Jigs and huge brown trout?

[Travis Swift]

3 minutes ago, Ryan Miloshewski said:

Only the trout know! I think in the lower lake if you fished for them like they do on the Great Lakes you'd be surprised at what you pull up. Troll with downriggers in all areas of the water column. It'd take a ton of time to perfect it, but I bet you'd land a huge brown eventually. They have to be down there.

agreed, it's just hard to take time to go try off the wall new stuff when your limited to a few precious days a year and you know what works.   perhaps we should meet down there some weekend and try nothing but stuff we have never done or used in spots we have never fished and see what we figure out. 

[Smallie Seeker]

30 minutes ago, Travis Swift said:

And for what it's worth I still believe in my mind that 20 pound plus brown trout live on stocker rainbows, sculpin and (when available) shad.   I just think when they reach that size that they mainly feed on stocker bow's.  I have no science to back that up, just my personal belief.  

I want to tie a streamer pattern I'll call "troutguts" to cast around the docks!😀

[snagged in outlet 3]

9 minutes ago, Smallie Seeker said:

I want to tie a streamer pattern I'll call "troutguts" to cast around the docks!😀

White shoestring works.

[Johnsfolly]

4 hours ago, Travis Swift said:

I know we both have had 20 pound plus fish follow a jerk bait to the boat though without committing so who knows?

Has anyone tried to get those boatside browns to commit with a figure eight like you do for Musky? I would love to throw a 6 to 8 inch rainbow trout plastic swimbait to those browns.

[Seth]

4 hours ago, Smallie Seeker said:

I want to tie a streamer pattern I'll call "troutguts" to cast around the docks!😀

I keep a hand full of white mega worms on hand just for that purpose. Was looking for a replacement to the pink worm that I could use in artificial only tournaments and they serve that purpose.

I think the reason you see more big browns caught on less "erratic" baits is because they don't want to expand a lot of energy on a fast moving meal. There are fish guts and stocker bows everywhere in the lake for them to eat. A jig just makes an easy meal if you make that perfect cast that lands right in front of a big brown. Its like waving a tader chip in your face. Even if you're not hungry, you'll still eat it. I'd imagine if you are drifting a worm or minnow and it comes right in to the face of a big brown, he is going to eat it. Dad hooked a giant last winter the day before raw on a big minnow just above Short Creek. Had we been 5' or more off to the side, that fish probably wouldn't have bit. That stretch that Paul Crews caught Frank in was beat to death by us and plenty of other boats all day long, but Paul was the one who made that perfect cast that landed right in his face.

[Devan S.]

I wonder if it partially has to do with the additional action of the marabou. Maybe it makes the jig look slightly more realistic compared to a jerk bait or crank since the marabou can dance and flare.

I've bought a couple Hudd's and I've been toying with the idea of coming down and tossing them around or even throwing a Keitech.

[Gavin]

Think that most big White/Taney/Norfork tailwater fish prefer to eat fish guts almost exclusively. Plenty of rainbow guts available for no effort.

[snagged in outlet 3]

On Taney yes but not the White and Norfork as much.  Norfork only has a couple docks and they are far between on the White.  

[Mitch f]

I know those big browns will smack those big jerkbaits and floating stick baits at night!

[fishinwrench]

A jighead is the greatest invention ever in the world of fishing.  No matter what you put on it..... it's gonna catch fish, and probably some big ones.    Just adjust the size/weight of it, and the size of the line that's tied to it, and it can imitate everything that a fish is programmed to eat.