This card is for stocked rainbow trout in lakes and ponds. Stockers come from a hatchery where they ate floating pellet food; PowerBait's scent and floating buoyancy hit the same triggers. Wild trout don't fall for this — match your tactics to the fishery.
The slip-sinker rig:
- Slide a 1/2 oz egg sinker onto your main line.
- Tie on a small barrel swivel to stop the sinker from sliding to the hook.
- Add a 24-36 inch leader of 4-6 lb fluorocarbon.
- Finish with a size 14 or 16 treble hook.
Mold a marble-sized ball of dough onto the treble — completely cover the hook. Cast 30-60 feet out from shore (most stockers cruise that zone), let it sink. The egg sinker hits bottom; the buoyant dough floats the hook up off the bottom by however long your leader is.
Tighten until the rod just bows, set it in a rod holder, and leave a foot of slack out of the reel. Stockers eat without urgency. When the line starts feeding out, wait two seconds, then close the bail and lift smoothly. No need to swing.
Bring a paper towel — your hands will smell like cheese for two days.