Best Hooks For Trout – What Are The Best and Most Effective Hooks For Trout Fishing?

Many ultralight fishermen who fish for trout ask themselves the question, "what are the best hooks for trout?" and below I will do my best to answer this often asked question. I have been spin fishing for trout while using ultralight gear for more than 25 years and in that time have learned a thing or two about the subject of fishing hooks in relation to trout fishing. I'm going to outline the specific styles of fishing hooks in a minute, but before I do that it's important to point out that the one thing that all hooks that are being used for trout must have in common. They need to be

small.

The best and most effective hooks for virtually all trout fishing scenarios are small fishing hooks, as you will see below. Some anglers have the misconception that the larger the hook, the larger the fish that you will catch, but this is a fallacy (at least when it comes to fishing for trout). The fact of the matter is that your fishing hook should match your bait, and the most effective bait portions when it comes to trout fishing are usually small, therefore your fishing hooks need to be small as well.

There are two main types of fishing hooks that should be used when spin fishing for trout; treble hooks and standard fishing hooks. Single hooks can be used, gang hooks can be used, or a combination of a single fishing hook and a treble hook can be used. For the most part, treble hooks are used when dough style trout baits are being used and standard hooks are used when live bait is being used while fishing for trout.

Now for the sizes. Any standard hook that is being used for trout should be size 8, 10, or as small as 12. Treble hooks should be size #12 or #18. And there you have it, the best and most effective hooks for trout are either standard or treble, and their size needs to be small. And lest you believe that large trout can't be caught while using fishing hooks that are this small, consider the fact that I personally abide by these rules and regularly hook and land trout in the 3-6 pound class. A small portion and a matching small fishing hook will almost always outfish something larger. 

Rainbow Trout – How Gang Hooks Will Help Anyone Catch More Rainbows

Fishing for rainbow trout in the flowing water of a river or stream while using ultralight spin fishing gear is the style of fishing that I most enjoy, there's no doubt about it. I've never figured out whether it is the sound of the water, the intoxicating smells in the air, or the trout themselves that I find the most enjoyable, but the bottom line is that when fishing for rainbows in this manner I feel as if I am talking to God rather than just trying to catch fish. I was taught a specific technique for catching rainbow trout more than 25 years ago, one that I use to this very day, by my best friends father. The technique that I am referring to involves something called a set of gang hooks.

Gang hooks are used by salt water fishermen, which is where my friends father was introduced to them, and he simply downsized what he used for saltwater fishing, and gang hooks for trout fishing were born. These unique fishing hooks are the best way that there is to rig a live worm in a natural manner, and as I am sure you are aware, live worms are an excellent bait for rainbow trout.

Although gang hooks can be used with virtually any trout fishing technique where worms are being used as bait, the way that gang hooks can help anyone catch more rainbows, is by utilizing a technique known as drift fishing. Although the nuances of drift fishing with live worms takes practice to become proficient at, the time invested is well worth the investment.

The bottom line is that when it comes to fishing for rainbow trout, gang hooks and drift fishing should, without question, be a part of your trout fishing repertoire. Live worms are an excellent rainbow trout bait and gang hooks are without a doubt the best way to use a live worm as bait. Start utilizing this information and you will definitely start catching more rainbows.

How To Hook A Worm For Trout

One of the most effective baits for trout is the worm, and a worm can mean many different things. It can be a live worm such as a night crawler, red worm, or mini night crawler, or it can be a synthetic worm. What is a synthetic worm you ask? A synthetic worm is one that has been manufactured with trout (or fish) attracting scents impregnated within it to make it pleasing to the fishes sense of smell. The most popular synthetic worms are manufactured by Berkley and are sold under the names, "trout worms", "alive night crawlers", and "Alive angle worms ".

The key to using any of these worms for trout is the way in which the worm is hooked, which is what this article is about. Now hooking a worm seems like a simple thing (probably because it is) yet a vast majority of anglers tend to go about this simple task in the wrong way. Why is this the case? Probably because they simply never considered something simple. You see, rather than hooking a worm through a hook once and leaving most of the body of the worm hanging in the water or attempting to "thread" a worm onto a hook in an attempt to make it look more natural, if you want to hook a worm for trout in the most efficient and effective way possible another hook needs to be added to the equation.

