Trout is a great way to spend time with the family. Fishing can be fun for you and your children. But it can also become frustrating and very boring for children. Here's how to spend a day profitably fishing for trout in a river.
Steps
Step 1. Learn the regulations
Fishing is regulated by the state or province. You must have a license. Most sports stores sell it. The State Department publishes a leaflet with rules, limits and restrictions. It is important to know and follow these rules, not only because it is the law but also because a lot of time and energy is spent trying to keep the fish population and ecosystem as balanced as possible.
Step 2. Get the equipment
If you go shopping, you will find float and reel sold together for around twenty euros. You will also need hooks, sinkers and lines. Even if there is cheap equipment, the more you pay for it and the longer it will last, the better it will be.
Reel / float may already be included in the line and if not, you will need to buy fishing lines from 1.7 to 3.5 kg. Many sports stores have quality threads and can make your coils for you at a reasonable cost. You will also need hooks of 6 to 10, sinkers that simply attach to the line and a net. There are reusable sinkers that cost a few cents more and are worth it all. You can also buy steel ones because many think the classic ones can harm fish and the environment
Step 3. Buy the right equipment
For brook trout the light one is better. The barrel must have a weight range of the weight printed above. You will need to buy a float calibrated from 850g to 3.5kg. Buying the float / reel assembly is usually the cheapest choice. Some experts suggest ditching crank reels with a button to press when casting. This type of reel usually tends to become tangled internally and those new to the sport will feel frustrated. On the other hand, fixed spool reels are very simple to use. It also depends a lot on the style of the fisherman. Fixed spool reels are good for lure fishing but not for those who use spoon and other lures. Spinning spool reels are good for both styles.
Step 4. Find yourself a river
You need one that obviously has trout inside, or rather that is full of them. Choose a river near you, perhaps mentioned in some fishing magazine. Rivers with naturally spawning trout populations sometimes have restrictions on lures and floats. In this case it can become difficult to fish for trout.
Step 5. Get everything set up before you start
The easiest thing to do is to tie a carabiner using a simple gas knot. Never tie a simple knot. The thread would be cut. Try to tie one of these knots to the thread and give it a yank to see how strong it actually is.
Step 6. If you use a lure you will need to attach the sinkers to the line
The purpose is twofold. First of all, it allows you to pull more effectively and to control how quickly the bait goes to the bottom. Place the weights about 5 cm from the hook and tighten them tightly so they don't move on the line. You will tighten them well with a pair of needle nose pliers.
Step 7. Find the bait
Check the regulations to find out which one is allowed. The three best-known baits for trout are worms, salmon roe, and canned corn.
Spoons and other baits are an alternative. If you are fishing in a small river, use light lures. An exception are those with fast current. In these waters it will take something heavy
Step 8. Always throw towards the top of the stream
This way the bait will move with the current and will seem more vital. A good rule for trying to catch a visible fish is to go from 60 cm to one meter downstream of the fish and cast above. It also serves two purposes. As said before, you need to have a bait that appears alive. Also, most trout are turned against the tide and wait for food to come towards them. This means that if you go downstream and you are behind the fish, they don't see you. If you frighten them, you will have to wait at least twenty minutes before trying to fish there again. In small rivers it is important to "stay good" after catching a fish. This means waiting 15 - 20 minutes before fishing again in the same spot or moving before returning.
Step 9. Check the weather forecast
Fish will bite in almost any conditions but you should at least try to stay dry. You can use a lure that is suitable for the weather conditions. During a thunderstorm and up to 24 hours later, many worms will end up in the river. This is the best time to use them. On windy days grasshoppers and crickets are close at hand. This is because due to time they end up in the water.
Step 10. First time go to the river alone
When you arrive leave your stuff in the car and take a ride. Remember if you notice other fishermen along the shore. Look for comfortable seats that are easily accessible. You will also need to look for small shallow holes or spots where the river goes from deep to shallow. Another place to look for is where the currents converge. If the river is full of fish, there will be many fishermen. They are usually a nice category and if you stop and ask how it goes they will be happy to explain the conditions and give you some advice.
