Sometimes The Trout Fishing Gods Smile Upon You

For the past few weeks, here in Northwest Montana we have been dealing with a very strange phenomenon.  There are wild fires burning all around us and the smoke from these fires has been literally choking us every afternoon (and even some evenings).  For the past few weeks the air has looked similar to fog, with the difference being that the air smells of a burning camp fire.  It is quite annoying and quite unhealthy, but what are you going to do, right?  You just have to deal with it and wait for cooler weather and/or rain to help stamp out the fires, thus ending the problem.

Well, with a cold front on the way everyone has been quite excited, hoping that the front would bring with it some much needed rain.  While I certainly want nature to give us a hand with the fires, upon hearing this news all I could think was, "I had better get out there and try some trout fishing ahead of this anticipated cold front."  You see, the trout fishing is usually pretty good ahead of cold fronts, so even though I didn't have a ton of time, I headed out for a quick fishing trip.

For most of this fishing season I have been on a mini jig kick, using a 1/32 or 1/16 ounce jig head tipped with a Powerbait product (trout worm, nymph, or mouse tail) as bait on almost all of my trout fishing excursions.   I still drift fish, just like I always have with the difference being the bait.  And while it hasn't been as productive as when I use live worms as my trout bait, it has been plenty successful in it's own right.

So as I worked my way into position at the head of a big hole on the Swan River, I tied on a 1/32 ounce jig, tipped it with a natural colored Powerbait trout worm and began to drift fish.  After a few casts I realized That I needed more weight, so I added a split shot sinker to my line twelve or so inches above my jig.  I continued drift fishing down the hole for the next forty five minuted or so, switching to a pink trout worm and then a white mouse tail without as much as a sniff from an inquisitive trout!

I was getting frustrated, because this RARELY happens to me here in Montana, and was starting to think that getting skunked was a distinct possibility.  "Oh well", I thought to myself as I slipped a Pumpkin/Chartreuse Power Nymph onto my now 1/8 ounce jig head, "let's give the nymph a shot."  Within 2 casts I felt the familiar "tap, tap" that usually means a hungry trout and I set the hook!  My reel immediately started to buzz as the trout ran like an angry bull out of a rodeo shoot.  "This might be a nice one", I thought to myself as I adjusted my drag slightly.

With a few minutes I was admiring and subsequently releasing a very nice 17 inch cutt/bow (which is a rainbow cutthroat hybrid for the uninitiated) and was quite pleased that "the skunk" didn't happen on this particular day.  I made a few more casts, but figured that it was best to 'end on a high note' on this day.  After all, the fishing Gods were kind enough to smile upon me (even though it took whet seemed to be a while), and I was good with that.

Fall Trout Fishing Is Quickly Approaching

Ok, we're still 6-8 week from true "fall trout fishing", but I can't help but get excited anyway. The rivers in Northwest Montana are receding by the day, which is making them more and more "fishable". Yep, the run off from the snow in the mountains still has most of the rivers running high and stained, but the better fishing is no doubt going to be here before I know it.

 For anyone who isn't aware, at JRW our trout fishing technique of choice is drift fishing, and drift fishing is hard to do when the water flows are high and muddy, which is why the fall is our favorite time of the year for chasing trout. Sure we fish for and catch trout during all seasons, but none of them can hold a candle to the fall season.

So, although the fall trout season is still a few weeks off, the excitement is beginning to build for us, and in our opinion it should be building for you as well?

Worm Fishing For Trout - Keys To Trout Fishing With Worms

As the weather begins to 'break' many anglers start to focus their attention on trout fishing and one of the best ways to catch these beautiful fish is to go worm fishing for them. I having been worm fishing for trout for more than twenty years and in that time have learned some keys to fishing with worms that have enabled me to experience a ton of trout fishing success. In this article I will outline some of the most important keys to success when trout fishing with worms so that you can use this information to your advantage.

