It’s a nightmare scenario but one that becomes a reality several times a year. You are in the wilderness and come face to face with one of the scariest animals that anyone could ever encounter. If a grizzly comes after you, then knowing if you can protect yourself is a legitimate concern.
.308s are powerful enough for grizzly bears in a technical sense. They offer the right mix of stopping power and low recoil, making it a viable option when you come face-to-face with this animal. However, grizzlies are very tough and might require multiple shots from a .308.
This article will cover a few related topics, such as what the .308 is, how powerful it is, and why it’s a suitable choice for grizzly bear hunting.
How Can You Take Down a Grizzly With a .308 Cartridge?
To take down a grizzly with a .308 cartridge, you’ll need to hit it in the right spot. The .308 is powerful enough to penetrate a bear’s skull. However, if you fail to do enough damage on the first shot, you’ll likely need to have one, if not several, additional rounds ready.
A grizzly bear can weigh anywhere from 675 to 1,700 pounds (306.18 to 771.11 kg), and they can reach speeds of up to 35 miles (56.33 km) per hour. That’s why it’s so important to have a powerful cartridge if you plan to hunt them.
People have used a .308 to take down bears in just a few shots, but it depends on the situation. If you’re in the backcountry, you might consider using a larger cartridge. But if you encounter a bear in close quarters, the .308 might work better.
The idea is to have a rifle that you can shoot relatively fast. For example, you don’t want to be fumbling around with a cumbersome bolt-action rifle when a grizzly is bearing down on you. You want to be able to shoot as quickly as possible.
How Important Is Accuracy When Shooting at Grizzlies?
Accuracy is extremely important when shooting at grizzlies. The more time you have to set up a shot, the better off you’ll be. You need to be able to hit the bear in a vital spot. Otherwise, you might just injure the animal and make it even more dangerous.
It’s possible to kill a grizzly bear with guns that are less powerful than a .308 as long as you properly place your shot.
That said, sudden grizzly encounters may not leave you with enough time to be precise with your shooting, which is why it’s important to be prepared to take multiple shots.
A slightly wounded grizzly isn’t something you want to deal with. They’re powerful animals that’ll viciously fight back.
Related What is the Best One Gun? (If You Could Only Have One).
Have People Taken Down Grizzlies with a .308 Before?
Despite what you might have seen in the movies, the .308 Winchester round can take down a grizzly bear. In fact, it’s even been used by hunters in Alaska to take down this big, brown bear for years.
People have taken down grizzlies with a .308 before. However, a grizzly bear’s reaction to being shot isn’t always predictable. It’s important not to assume that a single good shot will be the end of the encounter.
If you think you might encounter some grizzlies, the .308 should be more than powerful enough for the job. Just make sure that you’re using a high-quality rifle and ammunition and are taking care to be proficient in your marksmanship. With those things in place, the .308 will do its job.
.308 vs. 30-06 for Grizzly Bears
30-06 cartridges are more powerful than a .308 cartridge. The 30-06 can take down larger animals at longer distances. However, it also has more recoil and is less accurate than the .308.
The .308 is a reliable rifle for the inexperienced hunter as it’s easier to control. This is especially true if you’re hunting at close quarters. The 30-06 might be better for an experienced hunter operating in the backcountry.
While the 30-06 is more powerful and more likely to take down a large grizzly bear, the .308 is still a viable option with quality ammunition.
How Likely Are Aggressive Bear Encounters?
Not every bear encounter requires the use of a weapon, but it’s always good to have one in case you need it.
Aggressive bear encounters are more likely in the backcountry than they are in developed areas. However, bears might get aggressive whenever they feel threatened, regardless of location.
That said, aggressive bear encounters or full-on bear attacks are relatively rare. While a .308 rifle might protect you against an aggressive bear, there’s no guarantee that you will need to use it. In fact, using your rifle with a non-aggressive bear might make the situation worse.
The National Park Service provides a number of ways to handle a bear encounter before resorting to the use of a weapon.
How To Survive a Grizzly Attack?
To survive a grizzly attack, you need to identify bear territory, the type of bear you’re looking at, and have a solid survival strategy. A .308 rifle can be of great help, but some bear spray can also do the trick.
Naturally, grizzlies won’t attack unless they feel threatened. And this usually happens in the backcountry without you knowing. The only time you’re likely to see a grizzly is when it’s too close, and that’s why most people have great success with the .308.
During a sneak attack, your first line of defense should be bear spray. Hopefully, this will stop the bear in its tracks, giving you the chance to shoot your shot.
But if the grizzly does manage to get on top of you, your best bet is to play dead. Curl up in a ball and protect your vital organs. And whatever you do, don’t fight back.
Fighting back will only agitate the bear and make the situation more dangerous. Play dead and wait for the bear to lose interest and wander away. Then, you can make your escape.
Bear attacks are rare, but they can happen. So it’s wise to be prepared for all eventualities.
Conclusion
For many people, the .308 won’t be the first choice against a grizzly bear. However, if this is the only weapon you have on hand, you’re much better off with it than you are without it. The .308 is fully capable of taking down a grizzly bear, especially if you place your shot well.
However, if you do find yourself in a battle with a bear, remember to play dead, protect your vitals, and wait for the bear to lose interest. This might seem cowardly, but it can save your life.
For more, check out Best All-Around Camouflage Pattern Across Multiple Biomes.
Among bass anglers, there’s a major misconception about fishing frog patterns. Many anglers believe that there must be frogs living in the reservoir, natural lake or pond for a frog-style bait to be effective. Others think you need to have mats, weeds or moss to fish a frog.
None of those are true.
“When you put a frog on the mat, bass don’t know if it’s a mouse, a baitfish flipping around or a black bird. A lot of times, the frog imitates a number of things, not just a frog,” says professional bass angler Gary Dobyns, the all-time leading money winner in the West. “I’ve seen water snakes eaten when they are on top of a mat. Bass are ferocious predators. They just eat whatever moves on top of that mat and figure out what it is later. Half the time they don’t know what it is. Twice, I’ve seen bass try to eat full-grown coots. They didn’t get them, but they sure tried.”
Depending on weather and water temperature, frogs can be effective all year. May, however, is the traditional start of the frog season. Frogs can be effective from May through the fall in most waters in the western United States. Regardless of the water’s structure, most lakes, reservoirs, ponds, sloughs, backwaters, natural lakes and rivers in the West harbor a place for frog fishing. In fact, there isn’t a place in the West where a properly fished frog bait won’t catch bass.
“You can throw frogs on any lake, period, and they’ll catch fish,” says Dobyns. “I’ve caught my frog fish in Lake Mead, Lake Powell, Lake Oroville and in the Columbia River – places where you don’t have grass. You can catch frog fish anywhere.”
POLLEN LINESEvery serious bass angler knows that frogs can be effective anywhere grass is found. But Dobyns’ biggest secret is fishing frogs in areas devoid of greenery. For example, while few anglers fish pollen slicks with frogs, Dobyns wins tournaments by targeting them.
Floating pollen is common in most Western waters. Dobyns looks for areas where a breeze pushes pollen into a pocket or along the shoreline.
“Fishing frogs on a pollen line is my best-kept secret,” he said, fully knowing his words would soon be printed. “If you fish a frog on top of the pollen scum line, you can catch a boatload of bass. The bass hardly ever see frogs, so they are easy to fool. They’re sitting right underneath the scum line of pollen. It’s like a mat. They get right underneath it. There’s shade and no light penetration, so you always have bass there.”
And because no one else knows those fish are there, Dobyns is busy catching fish other anglers simply overlook. “It’s a secret. No one does it.”
Many bass pros seek out specific water to throw frogs, but Dobyns is a little more flexible. He commonly casts frogs into open water where most folks wouldn’t think of fishing them. “You can throw a frog in some places that you can’t throw anything else. A frog won’t snag, so you can throw it anywhere,” says Dobyns, who tosses frogs on 65-pound Power Pro. “Braided line is very important. You don’t want any stretch. With braid, you get good, solid hookups. You want to be able to power the fish out of the mat.”
GRASSLESS FISHING
Mats aren’t the only place where frogs are effective. Anglers can find success pitching frogs into debris pockets of wood, grass, pollen slicks, tules and any heavy-matted vegetation. On the contrary, many pros have made a living pitching frogs in open water.
“I like throwing them to the bank,” says Art Berry, former Bassmaster champion. “You need to be able to cast the frog to where the water meets the bank. The key is getting the frog as shallow as possible. Everybody knows that frogs live close to the shore. The bass pin them against the bank. You want to throw to the bank, whether there are trees, grass, moss or overhanging branches on the bank.”
The point is that you don’t have to find grass to enjoy success.
“Most of the frog-fish I catch are not caught underneath the mat. They’re caught around brush, trees and in open water around grass,” Berry said. “They’ll probably eat the frog in the spot where you didn’t think you would ever get bit.”
On the other hand, time of day can affect results. Weather can also be a determining factor in frog-fishing success. Many anglers see catch rates increase toward midday and late afternoon. This is because typically, the water is warmer during this time and bass are in covered areas. Dobyns finds the best action with frogs occurs on hot, clear, calm days.
“I think the hot is a given. It makes the fish get in the shade, which most of the time is going to be underneath the mats. Clear is because it will put them in specific spots. If it’s an overcast day they don’t need the cover, but if it’s bright and sunny they need to hunt any cover they can over the top of their heads,” added Dobyns. “Calm – well, I’ve always believed that topwater baits drive fish crazy in calm water. I like fishing frogs in calm water. I’ll throw them in wind, but ask what my perfect situation is, and it’s flat.”
HOW TO FISH A FROG
Knowing how to fish a frog is a science, not something that comes overnight. As with all techniques, the more you employ it, the more confidence you’ll have when fishing it.
“People wonder why a bass short-strikes a frog. It’s because often the angler isn’t fishing it right or the frog isn’t swimming right,” Berry added. “You need to get the frog to be able to walk. Most guys don’t know how to walk a frog and they don’t have the right gear when they fish them.”