Step 11. Go back to get your stuff and head to the spot you discovered
Step 12. Prepare the hook
If you use worms, you will need to push the hook through their body and work the length of the worm until it covers the whole hook. Thread it on one side and the other end. Basically you will have to create a kind of chains with the central body of the worm. If you're using corn or eggs, stick in a couple of pieces.
Step 13. Launch
It sounds simple but it may not be.
- Again, the direction of launch is upstream to allow the lure to move with the current. Launch at 11 o'clock. Hold the tip of the rod up so that the lure continues to move even when it is in the water.
- Bring the tip of the rod behind you slowly and press while holding the button on the reel with your thumb. Bring the rod forward, releasing the button as you cast. Be careful not to whip or the bait could escape from the barrel.
- If you are using a buttonless reel, use your fingers to hold the line, lower the headband and continue to hold the line. Follow the same instructions holding halfway through the throw then let go of the wire and headband.
Step 14. Let the lure sink in by keeping the tip of the rod high and level with your face
Once the lure passes you, the line will begin to go under tension so keep your eyes on the tip of the rod and up to where you see the line. Any movement, even minimal, could be given by the bait touching the rocks or by the fish that "tastes". Wait for the trout to bite. You will know when because you will feel a strong pull and the tip of the rod will catch.
Step 15. Fix the hook
Do this by quickly bending the tip of the barrel. If you caught fish, the tip will continually bend. Gather the line with the reel and continue to hold the tip of the rod above your head. If you lower it, the fish could "unhook" from the hook and fall into the water. Once you have the fish on the shore, take the net and collect it.
Step 16. Decide what you want to do with it
You keep it or leave it. Once again you need to know the regulations in this regard. The fish to eat filleted are about 20 cm, the smaller ones are excellent whole. There are measures for some catching fish (from 25 cm to grow). If you do not want to fillet the fish you will have to clean it (remove the entrails) before cooking it. Keep only the fish you will eat. The catch rarely survives beyond the winter or reproduces. Better to keep a couple of fish and let the others free.
Step 17. Protect the fish. If you don't want to hold the fish it is very important not to get carried away if possible. Trout like all fish have a protective coating made of slime. Touching them ruins it and then the fish will "burn" where you touched it. Most trout survive if released correctly. Wash your hands and the net before touching the fish. Try to hold it in the grass and take the hook from the curve with your fingers or forceps to remove it from the fish's mouth gently. The idea is to take it off the same way it came in. If the fish has swallowed it you will need to cut the thread and try not to pull too hard or you will tear the inside of the mouth and the fish will almost certainly die. Be VERY careful not to squeeze the fish as you could cause internal bleeding and slow, painful death.
Step 18. Return the trout to the water after "unhooking" it
Support it gently until it is balanced again and let it go upstream. Do not throw it from above or it could damage the gills.
Advice
- Be patient, relax and have fun. Fishing is more than just catching fish, it's about having fun and enjoying nature, forgetting about stress.
- One thing to remember about river fishing is that if you can see trout they can see you. Dress in blue and green to make yourself camouflage. Trout feel vibrations so walk slowly and don't jump or make noise.
- The time and weather conditions will influence the choice of the bait.
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If your line gets caught in a rock or tree, get as close as possible without pulling it before cutting it, or try pulling in multiple directions (so cutting usually doesn't work).
Don't fish in the same place for more than 20 minutes if they don't bite
- Fly fishing is a fun way to get out on the river and have fun.
- Remove the "beard" from the hooks! It will be easier to unhook the fish and even yourself if you accidentally get stuck.
Warnings
- If you have never been in nature, beware of the animals that may be there, especially snakes. Don't worry too much though: if you stay on the trails and look down you won't see any because they will run away as soon as they hear you. Beware of obstructions in the path and when you have to pass over logs or around rocks.
- Some rivers have dams. You need to know where they are located and if they are hydroelectric. They can open at any time and the river would rise dramatically causing dangerous currents.
- The cake lives in cold water so if you want to enter the river you will need to be dressed appropriately or you will risk hypothermia.
