How to recognise it
- Bright silver sides and a dark blue to green back, with a deeply forked tail, which sets it apart from a rainbow trout.
- At spawning time the body turns bright red and the head and tail stay olive green. Males grow a hooked jaw and a humped back.
- Usually 10–12 in, up to about 20 in in some reservoirs.
Habitat: where it lives
- Lakes and reservoirs, in open water. It prefers 10–13°C (50–55°F) and tolerates up to 15°C (59°F).
Habits: behavior, spawning and growth
- A schooling fish that lives 2–3 years in California reservoirs.
- Near the surface early in the season and in low light, then deeper as the water warms and the lake layers in summer.
- Runs up tributaries to spawn in fall, gathering in dense schools near their mouths first.
Where and when
- Fish from a boat: it stays in open water.
- Fishing starts in spring and peaks in summer.
- Early and late in the day it can be shallow; through summer, go deeper to find the cold water it wants.
- Rules differ by state and by water: check your state's rules before you go.
Bait and lures
Live and natural bait
- A kernel of white shoepeg corn, often scented, on the lure's hook
Lures
- Small spinners
- Soft plastic tubes (hoochies or squids)
- Small spoons
- A dodger or flasher just ahead of the lure
Why these baits work
- It eats plankton, not fish, so what works is a small lure in pink or orange, not a big one.
- A dodger ahead of the lure flashes in open water, where there is nothing else to draw it in.
Rod and reel setups
Grouped by lure fishing (artificial baits) and bait fishing (live or natural bait).
Lure fishing
- Rod
- Ultralight-action rod
- Reel
- Reel to suit the rod
- Line
- Line on a downrigger to reach depth, or leadcore line
- Hook & rig
- A dodger just ahead of a small spinner, hoochie or spoon in pink or orange, tipped with shoepeg corn, trolled at 0.8–1.5 mph.
- Rod
- Ultralight-action rod
- Reel
- Reel to suit the rod
- Line
- Light line with lead weights ahead of the lure
- Hook & rig
- A small pink or orange spoon or hoochie, trolled at 0.8–1.5 mph.
Size and bag limits vary by state, species and lake. Current limits: Texas (TPWD); elsewhere, your state's fish and wildlife agency. Check before you keep a fish.
Sources
