River Trout Bait – 3 of The Best Choices For Spin Fishing

My favorite place to fish for trout (specifically rainbow trout) is in the flowing water of a river or stream, and as this is an activity that I have been engaging in for more than two decades, I know from experience just ho important the type of trout bait that you choose to employ is. In this article I will outline 3 of the best river trout baits that I have ever come across, all of which can and should be employed while spin fishing for trout.

Any fishing bait that is employed while fishing in a river, should be able to accomplish one thing. Since a river has current the bait should be able to use the current flow to it's advantage. This means that any trout bait that doesn't really have the ability to use the current to it's advantage won't be found on this list, and should probably be saved for lake or other stagnate water trout fishing situations. With that being said, let's get down to business, what do you say?

1. Small Rattling Crank Baits – Small rattling crank baits such as Rat-L-Traps and similar 1-3 inch crank baits make excellent river trout bait, especially when the water in said river is stained or muddy. Many trout fishermen don't think to try these types of baits when trout fishing and this is a mistake. The rattles help the trout "cue in" on their target and can be as effective as any type of bait in a river fishing situation.
2. Live Fishing Worms – Live worms, such as night crawlers, red worms, or even leaf worms are very effective when used as trout bait in rivers. Trout find a live worm tumbling down the current of a river very difficult to resist, which is why live worms are such an effective bait to use when trout fishing in rivers. If you enjoy spin fishing for trout, live worms need to be a part of your repertoire, there no doubt about it.
3. Artificial Flies – Now, you may be thinking to yourself, "I thought this article was about spin fishing?", but what you might not have considered is that artificial flies can be utilized as trout bait by spin fishermen by utilizing artificial flies known as "nymphs". Nymphs are generally larger flies that are fished beneath the surface of the water. This can be done by spin fishermen by adding a bullet weight and swivel to your line. The nymph is tied to a twelve to eighteen inch leader that is attached to the swivel, with the bullet weight being placed on your line above the swivel between your rod tip and the swivel itself. This gives you the ability to cast and retrieve a lightweight nymph effectively. Try to keep your nymph as close to the bottom of the river as possible during your retrieves as trout are often found with a foot of the bottom of the river.

When it come to spin fishing for trout the aforementioned baits should be available to you anytime that your are river fishing. In my experience they are 3 of the best river trout baits that you will find.