Odd afternoon of fishiung

[Budd Cochran]

Greetings from the S.E. Utah desert country.

Spent a few hours yesterday afternoon in the local mountains at a popular
trout lake, Oowah Lake, near my home in Moab, UT. had considerable success
in catching 1-3 pound Rainbows on red / white and black / white spoons, but
my wife discovered something I though was rather odd.

She rigged up with a small portion of a 6" Senko clone on an old but sharp
Aberdeen hook and began getting solid bites. Exposing the hook point more
got her five nice trout in about 30 minutes (she doesn't fish a lot) before
a big one broke her line.

I changed over to an Eagle Claw Tru-Turn and another chunk of the plastic
worm and after 7 more fish ( I caught 10 on spoons) caught the biggest 'Bow
of the afternoon, about 17 inches long.

Ok, does anybody have any ideas about this? I've never heard of anything
like this ... Trout on Bass lures. I'm gonna have to try it again. <VBG>

All comments welcome.

Budd

[Shawn]

Budd :

I'm a fisheries biologist with the State of Vermont's Fish & Wildlife
Department. Last fall and early this spring I received a number of calls
about large brown trout (that we stock in a nearby 2,200-acre lake) having
very strange grubs or insect larvae in their stomach. Of course, without
seeing the stomach contents, I couldn't comment on what the trout might have
been eating, but I told the anglers to keep the stomachs next time they
found such things when cleaning their fish. Over the winter ice-fishing
season, and through this spring, several anglers brought stomachs from brown
trout ranging from 2 to 10 pounds into the local baitshop. The owner of the
shop put the stomachs in the freezer, then called me one day this spring
when he had 8 or 10 stomachs in ziplock bags. I told him to thaw them out
and I'd be down in an hour or so.

I brought all my insect guides, minnow guides etc etc - anything I thought
might help me identify the strange prey these brown trout were eating. But,
when I got to the baitshop and picked up the first "grub", I started to
laugh. When I told the baitshop owner it was a "senko", he immediately
realized I was right and turned red, embarrassed he didn't realize it
himself right away. Anyways, out of the 10 stomachs I examined that day
with the strange "grubs" in them, every one of them turned out to be plastic
baits of some sort. One stomach from an 8-pound brown trout had 14
different plastic lures in it, ranging from senkos to tube jigs to flukes to
broken pieces of what looked like plastic worm bits.

Now - this is what I think is happening. I'm also a bass fisherman, and I
fish in our local Bassmasters club. So, I know how fast bass fisherman go
through soft plastics. At the end of a day's fishing, whether for a
tournament or just for fun, the floor of my boat and my friends boats are
littered with soft plastics that are torn and won't stay on hooks anymore.
Most ethical fisherman who care about the environment, the lakes they fish,
and the fish they're after take those plastics home and dispose of them
properly. However, I have personally witnessed countless times, fisherman
tearing off a plastic worm and throwing it into the lake. Maybe sometimes
the plastics blow out of the bass boats as they tear across the lake at
70mph. No matter how these plastics are getting into the lake, I have now
seen first hand that trout WILL eat them. Not only do they eat them as they
gently sway and sink to the bottom of an 80-foot deep lake, in my opinion
they are also being picked up after they've reached the bottom. Brown trout
will forage the bottom of lakes, and in the winter under the ice will do so
in very shallow water even. Since seeing the plastics in the stomachs, I've
spoken to more and more trout fisherman and I'm finding this is a much too
common occurence - alot of the trout fisherman are getting brown trout with
plastics in their stomachs in January, February, and March.

Anyone who is familiar with Vermont knows that our bass fishing season ends
in November, and that from December to mid-April our lakes are buried under
2 to 3 feet of ice, so these plastics being eating by brown trout are not
fresh. It could also be that the plastics were picked up by the trout in
the previous summer and fall, and haven't been digested or passed. This
worries me even more since I don't know what the full impact of bass
fisherman tossing their used plastics into the lake could be on the brown
trout.

So - to answer your question - YES trout WILL soft plastic baits, and
rigging that way for them is likely a hot technique in certain situations to
take them.

But more importantly to the bass fisherman (and all plastic bait users) is
DO NOT throw your used plastics in the water. If fish will hit them when
they're on your hook, they certainly will hit them and swallow them when
they're not !

