Saturday was breezy, with sporadic rains. I was out-and-about with my family. On our way home, the sun peeked out, and the kids saw a huge rainbow. Not a DOUBLE RAINBOW...but it was a complete single rainbow. It was really pretty against the dark stormy sky backdrop. I took some pics as soon as we pulled in our driveway.
Since we were done with "family stuff" for the day, and it was already after 7pm, I decided to go fly-fishing. It had been cool and breezy for several days, I hoped the rainbow trout in a nearby lake would be active in the shallows. This lake received its most recent stocking of trout back on January 26, so 3 months of fishing pressure has certainly reduced the trout population to a fairly low number. My optimism keeps making me forget this fact. I keep thinking I can go and catch plenty of trout. I'm going to have to give up this little fantasy soon. :)
As I was driving to the lake, I was chasing the rainbow. One end seemed to be near the lake I was heading for. The water was suprisingly clear, and with the darkening evening sky, I wanted something the fish could spot from a distance. I tied on a #8 Rubber Legs Stonefly Nymph. I ended up catching 4 Largemouth Bass, 2 Bluegills, and 1 Rainbow Trout. Had a couple other nice fish on that managed to shake free.
It was sweet to catch a Rainbow Trout at the rainbow's end.
Fantastic! Are you in north-central Iowa, or just central? Are they stocked rainbows?
ReplyDeleteCentral Iowa...just north of Des Moines...but well south of Ames. Yes, these are stocked rainbow trout.
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ReplyDeleteHow many trout are put into the lake and what size are they? Is this a lake that has a water temp between 60--65 year round. They Game and Fish in Carthridge Tenn. is thinking about stocking trout in a samll lake there. My son-in-law is about 3 hours from there----I could get in some fishing there if they decide to stock.
Hello Bill! The DNR typically stocks around 1800 trout in the lake. The fish typically run within an inch or so of 12"...which is the size they consider as "catchable"...or maybe "eatable" would be the better term?
ReplyDeleteThe lake is an old borrow pit or gravel pit. It is deep enough that is will stratify and have a coldwater deep layer in the summertime. That layer will have less oxygen than the warmer upper layer, so the fish may be able to survive by managing the time they spend in the cool waters, and in the warmer oxygen rich waters. By the time warm water temps arrive, most of the trout have already been caught out of the lake anyway. At this particular lake, there is one or more "field tiles" draining into the lake from surrounding cropfields. When flowing, the water coming into the lake at these tiles is fairly cool. I have seen trout stacked in the areas in mid-July.
The DNR says if the water temps hit 70, the trout will die. Trout sink when they die, rather than float, so there is no visible evidence of when/if this die-off occurs.
Thanks for the info---I will pass this on to my son-in-law. This lake has springs and a stream flowing into it which keeps the water cool down 40 ft deep which is the deepest part of the lake. I don't know what the temp is in the lake during August. Just to get to fish for the trout during the Spring and early Summer would be good. I am doing a post on the rings for tomorrow, I feel this is something that most of the bloggers don't know about. Thanks for getting me the link. I will be ordering some tonight.
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