How To Catch Trout Below Dams

Throughout the year one of the most reliable places to catch fish is the riverine section below a highland reservoir dam.While bass and other fish in the impoundment above the dam live in an environment of water temperature and barometric pressure changes that affect their behavior, trout below the dam swim in a more controlled setting. So the fishing is good for trout year-round below the dam because of the constant water temperature and cold fronts don’t bother the trout as much as bass and other fish. The tailrace section also produces consistent trout action because a constant supply of food passes through the dam and flows off the river banks.If you can tolerate the cold, the best fishing for trophy brown trout occurs during the winter when the fish have finished spawning and start feeding heavily. Big brown and rainbow trout feast on the eggs the browns have lain so try to imitate the eggs by selecting an artificial egg-pattern fly. Use either a fly rod with a weighted leader or spinning tackle with a drift rig consisting of the fly on a leader line and a sinker on a drop line.Marabou jigs trick trout during the spring when water is released from the dam. I use 1/8-ounce jigs on light action spinning tackle for fishing in the heaviest current and scale down to a 1/16-ounce jig when the flow is light. I prefer olive green or black jigs most of the time, but if the lake above is experiencing a shad kill I opt for a white jig to imitate the baitfish coming through the dam.Live bait performs best during the summer, especially for trophy trout. To trick the biggest trout you need to use live bait native to the area, such as minnows and sculpins. Other baits that produce limits of trout include prepared baits, salmon eggs, red worms, nightcrawlers and corn.Trout can also be taken during the summer on artificial lures set below a strike indicator. Try either a 1/100th-ounce jig, egg pattern fly or Woolly Bugger fly.The summertime tactics also catch trout throughout the fall. Trophy fish become a little easier to catch again when they start moving closer to the dam to spawn.Then, the cycle starts all over again, which makes the waters below a dam one of the most dependable places to catch trout year-round.