By “gear,” Berry means line, rod and reel.
“You don’t want to go have an out-of-the-package frog tied on mono line,” he said.
However, you do want to learn how to train a frog to glide flawlessly through the water. Simply skirting a frog along the surface will generate strikes, but if you make sure the frog swims to its potential, you’ll increase strikes. Berry points his rod tip down, rather than up, and employs short strokes, perhaps four to five inches.
“I just imagine that there’s a needle on the end of my rod and there’s a balloon. I don’t want to pop the balloon. When I move the tip of the rod, I do so just enough to touch the balloon, but not pop it. It’s just like if you were working a Zara Spook,” he explained. “You don’t want to pull and pull the frog through the water because it won’t
swim right. You want the frog to stay in one spot as long as you can. You have to make the frog walk on slack line.”
Easier said than done! But with practice, the technique can be perfected. By not pulling the frog, you’re allowing it to remain in the strike zone for longer periods of time, thus giving bass more time to grab it.
BIG BASS, LITTLE BASS
Many anglers perceive frogs as big-fish baits. However, they’re often surprised when barely legal bass grab half-ounce frogs, proving that bass of all ages and sizes are keen on eating frogs.
“I’ve caught non-keepers that eat frogs, but usually you catch at least keepers,” Dobyns said, pointing out that Kent Brown once caught a five-fish limit of 5-pound bass on frogs while fishing the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta.
On the contrary, a frog can be one of the most effective big-fish baits. “I think a frog is by far the best big-fish bait that’s ever been made, other than fishing a swimbait,” Dobyns said. “You’ll catch way more fish on frogs than swimbaits. I’ve won more money on a frog than any other bait.”
Choosing a frog can be a chore. Aisles at sporting good stores and tackle shops offer dozens of brands of frogs. Nevertheless, many that appeal to the eye aren’t effective in the water. Some anglers say that it’s a personal preference as to which frog they fish with. Others pay attention to the chemistry and construction of the frog.
SELECTING FROG BAITS
“It boils down to your personal favorite with some frogs. The thing that I want a frog to do is, I want a frog to be able to walk,” Dobyns said. “I want to be able to work my rod tip and get the frog to walk side to side, like you would a Zara Spook. I want to be able to work it across the mat, and when I hit open water, I want to be able to walk it to another mat. Many times I fish frogs in open water. I think I probably catch 75 percent of my frog-fish in open water.”
Nearly every major bass tackle manufacturer designs frogs. Some are more effective than others, however.
“What do I think the best frog on the market is? I think the best is Dean Rojas’ Spro frog. What makes this frog the best is, it’s very easy to walk. And the hook position on the bait enables you to catch almost 100 percent of the fish that strike,” says Dobyns, who casts frogs with a Powell 735C Frog Rod and a Daiwa TDA high-speed reel. “With some of the frogs out there, you may only catch 20 percent of the fish that bite because the hook is too far down on the body. This is because they just have a poor design. But with the Spro frog, the hook is in the perfect position and it’s 100 percent weedless.”
Having the frog glide fluently in the water is vital, but there are other factors to consider, too. Frogs come in several sizes, ranging from a quarter-ounce to nearly an ounce.
“I throw one size and that’s it,” says Dobyns, who throws only half-ounce frogs. “I think it’s a perfect size. It’s not too big to catch smaller fish, but big enough to catch big fish.”
SPLITTING HAIRS
Berry takes frog fishing to another level, though, and goes so far as to actually count the strands of rubber used to create each leg. He believes that there are very few quality frogs on the market. “The biggest thing for someone new to frog fishing is that they need to know that most frogs you buy at the store aren’t worth a damn,” Berry said. “There are no good out-of-the-package frogs, no frog that you can buy that will work great out of the package.”
Berry says frogs come standard with 20 strands of rubber in each leg. But for an imitation frog to swim properly, he says it can only have 10 to 12 strands of rubber on each side. “What I do is cut the strands off the frog so there are only 10 to 12. You want to cut the legs up near the base. You want to leave just a hair, maybe a quarter-inch before they go to the base of the frog,” he says.
ADD SOME COLOR
Berry isn’t done yet. Next, he takes a hand file and files the round weight in the rear of the frog, saying it’s imperative to file it completely flat.
“You can’t use a power tool to file it down because the lead gets too hot and you melt the plastic on the frog, which can cause the weight to fall out. You want to make sure the weight is flat so it’s paper-thin,” he added.
Berry then moves to step three, which consists of taking two Sharpie pens and drawing roughly 20 to 25 small dots on the bellies and the sides of the frog. Berry recommends laying it down on cardboard and putting its legs together. Then he adds a varied pattern of colored dots every quarter-inch, using combinations of white, black, green and yellow.
“When you use a Sharpie pen on the frog, the frog will look really pretty right off the bat. But the ink bleeds into the rubber after a couple of days, and the tiny dots become bigger and bigger,” Berry said. “That’s OK, this is what you want it to do. The key is coloring the rubber itself. Any frogs you see in water will have lots of dots on their bellies.”
LET’S GET REAL
Berry also colors the weight black and the eyelid (where your line ties to) black as well.
“It can only be black. You want your line to be black because black doesn’t show up as good in the water and it doesn’t come off your line. If you use a frog that has a shiny eyelid and a fish sees that, they aren’t going to eat it. Come on! They know that’s not a real frog,” added Berry.
“There are key things that a lot of people miss out on. Most of the frogs that are on the shelves don’t look real and by doing these little things, you can make your frog look real and ensure that it’ll swim like a frog.”
Berry credits Andre Moore, owner of Reaction Innovations, for most of his frog-fishing secrets.
“I feel like my frog will out-fish any frog on the market because of these adjustments,” Berry said. “A lot of people get mad at me because I give all my secrets away, but this is something that anyone can do. I’m into promoting the sport of bass fishing, and if people follow these simple things we’ve discussed, they’ll catch more fish. It’s taken my whole life to learn this. An average guy can go into the tackle store and do this. You can make the frog look real.”
What seems odd though, is that if this method works so well, why hasn’t a company made a frog that has all these qualities? “Because I haven’t told anybody yet,” Berry said. “There are a few people that do this already, but most guys don’t know about this.”
They do now!
Dobyns and Berry use Power Pro braided line religiously. They both go as far as saying that if you aren’t using 65-pound braided line, you shouldn’t fish frog baits at all. Neither uses monofilament line when fishing frogs. “There’s no stretch and the abrasion resistance is incredible. The key thing is the distance you can cast with a frog on braid. You can catch it a country mile,” Berry sai
Live-bait rigging with giant creek chubs and redtails is one of the best ways to snag a trophy fall walleye. When I say giant, I mean dragging around minnows up to 10” long, but most commonly in the 4-6” range. The bite’s just heating up now and should be phenomenal for a few more weeks.
You can catch fish all year doing this, but I really get excited for the big-minnow bite once the water has cooled down to 62 degrees…ideally 58-60. It stays good until temps hit 45 or so…after that the fish have already fed heavy for a couple of weeks and are now transitioning to winter patterns. You can still catch ‘em, just not nearly as many.
This time of year I hit the water as soon as I can be out there — especially in clear-water lakes. You’ll have your best shot at sticking a big fish during the typical low-light periods. Later in the fall you can sleep in [or get yard work done in the morning lol]. The bite will pick up later in the day after the water has a chance to warm up, and they’ll continue to bite all day.
Many weeds start to die off when the water temps drop below 68 degrees. That’s why you’ll notice piles of weeds floating around out there. A lot of the baitfish have pulled out of those dying weeds and are now schooled up in open water. The wind positions the baitfish on structure and the fish follow.
Pay attention to which direction the wind has been blowing from in the days leading up to your trip. Even fishing in deep water such as 35-50’ the fish will still typically be stacked on the windblown sides of underwater points, bars and breaks.
My rigging set-ups are 7’ medium-power rods with Pflueger reels. I’ll spool them with #6 smoke FireLine for my main line and tie on a 36-42” mono leader. The shorter leader allows the minnows to swim freely, while still keeping them in the strike zone.
Lighter leaders will absolutely get you more bites in clear water. Would say 6-lb test is probably the best all-around size, but you’d be surprised how many times I’ll drop down to a 4-lb leader [!] when fishing big, pressured fish that have seen it all.
On the business end of things you’ll want either a #1 or #2 Daiichi red hook (depending on minnow size). The red hook is a confidence thing for me…feel it gets me more bites. Pierce the minnow through its upper lip and it’ll stay alive for hours — or until the fish get to it.
One small key to my set-up is adding a red bead between my sinker and swivel. It adds a tiny bit of color and gives off a rattling sound when the bead and sinker hit. It also helps to protect your knot so you won’t need to retie as often.
Walleye prefer a larger minnow in the fall when the water temps are on the drop. It’s the 4-7″ redtails and creek chubs that seem to work best most days, but sometimes even bigger.
Why creek chubs and redtails? Because they’re hardy minnows that will often swim right along with the boat. There’s times you’ll actually feel them ‘getting excited’ down there the moment before a walleye smacks them.
You can catch the occasional fish on a sucker minnow, but they’re usually too lethargic for this technique and will end up being drug behind the boat [versus lively darting from side to side.]
I run a 1/2- to 1-oz egg sinker depending on minnow size, wind and depth. The 3/4-oz seems to be good all around, but I bump up to a 1-oz anytime I’m fishing 30’ or deeper. The bigger sinker also helps to anchor that minnow and keep it in the strike zone.
Egg sinkers because they’re super dense for their size and work perfect for this application. I’m not dragging them on bottom, I’m trying to fish the sinker like a jig — keeping it 6-18” off bottom and as vertical as possible. Occasionally drop it down to tap bottom and raise it back up.