For work, I will be making a targeted attempt to educate Vermont anglers on
this issue. Please spread the word !

Shawn




"Budd Cochran" > wrote in message
...
> Greetings from the S.E. Utah desert country.
>
> Spent a few hours yesterday afternoon in the local mountains at a popular
> trout lake, Oowah Lake, near my home in Moab, UT. had considerable success
> in catching 1-3 pound Rainbows on red / white and black / white spoons,
but
> my wife discovered something I though was rather odd.
>
> She rigged up with a small portion of a 6" Senko clone on an old but sharp
> Aberdeen hook and began getting solid bites. Exposing the hook point more
> got her five nice trout in about 30 minutes (she doesn't fish a lot)
before
> a big one broke her line.
>
> I changed over to an Eagle Claw Tru-Turn and another chunk of the plastic
> worm and after 7 more fish ( I caught 10 on spoons) caught the biggest
'Bow
> of the afternoon, about 17 inches long.
>
> Ok, does anybody have any ideas about this? I've never heard of anything
> like this ... Trout on Bass lures. I'm gonna have to try it again. <VBG>
>
> All comments welcome.
>
> Budd
>
>

[Budd Cochran]

Thanks, Shawn.

I agree that plastics should not be thrown overboard when worn out . . .
it'll just get the environmental wackos wound up, again!

Soft plastics worked well enough that I'm going to try it elsewhere, that's
for sure.

Budd

"Shawn" > wrote in message
...
> Budd :
>
> I'm a fisheries biologist with the State of Vermont's Fish & Wildlife
> Department. Last fall and early this spring I received a number of calls
> about large brown trout (that we stock in a nearby 2,200-acre lake) having
> very strange grubs or insect larvae in their stomach. Of course, without
> seeing the stomach contents, I couldn't comment on what the trout might
have
> been eating, but I told the anglers to keep the stomachs next time they
> found such things when cleaning their fish. Over the winter ice-fishing
> season, and through this spring, several anglers brought stomachs from
brown
> trout ranging from 2 to 10 pounds into the local baitshop. The owner of
the
> shop put the stomachs in the freezer, then called me one day this spring
> when he had 8 or 10 stomachs in ziplock bags. I told him to thaw them out
> and I'd be down in an hour or so.
>
> I brought all my insect guides, minnow guides etc etc - anything I thought
> might help me identify the strange prey these brown trout were eating.
But,
> when I got to the baitshop and picked up the first "grub", I started to
> laugh. When I told the baitshop owner it was a "senko", he immediately
> realized I was right and turned red, embarrassed he didn't realize it
> himself right away. Anyways, out of the 10 stomachs I examined that day
> with the strange "grubs" in them, every one of them turned out to be
plastic
> baits of some sort. One stomach from an 8-pound brown trout had 14
> different plastic lures in it, ranging from senkos to tube jigs to flukes
to
> broken pieces of what looked like plastic worm bits.
>
> Now - this is what I think is happening. I'm also a bass fisherman, and I
> fish in our local Bassmasters club. So, I know how fast bass fisherman go
> through soft plastics. At the end of a day's fishing, whether for a
> tournament or just for fun, the floor of my boat and my friends boats are
