Simply Epic Trout Fishing (and more)

Today I took my friends Eric and Zach (Eric's son) trout fishing in Rhode Island. Our quarry was the glorious golden trout. Although I have caught them three or four years in a row now, Eric and Zach really wanted to go after them. Neither had ever caught one. Eric told me he really needed one and anything more than that was gravy. That is exactly how I felt the first time I went after them (and how I felt about albies. Praying to the fishing gods to let you catch one)

Although I very much suspected catching a few would be easy, I still felt some pressure as their fishing guide to deliver the goods. We left my house at the ungodly hour of 5 am and drove the hour to the pond. When we pulled into the lot, there were already five cars there. As we went to go use the restroom two more cars showed up. I got a little anxious and rushed "my clients" to the water so we could get a prime spot.

Eric and Zach live on a trout lake. They have caught plenty of trout. Since they are seasoned trout fishermen , I wasn't giving much trout advice if they didn't want it. Eric called me last night to go over the game plan. I told him the importance of casting distance in what amounts to Opening Day crowds. On the drive to the pond, I explained what works for me, what time crowds show up, and where the best fishing is I also told him I would probably use a casting bubble and fly exclusively and I would set them up with a rig if they wanted to use it.

My biggest trout

We started fishing an open beach. Within a couple minutes Eric caught one on Powerbait and I got one on the bubble/fly. We each took pictures. Then Zach got one on the fly also. By my fourth golden trout, Eric decided there might be something to the bubble/fly combo and put one on. He ended up catching a few fish on it. The Powerbait rod went cold and his Kastmaster didn't get a sniff. Luckily, enogh trout were interested in the fly to keep everyone happy.

This seems like a good time to explain something. Here is some extremely important advice. If you want to catch more trout (and you are not a fly fisherman) learn the casting bubble/fly technique. I guarantee it is one of the best ways to catch trout there is. No one seems to use it. I saw over forty fishermen today, only one other guy besides us was casting a bubble. He caught a lot of fish. It isn't rocket science to learn how to do it. The weight of the bubble casts a country mile. You don't need a full fly box full of flies. Wooly Buggers and maybe a beadhead Hares Ear is all you need. Do yourself a favor and make it part of your arsenal. 

Since no one needs a play by play of all the fish caught, Eric and Zach each got a few fish. All three of us caught a trout that was twenty inches long. I ended up catching fourteen trout. I got a twenty inch rainbow and two goldens just about the same size. After my tenth fish, I put down the spinning rod and used my fly rod. I caught my first ever fly rod golden trout on my third or fourth cast. Unfortunately too many people were crowding in and using the fly rod would be too dangerous. I only got to use it for a few minutes.   One of the best things about the day was I was with two guys that know the value of a good picture. Some of the pictures we took came out terrific.

Eric's twenty inch rainbow

This was one of the best days ever for me trout fishing. First off, I was glad my friends could land some of the most beautiful fish I have ever seen. They caught some very big fish.  I ended up catching my biggest trout ever, my biggest golden trout, and my first golden on a fly rod. Catching a bunch of fish wasn't too shabby either.

 Zach also caught his personal best trout today. (Let me say, Zach, who is 12, can fish. It got shoulder to shoulder and the only way to cast was straight out. Zach can cast straight as an arrow. We were standing next to each other for an hour each using the bubble/fly. We never tangled once or got in each others way. Most adults I know couldn't have done that. He also cares about little details in fishing such as colors, and speed.) His big fish was a huge golden trout. He watched it follow and take the fly almost to the shoreline. It was a great experience for him.

Zach and his big golden trout

After I dropped Eric off, I went fishing again. The RI Carp Anglers Group was having their semi-annual fish in. I joined them. I ended up catching one carp (see pic below). I also got to photograph a couple carp Dave caught including a twenty three pound hog. I stayed there for three hours. We all left at 3:45 pm. I knew if I went home I would fall asleep (I got up at 4 am). So I got some supper at a BBQ restaurant.

Roughly ten pounds

Because addiction is real, after supper I met up with Dave again and we fished for stripers until dark. The conditions were terrible. We were very lucky to land a fish a piece.

Not ten pounds, but I'll take it