Fishing Rainbows and need help

[refteck]

My brother in law purchased a cottage on the Quebec side with a private 20 ac lake stocked with Rainbows. I've never fished for trout until now and was looking for some advice for spring,summer and fall.

This weekend we tried small flashers, about 3' of line and a spiner and worm. Tried different speeds,depths and no fish. Last month we caught a 3lb but nothing at all this time.

Were heading back this W/end and want to be better prepaired.

Thanks
Refteck

[solstrum]

Get yourself a needle, a syringe.

small hooks. weights up 4-6 feet from hook. put on worm. take the syringe and fill the worm with air until he floats on the water.

cast!

small spinners for trolling.

corn niblets work sometimes, so do small color mashmallows and roe.

they are a very finicky fish and take time.

[dead_weight]

I have limited experience with rainbows but have fished trout a lot. I've had success with small red devils and similar small spoons with various colours. Worms are great in spring but they are finicky eaters now ... they will be closer to the surface as the fall wears on so you should not have to troll as deep. Is there a brook that feeds this lake? Trout will feed there especially in the evening.

Also really consider getting a small fly fishing setup ... you don't need larger tackle for salmon or steelhead ... just lighter for rainbows. It's an investment that will pay off greatly ... I can't tell you how many times I've been trolling for trout and getting nothing only to see them coming to the surface all around my canoe for mayflies, etc. Frustrating. When they are feeding on a certain species then thats all they want to bite.

[dead_weight]

oh forgot to mention the most important word of advice ... this cottage belongs to your brother in law ... on a private 20 acre lake ... never get divorced !!!

[FrogEyes]

Fish will probably be a bit deeper this time of year. Fish during low light periods, best in the early morning. You set-up sounds good, just a matter of finding the fish. Have you tried this set up behind a bottom bouncer? Also, fish any inlets or woody areas with spoons, spinners, jigs, etc.

[refteck]

This weekend were going to try a portable fish finder to see what the depths are so we know what we are up against.

We have tried many different things, many of the above ideas except bottom bouncers wich I'm bringing this weekend to see what that brings to the surface.

We've discussed fly rods but we are a little nervous fishing beside each other and being hooked. We'll use two boat I think this will keep us both out of the hospital.

Thanks keep the info coming, Six more days to see if it helps.

Refteck

[dead_weight]

You can have two in the boat and just alternate who is fly fishing ... you can also use a side cast for the fly and it stays pretty clear of the boat while the other guy uses spinner setup ... I guess it all depends on how much confidence you have in each others casting ability ... there are some guys I would not be doing this with I'll admit !!!

You can also get used to fly fishing from shore ... but this might involve the purchase of a decent pair of hip waders ... more money !!!

[SeaMonster]

I don't really fish rainbows, but this time of year I use minnows for brookies sucessfully. Seem to ignore worms.

Can troll that behind a gang-troll or larger spoon with a mono leader. You want to troll a bit of weight as their probably down a bit in the cooler water.

Can try fly fishing if you see a lot of water breaks in the mornings and evenings.

[fishhit]

If the fish are stocked you can't beat a small gang harness with corn on a single hook. As far as I can understand the yellow color combined with the hatchery fish being fed corn and fishmeal makes it a viable option. Rainbows prefer cold water so I'd say they'd be deep right now.

Fish