> littered with soft plastics that are torn and won't stay on hooks anymore.
> Most ethical fisherman who care about the environment, the lakes they
fish,
> and the fish they're after take those plastics home and dispose of them
> properly. However, I have personally witnessed countless times, fisherman
> tearing off a plastic worm and throwing it into the lake. Maybe sometimes
> the plastics blow out of the bass boats as they tear across the lake at
> 70mph. No matter how these plastics are getting into the lake, I have now
> seen first hand that trout WILL eat them. Not only do they eat them as
they
> gently sway and sink to the bottom of an 80-foot deep lake, in my opinion
> they are also being picked up after they've reached the bottom. Brown
trout
> will forage the bottom of lakes, and in the winter under the ice will do
so
> in very shallow water even. Since seeing the plastics in the stomachs,
I've
> spoken to more and more trout fisherman and I'm finding this is a much too
> common occurence - alot of the trout fisherman are getting brown trout
with
> plastics in their stomachs in January, February, and March.
>
> Anyone who is familiar with Vermont knows that our bass fishing season
ends
> in November, and that from December to mid-April our lakes are buried
under
> 2 to 3 feet of ice, so these plastics being eating by brown trout are not
> fresh. It could also be that the plastics were picked up by the trout in
> the previous summer and fall, and haven't been digested or passed. This
> worries me even more since I don't know what the full impact of bass
> fisherman tossing their used plastics into the lake could be on the brown
> trout.
>
> So - to answer your question - YES trout WILL soft plastic baits, and
> rigging that way for them is likely a hot technique in certain situations
to
> take them.
>
> But more importantly to the bass fisherman (and all plastic bait users) is
> DO NOT throw your used plastics in the water. If fish will hit them when
> they're on your hook, they certainly will hit them and swallow them when
> they're not !
>
> For work, I will be making a targeted attempt to educate Vermont anglers
on
> this issue. Please spread the word !
>
> Shawn
>
>
>
>
> "Budd Cochran" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Greetings from the S.E. Utah desert country.
> >
> > Spent a few hours yesterday afternoon in the local mountains at a
popular
> > trout lake, Oowah Lake, near my home in Moab, UT. had considerable
success
> > in catching 1-3 pound Rainbows on red / white and black / white spoons,
> but
> > my wife discovered something I though was rather odd.
> >
> > She rigged up with a small portion of a 6" Senko clone on an old but
sharp
> > Aberdeen hook and began getting solid bites. Exposing the hook point
more
> > got her five nice trout in about 30 minutes (she doesn't fish a lot)
> before
> > a big one broke her line.
> >
> > I changed over to an Eagle Claw Tru-Turn and another chunk of the
plastic
> > worm and after 7 more fish ( I caught 10 on spoons) caught the biggest
> 'Bow
> > of the afternoon, about 17 inches long.
> >
> > Ok, does anybody have any ideas about this? I've never heard of anything
> > like this ... Trout on Bass lures. I'm gonna have to try it again. <VBG>
> >
> > All comments welcome.
> >
> > Budd
> >
> >
>
>

