Troutnut Forum > Fly Fishing Discussion > Trout "tickling"?
| Troutnut | October 17th, 2006, 1:33 pm | |
| Fairbanks, AK Posts: 1143 | I just found a bizzarre Wikipedia entry on "trout tickling." There are some odd things on that site... | |
| Jason Neuswanger The Troutnut | ||
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| GONZO | October 17th, 2006, 5:09 pm | |
| "Bear Swamp," PA Posts: 1002 | Perhaps fishermen in Shakespeare's time had skills we lack. But, exactly how one gets into position to "tickle" a wild trout totally escapes me! I'm not completely skeptical, though, because my wife seems to have the knack. Often, when she releases a trout that I've caught, she tickles the fish's belly and chin. The trout will seem quite contented and remain in the spot until I tap its tail to get it to move on. I've had released fish sit calmly by my boots on occasion, but she seems to be able to do it every time. | |
| Troutnut | October 17th, 2006, 5:24 pm | |
| Fairbanks, AK Posts: 1143 | Hm, now that you mention it, maybe this would be a good way to get neat underwater pictures of released fish. I've got a few pictures on this site that I took that way, by releasing the trout very gently so they just sit by my feet for a while. Maybe tickling them a little would make it easier. | |
| Jason Neuswanger The Troutnut | ||
| GONZO | October 17th, 2006, 5:31 pm | |
| "Bear Swamp," PA Posts: 1002 | I asked my wife if she had any tips to offer, but she says it's a "gift." | |
| Shawnny3 | October 17th, 2006, 6:57 pm | |
| Pleasant Gap, PA Posts: 598 | I have an uncle who's one of the best fisherman I've ever known, and he says that growing up he and his brother would often go to the stream without rods and catch large fish by hand in some of the big waters of Colorado. Tickling the fish was a big part of the strategy, apparently, which he describes as follows: Wade carefully up to a large rock with a likely trout lie, then slowly dip your hands well below the rock and begin raising them in a slow tickling motion into the lie. When you feel a fish, tickle its belly for a few minutes to relax it and get it used to your presence, then slowly wrap one hand around its tail and pull it slowly from the water. If done right, the fish will barely struggle at all. I'm not sure how legal taking fish this way is, but my uncle would always release his fish - they would do this just for fun. My uncle is very serious, if not a bit intense, when it comes to fishing, and is definitely NOT the sort of person inclined to embellish stories (if anything, he tends to play down his amazing feats), so I have no reason to disbelieve any of this. I would love to try this sometime, but I have a bit of an irrational fear of wiggling my fingers under large rocks in the stream - however insane it is, I just can't seem to shake from my mind the image of a muskie relieving me of one of my fingers... -Shawn | |
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| Troutnut | October 17th, 2006, 9:47 pm | |
| Fairbanks, AK Posts: 1143 | I just can't seem to shake from my mind the image of a muskie relieving me of one of my fingers... Or a large flathead catfish. Poachers use a similar method in Missouri to catch catfish in the ugly, nasty warmwater rivers there. Once in a great while one of them would lose a body part or two. | |
| Jason Neuswanger The Troutnut | ||
| Ratgunner | March 25th, 2007, 12:16 am | |
| PA Posts: 4 | I've tickled trout a few times,but that was long ago I don't think I'm that stealthy anymore. | |
| -Tim | ||
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