The Best Springtime Trout Bait Choices

As spring officially gets under way and trout fishing also "kicks off" in many areas throughout the United States many fishermen turn their attention to the act of fishing for trout. One of the most important aspects to trout fishing in the springtime are the baits that are employed, as trout tend to be attracted to different types of trout bait during the spring of the year than they might be at other times of the year.

In this article I will draw upon my two decades of trout fishing experience to list the best springtime trout bait choices so that you can make sure you are using the most effective bait for catching trout in the springtime. Are these the only trout bait choices for the spring of the year? Of course not, but all of these baits have been effective for me during the spring and would be a welcomed addition to any serious trout fisherman's repertoire.

• Spinner & Worm Rig - A weighted inline spinner with a piece of a worm attached to the hook is an excellent bait for springtime trout. Some trout fishermen even like to remove the treble hook that most inline spinners are equipped with and add a single bait holder hook instead as it makes adding a small piece of worm much easier. Flip the spinner across the current and allow it to drift, while holding your rod tip in the air. When you feel a tug, set the hook. And when using this trout bait in a lake, simply cast the spinner out and retrieve it slowly until you feel a tug.
• Powerbait - In many areas the springtime means rivers that are swollen and un-fishable (especially in the late spring) which also means that fishing in a lake is your best option for catching some trout. When fishing for trout in a lake, Powerbait is one of the best springtime trout bait choices. A simple "bottom fishing rig" that has been baited with Powerbait is difficult for hungry trout to resist (especially if those trout have been stocked).
• Live Worm & Gang Hook Rig - Although this trout bait choice is effective during all seasons, it nonetheless has to be mentioned among the best springtime trout bait choices. Live worms, whether you are talking about night crawlers or their smaller cousins the red worm, make an excellent trout bait during the spring of the year. A key to success when using live worms as trout bait is to rig them in a natural manner, which is where a set of gang hooks comes into play. The more "natural" your worm looks to the trout, the more effective it will be.
• Spoons - Spoons are an excellent choice for springtime trout fishing as long as a few simple rules are adhered to. In the springtime you want your spoons to be no more than an inch long, heavy, and as 'compact' as possible. The more 'compact' the spoon is the more "wobble" it will produce and thus the more attractive the spoon will be to the trout that you are attempting to catch. When fishing spoons for trout, whether you are river fishing or lake fishing, a "stop and start" retrieve is usually most effective.

The bottom line is that all of the trout bait choices are very effective during the spring of the year. If any of them aren't a part of your trout fishing repertoire, they should be added sooner rather than later.