[go-bassn]

They work pretty good for bass too Bud ;-)

Warren
--
http://www.warrenwolk.com/
http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions



"Budd Cochran" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks, Shawn.
>
> I agree that plastics should not be thrown overboard when worn out . . .
> it'll just get the environmental wackos wound up, again!
>
> Soft plastics worked well enough that I'm going to try it elsewhere,
that's
> for sure.
>
> Budd
>
> "Shawn" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Budd :
> >
> > I'm a fisheries biologist with the State of Vermont's Fish & Wildlife
> > Department. Last fall and early this spring I received a number of
calls
> > about large brown trout (that we stock in a nearby 2,200-acre lake)
having
> > very strange grubs or insect larvae in their stomach. Of course,
without
> > seeing the stomach contents, I couldn't comment on what the trout might
> have
> > been eating, but I told the anglers to keep the stomachs next time they
> > found such things when cleaning their fish. Over the winter ice-fishing
> > season, and through this spring, several anglers brought stomachs from
> brown
> > trout ranging from 2 to 10 pounds into the local baitshop. The owner of
> the
> > shop put the stomachs in the freezer, then called me one day this spring
> > when he had 8 or 10 stomachs in ziplock bags. I told him to thaw them
out
> > and I'd be down in an hour or so.
> >
> > I brought all my insect guides, minnow guides etc etc - anything I
thought
> > might help me identify the strange prey these brown trout were eating.
> But,
> > when I got to the baitshop and picked up the first "grub", I started to
> > laugh. When I told the baitshop owner it was a "senko", he immediately
> > realized I was right and turned red, embarrassed he didn't realize it
> > himself right away. Anyways, out of the 10 stomachs I examined that day
> > with the strange "grubs" in them, every one of them turned out to be
> plastic
> > baits of some sort. One stomach from an 8-pound brown trout had 14
> > different plastic lures in it, ranging from senkos to tube jigs to
flukes
> to
> > broken pieces of what looked like plastic worm bits.
> >
> > Now - this is what I think is happening. I'm also a bass fisherman, and
I
> > fish in our local Bassmasters club. So, I know how fast bass fisherman
go
> > through soft plastics. At the end of a day's fishing, whether for a
> > tournament or just for fun, the floor of my boat and my friends boats
are
> > littered with soft plastics that are torn and won't stay on hooks
anymore.
> > Most ethical fisherman who care about the environment, the lakes they
> fish,
> > and the fish they're after take those plastics home and dispose of them
> > properly. However, I have personally witnessed countless times,
fisherman
> > tearing off a plastic worm and throwing it into the lake. Maybe
sometimes
> > the plastics blow out of the bass boats as they tear across the lake at
> > 70mph. No matter how these plastics are getting into the lake, I have
now
> > seen first hand that trout WILL eat them. Not only do they eat them as
> they
> > gently sway and sink to the bottom of an 80-foot deep lake, in my
opinion
> > they are also being picked up after they've reached the bottom. Brown
> trout
> > will forage the bottom of lakes, and in the winter under the ice will do
> so
> > in very shallow water even. Since seeing the plastics in the stomachs,
> I've
> > spoken to more and more trout fisherman and I'm finding this is a much
too
> > common occurence - alot of the trout fisherman are getting brown trout
> with
> > plastics in their stomachs in January, February, and March.
> >
> > Anyone who is familiar with Vermont knows that our bass fishing season
> ends
> > in November, and that from December to mid-April our lakes are buried
> under
> > 2 to 3 feet of ice, so these plastics being eating by brown trout are
not
> > fresh. It could also be that the plastics were picked up by the trout
in
> > the previous summer and fall, and haven't been digested or passed. This
> > worries me even more since I don't know what the full impact of bass
> > fisherman tossing their used plastics into the lake could be on the
brown
> > trout.
> >
> > So - to answer your question - YES trout WILL soft plastic baits, and
> > rigging that way for them is likely a hot technique in certain
situations
> to
> > take them.
> >
> > But more importantly to the bass fisherman (and all plastic bait users)
is
> > DO NOT throw your used plastics in the water. If fish will hit them
when
> > they're on your hook, they certainly will hit them and swallow them when
> > they're not !
> >
> > For work, I will be making a targeted attempt to educate Vermont anglers
> on
> > this issue. Please spread the word !
> >
> > Shawn
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "Budd Cochran" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Greetings from the S.E. Utah desert country.
> > >
> > > Spent a few hours yesterday afternoon in the local mountains at a
> popular
> > > trout lake, Oowah Lake, near my home in Moab, UT. had considerable
> success
> > > in catching 1-3 pound Rainbows on red / white and black / white
spoons,
> > but
> > > my wife discovered something I though was rather odd.
> > >
> > > She rigged up with a small portion of a 6" Senko clone on an old but
> sharp
> > > Aberdeen hook and began getting solid bites. Exposing the hook point
> more
> > > got her five nice trout in about 30 minutes (she doesn't fish a lot)
> > before
> > > a big one broke her line.
> > >
> > > I changed over to an Eagle Claw Tru-Turn and another chunk of the
> plastic
> > > worm and after 7 more fish ( I caught 10 on spoons) caught the biggest
> > 'Bow
> > > of the afternoon, about 17 inches long.
> > >
> > > Ok, does anybody have any ideas about this? I've never heard of
anything
> > > like this ... Trout on Bass lures. I'm gonna have to try it again.
<VBG>
> > >
> > > All comments welcome.
> > >
> > > Budd
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

[go-bassn]

They work pretty good for bass too Bud ;-)

Warren
--
http://www.warrenwolk.com/
http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions



