Trout Park Etiquette

[JestersHK]

 

 

Some people are just born to be a turd. 

Such a true statement...  I will even apologize profusely when I'm fishing with my kiddos or others and the occasional crossover will happen.  Some people still like to piss and moan about it or have a snide remark.  

I've moved my rugrats a few times to other areas as well just to avoid an ugly scenario of someone running their mouths off in front of the kids...  

[Johnsfolly]

I have had stompers and their kids cross in front of me while fishing from the bank. Seems that if you have waders then you are obligated to stay in the creek to wade upstream or downstream. Couldn't be bothered to get up on the bank to walk around someone's spot.

Though it has been my experience that there are far more people that do show some etiquette than not.

[Mark]

I've been to Montauk once, and that was enough of the trout parks for me. I call it "Six Flags of Fishing". I really don't see the sport in fishing trout parks anyway. The only night I camped there, we could hear the truck dumping trout in by the hundreds right next to our tents. Good place for kids and city slickers who like to brag about "limiting out". I'm thinking they do everything but put them on the stringer for you. I'll never go back.

[fishinwrench]

Trout parks are a superb place to practice honing your skills in strike detection and hook setting techniques, because stocker fish bite the same way that wild fish do.   

You'll never learn or get better at the game though unless you take your stupid bobber off, step away from the hatchery outlets, and actually try to learn and practice.  It is where I experiment with different hooks, leaders, casting angles and stuff.  It pays off big because you can learn there in a day what might take 3 months or more to learn on a stream where you're only gonna get a fraction of the bites.  

There's no quicker way to learn how to be good at swinging soft hackles, stripping buggers, fishing drys, ect.   So if you use your trout park trips as sparring matches instead of just standing at the outlets trying to catch 200 fish as quickly as you can you'll get alot more out of it. 

Talking about this has inspired me actually.  My daughter and I will be on the Niangua this weekend and I think I'll coach her through a walk down Bennett.  I'll tell her that between the spring hole and the whistle bridge  I want her to catch 3 fish on drys, 3 fish swinging a soft hackle or a bugger/leech, 3 fish nymphing a fast riffle/run, 3 fish by sight fishing, 3 fish stripping a streamer, and 3 fish drifting a Midge under a bobber.    That'll be a good excersize.  

[Johnsfolly]

Have to agree with Wrench that the parks can be considered a target rich environment. You a can learn a great deal by casting to and seeing the reactions of the fish in these creeks. It will definitely prepare you for the time you are fishing one of the wild trout streams and you only encounter a few fish all day. You can make that experience count on that first cast.

In terms of the people you meet, that's a different story. Always good to be away from the crowds☺.

[NoLuck]

1 hour ago, fishinwrench said:

Trout parks are a superb place to practice honing your skills in strike detection and hook setting techniques, because stocker fish bite the same way that wild fish do.   

You'll never learn or get better at the game though unless you take your stupid bobber off, step away from the hatchery outlets, and actually try to learn and practice.  It is where I experiment with different hooks, leaders, casting angles and stuff.  It pays off big because you can learn there in a day what might take 3 months or more to learn on a stream where you're only gonna get a fraction of the bites.  

There's no quicker way to learn how to be good at swinging soft hackles, stripping buggers, fishing drys, ect.   So if you use your trout park trips as sparring matches instead of just standing at the outlets trying to catch 200 fish as quickly as you can you'll get alot more out of it. 

Talking about this has inspired me actually.  My daughter and I will be on the Niangua this weekend and I think I'll coach her through a walk down Bennett.  I'll tell her that between the spring hole and the whistle bridge  I want her to catch 3 fish on drys, 3 fish swinging a soft hackle or a bugger/leech, 3 fish nymphing a fast riffle/run, 3 fish by sight fishing, 3 fish stripping a streamer, and 3 fish drifting a Midge under a bobber.    That'll be a good excersize.  

Where you going to be Wrench??? I'll make sure you and your daughter get the full experience of a trout park....LOL

Actually, I'll be down so I can make it over to HVO for that shindig. Not completely sure what it's all about but I'll be there.

[fishinwrench]

1 hour ago, NoLuck said:

Where you going to be Wrench??? I'll make sure you and your daughter get the full experience of a trout park....LOL

I'll be all over, probably won't be in the park much, if at all actually, but the river is low and 1/2 the fish in it have been gigged so we may come up with a creative way to fish the park one morning or evening unless it's assholes to elbows in there.

[oneshot]

Ok not actually in the Park but what if you see a guy using Power Bait Paste, been fishing for years. He enjoys Catch and Release.

He catches Trout, takes his Pliers out, pulls Treble Hook out of Trout and throws it back?

Me I'm fishing River with Worms, 6# Test Line on the bottom. Anything bites that is legal goes home.

oneshot

[snagged in outlet 3]

I agree Wrench.  That's where I learned and that's' where I took my kids.  When I was real young wandering all over the country with my dad it can be pretty boring to fish some of the famous waters and only catch a fish or two.  Dry Run Creek is another great spot for that.

Another thing I taught my kids there was to see the difference between active fish that could be caught and lethargic fish that will just get out of the way of your fly. 

[NoLuck]

21 hours ago, fishinwrench said:

I'll be all over, probably won't be in the park much, if at all actually, but the river is low and 1/2 the fish in it have been gigged so we may come up with a creative way to fish the park one morning or evening unless it's assholes to elbows in there.

Well I hope you and your daughter have a good time. I'm just hoping for decent weather.  I'm sure you can find A few windows of a lesser crowd in the park. It'll be a little crazy in the morning. I've been finding that zone 1 up by the gauge house in the evening has been pretty quiet.  Not always, but occasionally.