Trolling between 0.3-0.8 mph covers most scenarios for pulling big minnows in the fall. When it’s calmer I’ll start off on the slow end of that to stay right over the tops of fish. If the wind is blowing there will be a current that seems to get everything moving down there [on the bottom] — that’s when I’ll pick up the speed.
When I’m pulling big 5-7” minnows I’ll drop the line as soon as I feel a hit and point the rod tip straight back — that way the fish feels as little resistance as possible [when pulling line out].
I start out giving them a 25-30 second count before I set the hook. It will seem like forever before you get used to it. I’ll even wait 35-40 seconds on days that they’re sluggish. That gives them more time to turn that minnow around in their mouth after they t-bone it.
A lot of guys do a low sweeping hookset, but I pick up the slack and set the hook straight up vertically. It helps to drive the hook right into the roof of its mouth. I feel it gives me a better hook-up percentage and lose less fish that I do have on.
I like tail-hooking chubs with a longer 5-7’ leader when the fish are a little more aggressive and feeding. The minnows struggle so much more when you tail hook ‘em — can actually feel that redtail get nervous and try to get away when a fish is near.
That’s when I’ll sometimes open my bail up and let the minnow go for 10 seconds…stop the line with my finger to feel if a walleye picked it up…lot of times they’ll chase the minnow down and smoke it.
Also find I have a better hook-up ratio when tail-hooking big minnows. Fish are gonna hit the chubs head first…so that hook is already in a good position to hook the fish in the top of the mouth…don’t need to let them take it as long when setting the hook.
Tends to work best when sitting right on top of fish or barely crawling along…otherwise the chubs will die more quickly from being pulled backwards.
Lot of folks hopped on the braided-line bandwagon and never left…BUT there’s times when mono can out-produce, out-catch and out-kick braid’s butt (lol).
Here’s tourney-nut Jake Caughey talkin’ why he runs mono when soaking big redtails and creek chubs for fall walleyes:
Here’s a video breakdown of my complete chubbin’ program (locations, gear, tweaks, etc) and some specifics to the tail-hooking trick that have saved my last couple of trips from picky biters. 👊 Hope you dig it!
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North American native mountain lions are great predators in the United States; their population is approximately 30,000. The big game mountain lion has many other names such as cougar, panther, puma, catamount, etc.
Pc: Unsplash
It is one of the big challenging games in North America and is often regarded as America’s lion. You can visit our blog, The Challenging Big Game-Cougar, to know more about cougar hunting and behavior.
This blog is about the population and distribution of mountain lions in different states of the United States of America. Before discussing which states are best for mountain lion hunting, you must know about
The cougar hunting season starts in August and lasts till February.
Cougar has a broader range of habitats and is present in open lands, steep canyons, forests, and deserts.
Best Mountain Lion Hunting States:
Here is a list of the best states for mountain lions hunting,
Arizona
Idaho
California
Colorado
New Mexico
Montana
Wyoming
Utah
Arizona:
Grand Canyon State has 2,000-3,000 mountain lions, which are present in the rocky areas, so most of the hunting is done on dry land. Be sure that you take highly trained dogs with you. In Arizona, the mountain lion hunting season runs year around.
Pc: Unsplash
Arizona has specific rules for cougar hunting that you can’t hunt kittens and females, and the bag limit is no more than one cougar per day.
Idaho:
Idaho has a widespread population of about 2,000 mountain lions, and this state is known to have more liberal laws than all the western states. The annual hunting limit is 400-600. The season starts in August and ends in June or March, depending upon the unit.
Electronic calls and hound hunting is legal in this area, but they might close for some time in specific areas.
California:
The state with one of the largest mountain lion populations. In the 1970s, California wildlife management declared mountain lions endangered, but now, due to efforts like controlled hunting, California has 4,000 to 6,000 mountain lions.
Colorado:
Colorado is the prime mountain lion state, with a population of 3,000 to 8,000. The state is the perfect habitat for this ferocious predator. A pro tip to make the best of the mountain lion in Colorado is first to check the rocky mountains regions.
Pc: Pexels
The cougar hunting season in Colorado starts in November, but for hunting mountain lions, you must fulfill specific standards set by Colorado wildlife management; you must pass a mountain lion hunting test, an online course, and an educational card and habitat stamp is also necessary.
New Mexico:
New Mexico only allows controlled hunting practices to protect mountain lions; the state has approximately 4,000 mountain lion populations that thrive in the hilly regions of the state.
Pc: Pixabay
The state allows electronic calls and hounds hunting, and the season runs round the year till the quota meets. Remember that your tag expires every March, and you have to renew it before going to the hunting areas.
Montana:
Montana mountain lion hunting season starts in September but makes sure you apply for the permit in August. The state wildlife department makes it clear that the state is suitable habitat for mountain lions, so they are widely spread all over the state, and the approximate population of cougars in Montana is 2,000 to 3,000.
Wyoming:
There was a time when the Wyoming mountain lion population was stable, but now the population has dropped. The state wildlife management is trying to control hunting till the population becomes stable again.
Pc: Pixabay
The best season runs from September to March and the best time to hunt is one hour before sunset and one hour after sunset.
Utah:
The state allows restricted and limited hunting and has a population of about 25,00 mountain lions. The mountainous regions, as well as swamp areas, are the preferred habitats of cougars. Legal mountain lion hunting season in Utah starts in November and runs till May.
Pack your hunting essentials and select the state as suitable for you to apply for a permit and enjoy the big game mountain lion hunt.
Hi-Point Firearms has been manufacturing some of the most budget-friendly semi-automatic pistols and carbines available for more than two decades. While the aesthetics of the guns may not gladden the eyes of all who gaze upon them, they are loaded with features, constructed from 100-percent American-made components and assembled by a U.S.-based labor force. This year, Hi-Point decided it was time to ramp up the power potential of its carbine line with the addition of a brand new 10 mm version called the 1095TS. As of this writing, the 10 mm is available in either a standard flat black or Realtree Edge camouflage finish. This review takes a closer look at the Realtree Edge version.
Like its predecessors, the 1095TS Edge is a blowback-operated, striker-fired semi-automatic carbine with a single-action trigger. The striker mechanism, bolt assembly, trigger group, external controls and single-stack magazines all take their cues from Hi-Point’s pistols. However, there is no magazine disconnect in the carbine and the monolithic grip cannot be swapped out or modified.
The round profile 17.5″ blued steel barrel has a muzzle threaded at .57×28 TPI in order to accept muzzle accessories. A knurled thread protector is provided. The factory iron-sighting system consists of an adjustable hooded post attached to the barrel and a fully adjustable peep sight at the rear. The rear sight is set into a stamped sheet steel housing which can be removed in order to install a magnified optic or red-dot sight.
The receiver is cast from Zamak 3 alloy which is, apparently, strong enough to handle the increased pressure (SAAMI Max: 37,500 PSI) of the 10 mm cartridge. Each caliber of Hi-Point carbine is rated for +P ammunition so as to be able to fire all factory-manufactured, SAAMI-spec ammunition. However, history has shown that 10 mm pistols of all types tend to wear out more quickly than similarly sized models chambered for 9 mm, .40 S&W and .45 ACP because of the increased pressure levels and bullet velocities. It seems likely that a 10 mm carbine, no matter which company makes it, is going to reach the end of its working life span more quickly than other pistol-caliber models.
A sheet steel shroud is placed over the receiver to keep out dirt and to support the back end of the sight rail. In this case, the shroud has been given the same hydro-dip camouflage treatment as the polymer stock to create a unified appearance. The ribbed fore-end, pistol grip and shoulder stock are all constructed from a single piece of textured high-impact polymer. A polymer handguard, which is ribbed to match the fore-end, is clamped over the barrel to lend support to the front end of the 9.5″ Weaver-style sight rail. A 3.5″ accessory rail is mounted under the barrel along with a 4.5″ rail attached to the fore-end of the stock.
Hi-Point carbines are configured to eject spent shell casings to the right of the receiver with the manual controls installed on the left. The round, reciprocating charging handle is simply twisted into the bolt assembly and tightened using the provided combination wrench and sight adjustment tool. The manual safety swings up into the Safe position and down, exposing a red-dot, to fire. The polymer round-button magazine release allows the magazine to drop free of the pistol grip when pressed. The 1095TS Edge arrives with one blued steel 10-round, single-stack magazine with an oversized black polymer baseplate.
The black polymer trigger is best described as having a single-action trigger pull even though the arch of travel is a bit longer than most single-actions. The trigger feels surprisingly smooth and breaks with 5 lbs. 11 oz. of trigger pull. The skeletonized shoulder stock provides a 14.5″ length of pull (LOP) with a soft rubber cheek pad. The black polymer recoil plate is supported by three extensions, each of which is fitted with a recoil reduction spring. The carbine arrives with a simple nylon web shoulder sling and a set of removable blued steel sling swivels.
The two features that keep Hi-Point carbines selling like hot cakes are their low sticker prices and the platform’s reliability. At the shooting range, the 10 mm 1095TS Edge experienced two failures to feed in the first 50 rounds. After that, it merrily munched its way through whatever it was fed from relatively low velocity (1,150 f.p.s.) practice-grade imports to premium hunting and defense loads. The carbine feels good to hold, it points well, the sight system is easy to use and the recoil reduction system built into the shoulder stock kept felt recoil to a comfortable moderate level. The Realtree Edge camouflage finish has been properly applied and provides a refreshing alternative to a flat black finish.
In most cases, I conduct formal pistol-caliber carbine accuracy testing at 50 yards from a benchrest. However, much like the Hi-Point 4595TS PRO carbine chambered in .45 ACP that I tested three years ago, the five-shot group sizes of the 1095TS Edge opened up to around 5″ at 50 yards when firing practice grade ammunition. But I wanted to know the distance at which this 10 mm carbine could produce practical group sizes of 3″ or less. Once again, the practical target distance proved to be 25 yards when shooting less expensive ammunition.
