Ct Trout Stocking 2022 (2024)

FAQs

Will stocked trout hit spinners? ›

Use gold or copper blade spinners to tempt stocked browns and golden trout. Try silver blades for rainbows, cutthroats and brookies. When trout are rising on shallow flats, run a size 2 Panther Martin Regular Fly spinner can be a super selection when retrieved just below the surface.

Most anglers capable of casting a wet fly across a stream and letting the current drag it along the surface are able to find success. This easy-to-achieve approach is one of the best for stocked fish due to how the fly rides high in the water column.

Try the tips below to target trout on your next fishing trip. Wax worms, red worms, night crawlers, and minnows are a sure bet to get a fish's attention. Try hooking a cut piece of night crawler onto an unweighted size 6 hook and floating it into a deep, cool hole in a stream.

Thirty-eight percent of the trout released into pools moved downstream while 40 percent moved upstream. In contrast, rainbow trout stocked into riffle habitats exhibited a marked tendency to move downstream.

Stocked trout don't want to seek out their food, and they likely don't know how to do it anyway. They want convenience. So, anglers should use a bait that's suspended just off the bottom. You can do that with a bobber, but any amount of wind can make that type of fishing difficult.

In clear water when fishing on the surface the reds and the oranges often are best. Chartreuse and white or red and white produce the most contrast and are the best combinations under any light. Black, due to its contrast is the most visible color under most conditions and best at night.

I've often found that trout feed best during times of low light which translates into planning to fish in either the very early morning or right before sunset. I choose the morning session over the afternoon because as the afternoon progresses, you are likely to see more anglers on the water.

Trout are attracted to flash and vibration so Blue Fox Spinners and Mepps Aglias are effective lures throughout the year. I favor throwing these lures in current so the force of the water flow makes the lure's blade spin harder to create more flash and vibration.

Trout have great eyesight, and braided line can spook them. So, many anglers still prefer monofilament or fluorocarbon. Both are also much more abrasion resistant. Monofilament is the cheapest option by far, but fluorocarbon is the ultimate in invisibility.

A small hook rigged with live bait, realistic soft plastics, or artificial fish putty-like will catch you trout all day long, especially if you're targeting stocked on unpressured fish. To do this, rig a bobber mear the depth you think fish are feeding, and present your bait that wat.

What is the best rig for stocked rainbow trout? ›

Split Shot Trout Rig

The most common and effective of all the trout fishing rigs is so simple it's tough to even call it a rig. It's just a hook tied to the end of your main line, and one or more split shot crimped anywhere from 6 inches to a foot above that hook.

So then, stocked trout are genetically different than their wild counterparts. And they don't become “wild” just by placing them in a wild environment. In fact, they usually die.

Trout do bite the same day they're stocked. Many hatcheries stop feeding trout a few days before they stock them.

Spinners and trout go together like peanut butter and jelly. A good rule of thumb is to match the size of the spinner to the size of the trout. #00, #0 & #1 Mepps Aglias are perfect for small stream brook trout, rainbow trout or brown trout. Larger trout may prefer a #2 or #3 Aglia.

When still water ponds and lakes are initially stocked, fish tend to hold in the release area but then spread out over time. In community lakes it pays to be mobile and stay on the move until you locate fish. At other times the trout will be on the move themselves and you may catch more fish by staying put.