In other words the hooks that are used for trout fishing need to be downsized and configured into what in known as a set of gang hooks. A set of gang hooks is simply a pair of small fishing hooks that have been tied back to back. Why is this a good thing? First of all because by using size #8 or #10 fishing hooks the hook is virtually invisible to the trout that you are attempting to catch. And second because with two small fishing hooks the worm can be presented in an outstretched and natural manner, which means that you receive more bites from hungry trout.

If you want to know how to hook a worm for trout, what I just outlined is it. In my extensive experience fishing for trout in this manner, I have found that "drift fishing" a worm in the current of a river or stream is a very effective way to employ a worm when trout fishing. Using a live worm and "blowing it up" with a syringe, then fishing it on the bottom is also an effective trout tactic.
Add this simple, yet extremely effective method of hooking worm to your trout fishing arsenal and your bite rates will increase exponentially. This method has worked for me for a quarter of a century and I know it will work for you as well.

What Is The Best Size Hook For Trout Fishing?

If you walk down the "fishing hook" isle at any tackle shop or search any sporting goods website for fishing hooks, the choices can seem almost unlimited. Deciding on the proper size and style of hook to use for your favorite style of fishing can be a difficult task, but at the same time is one of the most important aspects to experiencing success on the water.

I am a trout fisherman and have been fishing for trout for over 20 years and one of the questions that I get asked more often than any other is, "what is the best size fishing hook for trout?" The problem with this question is that there is no one answer, other than of course as small as possible, but at the end of the day this answer doesn't do anyone much good. Below, I will answer this question by listing the 3 most popular types of fishing hooks that are used for trout fishing, along with the sizes that are the most effective within each style of hook. Depending on your favorite style of trout fishing, you can then use this information to determine the best size hook for you.

1. Treble Hooks
   - Treble hooks are very popular among trout fishermen who like to use dough style trout baits such as Powerbait when fishing for trout. Treble hooks can also be used when trout fishing with soft cheese (such as Velveeta) or even marshmallows as well. Many anglers tend to use treble hooks that are entirely too large under the mistaken assumption that "the bigger the bait, the bigger the fish", when in truth a # 12 or #18 treble hook is all that you need to use when fishing for trout.


2. Gang Hooks
   - This style of fishing hook is not known by a lot of trout fishermen, but it should be. A set of gang hooks is a pair of fishing hooks tied in tandem and is an excellent choice when fishing for trout with live bait. This fact is especially true if a technique such as drift fishing is being employed. The best sizes of gang hooks to use when trout fishing would be #8 or #10.


3. Single Hooks
   - Single fishing hooks are used by many anglers when fishing for trout. The most popular and effective styles of single hooks for trout fishing are salmon egg and bait holder. Again the bottom line here is "smaller is better" and the best sizes to use when fishing for trout would be #10 or even #12. Single trout fishing hooks are also available that are painted red, which is an option that many trout fishermen swear by when it comes to single fishing hooks for trout.

Armed with this information you should never again have to ask or wonder when the best size hook is for trout fishing. Even though the saying isn't that helpful in choosing the best hook option for you and your favorite trout fishing style, it is nonetheless worth keeping in the back of your mind that "the smaller the better" when it comes to any type of effective trout fishing hook. The reason for this is because trout are a species of fish that are generally used to eating many small meals throughout a day, so matching your trout fishing bait to the size of the meals that the trout are used to eating is never a bad idea and will generally result in more bites from hungry trout.

Barbless Fishing Hooks?

As the trout fishing season approaches like a runaway freight train, it occurred to me that I don't use barbless fishing hooks nearly as often as I should. I have learned that when when a hook is without barbs, it causes much less damage to the fish that you hook, and thus is less stressful on said fish. This little tidbit of information that I stumbled upon makes sense to me and is something that I am going to do this season.

You see, I don't keep any of the trout that I catch anyway, so causing as little damage to the fish as possible is always something that I am cognizant. So, this season before baiting up I am going to simply take my pliers and pinch down the barbs on my hooks. Does this mean that I will lose alot of trout that I hook during the fight? We shall see, there's only one way that I know of to find out. I'll keep you updated as the season progresses.

If you like to keep a trout or two for dinner that's fine and this idea probably won't make much sense, but for me it makes a lot of sense and is something that I want to test out for myself.