Although I stuck with budget-priced loads during the .45 ACP carbine test, this time around I broke out some premium-grade ammunition in a variety of bullet weights to see if the 1095TS Edge’s accuracy could be improved. I was also curious to see how its 17.5″ barrel would affect bullet velocity, which was measured for 10 consecutive shots using a Lab Radar chronograph with a 12″ offset from the muzzle of the carbine.
Formal accuracy testing began with one of the heaviest-bulleted commercially-available cartridges loaded to a maximum safe velocity for its weight, Buffalo Bore’s Heavy Outdoor 220-gr. hard-cast flat nose with a listed pistol velocity of 1,200 f.p.s. at the muzzle. This round’s velocity was upped to 1,325 f.p.s. by the carbine-length barrel for 858 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy with a best single group of 2.31″ and a five-group average of 2.53″.
The fastest and lightest bullet of the day was an Underwood Ammunition’s Xtreme Defense 115-gr. CNC-machined solid-copper Xtreme Penetrator with a listed pistol velocity of 1,700 f.p.s. These rounds scooted right along at 1,912 f.p.s. for 933 ft.-lbs. of energy at the muzzle. It printed a best group of 1.35″ with a group average of 1.47″. SIG Sauer’s Elite Performance 180-gr. V-Crown jacketed hollow point loaded to 1,250 f.p.s. is a top-notch, multi-purpose load which is accurate and reliable in pistols and carbines. Bullet velocity increased to 1,400 f.p.s. for 783 ft.-lbs. of muzzle energy with a best single group of 1.56″ and an average of 1.70″.
The Hi-Point 10 mm 1095TS brings a new level of punch to a platform favored by those who are looking for a reliable pistol-caliber carbine at a rock-bottom price. Although this gun’s best accuracy potential is realized at around 25 to 30 yards, instead of a more typical pistol-caliber carbine distance of 50 yards, quality 10 mm loads will get the job done within that range. I’m glad to see that fans of the 10 mm Auto have a new, less-expensive way to put this terrific cartridge to work. With suggested retail prices starting at $389.99, it’s certainly the most affordable carbine in this potent caliber.
Since I was hunting and harvesting meat in my teens, I was trying to come up with ideas on how to honor and add extra value to the meat I worked for in the wild.
Now 20 or so years later, I still use a lot of wild venison meat cuts for many projects, and often for meat curing and salami making.
I wanted to provide some information about what I cook and use with the various cuts of venison meat. It’s a little different in New Zealand, where I do most of my hunting with an abundance of wild deer and many are semi-farmed also.
I’ve eaten/butchered farmed venison and been able to contrast the differences.
This article relates to both with some generic aspects due to the slight variation in the deer species (ie. fat vs lean meat). In New Zealand we have about 6 species of deer.
We aren’t required by hunting regulations to remove the whole carcass hunting public land, often we are semi-burying the meat or just leaving it for the scavengers.
The most common cuts to harvest and use are the loin along each side of the spine “back steaks” as well as back legs (hind leg). Since this is where the majority of the meat from the animal is.
If you think about most cuts and edible aspects of the deer, here is the framework.
Many cuts and areas of the deer can be used for slow cooking to tenderize. Whilst other cuts like the loin and tenderloin are best for fast cooking methods. The deer’s heart and liver are the best parts for cooking first after the animal is killed whilst the offal is fresh.
I assume you have a basic idea of butchering a deer, since this is about what you can do with the deer meat, including all the major muscle groups and subprime muscle groups.
Most hunters I know will look at mincing a good percentage of the meat they harvest. The other aspect is cubing or dicing the meat for dishes like stews and curries.
There are so many ways you can look at the muscles and edible parts, to make it simple, the basic categories for how you cook the venison are slow or fast. Then after this, I will look at it from the sections or different areas of the deer/venison animal with some added thoughts.
Slow Cooking Venison= Often Cooked in a liquid
Fast Cooking Venison = Often Cooked under Direct Heat until rare to medium done
Slow Cooking Venison
Neck
Shank
Ribs
Any Meat of the Deer
Bones for Marrow
Trotter/Hoof
For slow cooking, I like braising methods, but I’ve always found the ribs hard work since many deer in New Zealand are so lean.
I hunt with just a knife often, I don’t have a bone saw to take bone on shanks or neck cuts. Unless the hunt is on friendly farmers land, where we can drive a 4wd or quad motorbike to retrieve the whole carcass.
Unless the deer is small, often isn’t the case where we hunt locally.
The main deer across wide aspects of New Zealand is the red deer, which is often a large-bodied animal.
If you simmer or slow cook any aspect of the meat, you can break down the muscle fibers with a stew or other liquid-based broth. I’ve found this just takes time and patience. Depending on the deer species and toughness of the meat, after 3-4 hours this can be achieved.
Since there is a lack of collagen or sinew in the loin or tenderloin. These cuts of meat aren’t very successful when slow cooked I have found.
Browning slow cook cuts of the meat will bring the natural sugars to the surface and helps the overall flavor a lot I’ve found.
Fast Cooking Venison
Heart
Liver
Back Steak
Tenderloin
Aged Rump (Hind Leg)
Aged Sirloin (Hind leg)
If you are harvesting a deer, heart and liver are the first and most logical things to eat, as long as they are fresh and not overcooked. They are rich in minerals and can be sliced and fried or cooked on an open fire very easily with a stick.
TIP – Overcooking is easily done with offal, so keep a close eye on it whilst frying!
The tenderloin would be the next option for me, then it would depend on the age and type of deer whether the loin could or would be used, normally aged.
Cooking or Frying a loin until rare done-ness is another way of making it pleasant to eat without aging.
Aging other cuts of the hind leg are often necessary to make it enjoyable and break down the toughness.
Edible Parts of a Deer in Detail
Now I will look at the deer areas and meat sections of the venison/deer.
Loin (Backsteak)
Tenderloin
Hind Quarter (Back Leg)
Forequarter (Front Leg)
Neck Cuts
Offal & Organs
Ribs
For each of these above categories, I will go into detail based on what I know and what I have used to make food or wish to try in the near future.
If you dry age or wet age different subprime cuts of the front or back legs, you can ‘technically’ get more fast frying or cooking cuts.
Loin (Backsteak)
Options for Venison Loin
Steak Cuts
Salt Cured and Hot Smoked
Dry Cured (Lonza, Lonzino, braesola but with venison)
Italian Style Biltong Dried (or Cold Smoked)
Lean meat from the area adjacent to the spine.
Depending on the species of the deer, this could be short or long. The diameter may vary somewhat as well. The cut goes from in front of the back leg muscles, right up until the upper neck.
In a fine dining restaurant I was associated with in Scotland, the head chef showed me the technique they used for aged cuts, submerge in extra virgin olive oil with fresh rosemary sprigs and juniper. It was left in the fridge and cooked when needed.
Because the oil protected the meat from oxidation, it was able to be kept for up to 2 weeks and cooked when needed.
Traditional most harvesters and hunters of meat will use this cut for steak. However, it can be used for many salted then possibly cold or hot smoked recipes.
Venison Loin Recipe Links
Venison Loin with Red Peppers
Venison Steak Diane
If you need some tips on wet aging steak cuts of venison in your fridge – here is an article I wrote on how.
Tenderloin
Options for Tenderloin Venison
Fast frying – oil, salt, pepper
BBQing – direct heat and hot
Roasting
Very soft meat from a deer, some love it. Some find it lacks flavor, it’s one of the cuts that could be used straight after harvesting to some extent I’ve found. I treat it very similar to the loin, in terms of cooking.
Personally, I like to add some spices and flavor, such as juniper berries, rosemary, pepper, or other hard green herbs.
This a fast fry cut, soft and cooked fast. The muscle isn’t used a lot by the animal, so it tends to have soft intramuscular aspect to it.
Really very similar to the loin or back steak in some ways, maybe some folks can taste the difference.
I do eat sugar and saturated fat, however, they are often used as shortcuts to flavor, in my opinion, I see many recipes where bacon is wrapped around or criss-crossed lean meats. Sure this works, however, cooking rare is my personal preference to taste quality meat instead.
Tenderloin Recipe Links:
Venison Tenderloin in Blueberry Sauce
Roasted Tenderloin
Hind Quarter (Back Leg)
Rump
Top Side
Bottom Round
Eye of Round
Sirloin Tip
Tri-Tip
Shank
Hind Leg Bone
Here is a very informative article on deboning a hind leg of venison I found online.
Rump, Top Side, Bottom Round, Eye of Round, Sirloin Tip, Tri-Tip
Roast
Indirect Hot Smoked
Aged and Sliced for Steak
Wet Pickled/Brined and Pastrami Style (Acidic Brine)
Cube or Mince Meat
Dry Curing any of these Cuts
Jerky or Biltong
Either slow or fast cooking can be done with many of these venison hind leg muscles.
Once you have removed the sinew binding between the different muscle groups, there are so many options!
Venison Pastrami has been amazing! I have used a simple portable smoker, as well as a pellet grill smoker for this.
Hot Smoking Indirect, otherwise known as Low and Slow Smoking coined the Modern term, developed from German and Czech-Slovakia early American immigrants. Basically, heat on one side and passing or surrounding meat at temperatures of approximately 200-250°F (with either charcoal/wood or pure offset wood chunks)
I love to make slow cooker stews or many different types of masala-based curry with venison also.
Any venison makes great mince/ground meat. I even did a blind tasting with a bolognese I made with beef mince and venison mince. Since my partner was reluctant to eat venison I harvested when I met her.
Guess what?
She could not taste the difference! Although, I know that based on the time of the year, diet, and species of deer there are a milder or more intense game meats.
The easiest ways to age the rump meat is, ideally hanging the entire hind leg in a chiller or fridge environment for 7-12 days.
Often I don’t have the use of a chiller fridge.
