Fishing was a dud today.  No trout landed by either me or my cousin.  We saw a guy catch an 18 inch Rainbow and a few small Walleye.  Anyway, here is a video of the spillway.

 

--Last edited by outfortrout on 2009-07-09 23:45:43 --

I know when i used to fish there for walleye we caught some big browns using shiners.  I always did better for trout on the side opposite the hatchery down near the observation tower.

I'm sort of getting the impression that the Rainbows are up in the turbulent water by the spillway and the Browns are downstream further in the slower water.  I haven't caught a Brown yet but I'd LOVE to catch one of the monsters that I keep hearing about.  We tried first down on Dixon Island then fished a nice hole next to the hatchery, and then finished up by the spillway.  From what I hear there is a nice hole down by the boat launch.  I tried shiners and nightcrawlers yesterday.  Not sure when I'll get up there again.  I'm busy this weekend with family/friend stuff (except for sneaking out Sunday morning to fish locally) and next weekend I'm heading up to Lake Ontario to do some salmon fishing.

did you happen to get the water temps that has a lot to do with were the trout are.  

--Last edited by flyfisher on 2009-07-10 11:59:13 --

I've been watching them here
http://waterdata.usgs.gov/nwis/uv?03012550

I noticed that the temp usually peaks at noon and drops down until around 6-8 pm then starts climbing back up again.  We fished between noon and six yesterday.  I mentioned my theory to the guy at the bait shop in Warren.  He said early morning and evening are best because the trout don't like the sun.  I keep hearing that night time is best for the big Browns but I think that's the case everywhere.  I've never tried night fishing.

When did you used to fish it when you went up?

Btw...I really appreciate the tips.  I really like it up there but am a bit frustrated that I've only caught two trout in three trips.  

I actually fished in in December and January mostly.  you will never catch a lot of trout but you will catch nicer trout.  I am betting  a little down stream is better right now.  The Browns will be there.  Remeber there a lot of predator fish in there right by the spill you got Walleye, Musky, Pike,  and who knows what else.  They will push a lot of trout out of the area. Also it is not a true tail water they mix the water from deep and shallow zones.

That makes sense about the predator fish.  I've seen pictures of some monster Musky taken out of there.  I know I'll never catch many trout up there.  I know there are lots of big ones though.  That's what I'm hoping for.  I've read that there lots of 18-22 inch fish and then there are the "really" big ones particularly the Browns.  If I get to go up again I'm going to try down below like you said.

there is always a big brown right by the look out tower at the tail of the pool.  I got a 25" brown there once.  A 20" trout is bait for some of those Musky some of them are flat out huge!

I'll bet those Muskies feast on all of those poor trout fingerlings :-(

25 inch Brown...yes please!  I'd just about kill for one.  I've caught several around here in the 18-21 inch range but never one that big.

I have caught a few trout in the 2 foot range they are fun.  I go through lunker hunting stages with my trout fishing.  Ill tell you this secret tip if you want to catch big trout on bait consistently you have to target them.  Dont go for numbers and study the water.  Big browns always perfer the tail ends of holes. Freash stockers are different but in areas where they are more wild trout they perfer to feed at night or early moring in the summer.  Now in Spring or late fall and winter it is totally different they will feed in water temps in the 60 to 65 degree range.  

If you wnat big fish use BIG bait leave the wax worms and little stuff at home.  A 3 to 4 inch shiner is killer up on the Allegheny.  

I have heard the Walleye do more damage on the fingerlings.  

--Last edited by flyfisher on 2009-07-10 15:54:22 --

I used to use halves of crawles.  Lately I've been using whole crawlers.  Sometimes I'll try attaching a white poweregg to make the crawler float.  Normally I don't use live minnows but I recently bought a minnow bucket and yesterday I tried them for the first time in ages.  I bought the larger sized minnows too not the dinky ones.  They were probably around three inches.  I had one fish steal my minnow. No idea what it was.  That was my only bite on them yesterday.

I've always heard that night time is prime time for big Browns.  I've never tried it.  I can't swim and I'm always a bit concerned about bears, snakes, or psychos at night  .   I can do early mornings though.

I need to win the lottery so I don't have to work anymore.  Work is interfering too much with my fishing time.  I was telling my cousin yesterday that I think I've hit the point of obsession.  When I'm not fishing I'm usually thinking about it.  Normally I stop trout fishing in July.  This year I think I'll probably just keep going.  With places like Kinzua Dam and East Branch Dam around I don't have to worry about the warm water so much.
I'll keep your advice in mind about the tail ends of holes too.

So far the biggest trout I've ever caught was a 23.5 inch Palomino.  I'm hoping to catch more trout in that range...and up.  

