Stan Kaplun With The Local Trout Report In SD

With the weather finally starting to cool down, trout season is now upon us and in full swing. Multiple lakes have already stocked thousands of pounds of rainbow trout from various hatcheries.

The other day, I fished one of the local lakes that had stocked several days before. They had plenty of time to acclimate to the water, so when you found them, they were definitely on the chew.

While light line, preferably 2lb-4lb test, is ideal, a matching light rod and small spinning reel is just as important. However, my buddies Kevin Bridge and Mike Tran are reinventing the trout game and are targeting these chunky trout with bait casting outfits, with their reel of choice being the Abu Garcia Revo LTZ. It's been a long road for the two of them, and they have been extremely dedicated and consistent in figuring out how to maximize casting distance, lure control in regards to line diameter, lure weight and size, etc. Getting good casting distance on a 1/32oz mini jig using a spinning outfit is not easy, but it's deemed "impossible" by most to accomplish that with a bait casting setup. It seems as though they have finally dialed it in and are now reaping the benefits.

MIke Tran

On four outings this last week, we fished Lake Poway and Lake Jennings, and the three of us had great luck. We threw an array of mini jigs, varying in both color and weight. I was even able to stick a couple fish on the metal, such as a small Kastmaster or small Phoebe. Early in the morning and late in the day, light colored jigs work well for us. When the sun came out and it was bright out, we transitioned over to darker colors, as well as natural colors to get the fish to cooperate.

Kevin Bridge

We caught limits of trout, with Kevin catching the biggest at 6.94. There were also a handful of 3 pounders and a couple 4 pounders caught.

Stan Kaplun

My rod of choice was my Cousins RSP 651. While most people knows Cousins for their array of quality saltwater rods they have a great selection of freshwater rods as well, including both bass, trout, and panfish rods,  consisting of fiberglass, graphite, or composite.

It was a fun couple of days, with some great fishing with great people. Now it's back to work!

Stay tuned for the next report! -Stan Kaplun-