Trout behavior in lakes

E

Emily27

Steelhead
I was hoping that some people with more experience in lake fishing for trout could help me understand their lifestyle/behavior. I feel like part of the reason I am confident fishing in rivers is that I can point at a spot and go hey this is where the fish is going to be and here's why, but in lakes, I have no idea what I am looking to target and what would be the optimal location for a trout. Most recently I went to a lake in the Oregon coast range and was catching fish within feet of the shore, but other times I feel like fish are right out in the middle of a lake, and past obvious stuff like temperature and access to oxygen I can't figure out why.

tldr: is there a foam is home equivalent for trout in lakes?
 
Trout and panfish often seek structure in a lake, just like a river. Shore cover, weed lines, points, dropoffs, ect. One of our members, @Tim Lockhart has written a book "Stillwater Simplified" that I read and followed with good results this last spring, summer and fall season. Lots of regional examples.
 
I fish lakes 95% year round....and find that a lot of trout are around the edges of any lake. Where there are bugs, there are fish! (hopefully) Bugs like weeds, weeds need shallower water for photosynthesis. Also look at the contour of the land at the shore. Steep hills could mean drop offs, flat land equals a shoal. When trout are first stocked in a lake, they tend to stay in shallow water similar to the hatchery depth. And I think they’re waiting for the hatchery person with the bucket of pellets! Another key is to look for rises or birds feeding on hatching bugs. These bugs will mostly be midges and mayflies.
This time of the year with cold water/air temps, there’s not much for bug hatches....but there’s always midges! Time to fish indicators with chironomids and micro leeches. Start with your flies one foot off the bottom. Some find this boring watching a bobber.....but they’re not doing it right as this is a great way to catch lake fish year round. Trolling is my least favorite form of lake fishing, you’ll catch fish this style but up your odds by casting and stripping. Unlike rivers, lakes don’t get blown out, super low water, the fish are generally larger and are a captive audience! Good luck, any other questions I’d be glad to help.
 
I recall from some limited fish sampling research on Lake Lenice in the early 1970s that the trout are generally moving, moving roughly along the shoreline. So unless you're prepared to wait until they show up where you are, you should be prepared to move in search of where they are currently. This has contributed to my eternal lake fishing paradox. If I'm not catching fish right now, is it because I'm not using the right fly or not presenting it the right way, or is it because no fish are here where I am fishing at this time? Occasionally it is neither of those. Sometimes, after gorging on a prolific hatch, trout will just sit somewhere in a sort of stupor digesting their meal before they go foraging again. Fishing for trout in lakes may be fairly simple, but the number of combinations and permutations seem to keep me guessing what to do a lot of the time. Best of luck figuring it out.
 
I don't "know" more than anyone else here about the subject, but I can speak to my experiences.

Lakes change from day to day, whether it's where the fish are holding, what they're eating, or what the weather is doing. The best days are the calm, steady days with bugs hatching and fish rising to them; makes it easy to locate fish, but of course, most days aren't like that, so....

If the fish aren't showing themselves, it's a good idea to troll around a streamer and/or nymph until you find one. Sometimes, there will be others you can cast to nearby; other times (when fish are spread out and cruising), you might as well keep trolling...

When it's really windy, the lee side (where the water is relatively calm, on the side of the lake the predominant wind is coming from) can be good, but I find the wind-blown side is often the best fishing.

There are certain parts of lakes that always seem to "hold" fish. A lot of times, you just have to figure out where those are, but there are some patterns that can be helpful in doing that. @Tom Butler mentioned drop-offs. In lakes where you can see a defined drop-off and fish aren't showing themselves elsewhere, concentrate your effort there. Structure is always a good place to fish. I find trout don't seem to orient to structure as much as bass and pan fish, for example, but especially in bright sun, they do sometimes seek cover.

It occurs to me as I'm writing this that where and how to approach finding fish in a lake probably depends as much on HOW you like to fish as where you're fishing. Someone who fishes a lot of still presentations (chironomids and the like) often finds success in different places (drop-offs, e.g.) than someone who likes to use more "active" presentations (more structure, etc.). Meanwhile, a dry fly aficionado may find the cruising fish they're targeting all over a lake (although some places will probably be better than others).

Overall, I think the best way to figure out a lake is to just fish it a few times. If you're paying attention, you can learn a lot in a day of even slow fishing.
 
