Odd behavior

[Almaink]

I'm getting a little worried about they way the trout seem to be acting this year. They are not moving from where they were stocked for one. I never liked the idea of dumping them off the bridges when they have the whole Canal towpath to drive down and stock from, but with the locked gates I guess it would take an act of congress to change that. The trout are already showing schooling up and not hitting anything behavior. Yesterday 4 days after they were stocked I saw schools of 30 to 40 fish just sitting in the current not hitting anything. If you moved a spinner by them a few would peel off from the pack and follow but no hits. They were also jumping a lot. The two I did catch put up the best fights I think I've ever had for brookies, but it just seems odd how they are still all there and not hitting anything. Most times I don't see this happen until late June. I know it's been warm out but if this is going to be the way it is now maybe they need to think about starting the season earlier. The only good thing about it, for me anyway, is people have given up trying to catch them for the most part. I was the only one fishing yesterday in a spot that in past years would have had at lest 10 guys there. Not good for F&G tho as next year people may not even bother to buy a license or stamp then we are all screwed.

[cantcatchme]

It hasn't been that warm. How many days have been up and above the 60's? The rivers I fish in Monmouth and Ocean counties have fish spread out as far as I can walk. They do seem to have a ton of fish in them this year. In the beginning I thought we were doomed with the size of the fish. I even caught fish that just made the 7" mark which obviously isn't legal.

[dogfish246]

When fish dont move and they dont bite it can mean they are stressed but more likely that they are "full" and satisfied with the location they are in. Fish move when they dont have optimal conditions (food and water quality)... People were complaining about the trout not being hungry in a lake near me. I went out, and there were all bug larvae hatching. The lake was covered so the fish had a huge buffet!

[Almaink]

Ya I guess it could be they are satisfied just odd they way they are all schooled up, and they are not spread out like in the streams and rivers. Yesterday they were still like that although I did manage to catch 6 in about an hour and a half's time. Every fish was caught on a different lure tho. After catching on a lure they would go cold to it and it wouldn't even get any hits. Switch the lure and the hits would start again and eventually a catch. Most hook ups were on a falling lure after a hit. I had a strange catch as well, a golden shiner about 12" on a black and green spinner. Fish hit as soon as the lure hit the water.

[Lard Almighty]

Originally Posted by Almaink

Yesterday they were still like that although I did manage to catch 6 in about an hour and a half's time. Every fish was caught on a different lure tho. After catching on a lure they would go cold to it and it wouldn't even get any hits. Switch the lure and the hits would start again and eventually a catch.

I see this all the time. When some people catch a few out of a hole and then the bite dies they often make the mistake of moving on. Switch up to a different lure and you can usually coax a few extra fish out of a spot. I make my living fishing behind people and catching all the fish that they miss, simply because I'm using something different.

Don't be afraid to switch lures frequently; stocked trout usually let you know pretty quickly what they will and will not go after.

[Michael82929]

The rivers have been bone dry and getting constant pressure... with this weeks rain, it will be a banner day on the trout streams..

Remember - turkey season is in full swing and saltwater is... not to mention more activities that will get a lot of pressure off the streams...

These upcoming weeks are the weeks where you catch 40 - 60 trout in a day...