With The Weather Warming, The Trout Fishing Should Start Heating Up

As the spring descends on us all like an old friend that you haven't seen for a while approaching you from the other side of the grocery store, my thoughts are turning to one thing.  Fishing for trout.  I know from experience that the early spring can be a great time to catch some nice trout, but I also know that during the early spring timing is everything, especially when you are talking about river fishing for trout.

You see the trout have been lethargic all winter due to the freezing cold water temperatures and during the spring, as the water temperatures rise, the trout begin to feed quite heavily.  The problem is that rising temperatures also mean rising water levels due to snow melt, and rivers can become high and muddy quite fast.  And high and muddy water make river fishing for trout difficult to impossible, which is where timing comes in.

With any luck you live within close proximity to the rivers you like to fish, so paying attention to the water levels won't be difficult.  Here in Northwest Montana, the rivers are usually very fish-able from late March to late April and even into May sometimes.  Although the exact weeks vary from year to year. I have found that the biggest thing to keep in mind are the air temperatures at night.  I have found that once the air temperatures stop dropping below freezing during the night, the run off will really speed up, which means the rivers will become too high to fish much faster.  When the air temperatures stay below freezing at night, the snow in the mountains will melt much less quickly, thus that water won't be flowing into the rivers quite as fast. 

This is especially true if you are into drift fishing, as I am.  Drift fishing for trout is my favorite activity and the early spring can be quite productive, as long as you get the timing right.  Just remember a few simple tips when it comes to early season trout fishing;  the clearer the water the better, afternoons and evening are often some of the most productive times of the day during the early spring and watch those temperatures at night.  Once they get above freezing, it won't be long until the rivers will become much less suitable to fishing.  

Early Spring Trout Fishing

Spring is right around the corner, and that means trout fishing is right around the corner as well. As the weather and water temperatures warm, trout fishing becomes much better and in this article I'm going to discuss some tips and techniques for early spring trout fishing that will help anyone be more successful. These tips and techniques have been proven through over fifty years of combined trout fishing experience. So, let's get down to business, shall we?

The first thing to keep in mind when fishing for trout in the early spring is that the warmest part of the day is usually the most productive. The trout are used to the cold temperatures of winter, which slows their metabolism, and makes them less active. As the water begins to warms up as winter ends, trout become much more active. For this reason, the hottest part of the day is your best bet for trout fishing.

The next tip to keep in mind for early season trout fishing is whenever live bait is employed, gang hooks should be used. Gang hooks are the most effective way to present live bait (especially live worms). When trout fishing size #8 or size #10 gang hooks are the most effective sizes, and enable you to present live worms in an outstretched and natural manner, rather than presenting a live worm like some sort of worm ball. This makes a huge difference in your bite rates.

In many areas of the country, the early spring means high water. Either because of rain or run-off, high water can make trout fishing much more challenging. A great tip is to use a longer fishing rod. I personally use a six foot six inch ultra light rod to fish in high water, whereas in normal water conditions I use a five foot rod. Using a longer rod makes "feeling" your bait and bottom much easier.

My next tip for early spring trout fishing is to make sure that your fishing when the trout are the most active. How is this accomplished? Simply by paying attention to the weather & moon, and planning your fishing outings accordingly. This simple tip will result in many more bites. These two forces of Mother Nature have an amazing impact on the feeding behavior of trout.

Finally, you must have an effective way to carry your live bait while fishing. This is important because the more time you can spend with your line in the water where the fish are, rather than out of the water while you search for bait and such, the better. Having your live bait at you fingertips is extremely important, and this can be accomplished by using a bait bag. This may sound strange, but once you use a bait bag (especially for carrying live worms) you'll wonder how you ever fished without one.

These simple, yet incredibly effective tips will help you have much more success on your early spring trout fishing excursions. And remember: the trout fishing gets better and better as the weather continues to warm up throughout the spring. For those of us who like to fish for trout it's time for this season to get underway.

Early Season Trout Fishing Tips

Before we know it the weather is going to start to warm up, the rivers are going to begin to rise, and trout fishing is going to begin. After six or so months of cold weather and trout fishing being difficult at best, early season trout fishing is right around the corner. In this article I'm going to provide some tips to help you catch more trout during the early season. Most of these tips are going to be focused on fishing in small rivers and streams, but can easily be modified for fishing in lakes as well.

Trout fishing can be a challenge in the early season for many reasons during the early season, but the most difficult to manage has to be high water. Depending on where you live, the trout fishing can be very good in the early season right before water levels begin to rise, but I digress. When your favorite trout river is high, stained, but still fish-able you have to make sure you employ a longer fishing rod. This not only improves your casting distance, but also enables you to "feel" your bait or lure much better.

Here's exactly what I do. During most of the trout fishing season I use a five foot ultra light rod and matching reel. During the spring when the water is high I switch to a six and a half foot ultra light rod of the same model. This allows me to "feel" what's going on with my offering much better. During early season trout fishing make sure you use a longer fishing rod than you do during the rest of the season.

High water also means that you're going to need to use much more weight than you normally would. Whether you're fishing with bait or a lure, you are going to have to use much more weight on your line than you normally would. This is obviously due to current flow and water depth. Getting snagged is also much more common in high water conditions, which is something to keep in mind.

When using lures such as Rooster Tails, spoons, and even jigs in the high water of early spring don't be afraid to use colors that stand out a bit. This is a good time of year for chartreuse, fluorescent, and white colors. Spoons in silver, rather than gold, are also more effective during early season trout fishing.

When using bait for early season trout fishing, gang hooks are always a great idea. These hooks allow you to present your bait (especially if you use worms) in a completely natural manner. This means that you will receive many more bites. Gang hooks should definitely be a part of your early season trout fishing repertoire.

The last thing to keep in mind during early season trout fishing is to be very careful while wading. The high, and many times muddy, water conditions make wading much more challenging than normal. This means that extra care should be exercised during early season trout fishing. Remember to "work with the water" rather than trying to fight it. The last thing anyone needs is to take that wet and wild ride on their butt, while trying to hold on to their $150 dollar rod/reel combo.