Matt Freeman

With the trout tournament for Lake Isabella coming up very soon and promising to be the biggest yet, I thought I would touch on some simple ways to catch trout and what some of their habits are.

This week, I want to elaborate on catching trout my favorite way, from a boat. And while of course there is no guarantee of success, that is why they call it "fishing" and not "catching" after all, these hints and strategies should help you in you quest for Mr. Ten Grand and his friends. When trying to get trout from a boat there are several things to remember concerning their nature that can help in the search. First of all, trout prefer certain water temps that are on the cool side of things. Basically, if the water you are fishing is 70 degrees or higher, chances are they are not gonna be there and you are just wasting good bait and good time. Trout also like current, and in the lake there are areas that have considerable current because of the river channels. The most important factor however in your quest for the trout of destiny is food. Fish like to eat! This lake is full of Threadfin Shad, and trout love Thread fin Shad. I have caught them before trolling with their bellies full of shad, spitting them out as you reel them in even. Shad are everywhere in this lake.

Here are five tips to catch trout from a boat:

1: Make sure you have a sonar that not only tells you water depth and what is in the water, but water temperature. The think about our trout tournament on Lake Isabella is the fact that since it is spring, the water temps are good pretty much all over the lake. Sometimes the fish will actually be deeper because the water temps are too cold on the surface depending on the weather. Have a way to make sure you are fishing water no warmer than 60 and you will find the fish.

2: Look for diving birds. Remember those Thread fin Shad I was talking about? Well, birds like them too! Oftentimes the birds will point you right to fish. If you see diving birds in a concentrated area look for fish just below them. Motor up slowly but stay a ways off, cast a Kastmaster or Rapala, something with some weight that looks like a shad right into them, and hang on!

3: Fish areas that you know fish have been dumped in. The cool thing about boat fishing is that you can go anywhere pretty much to fish. From shore you are limited. So sometimes just still fishing in an area that you know fish were dumped has it's benefits just because no one on shore can get to it.

4: Troll, troll, troll!! Trolling is fun and it works, it is one of the best ways to catch trout. Use lures that look like shad and stay slow. Put out multiple lines and troll at multiple depths. If you have a boat with a down-rigger that is even better. Our lake is shallow but not also quite deep in areas if you are careful and map out your trolling corridors on the sonar first, you can successfully use a down rigger in this lake. You might lose some rigs but you will catch a lot of fish.

5: When trolling, look for bait balls on the sonar. Trout will either be in or below them. Remember their approximate depth and adjust accordingly. Or if you are relatively shallow and not getting bit on the troll find a bait ball and fish it with Power bait, Night crawlers and Kastmasters.

Ever drive by the lake and see a boat out in the middle of nowhere and wonder what they are doing? Well one of two things, either fishing in the river channel for Crappie on structure, or they are baitballin'.

Hope this helps, til' next time tight lines and loose drags!