Q on trout behavior
 

Still learning so please bear with me.
When lake gets really fresh all of a sudden like recently, fishing gets tougher but the trout don't just pack up and leave the estuary do they?
Does the fresh water influx just spread them out to deep pockets of saltier water? Or do they all head offshore??

Also, when I catch just one trout in a spot and nothing else after an hour, what's going on (in general)? I understand they move in groups, so maybe it wa as lucky cast but this has happened to me many times lately and I'm sitting there like "man there's gotta be more than just one trout here"
Any insight appreciated.

This usually means you are fishing right next to me...

I think salinity has a lot to do with spawning, I have a friend that works for WLF and they sample year round in certain areas, he said fresh or salt theres always mule trout in same places. I think it may affect there feeding or shock them with the big change but fish are there. When you figure out how to make them bite let me know! :work:

Trout don't leave the lake
Move to deeper areas that hold Salt water

Most freshwater stays on the upper water columns

Have caught trout with crawfish in stomach before in black lake
...

Females need high salinity to spawn but they will just move in areas with higher salinity

Thanks guys.
Most of the trout ive caught this summer (like both of em!) have all had eggs. How often do they spawn, and do they do this in open water?

LOLz , AMEN

Cousin from elton said they spawn sometimes 3 times a year during the summer around full moons. That's when they spawn. Obviously they would start fanning their beds a few days earlier than the full moon

Interesting read on trout spawning: http://www.nola.com/outdoors/index.s...out_spawn.html

They spawn mostly in passes around midnight on an incoming tide in high salinity. Generally every 4-14 days. That's right, some fish spawn 40 times a year. Males fertilize eggs after she drops and they are swept into protected waters by the tide.

I've been told that a female egg sac will hydrate like a big bass just before spawning and she'll weigh a lot more than even a few hours previous. But you'll never get her to bite at that time.

^^^ What he said!

Yes I always found that 3 days before and 3 days after full moon on high salinity incoming tide. June July and August possibly may, I've noticed that May and June are when the big girls fall victim to an angler. Unfortunately VB salinity is usually low in early months and I catch my bigger fish September, October before the big schools of trout migrate for the fall run.

They will move to deeper pockets not saying goin to 10ft deep if ur in an area that's 4ft and u can find 6ft hole they will move to that and they will also be lethargic it'll be hard to get en to bite plastic when salinity low but they'll eat live decent but they're not gonna be active


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It also depends where you are in the lake or in where you are in the channel and how much flow is coming down the river. I've seen it get ugly on top during short duration storms and then we've seen it get fresh from top to bottom on the upper end. Each incoming tide pushes salt water up under the fresh. It may take several weeks of back and forth tide mixing and wind to mix it all back togther unless there is a prolonged flood event like we had last fall, winter, and spring.

Fish deeper with slightly heavier jig heads, and keep moving closer to the pass until you find fish.

As for the 'only catch one' question, they arn't always in schools and sometimes they roam as singles and as 3-5 fish groups. Your cast might have been perfect for that one out of the 3 but then the next cast is a little off and you don't catch anything. Try to keep fishing the same structure and depth where you caught the one and your likely to be in the ball park a little more often.

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The basic science behind it is salt water is denser than fresh water. So, when both are present, the salt water goes to the bottom. If trout need salt water to survive (and they do), they'll most likely be found where the saltier water is.

However, as Trout Support said, it depends on where you are. If you're in an area close to where the fresh water is entering a body of water, then it's possible that entire area from top to bottom could be fresh water. Or mostly fresh water.

You just have to recognize where you are, what the fish need to survive and fish accordingly.

It also very depends what time of year. Trout are much more tolerant of fresh water in the cold months than warm. I suspect a lot of that has to do with spawning, but I would bet some physiology has to do with it as well.