Here is an article I wrote on wet aging venison meat, or another simple technique is to vacpac the cuts, for 1-3 weeks in your fridge (although I don’t like the single-use plastic aspect of this, there are environmentally friendly vacpac bags available).
Summary of Aging Venison
We take the subprime cuts like sirloin, rump, and loin (back steak or backstrap), place them on a non-reactive grill to create distance, then onto a baking tray. It then is wrapped with cling film / cling wrap (which again I am not fond of). The goal here is to have it aging in the normal kitchen fridge.
However, not sitting in the blood or juices that comes off the meat is what ‘spoils’ meat quickly. From what I have learned, the temperature being barely above freezing will also mean the unwanted bacteria growth will be minimal.
Unwanted bacteria on meat is exponential as the temperature increases. This is why from harvesting venison through to any type of cooking or dry curing/salami making. Keeping the temperature as cold as possible is very important.
7-10 days with this method, which we have been using for many years.
Another method that uses too much plastic in my opinion, is vac packing this fast cooking cuts for 2-3 weeks in the back of the kitchen fridge. You can also marinate at the same time using this method as well.
I have also been reviewing a dry aging and dry curing cabinet fridge from the USA. Here is a link to the article I wrote on it, this could be use for dry aging venison.
Main Hind Leg Recipes
Venison Roast
Simple Slow Cooker Venison Recipe
My Biltong and Jerky Article
Whole Venison Leg Roast Recipe
Shank
One of the toughest parts of the deer, long slow cooking in liquid is the key here.
Definitely slow cooking in liquid is needed for this tough area which is lean and has a lot of connective tissue, the collagen-rich aspects will create a wonderful broth with a few herbs, spices, and vegetables.
It is also one of my favorite parts of the deer!
Hind Leg Bone
Ideal for stock, or a wonderful treat for a dog. On the farm, we would freeze bones, and give the dog a treat every now and then. A frozen bone will give a dog a longer level of enjoyment!
Forequarter (Front Leg)
Shoulder
Chuck
Shank
Options for Forequarter Meat
Minced Meat
Cubed Meat
Deboned, Wet Brined, and Smoked/Cooked
Dry Cured
Most of the time when we are processing the front leg of the deer, it’s extra labor and takes time to remove a lot of the sinew. If you are hunting the venison, often you have to work around the hole from the bullet (or arrow/bolt).
There is a fair amount of meat, but it takes that extra time to get the tough sinew off from a wild animal.
Once trimmed of sinew, blood clotting, etc, the meat is often in the diced or minced pile. I will highlight below some of my favorite recipes around this.
I haven’t aged any front leg muscles, but I am sure with patience you could get a tender fast cooking chunk or muscle. Generally, I have always cubed or minced the meat from the front leg.
Shank of Forequarter
Same as Hind/Back Leg, slow cooking in liquid is best! The bone can be utilised in the same way, I’ve read that as humans we weren’t really hunter/gathers so much as scavengers who would brake bones for the marrow, tens of thousands of years ago!
Front Leg Recipe List & Links
Any red meat cubed or minced recipe could be used for this meat. It would literally be 10,000s of recipes, just use google.
Same as Hind Leg in some ways, expect more sinew, however.
Neck Cuts
Options for Neck Cuts
You need a bone saw to work through the bone/meat section of the neck, there is meat but of course a lot of bone and connective tissue. This is definitely long slow cooking, again ideally in liquid in my option.
Venison Neck Recipes
Osso Bucco (shank or neck could be used)
Neck Braised
Pressure Cooker
Flank
Options for Venison Flank
Tenderized and Crumbed (Schnitzel)
A thin cut of meat, often I am not focused on.
Has potential, if you are willing to take the time to extract and trim the flank properly.
Here is a guy on u tube way more interested in flank than me.
Organs and Offal
Heart
Liver
Options for Heart and Liver
Fast frying, Sauteed
Terrine or set in aspic (using collagen to gelatine to create a jelly structure)
Crumbed and deep fried
Liver Pate
Sliced and Fast frying is my favorite method since these are the best fresh and soon after harvesting.
It’s often forgotten about, the offal carries so many minerals and vitamins. The issue is, if it is a wild animal, often there is a penetrating, expanded bullet going through this region.
Now let’s move on to the ground or minced venison in more detail with some more ideas.
What To Do With Ground Venison
Fresh Sausage
Hot Smoked Salami
Dry Cured Salami
Minced Jerky
Cottage Pie
Burger Patties
Tartar (raw option, Hungarian Style)
Minced meat is a beneficial thing, however when you have minced pork, beef, or other farmed animals of the red meat type. For any sausage or salami, you have to use a minimum of 20% pork fat (because it’s neutral in flavor), I focus on 28-30% pork fat for nearly all my fresh sausage links and salami.
It can be embedded with fat generally speaking, red meat like venison from the wild isn’t. The farmed venison I’ve come across has a minimal amount of fat, apart from the odd animal.
Fat from some certain deer in America, I’ve heard doesn’t taste too nice. I’ve never experienced that though in New Zealand where I hunt.
Pork fat is the neutral flavored fat that is used generally speaking, for sausage, salami, or even burger patties.
Venison meat is lean, but I’ve found cooking with it, basically it is the same as cooking with beef mince, unless you overcook it to the point of complete dryness or if you have cooked it would some kind of liquid to keep the cooking environment wet.
My favorite uses for minced venison is to use it for, sausages, salami, lasagne, cottage pie and many other dishes/recipes.
In some ways minced and cubed venison meat is the most versatile for cooking or making smallgoods like sausages or salami. I often cube the meat and freeze it if I am going to make dry cured salami.
Minced Venison Meat Recipes
Venison Salami Recipes
Venison Sausage Recipes
Minced Jerky Recipe
Basic Pemmican (Fat, Dried Fruit, Meat)
Venison Patties Recipe
Biltong
For venison, many different cuts can be used for this basic type of cured and dried product. Unlike jerky, this meat-based snack is preserved, whilst also having a lot of flavor!
I am a big fan of Biltong made from venison, I often used many of the subprime cuts in the hind leg.
I am using salt and often malt vinegar to ‘cure’ the meat, using the salt to inhibit the unwanted bacteria that spoils it. The other preserving ingredient is vinegar, I have used red wine or malt vinegar mainly. Vinegar creates a more acidic environment which the unwanted spoiling bacteria don’t like very much.
The vinegar also has the same effect as cooking, called ‘denaturing’ the proteins. I can’t explain the exact science. It definitely works though!
Here is something I wrote about biltong.
Pickling and Preserving Venison Meat
Canning or preserving venison cubes in a jar are other ways of preserving the meat without refrigeration.
I haven’t tried these methods yet, but have been reading and researching them. Here is some detailed information about it.
You have 2 options, either pressured sterilization with a pressure cooker.
For pressure cooking, there is hot or raw packing, here is an article with a lot more info on this.
Sous Vide
The key to sous vide is all about cooking in a water bath at a precise temperature with little variation. Also, often it’s placed into a vac-packed sealed bag to seal in all the flavor.
I’ve eaten sous vide venison, and you can truly get the precise rare vs cooked aspect you desire. Although, it’s in a way a lot more work, and often using single-use plastic vac seal bags, which I try to avoid.
I have found reusable sous vide bags, they do last for multiple cooks.
Difference Between Wild Deer and Farmed Deer
Most wild deer I have come across are lean, I have heard of deer across USA and Europe that have fat. From my experience fat is more likely with farmed deer, it can also add flavor. I think it goes back to the saying, it is what it eats.
Some of the finest deer I have eaten have been wild animals, with access from the forest onto fertile grass farmland. Which creates more fat development for the red or fallow deer, and the fat was very mild.
Fish finders are the single greatest advantage you can use on the water. Understand how to use them to find bass activity and patterns and you’ll be catching more fish in no time.
How to Read a Fish Finder (The Right Way)
Sidescanning sonar has grown tremendously over the past few years, leading to a nearly endless supply of choices of fish finders.
With brands like Garmin, Lowrance, and Humminbird flush with money, the technology also continues to grow with the competition.
With that, confusion also comes along. When you are trying to figure out what the fish are doing while managing everything else on the boat, the last thing you want is a confusing fish finder.
That’s why understanding a fish finder is a game changer. If done correctly, it will lead to serious results. You will find yourself catching more, and the fish that you do catch will be much bigger.
No serious bass fisherman can expect to compete without one.
Further, they will help you grow as a fisherman since they will teach you about the lakes you are fishing. When you combine sonar with GPS, you can virtually map the bottom topography of any body of water. Developing that understanding will prove to be more valuable than anything else when it comes to catching fish.
Properly Reading and Understanding a Fish Finder ✅
You need to understand that your fish finder displays actual fish. Many people doubt their equipment, but fish finders don’t lie. Not only do fish finders display actual fish, but they display them so accurately that researchers are harnessing them to conduct research on bodies of water.
The challenge becomes telling things apart. More advanced fish finders will attempt to do this for you, but with the complexity of variables below the boat and lack of a powerful enough artificial intelligence in fish finders, this is usually inaccurate at best. Therefore, you need to develop your own eye for what fish look like on your fish finder.
If your fish finder displays arches, you know you at least have fish under your boat. Fish taper in mass from one end to another. As the boat passes over them, they return signals that begin weak and then grow strong before weakening again. This results in an arch on the screen. When you are scouting new areas to fish for largemouth bass, this can be a very good sign.
Understanding the size of the arch is essential to determining what the arch actually represents. Looking at the length and thickness of the arch will help you figure out what sort of fish you are looking at, or even if it is a fish at all.
The arch length and color are two crucial features that are instantly recognizable as some sort of fish in the water. From there, you will have to leverage your knowledge as a fisherman to discern what type of fish it is.
Color is also a factor if you have one of the more advanced fish finders. The darker the color, the more dense the thing returning the signal is. This will help you gauge the density of the fish arches. It will also help you determine if the arch is just a big wad of grass that is floating along or if it is an actual fish.
