Down here on the cape, the lake has been open for a week or two now and i figured i might give it a shot. Casted out a bill lewis rattle trap in crayfish color, and brought it in as slow as i could manage while still maintaining a good wobble and as i got it about feet from the dock a BIG rainbow just demolished it. After a good fight, i pulled her up and she weighed in at just a hair above 3 pounds. Absolutely beautiful fish and pretty surprising considering that i was fishing what is generally considered to be a  warm, weed choked kettle pond where i cant imagine a trout surviving. I'm guessing this one had been holding over in a deep section of the pond after a past stocking. Pretty sweet though.

Congrats! I have caught Browns on a Lucky Craft LV-0.

Ah! Love those browns. Very pretty fish.

My sister caught a steelhead/rainbow on a 3/4 ounce Rat-L-Trap.  Talking about a surprise!  We took a couple of pics and set it on its way.

That's a NICE brown.

somebody posted a pic of a trout caught on a Rapala DT crankbait a while back. I never really understood catching rainbows on baits that imitate baitfish. I understand a Brown trout going after a bigger baitfish because from what I know, their diets include more fish than other trout species. But rainbow are supposed to be bug eaters...

Around here, rainbows key in on alewife in the deeper lakes.  I've caught dropback rainbows that were puking up alewifes by the 1/2 dozen.  The bug eaters are usually stream dwellers.  I've had HUGE success with browns employing bass style baits that represent gobies.

Well...there are trout, and then there are TROUT!

This is a 9wt flyrod -for scale. I don't remember this steelies length, but it approached 30".

These are a pair of 30" browns. They didn't get this big sipping bugs.

And some trout eat trout! This is a 23.5" small stream brown. He terrorized a lot of brookies in his day.

Trout are predacious and most species have greater growth potential than bass. Taking "bass-type" lures is not odd at all, except that we rarely apply them. Conversely, bass anglers are discovering "trout-type" lures are effective for bass.

WIERD!!!  ;D ;D

This holds true in the saltwater as well.  Last year I caught a Flounder (obviously a bottom dweller) while trolling shad bodies for Stripers.

Well...there are trout, and then there are TROUT!

This is a 9wt flyrod -for scale. I don't remember this steelies length, but it approached 30".

These are a pair of 30" browns. They didn't get this big sipping bugs.

And some trout eat trout! This is a 23.5" small stream brown. He terrorized a lot of brookies in his day.

Trout are predacious and most species have greater growth potential than bass. Taking "bass-type" lures is not odd at all, except that we rarely apply them. Conversely, bass anglers are discovering "trout-type" lures are effective for bass.

Some great pictures, Paul - beautiful fish.  Nice to see actual flyline on a flyrod, and not the usual mono/pacman/#2 hook.

Fly-fishing is a great way to catch 'em -Just love it.

Yeah, what always killed me were the guys all decked out like something they saw in a magazine -and carrying a "fly rod" strung with 20#, and sponge impaled on a#1 gold hook. Very short 4-1/2 to 5ft UL rods were the rage for those guys for a while. Imagine a tiny UL blank with 20# on it -then tethered to a steelhead. Dummest thing I still have ever seen in fishing. Took awhile before people began to find that those fish could actually be caught fair and square.

First time I appeared at Linear with real fly tackle (late 70s), a guy nearly attacked me shouting, (and I quote) "You're dreamin' kid, I say YOU'RE DREAMIN'!" It was apparent to me right then and there that the wannabes wanted to be real anglers -bad! This is not to put down the newbs of that era, but I'm still PO'd at what that fishery was like back then. Some of it still occurs today I know.

I went out of my way to show people how to catch them. Or, I just let 'em watch. I do remember the first time I looked upstream and down at Linear and saw only fair anglers. It was at the "Potato" (named by Tony Argento btw -for "meat-n-potatoes"). We were all shocked and gathered up and almost did a little dance together -a short-lived one though.

Anyway, real happy to see you and Kase on that water. You probably already know, but there's steelies to be had from Victor down to the bay. Drop-back was one of my favorite periods. As water levels drop the big ones end up in the deeper holes. I LOVED hanging a big streamer in those pools. They'd simply KILL those streamers, and then jump eye level with you! Something they just can't muster in the winter.

Well, your last thread got me goin' LOL. When I saw that water color, I was right there with you.

Interesting about credit for "potato."  I use flies quite a bit in winter, just to change up my offering - ESL, olive buggers, Estez, stonefly (deadly on warm winter days), etc.  My problem with fly tackle is the delivery, LOL, as I'm not a very good fly caster.  I worked on the double haul for a long time.  Had it for 60' casts in my front yard.  Get out on the water, and forget it!  Give me a 8-10' casting rod, a float, and some baits and I'm good.  I will occasionally bottom bounce, but I've been working a bulk shot float rig that does the same thing.  Kase is totally dedicated to the pin.  Thing is, he gets owned but the trees in the smaller ditches, like Mills, Shipbuilders, and Max.

Anyway, sorry for going WAY OFF TOPIC.  Its always good to here from you Paul.

And BTW, we once saw a rotten potato in the potato hole.  We almost died laughing.  Good to hear the origins.

THAT WAS TONY"S POTATO! IT"S STILL THERE!!?? ;D

Sorry to go so far off topic.

Great to catch up, mate.

I caught few brown trout few years ago, they hit all kinds of baits, but very nice catch Smallieslayer, and T-rig!

Up here we catch some monster browns and rainbows, Im talking bows pushing 20lbs and browns that can be 30+lbs.  Almost all of those fish are caught on minnow imitating baits, spoons, cranks, traps, some guys are even casting 6"-8" swimbaits and catching some real trophies.  Now these fish are coming out of Lake Michigan and feed on alwive, goby, and any other bait fish they can find, but spawn is also a easy way to catch them.