The Pikers Pit

I have caught loads of trout on the fly and some of them were on lures and maggots. They do eat small and not so small fry, minnows etc.
Do we consider them as predators on these boards?

I've had loads out of Grafham the last two years, they are very aggressive on there and they are munching 6 or 7" lures regularly, and headbutting bigger ones.

I've read that they can be an absolute nightmare on Chew for the deadbaiters.

Cant see how we cant think they are predators- I just dont think many people fish for them as much for various reasons.

Big trout are predators. Something awesome about seeing one crash out the water on a deadbait when yer expecting a pike.

There is only one answer to that question Bryan.
Of course Trout are predators, and not just when they are "big" either, I fish for trout a lot with lures and natural baits and have had trout as small as 6" in length take dead minnows and also take lures that imitate small fry, they are voracious hunters and are the apex predator in many waters throughout the northern hemisphere.
I took a frog out of one a few years ago, which was a bit of a surprise .

Will.

Hell yeah.
I had posted some pics of some Very predatory trout on here but when photo bucket changed the pics disappeared.

That's good news, thanks, there is a place near me with a good head of trout. I will take my camera more often, might get a couple good pics for here.

Had an 8lb brownie on a 23cm trout replicant, they seem to have a go for anything including my waterwolf camera

I think it goes without saying that trout are predators.? I've had plenty of accidental trout up to low doubles from the Shannon on deads, it's not uncommon. Half herring etc, yum yum.....
Some of the lads who specialise in trolling deads for them on Corrib say that bigger baits are more selective for them than they are for pike, so the preferred bait size is 1lb - 1.5lbs.

Without a shadow of doubt of trout being predators, and that's both species, fishing and working at Rutland over the years have seen some incredible specimens, I personally have had browns to 11-4 and rainbows to 10-15 both on fry patterns, had a 8lb plus rainbow with three 6/7inch roach in it's stomach contents.
Some have come to grief choking on fish, I once witnessed a 12lb+ brown that had choked on a 13oz perch.
At the moment the numbers of big browns has never been better in the 40 years of Rutland being opened!! a lot of these fish can be caught off the shoreline, however a boat will give you a better scope throughout the season for the fish of a life time.

Was it trying to eat it or s**g it.

The trout on chew can indeed be a right pain in the backside, it's not unusual for several double figure Browns to be caught in a day from boats and bank when they are having it. You do seem to get days when they really switch on to deadbaits. Biggest i've caught myself is 17lb 13oz, but they have been caught to around 22lb on deads. I heard of several 16lbers out these past trials.

I know of a mid double caught on a deadbait back in the day on 'Thermos' weighed by a friend of mine who was piking just along the bank.

Mattjb wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30 2017 10:09 -

The trout on chew can indeed be a right pain in the backside, it's not unusual for several double figure Browns to be caught in a day from boats and bank when they are having it. You do seem to get days when they really switch on to deadbaits. Biggest i've caught myself is 17lb 13oz, but they have been caught to around 22lb on deads. I heard of several 16lbers out these past trials.

Wow, I can't understand why anyone would class a large Brownie as a "pain in the backside" I would have thought that anyone lucky enough to catch one would be elated .
I know I would but, clearly there is no pleasing some folk .

Will.

When I used to fly fish a lot, most of the fish i caught came out on fish imitations/lure patterns, trout are very predatory and as has been said before, most species are to some extent!

Cheers ALan

Obviously catching the biggest Browns isn't a pain in the backside,it's the smaller ones that are though, some days on chew you can't keep a deadbait in the water for 10 minutes without it being mangled by trout and even smelts which they usually leave alone will be taken. When you are paying good money for a days fishing on there you can imagine the frustration!

I have access to a magic trout water, chuck a smelt out and it come to life, bobbins jigging up and down and being pulled off all day.
Strangely chuck a live roach out and it comes back dead


The feckers will eat anything (its the pike that are fussy)

Will Smith wrote: ↑Sun Dec 31 2017 00:00 -

Mattjb wrote: ↑Sat Dec 30 2017 10:09 -

The trout on chew can indeed be a right pain in the backside, it's not unusual for several double figure Browns to be caught in a day from boats and bank when they are having it. You do seem to get days when they really switch on to deadbaits. Biggest i've caught myself is 17lb 13oz, but they have been caught to around 22lb on deads. I heard of several 16lbers out these past trials.

Wow, I can't understand why anyone would class a large Brownie as a "pain in the backside" I would have thought that anyone lucky enough to catch one would be elated .
I know I would but, clearly there is no pleasing some folk .

