Just like beauty is in the eye of the beholder, the concept of big trout is also subjective.
As a former pro Quarterback I used to be surrounded by giants all the time at work, so I never felt big. But at 6'3 225 lbs. I'm definitely larger than average.
In the small streams at 10,500 feet in the Eastern Sierras where Golden trout live a 14 inch trout is a trophy indeed. Meanwhile, on the Missouri and Bighorn Rivers in Montana they catch trout over 24 inches on a daily basis.
That said, what may be an average sized trout on one stream may be the trophy of a lifetime on another.
For the sake of this article understand that the biggest fish in a stream or river are going to hold the alpha status so the techniques we talk about here will help you catch big fish wherever you cast a fly.
The biggest trout tend to live in big rivers with a lot of food options. The Missouri River is a perfect example. There are so many different types of insects and other aquatic life that trout can grow to massive sizes. It also makes the Missouri a great river for fly fishing to large trout.
Other big rivers like the Bighorn, Madison, South Fork of the Snake, and Yellowstone are also great trout fisheries. They produce big brown trout of epic proportions, not to mention monster cutthroat and rainbows as well.
A rivers holding potential will account for fish size on most waters. However, some rivers that benefit from healthy lakes may get a spawning run of big fish that don't live there year-round. That's a great time to target big wild trout.
The Williamson River in southern Oregon is a great example of lake-run trout. In the summer, fish head up river into the Williamson to escape warming temperatures in Klammath Falls Lake and to prep for spawning. Avid anglers catch the biggest trout in the Williamson between June and September.
Once lake temperatures drop back to tolerable levels and the spawn subsides the bigger fish head back to the lake where food is more abundant.
Understanding the river you're fishing is key for catching big trout.
Streamer fishermen love to use the term "big trout like big meals". True, but they also like to snack.
Big flies definitely catch big fish, but nymphs, streamers, and even dry flies can all be on the menu depending on the time of day and what's available.
Big trout, like offensive linemen, tend to be opportunistic feeders. They will eat just about anything that they can get their mouths around. In rivers, trout feed on smaller fish, crayfish, other crustaceans, copepods and insects.
In big rivers, there are so many different types of food that trout can grow to massive sizes.
Some of the biggest trout I've ever caught were in Alaska. Those fish were dialed into salmon eggs from the annual fall migration. Streamers wouldn't even move them because they had an easy, high protein meal ready to eat with all of the spawning salmon in the river.
Barring the above example in most rivers the biggest and baddest trout are going to be feeding on other fish too. If you're only targeting big trout, fishing streamer patterns that imitate other fish is an excellent way to focus on river monsters.
Learn how to tie the Door Kicker: Click here
While die-hard streamer fishermen will swear that big streamers are the only way to catch big fish when you're fly fishing. Contrary to conventional wisdom, you don't have to use a huge bait to entice bigger fish.
I can't count the number of large trout that I've caught on small nymphs. In fact, I've caught plenty of 20+inch trout on size 20 or smaller flies.
Small insects are a staple for bigger fish. The trick is getting your offering into their kitchen.
Where large streamers are effective is eliminating the by-catch of small trout. You're not likely to catch smaller trout if you're swinging a 5-inch articulated streamer pattern.
Brown trout are notorious for hammering streamers but rainbow trout are more than happy to grab a snack of sculpin, dace, or even other trout species too.
Yes it's true, trout are cannibals! Big trout eat small trout all the time. In the healthiest rivers that I've fished, I rarely see fish under 6 inches. They are definitely present, but they are hiding from the big fish for fear of becoming the blue plate special.
If you're only dialed into catching big fish, fishing streamers is a great way to eliminate the little guys.
Let's be honest...as an avid fisherman I am always on the hunt for big fish.
That said, some times are better than others, for catching big trout.
The best seasons to catch big trout are the spring and fall. Especially if you live somewhere winter means a big freeze and cold temperatures.
Early spring and late fall can be a feeding frenzy when large browns and rainbows are actively feeding. Their metabolisms are turned on and cranked up, preparing for the spawn or getting ready for a long winter.
Don't get me wrong, plenty of big fish have been taken during the summer months too, but spring and fall offer scenarios where larger trout are actively feeding which makes catching fish easier.
In the spring, big trout are eating anything and everything that resembles food and looks safe to break out of winter and fatten up for the fall spawn. Smolt from the fall spawn are active in the river meaning food is abundant. This is the time to fish big streamers.
Spring is also a time of some of the great hatches including the early stoneflies like the Skwala. Blue Winged Olives, March browns and Green Drakes are also great spring hatches that trout key into.
When trout start seeing hatch activity again their feeding instincts go into overdrive. That makes them suckers for a perfectly presented bug.
In the fall, big trout will be eating anything and everything to fatten up for the coming winter. This is the time to fish big streamers and nymphs.
The best time of day to catch big trout is early morning and late evening. These are the times when they are most active and feeding.
Big trout hunt and forage under the cover of darkness. They realize that they are the largest prey in the river, especially to birds. When light gets low big browns and rainbows come out from their deep holes and undercut banks to stalk the night.
Occasionally you can find huge trout in spring creeks or your favorite mountain stream. However, small streams can't support big populations of big fish because they just can't produce the food.
A notable exception to that is Hot Creek outside of Mammoth California. This tiny spring creek supports big numbers of huge rainbows and brown trout. Based largely on the fact that the nutrient rich waters support a huge insect population which means ample food for growth.
As far as small streams go, Hot Creek is as good as it gets.
Generally speaking, these river monsters lurk in bigger rivers with big biomass that supports fast growth. The Missouri River is one of the best rivers in the country to fish for big trout. The Madison River in Montana is also home to massive fish.
