How Do You Catch Bigger Rainbows

[Gavin]

I'd agree with Greasy B. There aren't many, your odds are low. Rainbows, even big ones, don't take a jerkbait well IMO. Back hook takes mostly. They like smaller offerings. Pat's rubber legs, egg patterns, marabou jigs, and anything with peacock herl takes rainbows when prospecting. If sight fishing, toss a jig, egg & dropper. On the White I 'd go with a scud, sow bug, or soft hackle fly behiind something I can see.

[Ham]

Someone suggested at our White River get together that the Rainbows on average don't last very long in the river like 7-30 days or something like that. I wonder if anybody has a link to that information?

[LittleRedFisherman]

Someone suggested at our White River get together that the Rainbows on average don't last very long in the river like 7-30 days or something like that. I wonder if anybody has a link to that information?

Ham, you talking about because of being kept, or just a short life span in the River?

[laker67]

Lots of good advice. More big rainbows are caught on purpose than by accident. Sight fishing as fw suggested. More are caught on small rather than large as gavin says. There are fewer in numbers just about everywhere you fish as greasyb states. Unlike browns, rainbows like most offerings presented at their level in the water column. Learn to look into the water rather than just at it. And as Phil stated, a good jig fisherman is hard to top. Wade fishing is the most effective when it comes to sight fishing. If I were limited to a boat, on the white river, I would throw jigs. Rainbows generally are not chasers like browns. Change up a few of your tactics and we will be looking forward to your report back. But I must admit, that if I were catching big browns consistantly like you guys, I would be hard pressed to go look for a rainbow.

[Blazerman]

Laker, i agree lots of good advice. Guess I was looking for that magic offering that consistently seems to catch the bigger rainbows and it probably doesn’t exist.

The thing about big browns is they bite best when their running water. On bright sunny days it is mostly an early morning and late day bite. We have also found if they are running water and it is cloudy you can catch them all day. So we go after them.

But on days where they are not running much water, or if it is a bright bluebird day, I many times switch to trying to catch bigger rainbows since they seem to bite all day long.

So I was hoping someone might say if you are catching a lot of small rainbows switch to this or that to catch the bigger ones in the group. Or maybe use a 1/64th oz black jig under an indicator to catch bigger rainbows.

Per Phil’s suggestion, I love fishing with zig jigs and have caught a ton of fish on them so I might stick with that and try to see if I can get a good one by playing the numbers game. Or maybe try and sight fish to the bigger ones if I can see them.

This will be our 26th year there and I do believe the overall size of the rainbows is not what it used to be which is also coming into play.

[CartneyAccess]

Fish the Norfork if you dare !

Seriously thats where the bigger rainbows are.

[catch&release1966]

Larger Jerk Baits or #9 count down Rapalas have been my ticket for larger Bows in the past plus I usually find quality up in Rainbow Hole area.

[hoglaw]

I was the one that said the rainbows have a short lifespan in the river. Don't know how true it is, but a guide told me that a long time ago. He said during the warmer months, the average lifespan for a rainbow from stocking to dinner table is about a week. I think Phil mentioned a similar study on Table Rock that put it around 30 days. The holdovers get smart quick I guess.

I have caught some big rainbows on the Norfork, but never any over 24" on the White and only two or three that came anywhere near that mark. I did see one in the White Hole area this past fall that was over 30". It was a 10 or 15lb fish. Saw him cruising around at night with a spotlight just looking to see what we could see. He was a heart stopper. While we were there, a group of very big fish would come up close to the ramp at White Hole at night. They were either after carcasses or the shiner minnows that were piled up all around the ramp.

[Ham]

At some point, I'm going to have to do a minimum flow trip at night in kayaks. Maybe this summer.

[Quillback]

Could be those bigger rainbows survive by becoming nocturnal.