However, just finding arches is only a part of the equation. Having the requisite knowledge to pick out bass from other types of fish is critical. Bass, walleye, catfish, and shad all behave differently and pursue prey in wildly different manners. This results in different patterns being displayed on your fish finder.
For instance, when bass sits on the bottom of the lake, they tend to want their space. This results in dots that are typically congregated near a structure of some sort. However, catfish, carp, and other bottom feeders typically look for depressions. The reason is both are pursuing food in their way. Depressions gather trash, and the structure brings in baitfish.
A note on baitfish, you will often see baitfish in open water as a large cluster of little dots. These large bait balls are easy to identify, and if you see larger, darker arches next to them, you can bet that there are fish feeding on them. However, this does not mean that it is the only place to find baitfish. Often when viewing underwater structures, you will see tons of little dots all around it. This is more often bait fish that feed on the aquatic life growing on the structure.
This is why FISH-ID is viewed as less than accurate. If a fish is swimming along, far away from any sort of cover, then you will likely have a positive identification of a fish from FISH-ID. However, the slightest bit of debris can cause it to misidentify or simply not recognize the fish at all. This is where the operator’s interpretation of the data becomes critical.
Reading Depth and Temperature 💡
There are two primary factors you need to understand with any fish finder. These fundamental factors are depth and water temperature. A mobile vessel such as a high-performance fishing kayak will allow you to reach new fishing areas; seeing what’s under the water is crucial.
While there are a variety of different ways they’re shown, here’s everything you need to know.
Colors 🌈
What do colors mean on a fish finder? We have already touched on how color denotes density on a fish finder. Generally speaking, the denser something is, the brighter the color is. Understanding density will help you discern hardened structures that can be targeted with soft plastics from other, often muddier, elements that hold little to no fish.
Yet, many fish finders offer different color palettes to choose from. Since there is so much information being transmitted on a fish finder screen, you need to make sure that everything is optimized for efficient, fast reading. Choosing a color palette that will allow you to read it no matter if your sunglasses are on or off, the sun is out, or its not, or if you are sensitive to certain colors over others are all factors that should be considered when selecting a color palette.
You should also not be loyal to any one color palette. Many times, conditions will cause you to have to change your color palette. Exceptionally muddy water or soft bottom lakes will often demand you dial up the sensitivity to pick out the hardened structure from the debris. Certain color palettes will make this much easier to read.
Fish Size 📏
Everyone wants to use their fish finder for spotting trophy bass. Though it may seem impossible to the new user, many people know that sonar has been used by researchers for years to find fish and determine their size. This comes down to paying attention to detail and knowing the fish you are pursuing.
That being said, a fish finder is just that, a fish finder. It is a useful tool, but it can only tell you that there is something below the boat returning sonar waves at a rate that is consistent with a fish. It is up to you to make sense of those returns and take action.
Arches will show the size of the return on the screen. If your fish finder is equipped with FISH-ID, it will likely identify a very strong return with a fish icon. However, it will never tell you what type of fish it is simply because it is nearly impossible to know from an algorithmic standpoint. This is where knowing your target fish and their habits come into play.
Trophy bass don’t typically school or move around in open water. This is because it is mostly inefficient to support their mass. Those fish will want to stay close to a structure that is conducive to catching frequent, easy meals. Finding quality structure is key to finding trophy bass.
Another detail that you should always pay attention to is temperature. There is likely not a fish finder on the market that won’t tell you how hot or cold the water is. It is typically displayed proudly on the screen, no matter what setting you have it on. Water temperature is one of the most important numbers to fish as they set their feeding, spawning, and movement plans based solely on water temperature.
If you see a fish that is outside of a depth, water temperature, and away from the structure that would be common to largemouth bass, it probably isn’t one. Many other fish that get quite large behave totally differently from the ambush-loving largemouth. Always keep this in mind when you are trying to decide what kind of fish are showing up on your fish finder.
Bottom Structure 👇
Knowing how to determine bottom structure is one of the key things you should learn early on when getting used to using a fish finder. Knowing what type of structure you are likely to encounter is one of the many things that will suggest the exact variety of fishing line you will need to use, be that monofilament, braided, or fluorocarbon.
Vegetation and mud are the most confusing things to discern on a fish finder screen. This is because they lack density and clearly defined edges that are able to be seen in detail. However, sunken tree tops, logs, stumps, and rocks will have clear edges that are hard to return a bright color. Telling these from other structures is fairly straightforward.
The key thing to know is that you need to match your boat’s speed with the speed and angle the fish finder is set at. Going too fast with a high-frequency, narrow beam will likely produce a lot of noise and less detail than is usable. However, going slow with the fish finder set to a wide, low-frequency rate will make for clear images, but you will be missing out on the detail that the fish finder is capable of producing.
Reading Different Types of Underwater Structure 🎯
Fish finder technology is continually evolving. The military has a unique interest in developing sonar technology as it helps detect an enemy’s presence in the water. However, as DARPA and the Department of the Navy develop technology that supersedes something it already has, it will sometimes allow for older tech to be released to the public.
One such development was the release of CHIRP sonar in July of 1960. When the Navy allowed the civilian sector to see what CHIRP was capable of, a series of papers were published exploring how it could be used and improved.
Today, CHIRP sonar has changed the way marine biologists identify marine sediment. Biologists, geologists, and other interested parties regularly used high-end CHIRP sonars to explore waters that would otherwise be completely inaccessible. However, it wasn’t long before the word was out, and the recreational fish finder market began to explode.
For years, the common man’s fish finder could tell that there was something on the bottom, but it was very difficult to tell what it was. Modern fish finders have changed this dynamic drastically. Today we can tell what vegetation, muddy bottoms, depressions, points, and underwater structures with relative ease.
Vegetation 🌿
Vegetation is one the most confusing things to read on a fish finder, but one of the most important. This is especially true if you are fishing with bass jigs and need to be precise about where your lure is placed.
Baitfish and vegetation often look very similar since they are assembled similarly and have comparable densities. Therefore, their color and distribution can often result in confusion between the two.
Vegetation is most easily identified by where it is relative to the bottom. Typically, vegetation will always be attached to the bottom. Therefore, when you see a large distribution of dots that seems to ascend from the bottom of the lake, you can guess it is likely some sort of vegetation.
Muddy Bottoms 🐾
Muddy bottoms are also a crucial part of bottom terrain that is advantageous to identify when fishing. One of the most crucial things in any sort of fishing is to figure out what the fish are feeding on. Once you understand the common diet of largemouth bass, then you will know that a muddy bottom is not something you want to pursue.
Muddy bottoms are identified by the color the fish finder returns. Depending on your individual color palette, they could look slightly different from unit to unit. However, the main thing you need to pay attention to is the density of the bottom.
If your unit returns a color that indicates a dense bottom, you can bet there is gravel or rock down there. However, if weaker colors are returned, you know the bottom is muddy.
Depressions 🗺
Another key terrain feature you will want to look for is depression. Depressions are simply low points on the bottom of the lake that gather trash that the current pushes along. This can become a major point of interest for fish, depending on the type. Downed tree tops that collect in depressions will bring in the bass, but bottom feeders also will find them since that is where most of the biomass ends up.
Depressions are easy to locate on a fish finder. As you troll along, pay attention to the depth that the boat is at. When you see a sudden drop in depth, zoom out to get a bigger picture.
This will allow you to chart the size of the depression and make sure it is not a drop-off. As the depth comes back up, mark it and turn the boat around. Then go back over the depression and mark the other side.
Points 💡
Every bass fisherman knows and loves points. Points provide fish with multiple escape routes if danger comes, are often choke points for bait fish that can be food, and provide quick and easy access to all depths of water. If you aren’t fishing over underwater points, you are likely missing the fish of a lifetime every time you motor on by.
Yet how do you find a point on a fish finder? Luckily, it is incredibly easy. A point is a terrain feature that jets out into the water, making an arrowhead shape. The point can either be above or below water. Finding points of terrain features below water is where your fish finder really pays for itself.
Look for areas that have rapid changes in depth. There will be a generally shallower area that gives way to the depths. Somewhere in that shallower area, there is likely to be an arrowhead-shaped structure that sticks out.
Run your boat over it, bisecting the long axis of the point. If using a lighter boat such as a kayak, use a trolling motor optimized for kayaks to quietly navigate over the area, ensuring you’re not spooking any fish. Each time you notice a depth drop-off, mark it. After a few passes, you will have a good understanding of where the point is and how best to leverage the tools in your tackle box to fish it.
Hidden Fish and Beam Width
It is easy to find fish when they are just sitting on the bottom, in a depression, or swimming in open water. However, largemouth bass live in structures that really come in all shapes and sizes. This puts the fisherman in a conundrum. You want to fish that structure, but you also don’t want to waste a lot of time on a structure that hasn’t attracted any fish.
The answer to this is beam width. While fish will hide in stumps, trees, and other structures that can be detected by a wide beam angle, they can’t be picked out. You will need a higher frequency, more narrow beam to be able to detect the fish that are held up in the cover.
Think about the beams like a flashlight. You will use a flood light if you want to see a lot. It doesn’t show the detail of anything, but it will let you see enough to know where everything is. However, in trying to find hidden fish, you will need a high-intensity spotlight to see the differences between the structure and the fish.
You should troll, cruise, and scout using a low-frequency, wide-beam setting on your fish finder. Once you have located some structure, mark it and then turn around with a high frequency, narrow beam setting enabled. Go slower on the second pass, and you will be able to pick apart the fish from the structure with relative ease.
Reading Chirp Sonar
One thing to note about CHIRP sonar is that it is incredibly powerful. CHIRP is powerful enough to even read the grain size of sediment on the bottom of the ocean. This is very helpful in finding transition zones in the bottom sentiment. These transition zones often bring in a variety of different types of fish, including bass.
