Help Fishing Rim Shoals

[dantep]

Need a little help. This will be the third year me and a buddy visit the white river on motorcycles to enjoy the scenery and trout fish. Trying a different spot this year, rim shoals. Usually at the other spots we just float with corn or power bait and have a blast catching trout. Questions are this, 1. Corn would work the same in this spot I imagine? Also are there any lures, jigs, etc that I could use to catch some trout? Bringing my own rod and reel this year, know it should be clear line, but is 6 pound test too heavy? Any help would be great, sorry for the dumb questions but use to fishing for Walleye and Bass, so I am a little ignorant on trout. Thanks in advance for any help

[rps]

A large portion of Rim Shoals is protected water - catch and release and you must use a single barbless hook lure. See this link:

http://www.rimshoals.com/rim_shoals_at_a_glance.htm

It is a great area and the area above and below the protected water is very good also.

Try 4 pound Maxima or Yozuri green. Try jigs in green, brown and white. (be sure to mash the barb down really well for the C and R area) Outside the C and R also try suspending Rogues and Crawdad colored shad raps. Have fun.

[Yakfly]

Your 6lb line will be fine, but for more bites, try adding just a 6 foot leader section at the end of your line of 4lb flourocarbon. Don't need to respool the whole reel.

Single barbless of course, try 1/8 and 1/16 oz marabou jigs - always work. Stop in the Rim Shoals fly shop, they will point to to the right direction on what lures to use as well.

[Clay Goforth]

I fish this stretch of water considerably more than the rest of the White because it is so close to where we stay...it is stellar for producing large numbers of fish. I always fish a 1/16 to 3/32 oz peach and olive PJs maribou jig on 3lb test maxima mono through the catch and release area. Something else which you can do (I may get run out of here for this ) is to take a Rapala jerkbait or a Rogue Junior, REMOVE the treble hooks, and replace the TAIL HOOK ONLY, with a single barbless hook. In 2-4 units of water, you can get some outstanding strikes in the C&R area ripping a jerkbait (recommend 6-8lb test). Up above the C&R area is excellent fishing as well. For the most part, if you stick to the north side of the river (the one with the docks) and cast jigs, jerkbaits/countdowns, and rattletraps behind docks and then out into the middle onto structure, you will pull fish off of there. This is also a big long wide gravel bottom stretch that would be ideal for dragging corn and the like with very little significant structure to snag up on. If you go down below the C&R, you will be in one of the most productive areas of the river in my opinion. The straight stretch above where Crooked Creek pours in is one of my favorite stretches for producing quality fish. In a couple of hours one day, I had a boat that landed a 24inch, a 22inch, 2 20inch, and a handful of 16-18inch browns. There are also some very very big fish in the stretch.

hope that helps and hope you enjoy your visit to Rim Shoals...If you really want to get specific with what is working at the time when you get there, go into the little store there and talk to the man behind the counter.

[Clay Goforth]

oh yea...and if the line is green instead of clear, we tend to have better luck...the water, as I am sure you are aware, has a pretty good green tint and the green line really helps. The clear line, to me, stands out more than the green does.

Okay thats it I'll shut up now.

[dantep]

Thanks for all the replys so far. That really helps me out a ton. I picked the brain of a trout fisher I know who has fished in the area but with a fly rod. He gave me the same advise you guys have. I will go to the tackle shop first thing when I get there to get the right equipment. Really looking forward to the trip, we always have such a great time in your area. Hoping this year we could hook one with half way decent size. Thanks again it was much appreciated

[taxidermist]

6 LB IS FINE, I use Vanish, theres a big lot of talk about this line size verse that line size and its only talk.

I have been testing a bait caster line, thats not on the market yet in 17 lb test. and have caught just as many fish and maybe more large fish on it.

But my choice is Vanish Gold in 6 or 8lb for my spinning reels, we fish the river weekly and sometimes two or three times a week.

Vanish is a flourocarbon line very little stretch and super sensitive. Gold disappears instantly in the water.