The Underwater World of Trout – Discovery

Posted on February 12, 2012 by Robert Ivan

While at the NJ Fly Fishing Show in Somerset NJ this year I purchased an unassuming DVD from an unassuming booth near the entryway. The DVD is called Discovery and is volume one in filmmaker/fly fisherman Wendell Ozefovich’s (Ozzie) four part lecture program entitled, The Underwater World of Trout.

The Underwater World of Trout - Volume One, Discovery

Discovery
In this unique video you will be taken into The Underwater World of Trout. The view under the stream is not as bucolic and stable as you have come to believe. A stream is alive, not just with trout and insects, but with minnows, crayfish, and a varied mix of living things. What looks like crystal clear water is chock full of sticks, leaves, bubbles and larvae. This exploration of a trout’s world, from under the surface, opens your eyes to a new appreciation of trout and their living world.

There are no staged aquarium shots; these trout are in their natural environment. There is also footage of sea-run rainbow and brown trout. There are wild fish and stocked fish, fighting fish and spawning fish. You will see beneath the surface as trout feed on drifting invertebrates and surface flies, and how a trout views an angler through its window.

There is a segment on electrofishing and stream bank restoration, which will show that anglers, together with private conservation organizations and government agencies, can work together toward a common goal. This is one of the few presentations that almost everyone from rank beginner to crusty old cuss walks away having learned something!

My four year old son and I watched the 52 minute DVD together and we both enjoyed it immensely. I have watched the video half a dozen times since, watching and learning each time. Ozzie’s narration is clear and well structured for learning. The underwater footage alone confirmed and refuted several assumptions I had made about what was going on under the water.

I have an upcoming interview with Ozzie about him and his work on these videos. If you’d like to ask him a question please post it below, on our Facebook page, Twitter, or email.

About Ozzie
Ozzie has been filming and videotaping for more than four decades, so he has the skill and equipment to produce a quality experience. He is an accomplished fly fisherman who looks at a river not just as an angler, but also as a filmmaker. He asks the same questions you do—sometimes finding answers, sometimes finding more questions to ask. visit his website at www.UnderwaterOz.com

RVTA Offering Free Jigging for Lake Trout Seminar

Posted on January 5, 2012 by Robert Ivan

The Round Valley Trout Association will be hosting a free trout fishing workshop on Jan. 19, starting at 7:30 p.m. at the American Legion Hall on Ridge Road and Route 22 East in Whitehouse NJ. The guest speaker will be John Korn, who will give a PowerPoint presentation and discuss jigging techniques for lake trout in Round Valley Reservoir.

JohnFKorn_RoundValley_LakeTrout_2010December11

John Korn holding a 25lb lake trout he caught (jigging) and released on December 11, 2010 at Round Valley Reservoir.

For information visit the club’s website at www.fishrvta.com.

Fishing the Shoreline for Rainbows and Brown Trout

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Robert Ivan

If you are looking to do some shoreline trout fishing at Round Valley from now till the ice moves in, you cannot beat the following technique. Now this may not be the most exciting or glamorous method of trout fishing, but it does catch Rainbows and Brown Trout.

marshmallows, mealworms and live shiners (in the bucket)

Tackle:
Use the tried and true All Purpose Round Valley Fishing Rig.

Bait:
Live Shiner, Powerbait, Mealworms, Garden Worms, and Mini Marshmallows.

Method 1:
Fish any combination of baits above (except the shiners) on the bottom. Cast out, set your pole down and wait. Do not reel your line in just for the heck of it, chances are you’ll get snagged on something. leave it out there for a good 20-30minutes before reeling in and checking your bait. Some people like to use a strike indicator like a bell during the day or little glowstick at night. I hope you brought a chair and thermos of soup.

Rod resting in holder, awaiting some action.

Method 2:
The trout are cruising the shallows looking for a river to spawn so they tend to be in very shallow water. I like to fish a live shiner hooked through the dorsal fin under a bobber. It does not have to be a slip bobber for this time of year because the fish are shallow. I set my hook about 3 feet below the bobber and cast out so i’m in 10 to 15 feet of water and that’s just fine. Wait for the bobber to go completely under, reel in your slack line and while counting 3 or 5 seconds. Is the bobber still under? If yes, set the hook. If it came up, just wait.It’s not uncommon for the trout to come back around and take it again.

That’s it. Have fun out there. Stay warm!

Bottom Fishing Lighted Strike Indicator

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Robert Ivan

Tom From Bridgewater shares this tactic on how to detect a strike when fishing the bottom of the lake, Day or Night!

Tom from Bridgewater - Strike Indicator

A light up bobber, like this LED Lighted Bobber, is modified by screwing in a an open-eye hook into the top and adding some split-shot to the inside of the bobber for ballast. The eye hook allows you to easily hang or remove the bobber from you line. adding weight to the bobber allows it to hang down on the line more deeply.

Tom from Bridgewater - Bottom Fishing Strike Indicator

Setup:
When fishing at day time using a bottom rig, simple cast out, put your rod in its holder, reel in the tension then hang the bobber from your main line between two of the rod’s guides.

How it works:
The weight of the bobber will pull down on the line slighly but when a fish hits, the bobber will bounce and move up as the line gets taught.

At Night:
Activate the bobber (usually by turning it) so the light comes on. Follow the same procedure as above. The benefit of the lighted bobber is you can sit in the warmth of your car and watch the bobber from a distance… you lazy, lazy man.

Thank you for sharing this tip Tom. If you have any tips or tricks you would like to share with the Round Valley Fishing community please contact us!

Frank’s Bottom Fishing Rig

Posted on August 13, 2011 by Robert Ivan

Readers of this site and regulars at Round Valley will probably recognize the rig I refer to as the best all-around fishing rig for bait fishing in Round Valley. I certainly did not invent the rig, it was shown to me many many years ago by a compassionate shore fisherman reaching out to a (then) bumbling teenager.

Nowadays I’m a bumbling 30 something year-old and again, a shore fisherman has extended an olive branch to me. Frank from Manville shared the below with me on my last fishing trip. It’s a take on the above mentioned rig but differs in that Frank places a small cork on the line between the hook and barrel swivel to lift the hook and bait off the bottom.

Frank from Manville - Bottom Fishing Rig

Materials Needed:
Besides the rig, you’ll need a natural replacement cork or sometimes called a cork stopper. I believe Frank buys his from Walmart but I found packages of cheap ones using Google Shopping too. You’ll have to drill out a small hole through the center to pass your line, but since cork is super soft, you can do this with a small drill or Dremel tool. I actually did one the other day just spinning a drill bit between my fingers. Whatever technique you use to make the hole, be safe and don’t do anything stupid.

Rigging:
To get the cork to stay about a foot, foot and half above your hook, simply pass your line through the cork 2 times. No knot is needed (and indeed a knot here would weaken your line).

Fishing:
That’s it, now tie on your hook and you’re ready to go fishing. The rig works great when fishing with garden worms, meal worms or powerbait on the bottom, keeping your tasty bait up out of the mud and in the view of would be fishes. Using the float and a circle hook like the Gamakatsu Octopus Circle Hooks in a size 8 or 6 will also greatly reduce your chances of snagging the bottom too.

Thanks again to Frank from Manville for showing me this rig. If you’d like to share your rig with us, send us the details and an image or drawing and we’ll post it on Round Valley Fishing.