How to Catch High-Sierra Mountain Lake Trout

How do you catch trout in a high Sierra lake?

Troll and build a pattern. Cal Kellogg runs a downrigger and lead core and works his method: big and fast to slow and small. He starts with spoons around 2.5 to 2.7 mph to cover water, then locks in on the depth, speed, and lure that produces and repeats it exactly. Find one fish and there are usually more on the same page.

What spoons and colors work for Sierra trout?

A Trigger Spoon or Trigger Spoon Junior is the search bait. Orange and chrome, 50/50 silver and orange, and a 24 karat gold and chartreuse are killers, along with a Disco Junior in Captain America color. Run them clean off the downrigger and lead core.

What is the best bait for a tough Sierra trout bite?

A bubble gum pink Trix Worm. It throws huge action at low speed, and Cal hooks it way back at the tail because pressured fish nip rather than inhale. A natural Trix Minnow matches the pond smelt, and a Trigger Bugger is an under fished producer.

How deep and how fast should I troll in the Sierra?

Let temperature set the depth. With a cool surface, 47 to 56 degrees, the trout ride high, so top line or fish the top 10 to 30 feet. With a warm surface, 65 to 74 degrees, drop to 25 to 40 feet but fish early and late when they push up to feed. Run 2.5 to 2.7 mph, and slow to about 1.8 when it goes glassy.

How do you find fish at a new mountain lake?

Cut the lake down to size. Scout for bait and hard marks, then when you locate fish concentrated on a point or feature, grind that small area. Do not leave fish to find fish. Cal will work a narrow oval and stay on the school until the fish give him a reason to move.

When is the best time to fish high Sierra lakes?

Fall is prime. As surface temperatures drop and the days shorten, the trout move up toward the surface and feed hard before winter. In spring, follow the bite up in elevation from the valley to the foothills to the Sierra, then reverse it in fall.

What rod and line setup do you need?

A downrigger rod plus a lead core outfit. Cal runs 15 pound lead core with about a 40 foot monofilament top shot and an 8 pound fluorocarbon leader on a lead core trolling rod. Add a small trolling weight to reach fish without a ton of line out.

What species live in high Sierra lakes?

Mostly rainbows, from planters to holdovers to fully wild fish. Browns run big, up to 27 inches, and lakes like Prosser and Jackson Meadows hold Lahontan cutthroat, the same fish you catch at Pyramid Lake. You may also run into a brook trout or, near Stampede, kokanee.

Watch the technique

Trolling high Sierra mountain lakes for trout FAQ

Pond smelt one to three inches long, plus crawfish and aquatic insects. Thin baitfish spoons and small soft plastics that match the pond smelt profile are the most reliable producers.

In tough, heavily fed conditions the trout nip at the tail rather than eat the whole bait. Hooking it back at the tail loops the hook right into the lower jaw on those short strikers, so you land the fish that only nip.

Yes, when the surface is cold. In the low to mid 50s and colder the fish are near the top, so a top lined lure with a small trolling weight puts your bait right in the zone without a downrigger.

Glassy water makes the fish shy and shuts down the fast presentation. Slow down, downsize to soft plastics and flies, and when a breeze puts a ripple on the water you can speed back up and power troll spoons again.

Prosser Reservoir and Jackson Meadows hold Lahontan cutthroat, the same species found at Pyramid Lake and occasionally caught at Stampede. The state re established these fish in a number of Tahoe and Truckee area waters.

An action disc ahead of a fly or soft plastic adds a wobble at slow speed. Cal pairs a Trigger Disc with a woolly bugger and sets his bobber stops about a half to three quarter inch apart to tame the action on a small fly.

Ideal. Smaller waters like Sugar Pine Reservoir have great access, light boat traffic, and all the features of a big lake, which makes them perfect for kayak trout trolling with a downrigger and lead core.

Both produce, but fall is prime as the water cools and fish move up. In warm summer conditions fish early and late and keep working structure, since the trout will dart up into warmer water to grab a meal and drop back down.