The original "big gulp."

“I use 10-pound-class spinning tackle and tie the surface attractor onto the end of my running line. On a 2 1⁄2-foot piece of 30-pound leader, I tie a 6/0 bronze hook. Combining the length of the leader and the attractor, I am fishing about 42 inches deep.” He went on, “I then look for grass in about seven to eight feet of water and select the freshest, most lively bait I have and hook it through the eye socket. I make the longest cast possible and after letting the rig sit for perhaps 30 seconds, I give it a couple of hard pops. The trout will come to check it out and if there is a grunting pigfish swimming at mid-depth in the water column, that float is going down.”

We fished until lunch and caught 30 or more trout using pigfish and other assorted baitfish. Piggies outfished the others better than two to one. I know the book says go early or late in the day and fish shallow if you want to catch trout in summer. I have seen the epilogue to that book, however, and know that you can reliably target trout well into the heat of the day by suspending a pigfish below a surface attractor.

Trout are opportunistic feeders, willing to consume a variety of the forage that might be readily available. Much like me at a smorgasbord or an all-you-can-eat buffet, trout still have their preferred foods and will choose to eat those foods when they are available. Within those preferred food sources, pigfish, especially when they get to be three to four inches long, are their summertime favorite. The grunting sounds made by pigfish in summer, like the ringing of a dinnerbell, call out to trout announcing, “Dinner is about to be served.” Seldom will that summons be ignored.

FS