be out there again. 

Best,

HF

[biggamee]

Hey HF so you can see....


http://www.stewartmarine.com/images/2010_SNTFD_-May.pdf

[HungryFisherman]

Thanks, biggamee.  This is a beautiful thing to see!

[new2titicus]

Hungry,

As I may no longer be new to Titicus, I am certainly still new 2 catching fish in Titicus.  This reservoir is baffeling to me.  I put my first boat on this reservoir last year, spent over twenty trips and tried just about everything, and no game fish to show for it.  I too have considered moving my boat but, being there are big brown trout and large bass to be had here, I have decided to tough it out at least one more season.  There are numerous posts from here and other sites with information why the fishing may have slowed down, I will add the link to this thread later.

In the meantime bring sunblock and sawbellies, maybe ill see you out there!

-New

[canoejon]

Hungry,

I didn't mean to say that Titicus is lousy. I caught nice fish there last year. I just didn't have time to get there this year except for some crappie fishing. I've been working on the road since May 11. It definitely is not as good as it was before they worked on the dam but it has come back a lot since they lowered the water for that work years ago. (Can anyone tell me when that was?) And all the reservoirs definitely go through cycles where they might be hot for a year or two and then they cool off. I think Cross River has been better for trout the last couple of years but that could change next year. It certainly gave up a lot of trout though the ice last winter.

[canoejon]

And if all you're getting is a sun burn, you're fishing at the wrong time. Get out earlier and quit earlier. I know I spoke of taking a nice brown at 2PM, but that was the exception, not the rule. And it was back when Titicus was so hot it was like going to the fish market. If I wasn't baby sitting my niece and nephew that day, I wouldn't have been out there trying to catch browns at 2 in the afternoon.

[HungryFisherman]

Thanks everybody for your replies.  New, I would love to see those links when you get a chance. 

One thing I'm not clear on is how to calculate the depth I'm fishing at.  I know that if I put my reel in reverse, it'll let out about a foot and half of line with each crank, so it's not hard to calculate depth straight down.  I'm wondering though -- once you start rowing, how can you can control the depth?  I know the amount of weight you put on is also going to figure in, so I imagine the "formula" is going to be a function of weight, line-length, and boat speed.  Since I can only row so fast, weight and line length are probably the main factors. 

Any thoughts?

Best,

HF

[Uncle Crappie]

I have this Line counter it is ok .A counter reel is better though .Someone else should be able to help you with the the line drag issue behind the boat .Im all ears !

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_36569____SearchResults