"Budd Cochran" > wrote in message
...
> Thanks, Shawn.
>
> I agree that plastics should not be thrown overboard when worn out . . .
> it'll just get the environmental wackos wound up, again!
>
> Soft plastics worked well enough that I'm going to try it elsewhere,
that's
> for sure.
>
> Budd
>
> "Shawn" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Budd :
> >
> > I'm a fisheries biologist with the State of Vermont's Fish & Wildlife
> > Department. Last fall and early this spring I received a number of
calls
> > about large brown trout (that we stock in a nearby 2,200-acre lake)
having
> > very strange grubs or insect larvae in their stomach. Of course,
without
> > seeing the stomach contents, I couldn't comment on what the trout might
> have
> > been eating, but I told the anglers to keep the stomachs next time they
> > found such things when cleaning their fish. Over the winter ice-fishing
> > season, and through this spring, several anglers brought stomachs from
> brown
> > trout ranging from 2 to 10 pounds into the local baitshop. The owner of
> the
> > shop put the stomachs in the freezer, then called me one day this spring
> > when he had 8 or 10 stomachs in ziplock bags. I told him to thaw them
out
> > and I'd be down in an hour or so.
> >
> > I brought all my insect guides, minnow guides etc etc - anything I
thought
> > might help me identify the strange prey these brown trout were eating.
> But,
> > when I got to the baitshop and picked up the first "grub", I started to
> > laugh. When I told the baitshop owner it was a "senko", he immediately
> > realized I was right and turned red, embarrassed he didn't realize it
> > himself right away. Anyways, out of the 10 stomachs I examined that day
> > with the strange "grubs" in them, every one of them turned out to be
> plastic
> > baits of some sort. One stomach from an 8-pound brown trout had 14
> > different plastic lures in it, ranging from senkos to tube jigs to
flukes
> to
> > broken pieces of what looked like plastic worm bits.
> >
> > Now - this is what I think is happening. I'm also a bass fisherman, and
I
> > fish in our local Bassmasters club. So, I know how fast bass fisherman
go
> > through soft plastics. At the end of a day's fishing, whether for a
> > tournament or just for fun, the floor of my boat and my friends boats
are
> > littered with soft plastics that are torn and won't stay on hooks
anymore.
> > Most ethical fisherman who care about the environment, the lakes they
> fish,
> > and the fish they're after take those plastics home and dispose of them
> > properly. However, I have personally witnessed countless times,
fisherman
> > tearing off a plastic worm and throwing it into the lake. Maybe
sometimes
> > the plastics blow out of the bass boats as they tear across the lake at
> > 70mph. No matter how these plastics are getting into the lake, I have
now
> > seen first hand that trout WILL eat them. Not only do they eat them as
> they
> > gently sway and sink to the bottom of an 80-foot deep lake, in my
opinion
> > they are also being picked up after they've reached the bottom. Brown
> trout
> > will forage the bottom of lakes, and in the winter under the ice will do
> so
> > in very shallow water even. Since seeing the plastics in the stomachs,
> I've
> > spoken to more and more trout fisherman and I'm finding this is a much
too
> > common occurence - alot of the trout fisherman are getting brown trout
> with
> > plastics in their stomachs in January, February, and March.
> >
> > Anyone who is familiar with Vermont knows that our bass fishing season
> ends
> > in November, and that from December to mid-April our lakes are buried
> under
> > 2 to 3 feet of ice, so these plastics being eating by brown trout are
not
> > fresh. It could also be that the plastics were picked up by the trout
in
> > the previous summer and fall, and haven't been digested or passed. This
> > worries me even more since I don't know what the full impact of bass
> > fisherman tossing their used plastics into the lake could be on the
brown
> > trout.
> >
> > So - to answer your question - YES trout WILL soft plastic baits, and
> > rigging that way for them is likely a hot technique in certain
situations
> to
> > take them.
> >
> > But more importantly to the bass fisherman (and all plastic bait users)
is
> > DO NOT throw your used plastics in the water. If fish will hit them
when
> > they're on your hook, they certainly will hit them and swallow them when
> > they're not !
> >
> > For work, I will be making a targeted attempt to educate Vermont anglers
> on
> > this issue. Please spread the word !
> >
> > Shawn
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > "Budd Cochran" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Greetings from the S.E. Utah desert country.
> > >
> > > Spent a few hours yesterday afternoon in the local mountains at a
> popular
> > > trout lake, Oowah Lake, near my home in Moab, UT. had considerable
> success
> > > in catching 1-3 pound Rainbows on red / white and black / white
spoons,
> > but
> > > my wife discovered something I though was rather odd.
> > >
> > > She rigged up with a small portion of a 6" Senko clone on an old but
> sharp
> > > Aberdeen hook and began getting solid bites. Exposing the hook point
> more
> > > got her five nice trout in about 30 minutes (she doesn't fish a lot)
> > before
> > > a big one broke her line.
> > >
> > > I changed over to an Eagle Claw Tru-Turn and another chunk of the
> plastic
> > > worm and after 7 more fish ( I caught 10 on spoons) caught the biggest
> > 'Bow
> > > of the afternoon, about 17 inches long.
> > >
> > > Ok, does anybody have any ideas about this? I've never heard of
anything
> > > like this ... Trout on Bass lures. I'm gonna have to try it again.
<VBG>
> > >
> > > All comments welcome.
> > >
> > > Budd
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