While CHIRP is nothing more than an enhanced way to read sonar returns, this means that there is nothing different that you have to learn or do, just that your fish finder will provide you with a more powerful readout than a non-CHIRP fish finder. However, always defer to the CHIRP-enabled fish finder since it will give you a clear picture of the bottom, which is helpful when a rainy day completely disrupts your surface presentations.
Conclusion
There is no magic bullet when fishing. Even if you get a top-of-the-line fish finder, you still have to know how to fish. In a two-day study of crappie fishermen, researchers found that using a state-of-the-art fish finder had no real impact on the angler’s ability to catch fish. This means that if you control the environment, a good fisherman catches more fish with a fish finder, but a bad fisherman still catches no fish.
The lesson to take away is that a fish finder is just a tool that helps you be more efficient and effective when fishing. It will not be the answer to all your fishing challenges, but if you know how to properly employ it, it can be a great asset.
Understanding a Fish Finder: FAQs
What do bass look like on side imaging?
Bass generally appear as a dot on side imaging. Due to their behavior and preferences for being somewhat distant from other fish, it is often easy to find them sitting on the bottom or around cover. This method of identifying fish can be very effective. Side scan imaging is used widely to determine fish species on artificial reefs.
What’s the best frequency for a fish finder?
The best frequency for a fish finder is around 125 kHz. Fish finders generally range from 50 to 200 kHz. The lower end of the spectrum is better for wide-angle searches, but the higher end is good for high-fidelity imaging of certain areas or targets. Using a fish finder that straddles those two extremes gives you the most versatile tool available on the market today.
Can you see a lure on side imaging?
You can most definitely see a lure when you are using live sonar, but side imaging does not have the high level of fidelity required to give that level of detail fast enough to show your lure. While they are much more expensive, live sonar can be a highly beneficial upgrade to catch fish when they would otherwise be inaccessible.
How do you spot fish on sonar?
You spot fish on sonar by looking for arches or lines on the screen that are above the bottom of the lake. Depending on your setting, speed, and location of your transducer, fish detection can look much different from setup to setup. However, generally, a moving boat will show fish as arches, and a boat that is still will show them as lines.
Do you have to be moving for a fish finder to work?
You do not have to be moving for a fish finder to work. However, it is vital that you have your fish finder settings adjusted to properly compensate for the movement of your boat. If you anticipate moving at a fairly brisk pace, you want to set your fish finder up so that it also scans more frequently. However, if you have your transducer mounted to a trolling motor and don’t anticipate moving very quickly, then you will want to slow the scroll rate down to match the speed of your boat.
What do fish look like on a fish finder?
Fish look like arches on fish finders, generally speaking. However, depending on the setup and speed of the boat, fish can have a slight variance in how they look. As the boat moves over the fish, the fish is hit multiple times by sonar waves. Since they generally taper in size since the tips of tails and noses don’t have as much mass as the middle of a fish’s body, the first returns show a smaller creature. The returns increase the size of the creature it is encountering as it works its way to the middle point of the fish. After this, the returns show the fish decreasing in size. The graphic result of this is an arch.
FWC white-tailed deer research biologist Elina Garrison with a doe captured during the South Florida Deer Research Project. FWC photo.
The truth about Florida’s deer rut
There are a lot of theories and differing opinions on what causes the white-tailed deer rut. Hours of daylight decreasing, geographic latitude, genetics, climate, evolution and moon phase are many factors that hunters and deer enthusiasts have debated over the years. To get to the science behind it and learn the facts about what impacts the rut, I asked the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s (FWC) white-tailed deer research biologist Elina Garrison.
“As winter approaches, decreased daylight triggers does to come into estrus,” Garrison said. “Latitude therefore plays a part as seasonal day length varies with geographic latitude.”
Some hunters believe deer from other states released in Florida years ago is one of the reasons why the deer rut here is the widest ranging of any state – from July in extreme south Florida to early March in extreme northwest Florida and the Green Swamp Basin.
“While it seems unlikely that genetics due to restocking is the only explanation for the variation in Florida’s breeding dates, there is some research that suggests it may play a part,” Garrison said. “Florida, as were many other southeastern states, was part of restocking efforts in the 1940s through the ’60s when deer were introduced, mostly from Wisconsin, Texas, Louisiana and Pennsylvania. The main stocking source for the Green Swamp Basin was from Louisiana. South of there, deer from Texas were mainly used, and north Florida received mainly Wisconsin deer.”
Garrison said climate is a factor, but it really only plays a part in northern, colder states, where the timing of the rut occurs so fawns are born in the spring after the late winter storms and when the most food is available. But they must be born early enough to put on suitable weight and fat to survive the following winter. That’s why there’s such a short window for when breeding must occur in northern states.
The reason the rut varies so much in Florida is because it can, Garrison said. Florida’s relatively mild climate and long growing season allows fawns to be born at various times of the year.
“As far as I know, there are no other states where breeding occurs as early as July and August like it does in extreme south Florida,” she said. “And although difficult to prove, it seems likely it is driven by the hydrological cycles down there. The rut is timed so fawns are born during the driest time of the year, giving them the greatest chance of survival and allowing them to grow to an adequate size before the beginning of the wet season in June.”
Although it is a popular theory among hunters, Garrison says several research projects have proven there is no relationship between the rut and the moon phase. Another interesting fact is the average time a doe stays in heat is about 24 hours.
“The breeding chronology study we did shows that conception dates within an area vary as much as from nine to 110 days, with an average of 45 days, and most does breed within 60 days, meaning rutting activity can occur over a two-month period,” Garrison said.
If a doe is not bred during her first heat, she will come back into estrus again in about 26-28 days, Garrison says. If the doe doesn’t conceive, this cycle can be repeated but normally not more than a few times unless there are not enough bucks to breed all the does. In which case, an area could experience a second or even third peak rut.
If any of this deer talk is getting you fired up to continue hunting this season, then grab your favorite primitive method of take and follow the rut up to the Panhandle and take advantage of Zone D’s late muzzleloader season.
General gun season ends Feb. 17 in zones B and D, but if you’d like to keep hunting deer, Zone D has a late muzzleloading gun season that extends deer hunting opportunities by a week and runs Feb. 18-24 on private lands. The season was established to give hunters an opportunity to continue hunting northwest Florida’s late rut, which runs mid-January through February.
On private land, a $5 muzzleloading gun season permit is required along with a hunting license and $5 deer permit (if hunting deer) to hunt during this season, and hunters have the choice of using a muzzleloader, bow or crossbow. But the only muzzleloaders allowed are those fired by wheel lock, flintlock, percussion cap or centerfire primer (including 209 primers) that cannot be loaded from the breech. For hunting deer, muzzleloading rifles must be at least .40-caliber, and muzzleloading shotguns must be 20-gauge or larger.
There are 14 wildlife management areas in Zone D that have a late season in February, but it’s referred to as the archery/muzzleloading gun season. Those areas are Apalachicola, Apalachicola River, Beaverdam Creek, Blackwater, Chipola River, Choctawhatchee River, Econfina Creek, Eglin AFB, Escambia River, Escribano Point, Perdido River, Point Washington, Tate’s Hell and Yellow River. Season dates vary by WMA, so be sure to check the brochure for the area you want to hunt.
Hunters may use bows or muzzleloaders, but no crossbows – unless they possess a Persons with Disabilities Crossbow Permit. Besides a hunting license, $26 management area permit and deer permit (if hunting deer), hunters who choose to hunt with a bow must have a $5 archery season permit, and those using a muzzleloader need a $5 muzzleloading gun season permit.
All the licenses and permits you’ll need can be obtained at most retail outlets that sell hunting and fishing supplies, Florida tax collector offices, by calling 888-HUNT-FLORIDA or at GoOutdoorsFlorida.com.
Deer and wild hogs are most commonly hunted during this season. Only legal bucks may be taken (even if using a bow). South of Interstate 10 in Deer Management Unit D1, one antler must have at least two points. North of I-10 in DMU D2, all bucks must have at least three points on one side or have a main beam of at least 10 inches long to be legal to take.
On private land, the daily bag limit is two. Bag limits for deer on WMAs differ, so consult the area brochure before you go.
During the late muzzleloader season on private lands and archery/muzzleloading gun season on WMAs, dogs may not be used to hunt deer. However, you may use a leashed dog for tracking purposes. You’re allowed to take deer and hogs over feeding stations on private land, but it is illegal to use such feed on WMAs. And it’s important to know that turkeys are not legal game during this season.
The 2018-2019 fall/winter hunting seasons may be winding down, however, there are still great opportunities to get out there. This February, catch the hunting excitement of the late rut that occurs during Zone D’s late muzzleloader season.
Crossbow hunting has never been more popular. That’s because of the number of states that have legalized crossbow use during archery season, and also because of the abundance of high-quality crossbows on the market. There are x-bows to fit all budgets, and they’re diverse in design and performance.
Unlike compound bows, which are built around a standard of specifications set by the International Bowhunters Organization (IBO), there is no manufacturer standard for crossbows. Different models, even from the same brand, may use different types of arrows and nocks, different limbs and cam systems (or no cams at all), different optics, and assorted cocking systems and safety mechanisms. That can make it a bit challenging to choose the best broadhead for your crossbow.
Modern crossbows are capable of incredible performance. Some of the newest ones shoot up to 500 feet per second with 400-grain bolts, which is about double the speed of a typical compound bow hunting setup, producing near twice the amount of energy. Many of them will shoot 1-inch groups at 50 yards, and a few even have scope reticles graduated to 100.
If you’re a new crossbow owner, what broadhead should you use to take advantage of all that speed and performance? Some insist that mechanical models are universally the best choice for x-bows. Others prefer fixed-blades regardless. Independent testing has shown that both styles can work well from crossbows; the secret is to decide on your particular hunting requirements, and then settle on the appropriate broadhead that your x-bow shoots best.