Will.

Well said Will,
A big double figure reservoir Brown would be an equivalent to a 30/40lb pike. even more so from the wild waters, like Awe etc.

I had a 7lb Brownie on Chew on half a Mack back in October during storm Bryan (absolutely hideous conditions) whilst Piking.

I felt mega sorry for the fly angler on his boat only 30 yards away braving it all casting his fly into the storm, he watched it all.

Fentiger01 wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02 2018 16:54 -

I had a 7lb Brownie on Chew on half a Mack back in October during storm Bryan (absolutely hideous conditions) whilst Piking.

I felt mega sorry for the fly angler on his boat only 30 yards away braving it all casting his fly into the storm, he watched it all.

Well thats life I suppose Dave, very thoughtful of you to pity the man though, did he pack up and leave after you landed it ?


Will.

Will Smith wrote: ↑Tue Jan 02 2018 18:35 -

very thoughtful of you to pity the man though, did he pack up and leave after you landed it ?

Will.

Hi Will, very nice of you to say so. No he did stay on in the vicinity for an hour or two afterwards and in some pretty horrendous conditions to be fair.

I was hoping that the fact he was so keenly trout fishing the area meant that there were some prey fish about and a hungry Pike or two might have been in the vicinity.

Most of our freshwater fish could be considered predators I guess. I fish one water where the carp feed on their fry year in, year out. I've caught Bream on lures many times over and also, the odd tench (yes - on spinnerbaits) and of course, the odd Barbel and Chub are two a penny on lures...

Mark Phillips wrote: ↑Thu Jan 04 2018 20:05 -

Most of our freshwater fish could be considered predators I guess. I fish one water where the carp feed on their fry year in, year out. I've caught Bream on lures many times over and also, the odd tench (yes - on spinnerbaits) and of course, the odd Barbel and Chub are two a penny on lures...

Agreed Mark, and the list does not stop there does it, in all fairness though I'm not sure if I would actually class all of the fish we can catch on a lure as true predators, or can we .
Discuss .
Will.

My PB Carp came to a 2oz Skimmer livebait and my PB Bream to a 3inch Jig.

My boat partner of many years, Alan Ward, had a 13lb Grafham brown on a packet of gold lure flash fly intended for pike.
That's big fly probably 6-7 inches long.
Are trout predatory? 6es.

colinb wrote: ↑Thu Jan 18 2018 01:11 -

My boat partner of many years, Alan Ward, had a 13lb Grafham brown on a packet of gold lure flash fly intended for pike.
That's big fly probably 6-7 inches long.
Are trout predatory? 6es.

Wow, lovely what a fish.

Will.

Pics if you have any please Colin.

No long now will.

Think I have posted this before on here but this beauty was taken on a static bait while zander fishing

Wow that's like a corrib or Lomond brownie.

Kev Berry wrote: ↑Sun Dec 31 2017 12:01 -

I have access to a magic trout water, chuck a smelt out and it come to life, bobbins jigging up and down and being pulled off all day.
Strangely chuck a live roach out and it comes back dead


The feckers will eat anything (its the pike that are fussy)

Kev
What you say is really interesting.
I fish sections of two very exclusive game rivers both of which have a good trout populations and the exact opposite is true.
Never have I had a bait touched by a trout, dead or alive, fresh or sea, never once has a trout had a go.
Perhaps its because they are river fish I dont know, but it does mean every take is a certainty.

What is interesting is that on one river the chub wont leave my baits alone but on the other they never show the slightest interest??

Mike J wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19 2018 09:41 -

Kev Berry wrote: ↑Sun Dec 31 2017 12:01 -

I have access to a magic trout water, chuck a smelt out and it come to life, bobbins jigging up and down and being pulled off all day.
Strangely chuck a live roach out and it comes back dead


The feckers will eat anything (its the pike that are fussy)

Kev
What you say is really interesting.
I fish sections of two very exclusive game rivers both of which have a good trout populations and the exact opposite is true.
Never have I had a bait touched by a trout, dead or alive, fresh or sea, never once has a trout had a go.
Perhaps its because they are river fish I dont know, but it does mean every take is a certainty.

What is interesting is that on one river the chub wont leave my baits alone but on the other they never show the slightest interest??

very well stocked water Mike---and some trout definitely look like they could do with a feed, plenty of pellets go in though through the winter though (I sell them to the club so I know what gets fed)