[Budd Cochran]

I know! :^D

Budd

"go-bassn" > wrote in message
...
> They work pretty good for bass too Bud ;-)
>
> Warren
> --
> http://www.warrenwolk.com/
> http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
> 2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions
>
>
>
> "Budd Cochran" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Thanks, Shawn.
> >
> > I agree that plastics should not be thrown overboard when worn out . . .
> > it'll just get the environmental wackos wound up, again!
> >
> > Soft plastics worked well enough that I'm going to try it elsewhere,
> that's
> > for sure.
> >
> > Budd
> >
> > "Shawn" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Budd :
> > >
> > > I'm a fisheries biologist with the State of Vermont's Fish & Wildlife
> > > Department. Last fall and early this spring I received a number of
> calls
> > > about large brown trout (that we stock in a nearby 2,200-acre lake)
> having
> > > very strange grubs or insect larvae in their stomach. Of course,
> without
> > > seeing the stomach contents, I couldn't comment on what the trout
might
> > have
> > > been eating, but I told the anglers to keep the stomachs next time
they
> > > found such things when cleaning their fish. Over the winter
ice-fishing
> > > season, and through this spring, several anglers brought stomachs from
> > brown
> > > trout ranging from 2 to 10 pounds into the local baitshop. The owner
of
> > the
> > > shop put the stomachs in the freezer, then called me one day this
spring
> > > when he had 8 or 10 stomachs in ziplock bags. I told him to thaw them
> out
> > > and I'd be down in an hour or so.
> > >
> > > I brought all my insect guides, minnow guides etc etc - anything I
> thought
> > > might help me identify the strange prey these brown trout were eating.
> > But,
> > > when I got to the baitshop and picked up the first "grub", I started
to
> > > laugh. When I told the baitshop owner it was a "senko", he
immediately
> > > realized I was right and turned red, embarrassed he didn't realize it
> > > himself right away. Anyways, out of the 10 stomachs I examined that
day
> > > with the strange "grubs" in them, every one of them turned out to be
> > plastic
> > > baits of some sort. One stomach from an 8-pound brown trout had 14
> > > different plastic lures in it, ranging from senkos to tube jigs to
> flukes
> > to
> > > broken pieces of what looked like plastic worm bits.
> > >
> > > Now - this is what I think is happening. I'm also a bass fisherman,
and
> I
> > > fish in our local Bassmasters club. So, I know how fast bass
fisherman
> go
> > > through soft plastics. At the end of a day's fishing, whether for a
> > > tournament or just for fun, the floor of my boat and my friends boats
> are
> > > littered with soft plastics that are torn and won't stay on hooks
> anymore.
> > > Most ethical fisherman who care about the environment, the lakes they
> > fish,
> > > and the fish they're after take those plastics home and dispose of
them
> > > properly. However, I have personally witnessed countless times,
> fisherman
> > > tearing off a plastic worm and throwing it into the lake. Maybe
> sometimes
> > > the plastics blow out of the bass boats as they tear across the lake
at
> > > 70mph. No matter how these plastics are getting into the lake, I have
> now
> > > seen first hand that trout WILL eat them. Not only do they eat them
as
> > they
> > > gently sway and sink to the bottom of an 80-foot deep lake, in my
> opinion
> > > they are also being picked up after they've reached the bottom. Brown
> > trout
> > > will forage the bottom of lakes, and in the winter under the ice will
do
> > so
> > > in very shallow water even. Since seeing the plastics in the
stomachs,
> > I've
> > > spoken to more and more trout fisherman and I'm finding this is a much
> too
> > > common occurence - alot of the trout fisherman are getting brown trout
> > with
> > > plastics in their stomachs in January, February, and March.
> > >
> > > Anyone who is familiar with Vermont knows that our bass fishing season
> > ends
> > > in November, and that from December to mid-April our lakes are buried
> > under
> > > 2 to 3 feet of ice, so these plastics being eating by brown trout are
> not
> > > fresh. It could also be that the plastics were picked up by the trout
> in
> > > the previous summer and fall, and haven't been digested or passed.
This
> > > worries me even more since I don't know what the full impact of bass
> > > fisherman tossing their used plastics into the lake could be on the
> brown
> > > trout.
> > >
> > > So - to answer your question - YES trout WILL soft plastic baits, and
> > > rigging that way for them is likely a hot technique in certain
> situations
> > to
> > > take them.
> > >
> > > But more importantly to the bass fisherman (and all plastic bait
users)
> is
> > > DO NOT throw your used plastics in the water. If fish will hit them
> when
> > > they're on your hook, they certainly will hit them and swallow them
when
> > > they're not !
> > >
> > > For work, I will be making a targeted attempt to educate Vermont
anglers
> > on
> > > this issue. Please spread the word !
> > >
> > > Shawn
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > "Budd Cochran" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > > Greetings from the S.E. Utah desert country.
> > > >
> > > > Spent a few hours yesterday afternoon in the local mountains at a
> > popular
> > > > trout lake, Oowah Lake, near my home in Moab, UT. had considerable
> > success
> > > > in catching 1-3 pound Rainbows on red / white and black / white
> spoons,
> > > but
> > > > my wife discovered something I though was rather odd.
> > > >
> > > > She rigged up with a small portion of a 6" Senko clone on an old but
> > sharp
> > > > Aberdeen hook and began getting solid bites. Exposing the hook point
> > more
> > > > got her five nice trout in about 30 minutes (she doesn't fish a lot)
> > > before
> > > > a big one broke her line.
> > > >
> > > > I changed over to an Eagle Claw Tru-Turn and another chunk of the
> > plastic
> > > > worm and after 7 more fish ( I caught 10 on spoons) caught the
biggest
> > > 'Bow
> > > > of the afternoon, about 17 inches long.
> > > >
> > > > Ok, does anybody have any ideas about this? I've never heard of
> anything
> > > > like this ... Trout on Bass lures. I'm gonna have to try it again.
> <VBG>
> > > >
> > > > All comments welcome.
> > > >
> > > > Budd
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>