THE CASE FOR MECHANICAL CROSSBOW BROADHEADS
Pros: The real benefit of a mechanical broadhead is the massive cutting diameter paired with an aerodynamic in-flight profile. The big cutting diameter is especially effective on whitetails, mule deer, pronghorns, and similar-sized game. They’re also ideal for turkey hunting. The blade-opening process does use some kinetic energy, which is a consideration for compound shooters using lightweight setups, but it’s barely a blip on the radar at crossbow speeds. Even “slow” x-bows have more than enough energy to reliably open the largest mechanical blades.
Cons: Keeping blades closed at crossbow speeds can be a bigger challenge than making them open. And mechanical broadheads are just that … mechanical, meaning they have moving parts that are structurally weaker than fixed parts. At crossbow speeds, blades are more subject to damage, even when target shooting. Though dulled or damaged blades can usually be replaced, it’s a more tedious process than replacing fixed blades.
THE CASE FOR FIXED-BLADE CROSSBOW BROADHEADS
Pros: Quality fixed-blade broadheads are incredibly rugged and can withstand heavy abuse. With a straight-shooting crossbow, hunters can use fixed-blade broadheads to get maximum penetration and bone-breaking capability on even the largest game. There is no worry about blades opening at the wrong time. Fixed-blades are more convenient and economical if you shoot multiple animals per season, or if you do a lot of practicing with your broadheads. So long as the ferrules aren’t damaged, replacing dulled blades with new ones takes only a few seconds.
Cons: Fixed-blade broadheads in general (there are exceptions) have smaller cutting diameters than mechanical broadheads. Especially large fixed-blade broadheads are less aerodynamic in flight than compact (closed) mechanicals, meaning they’re more prone to wind drift and drag, particularly at extreme crossbow speeds. Velocities in excess of 400 fps and exceptionally short, stiff crossbow arrows (or bolts, depending on what you call them) can bring out the worst in fixed-blade flight. More compact fixed-blade broadheads alleviate some of these problems, but that does come at the cost of an even smaller cutting diameter.
TRY BOTH
Here’s the peculiar thing about crossbows: All those differences in speed, arrow design, trigger pull, and optics affect accuracy in their own little ways. Just as most centerfire rifles will shoot some bullet weights and styles better than others, your personal crossbow will likely shoot some broadheads better than others. The trick is to find a broadhead that hits with your field points, or close to them, out to the distances where you plan to shoot.
Most broadheads will shoot close at 20 yards. You’ll see the biggest differences in accuracy at 40 to 50 yards and beyond. Good broadheads aren’t cheap, but it’s worth investing in a few packages of various styles to find the model your crossbow shoots best, and that fits your personal hunting preferences. Maybe go in with a couple buddies so that everyone can try a few models without being too out of pocket, or consider picking a Wasp Archery Pick 3-Pack, which allows you to try three different Wasp broadhead models in one customized package. Once you dial in the broadhead you and your crossbow like, stock up! You’ll be glad that you went to the extra trouble when the buck or bull of a lifetime steps into range.
RECOMMENDED CROSSBOW MECHANICAL BROADHEADS
Wasp mechanical broadheads are among the toughest on the market. The models we recommend for crossbow shooters use tried-and-true, replaceable o-rings for blade retention. Our favorite crossbow mechanicals, like the Dueler and Jak-X, are designed to be used with two o-rings, and six extra o-rings are included with every package sold. The 2-blade Dueler allows shooters to rotate a Select-A-Cut washer for a 1.5-inch cutting diameter, or a massive 2.3-inch cutting diameter. The Jak-X is a 3-blade model with a substantial 1 3/4-inch cutting diameter.
RECOMMENDED CROSSBOW FIXED-BLADE BROADHEADS
The Crossbow Boss has a 1 3/8-inch cutting diameter and is designed for perfect flight, thanks to its short, aerodynamic ferrule and vented blades. It’s equipped with Wasp’s legendary Trocar tip, the toughest one on the market. If you’re looking to up your front of center and need maximum penetration and durability on heavy or dangerous game, consider the 150-grain Sledgehammer, which has a solid-steel ferrule and Trocar tip with a 1-inch cutting diameter. Wasp’s award-winning Havalon HV models, available in both 100- and 125-grain versions, have an ultra-compact ferrule and 1 3/16 cutting diameter, and are a favorite of many crossbow shooters.
— Story by Wasp Archery Staff; Lead image by John Hafner
It’s not uncommon to find gold in the mountain streams and rivers of the Appalachian mountains, but many anglers venture into these hills in search of a different kind of gold.
The golden rainbow trout is one of the most unique fish in North America and has captured the attention of anglers for more than half a century.
These fish are also known as “bananas” or “lightning trout”, and they are known for their distinctive bright yellow coloration. This golden coloring comes from breeding a West Virginia rainbow trout with a classically colored rainbow trout to create this striking hybrid.
Their origins can be traced back to the Mountain State of West Virginia, and they are vastly different in appearance from any other fish you’ll find in the state. The emergence of the golden rainbow trout began in 1955 when workers at a fish hatchery noticed a unique fish that stood out from the rest.
The hatchery-raised rainbow trout, but this one bright fish appeared quite different. Instead of having the same pigmentation as a regular rainbow trout, the trout’s body color was bright yellow. This was due to an extremely rare genetic mutation that normally pigmented rainbow trout do not possess.
Palomino Trout vs Rainbow Trout
This one fish was taken and studied by scientists who worked to produce a new species of golden trout through selective breeding with typical rainbow trout. By selectively breeding this single rainbow trout, the golden rainbow trout originated and has since become one of the most sought-after trout species in fly fishing.
Through these cross breed species of such bright fish, biologists have gone on to produce vast numbers of self-sustaining populations in small creeks throughout North America. The golden rainbow trout or palomino trout has now become one of the most popular trophy fish in the country.
It’s one of the most famous trout species in sport fishing or fly fishing and is sought by nearly every avid angler with a fly rod. From one single fish in West Virginia, an entirely new cross breed has emerged and is bred and sold from fish hatcheries all throughout the United States.
The golden rainbow trout is a beautiful fish that’s known by a number of different names, such as the palomino trout, palomino rainbow trout, golden rainbow, banana trout, golden trout, golden rainbows, and lightning trout. They are also sometimes even called swimming bananas.
Palomino Trout Facts
This article covers all the facts and information you need when it comes to fishing for golden rainbow or palomino trout.
Where to Find Palomino Trout
Palomino trouts have been stocked from various fish hatcheries throughout West Virginia and other states in the eastern part of the country. They are now commonly found in West Virginia and have self-sustaining populations of palomino trout all throughout the Great Lakes region and even the Pacific Northwest.
Golden rainbow trout can usually be caught in most areas where you might expect to find other trout, especially brown trout, brook trout, lake trout, and even salmon species like cutthroat trout. Palomino trout are capable of living their entire life in the wild and can reproduce, unlike other hybrid species like tiger trout.
Palomino Trout Characteristics
Palomino trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss aguabonita) are very similar in their physical appearance to other trout species. Despite being such bright fish, their physical traits – skin color aside – look almost indistinguishable from that of brook trout and regular rainbow trout, as well as brown trout.
Golden rainbow trout, much like rainbow trout and brown trout, will develop a large hooked jaw as they mature. Like other trout, palomino trout have a similar adipose fin, which is found between the dorsal fin and the caudal fin, or tail.
Golden trout are known for having white-colored edges around their dorsal fin, lateral fin, and anal fins. Like rainbow trout, palomino trout also have dark green coloring along the top of their backs. Palomino trout are known to have intersecting horizontally-aligned ovals that are known as parr marks. These fish also sport dark spots along their backs and sides as well.
The palomino trout is known to have red horizontal marks along their lateral line, which is very similar to rainbow trout, which they are closely related to, and also have a purple or reddish lateral line. The belly of golden trout can be a pink or orange color, which becomes more vibrant in spawning males.
Palomino trout are known to grow much larger and faster than regular rainbow trout due to hybrid vigor, which is also known as heterosis. Hybrid vigor is an enhanced function of the palomino trouts’ biological systems as a result of hybrid breeding.
The world record palomino trout is a Pennsylvania fish that weighed 13 lbs, 8 ounces. The fish was caught in Mahoning Creek, Pennsylvania. The population of golden trout in Mahoning Creek is higher in concentration than in any other stream in the world.
How to Catch Palomino Trout
The best method of catching palomino trout is virtually the same techniques you might employ for targeting rainbow trout or brook trout, and even lake trout. They are known to feed voraciously on salmon eggs and, like other species of trout, will strike at many different types of flies and spinner lures.
Palomino trout are known to be much harder to catch than rainbow trout, brook trout or brown trout, but this is mainly thought to be due to the fact that they get more pressure. Like tiger trout, golden rainbow trout are easily spotted in any stream, which means anglers will be able to see them (particularly if using polarized fishing sunglasses) and cast to them effectively.
Catching Palomino Trout on the Fly
The techniques and presentations you might use to catch palomino trout are virtually the same as what you might use for rainbow trout or other species. Some anglers in states like West Virginia have learned that these fish are so highly targeted by other anglers that they have to resort to using flies or nymphs that are very different than what they might normally cast at native brook trout or rainbows.
You’ll want to use dry flies for palomino trout much like you would any other species. It’s also a good idea to fish with streamers that are different than what other anglers are throwing, as the palomino trout in any stream might take an interest in different colors that they are not so used to seeing.
This is a great strategy for states such as West Virginia, where palomino trout are very highly-pressured. The only way to guarantee that you’ll have a greater chance of catching palomino trout when fishing in a popular area is to get to the best locations as early as possible, right before the fish are stocked.
Catching Palomino Trout on Lure
Many anglers that fish for lake trout often use various lures to catch them. Although there are not any known palomino trout in the Great Lakes, you can catch them in some lakes throughout this area. It’s best to use lures like worms or insects to catch palomino trout in lakes as well as streams.
