Hutchinson — There's a period of time, somewhere between fall white bass fishing and the spring walleye spawn, when many anglers thumb through the Cabela's catalog, waiting for the first sign of warm weather.
But there's still good fishing during the winter months, and you don't have to wait for the lake to ice over - just exchange your size two hooks for size eights, pinch off some rainbow-colored Powerbait and start trout fishing.
From Oct. 15 through April 15, the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks stocks rainbow trout in 23 bodies of water throughout the state.
A $12.50 trout stamp - good only through the calendar year - is required to fish for trout, along with a valid fishing license.
The program is 10 years old this year, and thanks to a stocking schedule that's grown in locations and frequency, anglers don't have to travel far or wait long to find fish.
Jon Stein, a regional fisheries biologist with KDWP said the department stocks ponds with trout.
"The trout normally average a half-pound each and are between 10 and 19 inches long," Stein said. "Most of the guys are catching fish between 10 and 12 inches."
Stein said Kansas buys the trout from Crystal Lake Fisheries in Missouri and stocks the state waters approximately every two weeks. A complete schedule of trout stocking locations and schedules can be found online at the KDWP web site.
The schedule outlines general dates for trout stockings, but Mary Clark, a naturalist at Dillon Nature Center in Hutchinson, said she generally isn't given much advance notice of when the fish will arrive.
However, immediately after the fish are dumped, Clark said, fishing picks up and it doesn't take long for other anglers to find out about the new batch of trout.
John Schroeder holds up his first catch, a rainbow trout, Dec. 13 at the Upper Pond at the Dillon Nature Center in Hutchinson. Trout season in Kansas runs from Oct. 15 through April 15.
Although there are different methods used to pursue hatchery fish, a trout fisherman, a bait shop owner and Stein all said Berkley Powerbait is the most popular choice.
"That rainbow colored Powerbait is what most people use," Shad Byard, owner of Oliver's Burgers and Bait, said. "But don't use too much, it'll spook them ... about the size of a pencil eraser."
Lee Whithorn of Hutchinson said he has spent years fishing for trout in Colorado, but this is the first year he's fished for stocked trout in Kansas. So far, he has been pleased with the size and number of trout he has caught in Kansas waters.
Whithorn said he uses light tackle, with four-pound test line and primarily catches the trout on Powerbait. Sometimes, however, he finds success with a silver or bright-colored Kastmaster jigs.
Stein said bottom fishing salmon eggs is always a good choice, while Byard recommends tipping a pinch of Powerbait with a salmon egg or a worm.
"It's a lot of fun, and they're good to eat," Whithorn said. "All you got to do to catch 'em is show up."
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