How To Catch More Trout In Moving Water

As you probably already know our favorite place to fish for trout is in the moving water of a river or stream and in this post we will outline exactly how to catch trout in moving water (the same way that we have been doing it for more than 25 years!) Although the techniques that we employ have been refined over the years, the basic tenants of what we will be found below.

To consistently catch trout is moving water you have to learn and master a technique known as drift fishing. Drift fishing involves letting your trout bait (either live or in the form of a small spinner) drift with the current of the river or stream that you are fishing. Sounds simple enough, right? It sure does and in actuality the technique is simple, but the reality is that drift fishing is like cooking a perfect rack of ribs. We can all get a rack of ribs cooked, and sometimes they end up tasting pretty good, but they are nothing like the ribs that a pit master in Memphis Tennessee can create.

Just as with cooing a masterful rack of ribs, becoming really good at catching trout in moving water, takes practice. The more time that can be spent on the river, putting the technique into action, the better. As you do, you will learn little nuances that make drift fishing for trout so very enjoyable and effective, just like with cooking a great rack of ribs.

To catch trout in moving water you want to position yourself in the water 5-20 feet upstream of the run or pool that you intend to fish. You make casts parallel to wear you are standing, close the bail of your spinning reel and try to keep your line as taught as possible as it drifts with the current. When you bait or lure is below where you are standing and you begin to really feel the bottom the drift is over and it's time to recast. Varying the length of your cast, the amount of weight that you have on your line, and the place that you are standing within the river will all change the position of your bait in relation to the trout that you are fishing for.

Give each area that you are fishing for trout a thorough "going over" and you will almost always catch a trout or two, unless outside circumstances are completely against on the day the you are trout fishing. Remember, the technique is simple in theory, but as you gain experience it becomes highly effective, so make sure that you practice as much as you can. The bottom line is that drift fishing is, without question, how to catch more trout in moving water.