--Last edited by outfortrout on 2009-07-10 16:05:18 --

LOL I have been obessed for years!  I am not afraid of water or night fishing I just can't find anyone nuts enough to fly fish at night with me.  Are you threading your minnows?  Also night crawlers really should not float if you are fishing moving water.  Think how a natural would look if it was not attached to the line.  I Used ot do really well fishing crawlers with no weight at all.  they are heavy enough to cast and they sink own there own.  Big browns like the bait to look as natural.  If you are using shinners thread them there a links on line on how to do it.  I would drop the power egg idea myself it really is not natural.  The trout up there are really more of a wild trout and unlike stockers they look for natural food.  And dont just fish the slow dead holes most of my bigger trout have been caught out of riffles or shallow water and the reason is simple that is where the food is.

Makes sense on the poweregg idea.  I've had it work for me but that was for stocked fish.  These are a different animal.  The white powereggs with waxworms can be deadly in the springtime for the stockies.  

No, I didn't thread my minnows.  I was hooking them up through the mouth.  I'll have to research threading them.  I asked the guy at the bait shop in Warren about that.  I never understood why I'd buy live minnows and then thread them which kills them.  He said you have to know how to "spin them" just right. He said if you don't then you won't get any hits.  My aunt threads her minnows and she's had good success too.

Would a salted minnow rig work for live minnows?  For my salted minnow rigs I use a single hook through the lip and a treble hook in back.

I might have to try Dixon Island again.  The water isn't very deep. It's kind of shallow with lots of riffles.  I normally dismiss that type of water as "fly water" and move on but maybe I shouldn't.  I generally prefer deeper riffles or deep holes with riffles coming in.  I don't like holes that are too slow.  Those are only good for suckers and chubs.

Trout fishing never gets old.  I've been doing it for over thirty years and I still feel like I'm just scratching the surface.

I loved bait Fishing fast water when i used to bait fish.  It is really not hard at all to do.  I look at any stream or river and have forced myself to learn how to fish any type of water effectively.  The only way to learn is to do it.  I consider any time of water fly water it all is good if you know how to approach it.   And it can be done with bait or flies.  Remember stockies tend to like water that is close to what they were raised in it seems where wild trout go where the most food is.  It all comes down to reading the water and don't forget to wear polorized glasses they really help in spotting fish!

Yeah I always wear my polarized glasses.  I have magnetic clip ons for my prescrïption glasses.  

I've fished upstream before with no sinkers on my crawlers with some success before.  I wasn't doing that yesterday at Dixon Island though.  I was using one splitshot.

If your fishing in the slower water below the dam fish as flyfisher says, however,there are many more large browns in the first 100 yards from the dam than you think. To fish them successfully with minnows do the following--- spin 3-5" bait, either threaded or lip hooked with a #14 single with a #6 or 8 treble in the tail.(Rays rigs work if you can still get them) Use 8lb line with a 4ft 6lb leader tied to either a 1/2 or 5/8 keel sinker or a swivel with the same weight barrel sinker above the swivel. Cast as far across the water as you can(a good cast should reach the far wall) count to three and real as fast as you can with long fast jerks (3-4ft). The object is not give them any time to do anything but react and strike.I fished strictly large river Browns over 100 days a year from 1964 through the eighties and caught many browns 20-30" including the largest in the state in 79. This is the best tactic for the first 100 yds or so of water but not much beyond that. There are large browns from the dam to Tidioute and beyond but they really like the highly oxygenated water of the outflow and are easier to carch there.

I am not sure you can get as close to the Dam as you used to since 9-11.  i may be wrong.

Thanks s-10.  I was talking to a guy at the spillway yesterday wearing a Warren State Hospital shirt who gave me similar advice.  He is a walleye fisherman but said his friend is a trout fisherman and he uses that tactic.  He said to use a Carolina rig and fish the minnow just about a foot under the surface.

What does "spin" mean?  I heard a guy use that term yesterday too.

Fly, not sure about fishing from the wall like you used to but you can catch the lower end from the corner of the sloped wall. I was sightseeing from Rte59 with some friends last week and think I saw some fishermen on the Hemlock wall. Spin is just the flashing  action of the threaded minnow being pulled through the water. I actually think you have better luck lip hooking them with the tail treble having a bit of slack.Using the front hook as your bearing hook gives a more realistic motion and the minnow doesn't tend to bunch up after a few casts.

Good deal.  It sounds similar to the salted minnow rigs that I use only I'll need bigger hooks.  For my salted minnow rigs I use size 12 single hooks and hook the minnow through the eye then use a size 14 treble for the back.