Whether in my pontoon boat or pram....I always have three rods strung up. A dry line indicator, dry line emerger and a full sink wet line. It’s not totally necessary but if you get a shot at rising fish and you have to change from a indicator set up.....the hatch might be over. Also as much as I like to fish bobbers......I won’t beat a dead horse because I do like to catch fish! My .02
 
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Emily27 said:
tldr: is there a foam is home equivalent for trout in lakes?
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Again, I don't know the answer, but I'm curious: What does "Foam is Home" originally refer to? I saw a Foam is Home salmonfly dry pattern last year while prepping for a spring/summer Montana trip... is it basically an all foam version of an adult aquatic insect?
 
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Foam is home is a moving water term, foam/current lines form and food is usually there. Wood is good, referring to logs and rocks rock in front or behind in rivers/streams.
 
RCF said:
I have seen and fished foam lines in lakes. Seem to occur late in the day. Can be very productive...
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Foam lines caused by steady winds are the result of wind-induced spiral currents called Langmuir circulation in limnology-speak, and I agree that fishing them can be productive, if you can avoid getting blown off the lake.
 
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Matt B said:
Foam lines caused by steady winds are the result of wind-induced spiral currents called Langmuir circulation in limnology-speak, and I agree that fishing them can be productive, if you can avoid getting blown off the lake.
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The lake I see the foam lines the most is just into EWA. Winds go from 0 to 30+ at 11:30am in the morning (talk about getting blown off the lake). By about 5:00pm they die down and the foam lines appear. Are fun to fish too... Everything you just said :)

Now I can put a name to it: Langmuir Circulation. Learn something every day...
 
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If you see a number of old coots (old fly fishers) gathered in a spot on the lake, go there and chat them up. If they wont talk, emulate what they are doing.

Join a fly club and go to the meetings. Ask questions

Go to a fly shop, ask for advice and buy some flies.

If someone here reports on fishing a lake, DM them. Do not expect an open post or reply.

Fish, fish and fish some more. I experiment almost every time out even after 40+ years of doing it.

Indicator fishing is the most productive way of catching fish but not the most fun for some. I am bored with trolling and it hurts my knees. When I see surface activity, I try dries but not before. In spring, a lot of lakes get big plants of new trout. This is good practice, they will take a lot of different flies for a couple of weeks. Fish them shallow, 3-4 feet down. Follow the fish plants on the DFW web site.

Jerry
 
Thanks for the advice everyone, as a follow-up question how do y'all go about figuring out what the topography of a lake is/where structure is? past the stuff that I can see in the water and following the topography trends above water as bambooflyguy suggested, is it mostly just trial and error figuring out where stuff is by what I can feel my fly doing, or are there more reliable ways to figure it out. Like if you were going to a lake or pond for the first time without knowing much about it prior how would you go about deciding where things are and what you want to fish to?
 
If you don’t already have one (or some ;)) start researching watercraft. You’re seriously limiting yourself by fishing from shore. Float tubes, pontoon boats, frameless inflatables, prams, jon boats, drift boats, and power boats all have advantages and drawbacks. All will get you to the fish. Some people prefer the feeling of sitting in the water, watching the lake surface at eye level and kicking around. Others want a comfortable seat and the ability to stand up to cast. Some prefer oar power or electric motors, some need some horsepower to cover water.

Then there’s the topic of anchors and anchoring….and fish finders….and swivels
 
I think......if ya look up the lakes on the wdfw site, it has topo maps.
 
Emily27 said:
Thanks for the advice everyone, as a follow-up question how do y'all go about figuring out what the topography of a lake is/where structure is? past the stuff that I can see in the water and following the topography trends above water as bambooflyguy suggested, is it mostly just trial and error figuring out where stuff is by what I can feel my fly doing, or are there more reliable ways to figure it out. Like if you were going to a lake or pond for the first time without knowing much about it prior how would you go about deciding where things are and what you want to fish to?
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There are sources for lake bathymetry in this state (http://northwestfishingreports.com/Maps) as well as WDFW's individual lake data ( hope this isn't hot spotting: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/locations/lowland-lakes/pass-lake). A "fish finder" sonar helps locate bottom and structure and sometimes fish. This website has lots of information on sonar units, their use and how to set them up. As other have notes, fishing from shore is severely limiting. Use the search function this site for specific questions, reach out here, and good luck with your endeavors.
 
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