Thread: Fussy/lazy trout

I have this irrigation intake/pond on my new farm and it's full of trout, nice 2-4lb fish and there's plenty in there, can see the buggers crusing the edges and drop offs, beautiful clear water, obviously I haven't added enough cow shit and nitrogen to it.
Had a go at the trout a few evenings now and managed to land one the other night, just been using 70mm body Rapalas in various colours from rainbow smelt, to bright pink, to more natural brown and greens.
I have had a strike on each of the lures but the fish aren't really commiting and the strikes feel more like "curiosity" rather than a full on "im gonna eat this thing"
Apart from the one I landed I have failed to set a hook on anything else.
The pond has a bit of current around the edges and drops away reasonably deep especially along one side, it is also not a uniform depth so has a few other drop offs out in the middle.
Would I be better trying to drift a soft bait along the drop offs and through the current along the side of the pond?
Any other suggestions? Im not a fresh water fisherman by any means so need all the help I can get!

Copper and Lead spinner

Where is the new place?

piece of piss matey....terrafirma terrors..will send PM on best way to deploy them.

DOUBLE CHECK SEASON........ please

Originally Posted by Hayden C

Copper and Lead spinner

Where is the new place?

Down the end of Steeles Road on the right, backs onto the Rakaia and we have the cpw canal running through the middle of my farm also, if you look on Google earth you could probably find my pond

Originally Posted by Micky Duck

DOUBLE CHECK SEASON........ please

All year

wetsuit and spear gun ????

Ginger Micks, Gold and Silver bodied flies, on a bubble if you haven't got a flyrod, worms or magots , Paua spinner or the old Toby

Fish are possibly too interested in breeding to take a lure.

Hi Ryan try using a 10gm lure toby or a heavier Rapala otherwise give a heavy soft bait ago. The heavy lure will get down deeper where the drop offs are.

Dont farmers use Jelly anymore?

Sent from my SM-G390Y using Tapatalk

If its a pond isolated from another waterway then most of the above will be rather poor performers. They will occasionally take but more out of instinct than anything else.
Match the hatch is a pretty old saying but still very relevant. Why use a small fish or smelt immitation where there are no small fish or smelt? Its like trying for fish n chips at McDs.
These fish will be eating what is alive and abundant in their habitat.
Look a bit harder and find out what the next step down the food chain is.
My bet will be midge, water boatman, snails, damsel and dragonflies (might be a bit late in the season for these though) and maybe the odd koura. I would expect they will taste like shit too if this is what they're eating.

Tuna bomb?

Bonito