It's too much of a good thing to keep this under wraps. In the past few weeks I've been to several pothole trout lakes within a couple hours of Edmonton and for every one I've been to, the results are all the same. The fishing is red hot, with a seemingly unlimited number of trout willing to bite my hook.
My ticket to success has been twofold. The first consideration is location. I like to fish the deep edges weedlines, which usually translates into fishing in about seven to ten feet of water. It is these edges that the trout like to patrol and the bite has been steady. The next ticket to success is presentation.
I've had excellent luck with three presentations. The first is the most basic of all presentations and that's putting a piece of trout worm (a piece of dew worm will work just as good) on a small bait hook and suspending it a foot off bottom. This is set line fishing and it is the absolute champion of the 'do nothing' approach, but make no mistake, this approach works and it catches a bunch of fish.
My second presentation is doing the slow jig using a bead head fly. My favorite bead head flies are the prince nymph, the pheasant tail nymph and the shrimp. These flies are small, unassuming and catch fish like Jack the Bear. The trick is to lower them to the bottom and slowly, ever so slowly bring it up to just under the ice. Then drop it back down and do it again. This presentation takes patience and it is much like chironomid fishing in the summer, and yes, it is a flat out fish catcher. The trout have a real hard time rejecting a small natural looking fly and for that I am grateful.
The third presentation is using a jig and actively jigging it. The jig is still a good starter, because it quickly determines what mood the fish are in. When the fish are active, it takes nothing to drop down a jig, catch a fish, drop it back down and catch another. If, however, the jig isn't working, I'll switch up. I've seen the proof on my Aqua Vu. I'd use a jig and I'd literally have three and sometimes four fish at the same time come nose the jig and turn away. When I see that, I'll change over and drop down a little fly and proceed with the catching, for the trout have a next to impossible time in laying off the fly.
With that said, make a plan and point the car, truck or feet in the general direction of your nearest pothole trout lake and get in on the fun.
