Shore casting for spring trout

By Gord Ellis

There's an excitement and simplicity about fishing from shore that always draws me back to it. Perhaps it's that child-like feeling that comes from negotiating boulders and rocks, while trying to find a good place to cast without getting a booter. It could also be the fond memories I have of shore fishing for everything from walleye to pike to lake trout. Overall, however, I think it's the challenge of catching fish from shore that makes it stay so fresh. A lot more things can go wrong when you have a big fish on and you're standing knee deep in the middle of a patch of Labrador tea or on a windswept breakwall. One false move, and that fish is gone. Shore fishing is not only thrilling, but in spring it's one of the most effective ways to catch trout. I've caught almost every species of trout in Ontario while fishing from shore.

Last spring, a friend and I spent several days trying out untested (by us) brook trout lakes. Some of these stocked lakes were close enough to a road to get a boat or canoe into, but several weren't. One small jewel was only accessible by taking a craft across a larger trout lake, then hiking through the bush over a hill. This would be a shore-fishing lake. We spent the morning working the larger lake and had decent, but not outstanding, success.

At noon, we pulled the boat up on a point, grabbed our fishing gear, and started up the hill. There was no trail (which we took as a good sign), so we followed a small creek to the top, where we found an old beaver dam. On the other side of that dam was a piece of brook trout heaven. It was not a large lake, but big enough to be exciting. Best of all, it looked like classic brook trout water, nestled among spruce and cedar trees, with a giant rock cliff towering over one side.

The crystal-clear water was painfully cold to the hands, but the sun was beating down and warming up the shallows. We agreed to split up and fish our way as far as we could around the lake. I took the deeper edge and cast a 3/8-ounce brass and firetiger Krocodile. My partner headed towards the mouth of a small creek and occasionally threw out a 1/2-ounce red Gibbs Alaskan. I'd not been fishing for long when I heard splashing down the shore. To my left I could see my friend battling a brook trout at the edge of the bay. The sound of that trout echoed across the lake like an alarm. I could see him try to slide the gyrating fish on shore, but with no net, it managed to wriggle off. Without missing a beat, he cast again. I also got back to fishing, my expectations now soaring.

"Ker-splash!" There was that sound again. This time I knew what was happening and looked to see my buddy into another one. He practically jumped on top of the trout as it came to shore and then held it up for me.

"Seventeen inches!" he shouted.

"Nice one!" I yelled back.

We slowly got farther apart, but not so far that I couldn't hear the splashes as he nailed yet more trout. "You're making me sick," I hollered, after he landed his fourthFinally, on a deep point near fallen trees, a vividly marked brook trout intercepted my spoon. This time my side of the lake was making noise. The trout was scrappy. I had to get it around some branches and I was in an awkward position on the bank. Fearing it might pull off, I grabbed the 16-inch brookie behind the gills and tossed it up on the shore. It flopped around a bit in the moss before I could get hold of it for a look. It was a beauty, orange around the belly and heavily spotted with red dots and blue haloes.

When my friend and I hooked up after two hours, he'd landed seven trout, to my one. That's exceptional brook trout fishing anywhere, especially from shore. Needless to say, it was the last time he had that side of the shore to himself.

Shore casting for trout is especially effective in spring because, as a rule, trout are living closer to the bank. There are exceptions, of course. In shallow lakes were there are large mud flats and emerging weeds, the trout might find enough food to stay well offshore. When the ice first leaves, lake trout will often remain in deep water until the surface warms into the 10 C (50 F) range. However, as a rule, the shallows - or littoral zone - will be a trout magnet from ice-out until the water warms beyond their comfort range.

Since the shorelines of many lakes are shallow, expect trout to be near cover. On inland lakes, that's fallen trees, undercut banks, Labrador tea, large boulders, and beaver houses. One brook trout lake I fish early in the season has an expansive floating bog. The shallow fish in this bay are potential targets for osprey, but they stick tight to the edge of the bog and slurp up stickleback, frogs, and bugs, while avoiding danger from above. Even stump beds provide cover to keep trout shallow.