Names like the San Juan, Animas, White, Beaverhead, South Fork, Lower Sac, Deschutes, Bighorn, Henry's Fork and many more are familiar because they have been big fish producers for years.
These rivers have the genetics and the environment that produce amazing fish year after year.
There are some fantastic streamer fishermen out there that can make every cast and work a bunch of different retrieves. But they couldn't figure out how to get a dead drift if it meant saving their favorite labrador.
Meanwhile, other anglers will only throw dries to rising fish... Which really limits your time on the water. Still, other anglers have mastered the art of tight line or contact nymphing (Euro, Czech, call it what you will) but they can't or won't take the time to work on their streamer presentation.
Since we can't see every subsurface hydraulic that affects fish, the truth is, big trout can be almost anywhere in a river. And, since environmental conditions dictate the day's menu, they might eat anything available to them. So we need the ability to present an assortment of bugs in a variety of ways if we want to feed and catch more big trout.
Anglers need precision casting and the skill to create dead drifts with tiny dries in order to catch Cutties sipping spinners in the foam. They also need the ability to tap cast a nymph rig and get their bugs into the strike zone for as long as possible while running long drag-free drifts, to ply that monster rainbow out from under a midstream weed bed.
The ability to drop a streamer on a dime at 60 feet and get the perfect twitch-drift retrieve as it slides under an undercut bank where large fish lurk is essential if your goal is to target big browns.
In order to catch big trout consistently, the best big trout hunters are good at all of these techniques.
Catching big trout is a combination of skill and opportunity. Fishing water that has big fish and knowing where to look for them is a start. To close the deal you'll need the skill to present your bugs in a way that doesn't alert a wary fish that something is up. Here's how to up your odds when you're targeting big trout.
I am all for casting size 18 Adams at high mountain trout all day long and having a blast doing it. I just don't expect to catch any monster fish with that technique.
Small streams are great but if you're truly after large trout you need to fish where they live.
Fish the rivers that are known to produce big fish. That may mean further travel and more crowds but you can't catch big fish in small fish water.
When targeting big trout make your first shot count. You need to approach the water quietly.
You can get away with a few mistakes on smaller trout but you're much more likely to catch the larger version if they don't know you're there.
Big trout are smart and very wary. They have likely survived several close encounters to make it to this size. They know that everything they can't eat is trying to eat them. So they won't expose themselves very often. There are certain times when they are willing to risk the open in order to feed though.
Early evening through dawn means low light and less danger from above (birds). That means the denizens of the deep can move around with reasonable safety and security from predators. It's a great time for them to hunt.
High Water. Whether it's right after a rain storm or a scheduled dam release, high water means dirty or at least slightly stained water. It also means bait fish and creepy crawlies are disoriented and exposed which makes them vulnerable. Big trout use to high water to their advantage in order to feed.
Hatches and times of great abundance. Whether it's the fall salmon spawn in Alaska that I talked about or a crazy PMD (Pale Morning Drift Fly) hatch on the South Fork... When the getting is good the big fish get to eating.
Hatches like the giant stones or samonflies, green drakes, the hex hatch and , of course, hoppers will all get big trout looking up.
I experienced a Mormon Cricket hatch on the Green River in Utah that had big trout in the system eating like piranhas. The crickets were immediately followed by a PMD hatch so thick I had to look for holes in the hatch on the water surface to cast my bug to rising hogs so I could see it.
Big heads were popping everywhere all day long. It was a spoil of riches and I caught more 20+ inch fish on that day than maybe any other single day in my fishing history.
Know what big trout holding water looks like and focus there. Big trout, as we discussed above, are lazy. They need 3 key ingredients for the perfect holding place. Protection from the current such as a mid current rock, weed bed, or downed log is the first.
Safety from predators is number 2. Weed beds, downed logs, undercut banks and overhanging streamside bushes with access to escape routes are great shelter from predators.
A steady flow of food makes the holy trifecta for big trout. That means insects, invertebrates, fish or crustaceans or likely a combination of all of the above.
Look for edges or transitions between fast and slow currents. That's where you'll find big trout. Obstructions create edges in the current and ideal holding water.
Though big trout will hold in skinny water under the right conditions they generally like to hang in 18 inches to 5 feet of water. That provides a little aerial cover and opportunity to hunt for food.
Big trout are meticulous about feeding. They will not be the first fish or the flashiest fish during a hatch. Be patient and survey the river. Pick your shots wisely and approach with stealth?
The largest trout don't make a lot of commotion when they feed. They generally sip bugs with the practiced rise form of a stream veteran.
If you have to choose from several rising fish, watch what happens after the eat. Big fish push more water. A bulge in the water's surface or a big back and dorsal on the way down will give away where the wide-bodies lurk.
Yes, fish like a little depth for aerial cover... However, during heavy hatches don't forget the skinny water.
With an abundance of food in the system, big trout will prowl the flats where they can minimize their movement and easily feed. I have caught plenty of monster browns in less than 6 inches of water.
Like most living things, big trout want to spend as little energy as possible while getting the most calories per bite. In a stream that means eating smaller fish and crawdads. You won’t catch as many fish but fishing streamers and crayfish imitations will mean more hookups with big trout.
You need to put in the time to make it happen. Big trout have experience and they aren't easily fooled. You need to make enough great presentations to fool a seasoned veteran which means putting in your time.
The saying goes, if it were easy everyone would be doing it. Catching larger fish of any species isn't easy. That's why we call them trophies.
Once you've honed your fly fishing skills to the point that you are making great presentations 90% of the time it comes down to a numbers game. How many times can you put your bugs or your streamer in the big dawg's wheelhouse. Make that happen more often, and you'll catch more big trout.
