Trout

Northern Indiana is blessed with a few cold water lakes where stocked trout can survive the summer and provide for excellent sport fishing. Best fishing takes place when the water is cooler, typically from October through May. A stocking plan and list of lakes and rivers where trout are stocked can be found on the Indiana DNR website at the following link:

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3622.htm 

Methods and tactics for targeting trout are described towards the bottom of the page.

This is my biggest Brown Trout from a kayak. At 23 1/2 inches, it was a magnificent fish to catch!

These lakes contain some VERY nice Rainbows!

I usually fish for trout when the water surface temperature is 55 degrees or cooler. Cool water brings the trout right to the surface where they are easy to target using a variety of tactics. Here are a couple tips that will get you on fish quickly:
1) Fish the windy side of the lake. 9 times out of 10 trout will be concentrated on the wind blown side of the lake. Not sure on the exact reason but this seems to hold true most days.
2) Constantly vary your depth until you find fish. While trolling, constantly zig-zag between deep and shallow water. Trout can be just about anywhere and changing depths can help you pinpoint where they will be on any given day. With an added bonus that while you are zig-zagging, your lures are constantly changing speed and direction. This will trigger fish to strike.
3) Fish when other people have long since given up. December, January, and February are all great months. As long as the lake is not frozen and you can get to open water you can and will be rewarded. I've had water freezing to my kayak, lines, and gear while fishing and still caught fish. Be extremely careful in cold weather. I wear a dry suit and PFD at ALL times in cold water. Take every precaution to ensure you return safely because even trout are not worth your life. Go with a friend whenever possible and do not go out if you doubt your abilities.


Fly Fishing

My preferred method for targeting trout is using fly rods. I use two very different approaches when fly fishing. Trolling and Casting can both can be extremely effective. I will troll most days, especially when there is chop on the water. I will cast when there is minimal wind and a moving kayak may spook fish. 

Trolling with fly rods has a lot of advantages:

1) You can cover a lot of water. This can be especially important because when water is cool trout can literally be in any part of a lake. I have caught them anywhere from in a few feet of water to in over 75 feet of water. 

2) Keeps your flys in the water for extended periods of time. When you do not have to spend time casting you can spend more time fishing. Keeping your lures out at all times is a great way to up your odds.

3) Flys and Kayaks work extremely well together. When trolling you can impart a ridiculous amount of action to your flys. Paddle on one side of the boat and one fly will speed up while the other slows down. Every paddle stroke makes the flys surge forward and then slow down before the next stroke. I like to play with my boat and speed up suddenly, slow down suddenly, change directions, come to a complete stop, lean side to side. All of these things can and will trigger strikes depending on what the fish want.

4) Line control is easy. The fly lines I use alternate color every 25 feet. This way, I can precisely dial in how far back from the boat I have my flys. 2 colors plus a 9 foot leader is approximately 60 feet behind the boat. Typically on a day that is sunny and/or calm you will have to put out a lot more line than on a day that is cloudy and/or windy.  

5) Fly lines do not tangle like normal mono filament lines. Trout are fast, acrobatic, and spirited fighters and will often cross over, around, and under your other line. Fly lines are really easy to untangle and tangling will usually not result in a break off. 

No matter how I am fishing, it is hard to beat a Clouser Minnow pattern. This lure is a great imitation of baitfish but does not necessarily need to be tied in natural colors. Adding bright colors and flash can be a great way to attract a hungry trout and they do not seem to be too selective. Another advantage to a Clouser is that the hook rides point up and fish are typically hooked in the upper jaw making hook removal easier and catch and release much gentler on the fish. 

Spin Fishing

I used to target them by trolling crank baits. Any small crank bait will do the trick but you typically do not want them to run deeper than 5 feet. The same tricks that work with flys will also work with these baits. Play with your boat. Speed up suddenly, slow down suddenly, change directions, come to a complete stop, lean side to side. Hard baits are also great because when you stop your kayak they will suspend in the water. There have been times where I hooked a fish and came to a stop while fighting it then had another fish grab my other lure while it was suspended. Some of my favorite stick baits are pictured below. Hot lures include the Berkley Flicker Shad (A) in various colors, Various Rapala Minnow Baits (B) and the Yo-Zuri Pins Minnow (C).