When to fish after stocking

[tmk1086]

Does anyone have some opinion or idea as to when is the best time to fish after trout have been stocked? I would imagine the fish are a bit shocked at first and not really looking to eat, but I could be wrong so I was just curious about how long (days, weeks??) to wait before going after some trout that have been stocked.

 

[Maurice]

Fish are not fed for a couple days before stocking, before that, they are fed daily and heavily. They are hungry. Try flashy flies like beadheads, streamers with tinsel, WB's with crystal flash, etc.

It is after a few days when they don't see the pellets and become accustom to eating bugs that they become selective or rather trained to feed on what is available. Sticks, stones, cigarette buts and other debris like power bait can be found in their bellies.

The ones that don't make it to the dinner table after a few weeks or a lunar cycle tend to be the ones that make fly fishing or fishing with immitation macros fun.

Personally, I like to get out the day after a stocking to see how many people are there and to see how many I can sting. After the first week the fishing becomes more challenging.

The one thing that often amazes me is when a bucket is dumped in an area you often see the same fish grouped together for days and weeks and often times they are not interested in your fishing prowess. And sometimes you can find them paused in an area, flat or hole and seem to catch every one of them to the point it becomes silly.

At our home stream, we float stock most all of it. fish here, fish there, over two miles. It makes it much more sporting to find them but by the first low water period they end up in the same holes. Stockies are fun but become predictable...just like wild trout.

KIMIHNIWITA :lol:

Maurice

 

[Fishidiot]

There have been some interesting video recordings of trout being stocked. Within minutes these fish start feeding. While they grab some unedible stuff, they also do surprisingly well at feeding on nymphs, esp if there is insect activity going on. Maurice is right: fish 'em right after they're put in.

 

[TDB]

You can catch them right away in most circumstances, however, I urge you to not be the person that stands there while the same guys carry buckets, and then come out of nowhere and start to fish. It is commendable to help out with stocking the whole creek and then go back and fish a spot if you so desire.

 

[bigjohn58]

When I help with stocking I will empty a bucked then walk through the whole to spread them out in most cases so that the people standing there with rod in hand can't just snag out the big ones. I've seen it happen before where one about 22 lasted about 10 seconds in the stream before some guy snagged it out. I've seen it a lot of times when they will not bite at all right after stocking and then the next day you can really catch them. Honestly I don't like fishing the day of stocking I think its better about a week after when they realize they can't eat pellet food anymore.

 

[Wulff-Man]

bigjohn58 wrote:
.... I've seen it happen before where one about 22 lasted about 10 seconds in the stream before some guy snagged it out.

Boy, that sounds like fun fishin'!

Are these people starving, that they're just looking for a meal or something?

 

[tomgamber]

Best time to fish for stocked trout is about a week after the opener when Bill-joe-bob has gone home until the next April.

 

[Mike]

Conducting creel surveys is probably the best way to observe angler behavior, see what technique works and what doesn't work, learn about what anglers are truely harvesting vs. what you think they might be harvesting, see how much C&R fishing really takes place, learn that fly anglers really aren't impeded by bait anglers or lure tossers, even on urban park streams, help a kid catch a fish or two by showing the kid a few bait fishing tricks, learn a few new tricks yourself...from bait, lure, and fly anglers, watch anglers do almost everything wrong (no wonder 70% of the angling trips are fishless), and, unfortunately, see an unbearable amount of litter in some cases. That having been said, you also learn pretty quickly when the best time occurs to fish for recently stocked (inseason) trout. In most instances (9 out of 10 times), it is the morning after the stocking, hands down! That is when the most people seem to catch the most fish and have their best outings, if pure numbers are what they are after.

 

[Biggie]

I find the best time to fish for freshly stocked trout is the next day after stocking. First pick up all the bait containers, empty hook packs, soda cans, beer cans, chip bags and other "fishing gear" by then the trout will be more than willing to bite! :-D

 

[troutbert]

If the stocking is done in a stream that holds wild trout, the best bet is to wait awhile until most of the stocked trout and the fishermen are gone, then go fish for wild trout, with little crowding.

If the stocking is done on a warm stream than holds smallmouth bass, the best bet is to wait until most of the stockies and fishermen are gone, then go fish for smallmouth, with little crowding.

This is "Road Less Traveled By" approach.