Titicus Reservoir 7/3/10

[KenH]

HF

To baitfish at a target depth all you need is a line counter reel. Or, you can get by with a clip-on line counter (caution; they work better with BC reels than spinning), or use the old "pull" method of pulling
out line with your hand (about 18 inches) and counting them out.
To troll at a target depth your choices are downriggers, leadcore line, dive planes and sinkers.
There are also wire lines but that's pretty specialized. Downriggers are the most expensive, equipment
heavy, but accurate. Leadcore is the most commonly used system in the reservoirs because it's easy to manage rowing by yourself. Dive planes are also easy but 20ft is about the maximum depth unless you go to heavier gear. Sinkers are the most inexpensive method but probably most guesswork on the exact depth. If trolling with sinkers, the keel type is best.
For leadcore a large saltwater class reel is needed to hold the thick line. But a line counter is not needed
because the line is marked by different colors. For all other trolling applications, a line counter reel would
be ideal to know how many feet of line you have out.

Ken H

 

[Fisherman14]

Back reeling will work, and is the most simple, thats what I do. Like you said, 1 complete back real is between 1.5-2 ft, depending on the size of the reel. You need to add enough weight to keep the bait at that depth. This time of year I fish one line at 20 ft-(10 back reels), and one at 30 ft-(15 back reels). Once you catch a fish put both lines down that depth.

I use 2 large split shots about 18-24 inches above the hook and thats what works for me. The key is that you must keep the lines vertical. To do this you must move very slowly, remember this isn't trolling. If you see the lines starting to slant upwards your moving to fast. Very slowly paddle around. I use a strike guard, but a rubber band will work well to. Keep the bail open. When the line gets pulled off, wait 15 seconds or so, longer if it was a bigger sawbelly.If  you have a fish finder paddle around and find a big ball of bait before you lower the lines down, the trout are never far from a school of sawbellies. Wind will play a huge role. If the wind is blowing you around and you cant maintain good boat control, this method doesn't work because the lines will not be vertical, and wont be in the strike zone. Windier days I will usually troll. As stated before, fishing in the middle of the day especially in the summer will greatly reduce your chances.

As for Croton Falls, the fishing has been good most days. I caught my biggest brown this year at Croton Falls at 7.2 lbs  back in mid may. I wouldn't bother going through the troubles to move your boat however, there are plenty of trout in Titicus which is more heavily stocked with brown trout than both Cross River and Croton Falls despite the fact that it is smaller.
Good Luck

[HungryFisherman]

Thanks again everybody for your replies

For now, I think I'll stick with back-reeling.  Hopefully I can get to the right depths, but maybe I'll have to eventually invest in some hardware for leadcore.  Fisherman, you mentioned that the Browns will generally stay suspended in the water column -- do you mean just that they'll stay in the thermocline, or that they actually prefer the open water?  Looking at a contour map of Titicus, I see a couple areas with a fairly steep drop to about 30 ft near the shore.  Those areas seem promising, since they'll offer fish some shelter, but it would require the trout to be near the bottom if they're going to stay in the thermocline.  Or do Browns not mind hanging out in more exposed places?

Also, I know that trout generally dislike direct sun.  In the early morning (or in general) will you guys stick to areas where the sun hasn't hit the surface –– or where drop-offs might keep the fish in shade?  I've noticed with bass that on hot days I've often had great luck on the north side of structures (I'm thinking of a boat house in particular).  I'm sure this is because it's the best shaded and coolest area.  Does the same philosophy apply to trout?

Best,

HF

[Fisherman14]

For the most part, Brown Trout are pelagic (open water predators). In the summer they go where they must to find cooler water and the baitfish. This is usually out in open parts of the reservoir. Unlike bass they relate very little to structure in the reservoirs. Basically they are open water fish. The exception might be in the cooler months where they are caught more easily from shore. This time of year I would focus more out in the open water areas off shore.

[AVK]

For the most part, Brown Trout are pelagic (open water predators). In the summer they go where they must to find cooler water and the baitfish. This is usually out in open parts of the reservoir. Unlike bass they relate very little to structure in the reservoirs. Basically they are open water fish. The exception might be in the cooler months where they are caught more easily from shore. This time of year I would focus more out in the open water areas off shore.

I think, this description applies mostly to still water situations. In streams and rivers trout would rather stick to certain areas, so called holding spots, where they can find refuge, save energy and gain easy access to food. Of course, they travel a lot but, again, in search of better holding positions. Am I right?