The following tips for worm fishing for trout have worked well for me over the years and I know they will do the same for you. Before I get down to the "keys" themselves it's important to point out one mistake that many trout fishermen make that needs to be avoided in all trout fishing scenarios, but especially when you are trout fishing with worms. When fishing for trout you always want to use fishing line that's as light as possible. Many trout fishermen use fishing line that's entirely too heavy and it costs them dearly. Four pound test monofilament is a great place to start when it come to the fishing line that you use for trout fishing.

With that being said, let's get down to the keys to trout fishing with worms, what do you say?

1. Wash Your Hands - this is something that many anglers overlook when trout fishing. We, as humans, have a "scent" that all fish (and especially trout) can easily detect on any bait or lure that we touch with our fingers. And can you guess what tends to happen if the trout you are attempting to catch can smell the "human scent" on the fishing worm that they are thinking about eating? You guessed it, they tend not to bite the worm. For this reason you always want to make sure that your hands are free on any "human scents" before you touch your fishing worms. This can be accomplished by either washing your hands with odor neutralizing soap or by simply rubbing your hands with dirt or gravel.
2. Present Your Worm in a Natural Manner - Again, this is something that many trout fishermen tend to overlook when If you enjoy fishing with worms. Rather than just hooking a worm onto a single hook when worm fishing for trout, your fishing worm needs to be presented in the most natural manner possible. This means using a set of gang hooks or similar worm rig that allows a worm to be presented as bait in a natural manner. Your worm appearing to the trout the way that a worm naturally looks makes a huge difference in the number of "bites" you will receive.
3. Make Sure That Your Worms Are Lively - Dead or dying worms simply aren't very effective when used as bait for fishing, so you always want your worms to be as lively as possible. This means keeping your worms cool and not hooking them in such a way as to kill them. The bottom line is that you want your trout fishing worms to be as lively as possible when fishing for trout.

The aforementioned keys to trout fishing with worms will make you much more successful when fishing with worms for the popular game fish known as the trout.

River Fishing Tips : Drifting Fishing For Trout

One of the best ways to catch trout in rivers and streams is to go drift fishing. For anyone who doesn't know what "drift fishing" is it is simply fishing by allowing your bait or lure to "drift" with the current of the river or stream that you are fishing in an attempt to catch fish. This technique is effective for most any species of fish that swims in a river and is one of the best river fishing tips that you will ever receive for river fishing for trout.

The first thing to consider when drift fishing for trout is the size of your rod, reel, and the line that said reel is spooled with. Both your rod and reel should be ultralight action. When it comes to your rod and river fishing tips, a great tip is to use different a longer rod the heavier the current is flowing. For example, when the river that your are fishing is flowing "normally" a five to five and a half foot ultralight rod is in order. When the current of the river that you are fishing is flowing "heavily" (such as in the spring) a longer ultralight rod is in order, say six to seven feet. The longer your fishing rod the more "feel" you will have as the current flow increases and your ability to "feel" in integral to drift fishing.

Next is your fishing line. Monofilament or fluorocarbon line that is either four or six pound test is the perfect size for drift fishing for trout. A key to drift fishing for trout is being able to visually see the line that is not underwater while the "drift" is taking place. This is why fishing line that is clear/blue in color is incredibly important to drift fishing. Clear/blue line is highly visible out of the water, yet is invisible to the fish beneath the water. Whatever brand of monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line you choose to use, make sure that the color of the line is invisible under the water, while being visible to you above the water.

When you are drift fishing for trout (or any other fish species for that matter) you want to do it by standing in the current of the river itself and casting parallel to where you are standing. The bail on your reel is closed and the bait or lure is allowed to "drift" as the current takes the offering downstream. When the bait or lure is directly below where you are standing the "drift" is over and the offering is reeled in. This is "drift fishing" and with practice will probably become your favorite river fishing technique.

Drift fishing for trout is an excellent way to enjoy trout fishing and/or to catch a trout. The biggest key to the technique is practice. As you learn all the little nuances of drift fishing, such as adding and/or removing split shot sinkers to keep your offering near the bottom, you will become much more successful at it. Make drift fishing a part of your arsenal sooner rather than later.