7/20/2009 3:15:00 PM In search of the finicky trout
Chasing the rainbow
In spring rainbow trout may populate the shallows. Inflate a nightcrawler with air and cast it out from shore, using a slip sinker for weight. Or troll with cowbells trailed by a nightcrawler.
In summer, rainbow trout are most active in June and July, when they feed on insects. Fly-fish with dry flies or nymphs. Cast or troll with small crankbaits, spinners or spoons. The best fishing is in the evening.
In winter, trout often swim just below the ice.
Source: DNR
By David Schueller
I was on a mission to catch a rainbow trout.
At least one.
Like many casual Minnesota anglers, I hadn't given much thought to fishing for trout. Then I learned the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stocks only two Hennepin County lakes with trout and they're both cool, deep and nearby.
Christmas Lake in Shorewood has been stocked since 1986 and Little Long Lake in Minnetrista since 1987.
So I bought worms and a special trout stamp to go next to my regular fishing license and borrowed a canoe from Voyageur Environmental Center, a youth camp that also operates as a retreat and conference center on the south end of Little Long.
Bolstered by the knowledge that between both Christmas and Little Long the DNR stocks around 3,000 trout each year, I expected to catch at least one.
That will require another trip.
Nobody said it was going to be easy.
Tim Sonenstahl, co-owner of Wayzata Bait & Tackle and a former Lake Minnetonka fishing guide, said the fish can be in 30 feet of water or five feet. Medium size crawlers or artificial baits that work for smallmouth bass tend to work with trout, he said, and it's best to try deep and shallow - because who knows where they are.
"There's no rhyme or reason to them. They don't pattern," Sonenstahl said.
Rainbow trout don't reproduce in lakes, and are stocked simply to give anglers an opportunity to fish for them.
Taylor Polomis, DNR fisheries assistant supervisor, said lakes like Christmas and Little Long are called two-story lakes because they contain both trout and the usual species of fish. The lakes were chosen for stocking because of their depth, cool water and high oxygen content.
"We have very few lakes in the metro than can do that so we've taken advantage of that opportunity," Polomis said.
Christmas Lake has areas mapped that are deeper than 80 feet and Little Long has one that's deeper than 70 feet.
They contrast to designated trout lakes, like Courthouse Lake in Chaska, in which trout is the dominant species.
Rainbow trout are considered "starter fish" for trout fishing novices, and average 10-14 inches long, according to the DNR. More often than not, trout fishing is associated with fly fishing, although in lakes stocked with trout a standard rod will work.
Christmas and Little Long are two of about 180 Minnesota lakes the DNR stocks with trout, and most of the fish are raised in a hatchery in Lanesboro.
It costs $5,700 to raise, transport and stock trout in both Christmas and Little Long combined. The funding comes from trout stamp and fishing licence revenue, and the DNR pays between $250,000 and $275,000 to stock trout statewide in lakes and streams, not counting the cost to raise them, according to Mark Ebbers, trout and salmon program consultant for the DNR.
Rainbows are used for Christmas and Little Long because they're easiest to raise and they grow fast, Polomis said.
He said the DNR doesn't track how many get taken.
"We manage it to stock it every year. We don't know the fate of those fish. It's not like, say, Courthouse Lake, where that's essentially the only thing that's in the lake. We don't know if those things get fished out. We manage it so we can try to sustain a catch year after year," Polomis said.
These starter fish weren't biting for this trout novice. High winds didn't make for an easy paddle from the south end of the lake, through a channel and to the northern section, which has a public boat access.
Christmas Lake's public access is near Highway 7 and Christmas Lake Road.
Keith Henslin, branch director for Voyageur Environmental Center, which is owned and operated by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, said that when teens are at the camp they get a chance to fish for trout.
It sounds like they haven't had much better luck than I did.
"We try our luck at trout fishing. And I say that very liberally. We try. It doesn't always work out. Occasionally we hook into a trout or two," Henslin said.
Trout fishing is also popular for ice anglers.
In either season, Sonenstahl said anglers head to Christmas or Little Long because they're so close, unlike trout fishing areas like Lake Superior or the Root River in southeast Minnesota.
Trout fishing probably isn't the first thing people think about when heading out to metro area lakes. But it seems the unpredictable and finicky trout can make for an extra challenge.
"They're just goofy. That's how trout are," Sonenstahl said.
Reader Comments
Posted: Monday, July 27, 2009
Article comment by:
Mike M.
I have also fished Christmas for rainbows, but no luck so far. FYI, a trout stamp is not needed to fish on either Christmas or Little Long lake, as they are not listed as designated trout lakes on the MN DNR's website.
