How To Catch Rainbow Trout In A River

By far, my favorite place to catch a rainbow trout is in a river, and to be a bit more specific, a small to medium sized river that can be fished while wading. This "is" rainbow trout fishing as far as I'm concerned and at the end of the day there is virtually no activity on this earth that I enjoy more. Below I will outline how to catch rainbow trout in a river, at least in the manner that I prefer to use to catch these beautiful fish. Sure, you can "fly fish" or use another technique to fish for rainbows in a river, but this entry is about the way that I learned to catch rainbow trout in a river and the technique has almost never let me down. 

The technique is known as drift fishing and is an extremely effective way to catch rainbow trout in a river. The technique involves allowing your bait (my favorite is a live worm) to drift naturally with the current of the river that you are fishing, usually while "bouncing" along the bottom. During feeding periods, rainbow trout feed heavily of virtually anything that is flowing with the current, and drift fishing is an excellent way to take advantage of this phenomenon as a trout fisherman.

Although the technique takes a bit of getting used to, learning to tell the difference between the bottom and a bite, drift fishing is no doubt how to catch rainbow trout in a river. I prefer to use live minnows, worms, and meal worms rigged on a set of gang hooks, but synthetic baits such as Berkley trout worms and Power minnows are quite productive as well. The bottom line is that if you want to consistently catch rainbows out of rivers, the technique known as "drift fishing" needs to be a part of your repertoire.

As you gain experience and become familiar with the technique, artificial lures such as jigs, spinners, and artificial nymphs can be added to your arsenal for the times when the rainbows aren't in the mood for something "natural". In time you will come to realize just how effective "drift fishing" is and I'm sure it will become one of your "go to" rainbow trout techniques.