montana ranch

[Kudu 0]

I am headed to montana at the end of next month to hunt for mule deer and upland birds. The large ranch located about 100 miles north of billings in petroleum county has a 15 acre ranch pond/lake that is full of brown and rainbow trout. According to the rancher their diet consists of freshwater shrimp. I assume a freshwater shrimp is a scud. I know nothing about a scud or a trout located in a ranch pond. I have caught a limited number of trout and all of them have come from tailwaters. What recommendations as to my approach on catching these fish? Hopefully, Ill get my deer early on in the trip and will have some time to fish after bird hunting. Thanks in advance.

[ikerajala 0]

I would say that if it has scuds then it is probably weedy. A simple scud can be tied with dubbing, wire, and a strip of sandwich baggy. Look it up in beginners flies on FAOL.

 

I have caught brook trout out of weedy sloughs who have had a diet of scuds. The brook trout's meat was red and delicious. It smelled like a salmon baking in the oven.

 

Other people would dislike a trout that tastes like salmon and would say it was gamey.

 

Some body far wiser can probably answer this better than me.

 

 

Ike.

 

P.S. You are probably a catch and release fisherman.

[SilverCreek 0]

I'd tie up some damsel fly nymphs. Most western ponds will have damsels in them. Use a yellowish olive marabou,

 

Here's an easy pattern. I use bead chain eyes.

 

http://www.flyanglersonline.com/flytying/fotw2/062303fotw.php

[phg 0]

A major difference between stream trout and pond trout is how much they move about. Stream trout tend to sit in one spot and wait for food to come to them. In a pond, the trout mill around in pods searching for food. Use a strike indicator to suspend your scud or other nymph. You'll have to work out what depth works best, but I've often found 2 to 3 feet to be a good starting place. Toss it out into a likely spot and leave it set. You don't usually have to move it much, the trout will come to it, eventually.

[BBBruce77 0]

Fishing trout lakes is very different from stream fishing in a number of ways. Some of which have already been mentioned the fish are moving the other primary factor is your casting prophesency, as the farther you can cast the better your chances of catching large fish will be. A simple fly that will work is a size 10 or 12 Glen's Leach in a light green. Its tied on a scud hook, weighted with rabbit tail, keep it thin and twisted marabou for the body with a copper wire rib. It will pass for a damsel nymph,or leach. Chronimid nymphs will be migrating to deeper water as the weather gets colder if you hit it when this is happening you will be able to get a lot closer to the fish as there concentration is focused on the bottom of the lake. This is really fun fishing as you can stock large fish in shallow water. Cast out ahead of them and let your fly sink to the bottom and wait for the fish to be within 5 feet or so before you move your fly. Have fun as this is the best time of year to catch big fish.

[fly tryer 0]

Fishing trout lakes is very different from stream fishing in a number of ways. Some of which have already been mentioned the fish are moving the other primary factor is your casting prophesency, as the farther you can cast the better your chances of catching large fish will be. A simple fly that will work is a size 10 or 12 Glen's Leach in a light green. Its tied on a scud hook, weighted with rabbit tail, keep it thin and twisted marabou for the body with a copper wire rib. It will pass for a damsel nymph,or leach. Chronimid nymphs will be migrating to deeper water as the weather gets colder if you hit it when this is happening you will be able to get a lot closer to the fish as there concentration is focused on the bottom of the lake. This is really fun fishing as you can stock large fish in shallow water. Cast out ahead of them and let your fly sink to the bottom and wait for the fish to be within 5 feet or so before you move your fly. Have fun as this is the best time of year to catch big fish.

 

Having grown up fly fishing still waters, I have to disagree with the comment about "the further you can cast the better your chances of big fish" One of the biggest mistakes many people make on still waters is to ignore the margins, there are often fish cruising the margins picking off bugs such as ants, hoppers, and other wind blown fodder, the skill is to approach with stealth and fish the inside line before spooking the fish that may be there, one of the biggest browns I had was within 10' of the shore.

 

Steve

[mikechell 0]

Steve, I think you are misunderstanding the "cast farther for big fish" statement. It doesn't mean you have to cast farther away from shore. Even if you are paralleling the shore and making cast to the weed line, you still stand a better chance of not spooking that big fish if you can drop a fly to it way down the bank where the fish can't see you waving a stick in the air.

[Kudu 0]

Thanks to everyone that I replied. I had a fantastic trip. I got my first mule deer and it was a very nice buck scoring 167 and 2/8. I visited the pond but did not fish because the bird hunting was awesome. I took many birds (all wild) including pheasant, hungarian partridge and sharptail grouse. I would recommend this trip to anyone. I thought I lived in a rural place after visiting here; I don't. I believe the fish would have been fairly easy to catch on scud and leech flies. They also told me that in addition to brown and rainbow trout the pond also had camo trout. Camo trout is a new one on me never heard of it before.

[gaffer 0]

Camo trout is a new one on me never heard of it before.

 

Perhaps he was referring to a tiger trout. They look camoflauge.

 

A