Fishing the shore on an inland lake is not as simple as you might think. Because many fish will be within inches of the bank, it doesn't always pay to roar up to the edge and start casting as far towards the middle of the lake as you can. If possible, stay far enough from the bank that you won't cast a shadow or rustle the brush. I've spooked brookies out of the shallows by being in too much of a hurry. Stand as far up the bank as you can without making it tough to get your lure back at the end of the cast. If possible, stay low and fan-cast the area. Try to keep the sun in front of you, so you don't cast a shadow. Because trout might be close to shore, cast parallel to it. Brook trout, in particular, are vulnerable to this technique. Watch your lure as it approaches the bank and don't speed up the retrieve. About half the strikes you'll get will be within a rod's length of shore.

In the Great Lakes, trout relate to different structure. Breakwalls, piers, concrete boat-launches, rock berms, and even boathouses can provide enough cover to hold trout. Natural dropoffs, artificial rock islands, and boulder piles will also help hold big-water trout like steelhead, lakers, and browns.

Shore casting for steelhead is effective when fish are staging pre-spawn. While some anglers like to soak spawn and other baits off rivermouths, I tend to be more aggressive. Wearing insulated chest waders, I work along rivermouths and adjacent bays and cast thick-bodied silver spoons like the KitaMat, Dymara, Ironhead, Little Cleo, Pixie, Delfin, and Krocodile. In this instance, casting well out into the lake and slowly retrieving the spoon back to shore is critical for success. In clear water, early morning and evenings are generally best, but I also look for days with fog, mist, and rain. In fact, one of my most memorable mornings of Great Lakes shore casting took place on such a day.

A friend and I had almost turned around that spring morning nearly 20 years ago, but anxious to angle, we drove slowly to the bay. When we got to the rivermouth, we could barely see our hands in front of our faces. We slipped into waders and entered the cold water of the rivermouth up to our knees. The air was warm and damp, and there was no wind. As we rigged up, there was the unmistakable sound of fish surfacing. "You hear that?," I whispered to my buddy.

"You kidding...these fish are feeding," he said.

I clipped on a 1/2-ounce Kitamat and let it fly. I could hear the spoon splash down, but had no visible clue where it was. I started reeling, and had hardly turned the handle twice, when something crushed the lure. The fish was bulldogging and felt decent, but lacked the power of a steelhead.

"What ya got?," said the disembodied voice of my fishing partner.

"Looks like about an 8-pound laker," I replied, surprised. I worked the forktail in to my feet and twisted the hook free.

"A rogue togue," I quipped, as the heavily spotted laker disappeared.

After that, we nailed a couple more lakers, a 10-pound steelhead, and then the bonus, a fat 18-inch coaster brookie, before the sun started to burn the fog away.

Tackle for shore fishing should be picked depending on what kind of water you'll be working. On small inland lakes, a 7- or 8-foot medium-action graphite rod with a medium-to-large-line-capacity spinning reel fits the bill. A longer rod, with give in the tip, allows you to pitch even relatively light spoons some distance on 6- or 8-pound-test monofilament. A fused or braided superline permits even more distance, but bump up the test, as light superline is tricky stuff on a spinning reel.

I'm a spoon man when shore casting. I've mentioned a few different types, but not a lot about colour. As a rule, I lean toward silver, nickel, brass, and blue/silver spoons in the Great Lakes and at rivermouths. Some of my best spoons have a dash of red or chartreuse, and I've had good luck with brown trout patterns, as well. Inland, I like brightly painted spoons with brass or silver backs. Firetiger, chartreuse, hot pink, flame, perch, and orange spoons are favourites.

Waders are an aid when you fish from shore, especially where the bank is not conducive to casting. On inland lakes, I usually wear a pair of hip waders. Rarely is getting much deeper than your knees necessary. Spring shore casting on the Great Lakes is a different story. They can be brutally cold, and wading is often necessary. An insulated pair of neoprene waders is about the only way you can expect to stay in near-freezing water for any length of time. I also like to wear a floater jacket when I wade, in case of slips. A pair of neoprene gloves, a toque, and several layers of fleece will help to ward off the cold. Wear a hat and polarizing sunglasses, as the sun can be dazzling near the water. The glasses also help you look for follow ups.

As for nets, I'm torn about them. They're a great help where there's a lot of debris along the bank or where you might have to scoop a fish off a breakwall, but they tend to get messed up in everything and are irritating to carry along bushy shorelines. In open-water areas like rivermouths, I tend to beach fish without the use of a net. If you do use one, rig up a quick net-release system that you can pull off your jacket or vest.

Shore casting for trout provides some of the most diverse fishing available in urban and rural Ontario. It's just you, the fish, and countless miles of shoreline. Spring just isn't long enough to try but a small fraction of it.