How do I fish the slicks?

[Flavio]

I'm sure all of you have seen and smelled those attractive slicks in the water, but I'm kind of fuzzy on how to fish them. I keep running into them, but I'm not sure if I should fish them upwind, downwind, or right on top of them. What's the best way to fish them?

[CaptJack]

upwind of the smallest, freshest ones

[Mellon]

Ditto that Capt Jack. I also will change to plastics if I happen to have anything else on. One hook is easier to remove from nets, fish, etc than multiple treble hooks. Sometimes the action under a fresh slick gets a bit quick.

[Mercy]

What slicks?

[CaptJack]

What slicks?

Mercy,
Slicks are where schools of trout will be feeding on baitfish or shrimp. As they feed they will regurgitate part of what they have just eaten so they can eat more- Little Piggies
The regurgitation has fish oil in it so it floats to the surface as a round oily slick. It smells like fresh cut "watermelon". The wind will slowly float the slick away from where the fish are feeding so we always move slightly up-wind of the newest, smallest slick. That's where the feeding school of trout will be.

[M-D]

Ya' mean ya' never saw those inexplicably smooth spots on the water's surface, even though the wind was blowing, nor smelled the watermelon-sweet aroma wafting through the air nearby?

M-D

[Mercy]

Ohhhhhhhhhhhh....the watermelon deal! Dean kept stoppin' and askin', "Smell that? Smell the watermelon?" I missed the part about the slicks although I do seem to remember catching a little of the vomit talk.....maybe I "blocked" the rest....

[Mercy]

One more question though....why does trout vomit smell like watermelon????????????

[Hook'em]

Because the baitfish on which the trout feed (croaker and shrimp) forage on watermelon. Of course.

[CaptJack]

...why does trout vomit smell like watermelon??

Where's the Wiz.. when ya need him
It's probably something to do with the trout's digestive stomach fluids mixed with the chomped up baitfish/shrimp- combination of fluids makes sweet smell
Hey I don't know- I just know when you see a slick it smells like watermelon....

[popasan]

Flavio,
i would agree with the other post concerning looking for the small slick and fish upwind of it......my experience has been that you will be looking for a slick about the size of a pancake up to a garbage can lid (30 gal) those will be the fresh ones.....casting upwind of these slicks will almost always result in hits......i have also noticed that after a slick grows, that not only do the fish move, but i believe the slick actually attracks baitfish and consequently other bigger fish......on bigger slickes i have caught fish in the middle, on the sides and downwind....so don't give up on the bigger slicks......however, the fast action is upwind of the small slicks.......

Larry

[Mercy]

Well Larry......you are definitely Mr. Trout. I've never run into you when you DIDN'T have a stringer (or bag) of trout!

[Carp]

two weeks ago i was in flordia(penseacola) well i was throwing top waters around the spoted grass beds well i end up catching a 26" trout... while i'm fighting this fish i notice that a small slick as formed... well i land the trout (kept only b/c the thing got the rear treble hook in its gills and was bleeding very badly) and i turn around and to cast some more and i realize that the birds have started to work on the slick that i created catching that fish... ended up catching 5 more trout on top off of the slick/grass bed... it was one of the coolest things i've seen


justin

[popasan]

hey Mercy,
even us old salts get lucky every once in awhile........but.......i don't have a clue as to why a slick smells like watermelon.....i think Cpt Jack is onto something.......where is the WIZARD!!!!