trout

Recent Record Catches in the News

Joe_Cermele — Fri, 10 Jul 2009 11:55:48 -0400

Though the possible record largemouth bass caught in Japan may be talk of the fishing world right now, there have been some other impressive catches in the last few weeks that will turn some heads, too. Gleaned from news sources around the globe, here are the photos of the these record contenders.

The Beginner's Guide to Better Fishing Photography

Joe_Cermele — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 13:31:45 -0400

This summer, don't settle for lame grip-and-grin photos when you go fishing. Here are 20 tips from pro photographer Tim Romano that will get you some show-stopper shots on the water. It's not as hard as you think.

Alaska Flyfishing Road Rules

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 03 Jun 2009 18:59:16 -0400

In August of 2008, Joe Cermele and Mark Wizeman fished across Alaska in a motor home with a budget of $200 a day. The duo hit a different world-class trout and salmon river between Denali and Ninilchik every day and spent less than $2,800 on the entire trip. These are photo outtakes from the adventure and some inside dirt on their travels.

Day-by-day details, plus a map, budget breakdown, and gear checklist you can follow to make the same trip, can be found in the July 2009 issue of Field & Stream in the story "The Alaska Experiment."

Ozark Mountain Fishing Adventure

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 20 May 2009 15:54:07 -0400

The 25 Greatest Flies of All Time

Joe_Cermele — Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:56:03 -0400

No one fly catches all the fish all the time. That’s a fact of flyfishing, and it’s why there are thousands of different patterns. Fish, ever whimsical, sometimes refuse to eat on Friday the fly they ate on Tuesday. Fishermen, ever inventive, constantly create new patterns to compensate. Despite this, some standard patterns have evolved. Tested by time, water, and fish, these are the flies that work more often than not. Most are trout flies because the majority of flyfishermen target trout. That’s why my top 20 list leans in that direction. Compiling a top-flies list invites argument, I know. Meet me at fieldandstream.com to join the fray. -- John Merwin

Reader Shots: Your Best Trout Photos

Online Editors — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 09:42:26 -0400

Trip Report: Big Brown Trout On The White River

Joe_Cermele — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:13:25 -0400

If you're looking to catch a giant brown trout in the White River, leave the little spinners at home. In this tailwater, it's all about big lures and serious boat handling. Jeff Samsel reports on learning the ropes of this late winter fishery.

And if you want to test your might against some White River browns, whether with big plugs, bait or flies, visit gastons.com or call (870) 431-5202

Are Hookless Trout Flies All The Rage?

Joe_Cermele — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 14:46:30 -0400

A radically new idea in fishing is rare. So when Pat Moffitt, 56, a retired environmental services engineer, told me he was catching trout with hookless flies, I laughed. After a while, he convinced me that not only was he serious, but he could prove it worked. He and I went steelhead fishing last fall in some Lake Erie tributaries, where I tried his method and was amazed.

The system works. And it’s an excellent conservation tool that will allow anglers to release more fish unharmed. It’s starting out as a flyfishing technique, but it may have greater importance for live-bait anglers. It has, however, raised some controversy.

Full Circle

Moffitt’s flies (moffittangling.com) are tied on rubber tubes, each with a small round eye that can be looped on a leader with a threading tool. The rubber makes the flies flexible and provides enough friction to keep them from sliding on the line. A barbless circle hook—Moffitt’s own design—goes about a foot below the fly. You tie it on with a snell knot, with the leader coming out of the bottom of the hook eye, which ensures that the hook will rotate properly and dig in when it hits a fish’s jaw.

You fish the whole rig using any common flyfishing scheme—dry or wet flies, streamers, or nymphs. (Moffitt and I were deep-drifting egg patterns and nymphs.) When you feel or see a fish grab the fly, strike as you normally would. There’s no need to wait as you do when you’re fishing circle hooks with bait. As the leader is pulled through the fish’s mouth, the bare circle hook is pulled against the hard outside line of the fish’s jaw, where it rotates against that edge and hooks the fish. This works at least as well as hooking fish with flies tied on J-style hooks, and at no time did I feel this odd rig was causing me to miss a taking fish.

The advantage lies not in hooking more fish but in doing less damage to those you want to release. The mechanics of Moffitt’s system are such that it’s virtually impossible to hook a fish in the tongue or gullet, inside the gills, or in the eye, as sometimes happens with conventional flies. In two days of fishing with Moffitt, not once did I see anything other than fish hooked relatively harmlessly on the outside edge of the jaw.

Photo by John Merwin

Foul or Fair?

There’s been a lot of fuss on various Internet message boards to the effect that Moffitt’s rig is just a gimmicky way of snagging fish. I disagree.

Snagging, to me at least, means intentionally (or, rarely, accidentally) foul-hooking a fish that won’t take a lure, fly, or bait. In most cases it is illegal, as it should be. But Moffitt’s system won’t work at all unless a fish eats the hookless fly. The in-line circle hooks that Moffitt uses will slide across a fish’s body instead of foul-hooking it.

Things do get a little tricky, because Moffitt’s technique hooks fish on the outside of the jaw rather than the inside—a difference of maybe 1⁄4 inch. Some state rules may require fair-caught fish to be hooked inside the mouth, so check before you try this method.

The Next Step

Moffitt’s rig could turn out to be even more important to live-bait fishing. In-line circle hooks are widely recommended as a means to prevent gut-hooking—and thus killing—fish caught with baits that they quickly swallow.

Moffitt is developing a live-bait system, and he’s already had success with summer flounder and striped bass off New Jersey. Given the fundamentals here, you should also be able to adapt the method to your own fishing. The fish you release unharmed will thank you.

Trophy Room: Photos of the Week

Joe_Cermele — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 11:20:25 -0500

The Killers: 112 Can't-Miss Lures of Today's Top Guides

Joe_Cermele — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 09:59:34 -0500

Ask fishing guides to name their favorite lures and most sigh, then grumble, then inevitably utter some variation on the words, “That’s tough, because it all depends on the conditions.” But deep down, all guides—regardless of sponsorships, endorsements, or free lures showered on them by manufacturers—know the patterns that will get them hooked up on their home waters anytime. They all have standbys that get it done come rain, wind, or dirty water. So we found and grilled 28 top guides throughout the United States and Canada and got them to reveal their absolute favorite lures in four categories for seven species—and even tell us how they use them. It’s a lot of info, and it’s all here. Read it, then check your gear—and we’ll see you at the tackle shop. Click on a species below.