Trigger Tout to Bite and Other Top Stories from Fishing on SI

In case they slipped by you, following are the most read fishing stories of the week: How I Trigger Trout to Bite When Nothing Else Is Working; California Anglers Encounter Giant Whale Shark as El Niño Fishing Heats Up; Why The YETI Hooded Sunshirt Will Be Your Favorite Fishing Accessory

1.) How I Trigger Trout to Bite When Nothing Else Is Working

Fly angler with a bent rod as a hooked rainbow trout breaks the surface of a river. — I pulled this trout from deeper water with a black rabbit-fur streamer. | Photo provided by Ken Baldwin

There will be days when you are fly fishing for trout, and the fish aren't biting what you are throwing. You can jump back and forth between different nymphs and dry flies and still come up empty.

When this happens, I fall back on a technique conventional bass anglers use to efficiently find feeding fish or trigger a strike from non-feeding fish.

Bass anglers use "search baits" to cover water quickly and find an active fish. A search bait is a lure that does three things. It covers a lot of water efficiently, presents at a selected depth, and gets a detectable response. Once the angler finds an active fish, they slow down and work the area more thoroughly. If nothing happens after a few casts, they move on to actively search more water.

You can do the same thing in fly fishing with a streamer…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

2.) California Anglers Encounter Giant Whale Shark as El Niño Fishing Heats Up

El Nino weather patterns are making rare whale shark sightings more common off the coast of California — A massive whale shark "swim" among schools of fish in Factory Obscura's new "Seed Reef" temporary exhibition Wednesday, February 9, 2022. Created by local artists Emma Difani and Malcolm Zachariah, in collaboration with Factory Obscura, "Seed Reef" is an immersive, sculpted paper installation that recreates a coral reef. Seed Reef 11 | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A Southern California fishing trip targeting yellowtail took an unexpected turn when anglers spotted a massive shark beside their boat.

A group of fishermen off San Clemente Island had a rare encounter with a whale shark this past week. The chance encounter reflected the unusual warm-water conditions that have benefited anglers.The fishing charter, out of Newport Beach, came extremely close to the ocean's largest fish species.

Whale sharks are not typically found in Southern California waters.

At one point, the fishermen debate jumping into the water to get closer to the shark…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

3.) Why The YETI Hooded Sunshirt Will Be Your Favorite Fishing Accessory

The YETI Hooded Ultra Lightweight Sunshirt offers UPF 50 protection, moisture wicking, and an ergonomic fit. — YETI Hooded Ultra Lightweight Sunshirt | Justin Hoffman

When it comes to fly-fishing gear, I know I’m not the only angler who gets attached to certain I'll admit that performance fishing shirts have never been part of my on-the-water wardrobe. A simple t-shirt, and on many occasions, no shirt at all, was the norm for me on most summer bass outings.

Looking back, many of those post-fish evenings were spent soothing scorched skin with copious amounts of aloe gel, tan lines burnt into my complexion and skin that would undoubtedly begin peeling in just a matter of days. (Yes, sunscreen was rarely a travel companion of mine, either.)

I've tried a number of long-sleeved sun shirts over the years, but they all felt too constrictive and uncomfortably warm.

This summer I gave YETI's Hooded Ultra Lightweight Sunshirt a test drive. Would this specialty sun-protective garment become my new favorite fishing accessory?…GET THE REST OF THE STORY HERE.

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