# Newbie needs help at Deer Creek



## jadahle (Jul 14, 2013)

Hi everyone -

I am new to the forum and fishing. I just took fishing up this summer. I fished several times as a teen with my family on camping trips, but this summer is the first time I've actively gone out on my own....so I know very little. 

I have gone to Deer Creek the last three Saturday mornings, and not had a bite. 
I am fishing from the shore just north of the Island. I get there about 6 am, and stay till 8 or 8:30. The ENTIRE time I am fishing there are rainbows jumping and surfacing and biting all around me. Like I said though, I am not getting any bites, let alone catching anything. 

I have tried a couple different lures, a spinner, a couple jigs, fake worms. I tried all of these with and without powerbait. I also made my own scent/attractent with vaseline, garlic, fish oil, fish sauce.... I tired some of the lures and fake worms with my homemade scent as well. 

With that many fish jumping around me I must be doing something wrong. 
What is the best way to catch a rainbow at Deer Creek?


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## swbuckmaster (Sep 14, 2007)

Why not suspend a worm a few feet below a bober?

If you were in a boat or tube there would be more options I could suggest.

A lot of guys using rapallas just real them in. Incorect way to fish them. You need a fast action rod with 6-8 lb test and use a twitch twich pause retrieve. Remember to use the rapalla knot "no swivels".


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## outdoorser (Jan 14, 2013)

I'd try a worm/nightcrawler under a bobber or just with some powerbait or marshmallow with your worm and a sinker several feet above your hook, without a bobber.


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## jadahle (Jul 14, 2013)

Thank you both for your replies. I will try your suggestions. 

Also, had any tried a fly and bubble rig?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

Put a worm on a hook with a miniature marshmallow on the barb so that the bait floats up off of the bottom. That along with different colors of Powerbait such as Rainbow, Char truce, Red with sparkles and a lime green with sparkles. Just make sure that you are buying the floating kind. A fly and a bubble will work best just before dark. For spinners I like a silver or gold Blue Fox #3, or a good old fashion red and white Dare Devil.


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## jadahle (Jul 14, 2013)

Critter - Thank you for the response. 

Since I am new to this and understand little of it, help me understand. Why will the fly and bubble work best right before dark? What is different at dusk than dawn?


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I have just always found it better. It may be that the fish move into the shallows to start to feed at dusk or dark since they have been out in the open water all day. 

All I know is that I have had way better luck with a fly as the sun goes down and some of the best fly fishing I have ever had was when it was so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.


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## harlin (Mar 18, 2012)

Are you sure they were rainbows? North of the island is fairly shallow and I would think the rainbows have gone out to deeper water by now. Maybe you saw smallmouth bass..Just north of the island there is a pull out for cars and it's really rocky right there. The smallmouth are everywhere in those rocks during the summer. Is that where you were?


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## mm73 (Feb 5, 2010)

You see a lot of carp surfacing on Deer Creek this time of year in the morning and evening, especially on the north end.

I usually do quite well at Deer Creek and Jordanelle with a woolie bugger. Black or purple are usually the best colors. I am going to assume you are spin-fishing, if so use a clear plastic bubble bobber and trail the bugger about 4' behind it.

First slide the bubble on to your main line and then tie on a swivel using a clinch knot. Here is a video to show how to tie this knot: 



 Next cut a piece of 4# or 6# leader material. Do not use any bigger than 6# unless you are using fluorocarbon because the fish will see it. I like to make the leader about the same length as the rod I am casting it with but 4' is plenty for starting out as it will be easier to cast. Tie the leader to the other end of the swivel using another clinch knot, and then tie your bugger to the end of the leader also using a clinch knot. If you want you can even tie two buggers on using different colors. Just cut another 16" piece of leader and tie it to the bend of the hook of the first bugger using another clinch knot, then tie on the second bugger.

To fish this set up you need to fill the bubble with water once you have it rigged up. Just push the spindle out and submerge it in the water holding it vertically so the air bubbles can bubble upwards out of the bubble. How much water you fill it with depends on where the fish are feeding in the water column. If they are feeding near the surface then you will fill it half full. If they are feeding deeper than fill it all the way making sure there are no air bubbles inside before you close the bubble. Cast it out as far as you can and wait 10-30 seconds before you begin to retrieve it, depending on how deep you want to get it. If you are fishing on the surface then you can just start to retrieve it. You can vary the speed of your retrieve but usually you will want to go slowly as a faster retrieve will cause the bubble to rise closer to the surface.

This same setup works great for dry flies if the fish are jumping. You can also use wet flies like scuds and prince nymphs. It works great with worms or salmon eggs as well. In fact, you can use this same setup to fish with dough baits. Just use a shorter leader, 18-24" should be plenty, and let it sink to the bottom and sit there instead of retrieving it. Or if you want to fish exclusively with dough bait then you can replace the bubble with an egg sinker.

Hope this helps and you catch some fish! Good luck.


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## jadahle (Jul 14, 2013)

Harlin - That is the spot I was fishing at. I guess they could be small mouth bass. I thought they were rainbow because of the coloration, but I am really new at this and its pretty early in the morning when I see them, so I very well could be wrong. I also thought I remembered reading that trout like to jump a lot and bass not so much. What I was seeing was not just fish hitting the surface, but a lot of them jumping full body out of the water. 

mm73. I tried the fly and bubble method last time I went there, but didn't any woolie buggers with me. I will have to try that. Thank you for the instruction on how to do it.


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## harlin (Mar 18, 2012)

The best rig I've found for Deer Creek summer fishing is the slip bobber rig with a single night crawler threaded up the line. With the slip bobber rig you can set your bait at any depth you want. And it doesn't get snagged in the rocks because your bait and sinker is under a bobber..It works for all species in the reservoir. I used it yesterday and today, and caught 2 smallmouths, 1 walleye, and a nice rainbow. The rainbow was 40 ft deep!

It's simple to use. You just cast out and keep your bail open. The line will slide through the bobber until it hits the stop knot at the depth you put it at. Keep the bail open when waiting. When a fish takes the bait the bobber will go under. If it stays under then reel in the slack until you feel the fish, then set the hook. 

In the fall and spring, when the water is cold the trout will come back up close to the surface. At that time, pretty much anything will work. Spinners, spoons, jigs, bait, bubble & fly, etc..


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## jadahle (Jul 14, 2013)

Thank you Harlin. This just goes to show how much there is about fishing that I DONT know. I will have to try this as well. 

My Dad never took me out and taught me how to fish (how cliche does that sound!). We are starting to connect on it a bit, but I am having to fight his old school views about fishing and different bodies of water. To him, fishing at Deer Creek is a waste of time. You can't catch anything there, and if you do it will be trashy stocked fish anyways. I go there because it is the closest place to fish that I have reasonable access to the water, and because I know its stocked, I know there are fish there to catch. 

Also he is a fly fisher, and I am not. So it makes it a little hard to compare notes sometimes.


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