[Budd Cochran]

I know! :^D

Budd

"go-bassn" > wrote in message
...
> They work pretty good for bass too Bud ;-)
>
> Warren
> --
> http://www.warrenwolk.com/
> http://www.tri-statebassmasters.com
> 2004 NJ B.A.S.S. Federation State Champions
>
>
>
> "Budd Cochran" > wrote in message
> ...
> > Thanks, Shawn.
> >
> > I agree that plastics should not be thrown overboard when worn out . . .
> > it'll just get the environmental wackos wound up, again!
> >
> > Soft plastics worked well enough that I'm going to try it elsewhere,
> that's
> > for sure.
> >
> > Budd
> >
> > "Shawn" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > Budd :
> > >
> > > I'm a fisheries biologist with the State of Vermont's Fish & Wildlife
> > > Department. Last fall and early this spring I received a number of
> calls
> > > about large brown trout (that we stock in a nearby 2,200-acre lake)
> having
> > > very strange grubs or insect larvae in their stomach. Of course,
> without
> > > seeing the stomach contents, I couldn't comment on what the trout
might
> > have
> > > been eating, but I told the anglers to keep the stomachs next time
they
> > > found such things when cleaning their fish. Over the winter
ice-fishing
> > > season, and through this spring, several anglers brought stomachs from
> > brown
> > > trout ranging from 2 to 10 pounds into the local baitshop. The owner
of
> > the
> > > shop put the stomachs in the freezer, then called me one day this
spring
> > > when he had 8 or 10 stomachs in ziplock bags. I told him to thaw them
> out
> > > and I'd be down in an hour or so.
> > >
> > > I brought all my insect guides, minnow guides etc etc - anything I
> thought
> > > might help me identify the strange prey these brown trout were eating.
> > But,
> > > when I got to the baitshop and picked up the first "grub", I started
to
> > > laugh. When I told the baitshop owner it was a "senko", he
immediately
> > > realized I was right and turned red, embarrassed he didn't realize it
> > > himself right away. Anyways, out of the 10 stomachs I examined that
day
> > > with the strange "grubs" in them, every one of them turned out to be
> > plastic
> > > baits of some sort. One stomach from an 8-pound brown trout had 14
> > > different plastic lures in it, ranging from senkos to tube jigs to
> flukes
> > to
> > > broken pieces of what looked like plastic worm bits.
> > >
> > > Now - this is what I think is happening. I'm also a bass fisherman,
and
> I
> > > fish in our local Bassmasters club. So, I know how fast bass
fisherman
> go
> > > through soft plastics. At the end of a day's fishing, whether for a
> > > tournament or just for fun, the floor of my boat and my friends boats
> are
> > > littered with soft plastics that are torn and won't stay on hooks
> anymore.
> > > Most ethical fisherman who care about the environment, the lakes they
> > fish,
> > > and the fish they're after take those plastics home and dispose of
them
> > > properly. However, I have personally witnessed countless times,
> fisherman
> > > tearing off a plastic worm and throwing it into the lake. Maybe
> sometimes
> > > the plastics blow out of the bass boats as they tear across the lake
at
