New to trout fishing

[smungung]

why 4 pound line? are trout line shy?

[smungung]

power bait floats so you want to use split shots a foot to a foot and a half from your hook

 

 

I should have been more specific, sorry....Great advice from some of the guys above....... If fishing in a stream use a small splitshot approximately 12-18" from the hook (#10 or #12) depending on the current in the current.........No  bobbers.

 

okay sounds good guys thanks

[rgw]

trout can and will become line shy, most places you can get away with 6lb test line but the smaller clear water creeks 4lb is a must. I only use 4lb

[Kype]

4lb floro for me. trout are smart. and stocked trout smarten up after a few weeks. the same ol same ol will not always work after they have been in the river for a few weeks. dont always depend on the go to baits. switch it up. thats what fishing is about. dont be afraid to drift flies with your spinning outfit. i do it all the time. just add the appropriate weight to get the flies down. remember low and slow. fish your flies and bait LOW and SLOW. 

[Bucksnbows]

why 4 pound line? are trout line shy?

 

Yes, because they live in fast, clear water which means they have developed excellent eyesight to adapt to feeding on drifting insects and swimming food like chubs, dace, and other small fish.  I often fish my lower fly on 6X tippet which is typically around 3.2 lb. test, give or take a couple tenths depending on the tippet manufacturer (tippet is made by thickness, so the breaking test can vary by material manufacturer).  

 

And like Kype said, fish the seams.  Trout wait in slower water right next to a seam and dart in and out to feed, saving energy in the slower water.  Drift through and on both sides of an seams in the current.  

[smungung]

should i get the round power bait or the dough stuff?

[smungung]

im also going to be fishing on opening day so idk if the trout are going to care too much about line, would they? because the lightest i have is 6 pound.

[jerseyhunter]

6 lb is usually fine for opening day because the water is usually murky due to rains and run off. Though it may be different this year.

[smungung]

Wait all trout are stocked on the same day right?

[Bucksnbows]

Wait all trout are stocked on the same day right?

 

Yes during the season.  The "regular season" just ended midnight this past Sunday.  Right now, you can only trout fish special regulations waters (no bait) and Catch & Release only (see the Digest for full list of open waters).  The state began stocking rivers and streams on Monday and that continues through the end of next week.  By opening day at 8am on Saturday, April 9th, there will be lots of trout in the water.  After that, it depends on the stream/river as to when it gets stocked during the spring season.  The bigger rivers are closed until 5pm on the day they are stocked (again, exceptions for special regs waters, but always read the regulations in the Freshwater Fishing Digest).  The Musky is closed on Fridays, for example, until 5pm for the first 6 or so weeks in the season.

[Bill from NJ]

smungung,

 

Through the years, I have seen trout caught on everything from a simple soup can with kite string wrapped around it, to full size surf rods with spark plugs as weights, being used. 

 

Living in Southern NJ I am quite adapt to "Combat Fishing" at its finest.

 

The State truck would stock, i.e. meaning., dump, chuck, approximately 300 fish for literally a thousand plus people whom are stacked and packed shoulder to shoulder, in a little pond. 

 

Mind you this little pond (about 6 feet deep Max.) was also jamb packed with people wading, inner tube floats, canoes, kayaks, small rowboats, up to and including a twin 225 HP ocean going craft!

 

The baits included everything from marsh mellows, corn, peas, pepperoni, bread, meal worms, minnows, power bait of every color and smell, to the plain lonely garden worm.

 

My sincere advice to you would be; 

Starting opening day at 8am on Saturday, April 9th. 

Sit in a comfortable lawn chair, enjoy a cigar and a liquid something. 

Use an ultra-lite spinning rod with 4 lb test both with and without a bobber.

Hook a worm on your setup and have some fun.

 

The show in and of itself is well worth the price of admission.

 

Watching a$$holes casting with their long surf rods, chucking spark plugs, tangling lines and hitting boats and other floating objects, in a 100 yard circumference is a real treat to witness.

 

Most of my finest fishing memories are from opening day… combat fishing.

 

I am starting to get a tear forming in my eye thinking of those beautiful fond memories…..

 

[smungung]

wait what days is fishing for trout stopped after the opening day; all days after April 9th where fishing is closed.

[Bucksnbows]

wait what days is fishing for trout stopped after the opening day; all days after April 9th where fishing is closed.

 

Not sure I fully understand your question, but let's take the Musconetcong (Musky) River.  It will be closed on Fridays for 6 straight weeks starting the Friday after the opener until 5pm those days while the state stocks that river.  Once the final stocking is over, the river is open 7 days/week until the next March when it is closed for a couple of weeks like it is right now.

 

I'm planning to finish work early today and head out to trout fish.  I have to stand shoulder to shoulder right now in places like the Ken Lockwood Gorge No-Kill or at the Point Mountain Trout Conservation Area, so I will likely bite the bullet and drive up to the Flat Brook No-Kill where I have over 4 miles of fishable water to spread out and catch some fish, possibly some wild brookies even.  I haven't done the combat fishing thing since I was a teen back in the late 70s/early 80s.  I'd rather drive hours to find some solitude, but to each his or her own!  

[rgw]

where I fish it isnt combat fishing, I ususlly dont see many people or fish. what I do see is empty worm and powerbait containers from someone who cleaned out the spot the night before

[Kype]

where I fish it isnt combat fishing, I ususlly dont see many people or fish. what I do see is empty worm and powerbait containers from someone who cleaned out the spot the night before

it has always amazed me that people can carry in all that stuff, but can never carry it out. that is just being plain lazy. but thats the people we live with these days, lazy people.