[KenH]

HF

Browns in streams and Browns in large lakes and impoundments have completely different lifestyles.
In streams the food comes to the trout so securing a location best suited for it is ideal. In lakes the trout has to cover an immense area following and chasing schools of baitfish.Fisherman14 is bang on. In the winter months you can find Browns close to shore, even under submerged trees along the shoreline just like LMB. But of course the bass aren't around. In the warm months during the day they're pelagic, hanging mostly around the thermocline in open waters. In the early morning and dusk/evening though they'll leave the thermocline to chase the baitfish, even to the surface. They don't relate to structure like bass do, but I've found places where the thermocline intersects with a structure like an underwater mountain to be good spots. Seems like they become "cruising spots" as baitfish tend to gather there. So do groups of SMB for that matter. As for sun, always fish the side where the sun isn't hitting first. Exact opposite of winter fishing. By the time that side is getting direct sunlight you may want to start fishing deeper.

Ken H
 

[HungryFisherman]

Fisherman and Ken, thanks again for the information.  If I understand correctly, will you start fishing in some of the shallower areas and then go deeper later in the morning?  I guess it'll depend on where the baitfish are, which is pretty hard to know without a fishfinder...  I better get my buddy to bring his Humminbird next time.

I'll also look at my map for areas where structures intersect the thermocline.  I think some of the steeper ledges I've found would qualify. 


 

[HungryFisherman]

Ken, I've noticed in some of your other posts that you'll troll a lot with rapalas.  I know you're using lead core for that, but is it possible to keep a regular/jointed rapala down in the thermocline on just mono line and weights?

HF

[KenH]

"I know you're using lead core for that, but is it possible to keep a regular/jointed rapala down in the thermocline on just mono line and weights?"

Yes it is. The only major drawback is that there's a wider "guessing" area as to the depth your rapala is
being presented. I've trolled in the spring using keel sinkers and estimated a 1/2 oz sinker as putting me down 20ft. That's with 10lb test mono or fluro with 100ft out. I would hazard a guess that a 1oz sinker would put it down 40ft. The other thing to note is that leadcore line is speed sensitive, meaning if you stop rowing for 10 seconds your depth could drop by 10ft in a slow fall. In the case of a sinker, where the lead isn't spread out in the line, if you stop rowing it's going to sink, well, like a sinker. So it's even more speed sensitive. That said I'm certain there are guys who have been deep trolling using sinkers that have developed their own system over the years and it works for them.

Ken H
 

[HungryFisherman]

Hi guys,

Finally got back out on the water this morning -- with a good deal more success!  We had a little trouble keeping the depth constant, since my rowing isn't that great yet.  The result was to be way too deep at first, since my friend landed two bullheads (1.5 lbs each) at around 6:45 in 50 ft of water.  Adjusting the weight, I managed to catch a small Brown, but it wasn't big enough to keep.  Finally, I landed what was (at least to me) a monster LMB, 18 inches and weighing in at 4.5 lbs.  I'm not sure if it was down in the thermocline, or whether it struck when I was drawing in the line, but man what a fight!  We released the bass, but enjoyed the catfish for lunch. 

All fish were caught on rapalas (perch colored for the catfish, silver for the trout and bass), on approximately 3 ft of 6 lb fluorocarbon leader, and using a combination of either minnow or herring bioedge scent. 

Thanks everybody for all the advice!

HF

[KenH]

HF

Congrats you got some results!
Yea you must have been pretty close to the bottom to
get those catfish. You'd want to be able to repeat what
you were doing when you connected with the trout and bass.

Ken H

[Fisherman14]

Nice Job, Titicus is the only Res. where I have caught bass out suspended in the thermocline while fishing for trout, not quite sure why.
Keep at it and you'll master your own technique that will consistently catch fish.

[phishahn]

Bass will follow the bait,that's why you'll catch them while trout fishing, usually picks up now thru August, smallies especially,Phish.

[canoejon]

Knowing exactly what depth one is at is very tricky. Over time one can develop an intuitive sense of it, but it will never be spot on. Some things are good to remember. the browns will generally feed up, striking at their prey from below, so err on being too high as opposed to too low, unless you're targeting not so active lakers that are right on the bottom. And vary your speed and be real careful how you slow down because that's when they often hit; if you slow down too much too fast, you'll have too much slack and miss the hit all together.

[phishahn]

Measure your reel to the first guide, that's how much line will be pulled off per stroke. Forget about back reeling and attachable line counters for spinning gear,not accurate. Buy bait runners and the pulls will not include the slack as if in open bail. This all includes using keel weights to eliminate line twist and not including heavy winds which will make the lines run up which you will need to back row to keep the lines down. Generally, to fish 25 -30 feet of water with minimal wind,I would use 3/8 oz.keel to a 5/8 keel.Experiment and learn from trial and error. Remember, this time of year, generally the thermocline is at 30-32 feet. Always have a flat line and 2 lines down,Phish.