> > > 70mph. No matter how these plastics are getting into the lake, I have
> now
> > > seen first hand that trout WILL eat them. Not only do they eat them
as
> > they
> > > gently sway and sink to the bottom of an 80-foot deep lake, in my
> opinion
> > > they are also being picked up after they've reached the bottom. Brown
> > trout
> > > will forage the bottom of lakes, and in the winter under the ice will
do
> > so
> > > in very shallow water even. Since seeing the plastics in the
stomachs,
> > I've
> > > spoken to more and more trout fisherman and I'm finding this is a much
> too
> > > common occurence - alot of the trout fisherman are getting brown trout
> > with
> > > plastics in their stomachs in January, February, and March.
> > >
> > > Anyone who is familiar with Vermont knows that our bass fishing season
> > ends
> > > in November, and that from December to mid-April our lakes are buried
> > under
> > > 2 to 3 feet of ice, so these plastics being eating by brown trout are
> not
> > > fresh. It could also be that the plastics were picked up by the trout
> in
> > > the previous summer and fall, and haven't been digested or passed.
This
> > > worries me even more since I don't know what the full impact of bass
> > > fisherman tossing their used plastics into the lake could be on the
> brown
> > > trout.
> > >
> > > So - to answer your question - YES trout WILL soft plastic baits, and
> > > rigging that way for them is likely a hot technique in certain
> situations
> > to
> > > take them.
> > >
> > > But more importantly to the bass fisherman (and all plastic bait
users)
> is
> > > DO NOT throw your used plastics in the water. If fish will hit them
> when
> > > they're on your hook, they certainly will hit them and swallow them
when
> > > they're not !
> > >
> > > For work, I will be making a targeted attempt to educate Vermont
anglers
> > on
> > > this issue. Please spread the word !
> > >
> > > Shawn
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > "Budd Cochran" > wrote in message
> > > ...
> > > > Greetings from the S.E. Utah desert country.
> > > >
> > > > Spent a few hours yesterday afternoon in the local mountains at a
> > popular
> > > > trout lake, Oowah Lake, near my home in Moab, UT. had considerable
> > success
> > > > in catching 1-3 pound Rainbows on red / white and black / white
> spoons,
> > > but
> > > > my wife discovered something I though was rather odd.
> > > >
> > > > She rigged up with a small portion of a 6" Senko clone on an old but
> > sharp
> > > > Aberdeen hook and began getting solid bites. Exposing the hook point
> > more
> > > > got her five nice trout in about 30 minutes (she doesn't fish a lot)
> > > before
> > > > a big one broke her line.
> > > >
> > > > I changed over to an Eagle Claw Tru-Turn and another chunk of the
> > plastic
> > > > worm and after 7 more fish ( I caught 10 on spoons) caught the
biggest
> > > 'Bow
> > > > of the afternoon, about 17 inches long.
> > > >
> > > > Ok, does anybody have any ideas about this? I've never heard of
> anything
> > > > like this ... Trout on Bass lures. I'm gonna have to try it again.
> <VBG>
> > > >
> > > > All comments welcome.
> > > >
> > > > Budd
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>