How To Catch Hatchery Trout

In the spring of the year many people's attention turn to the act of fishing and a popular type of fish to target are trout.  In many instances, such as in central Pennsylvania where I grew up, spring trout fishing meant that you were likely going to be targeting a specific type of trout called hatchery trout.  Hatchery trout are just like any other trout, except that rather than being born in the wild they were born and raised in a fish hatchery and then released into the wild to be caught by anglers. 

The bottom line is that hatchery trout usually aren't that difficulty to catch, especially when compared to a trout that was born and survived multiple seasons in a body of water,  but that doesn't mean that you will can catch them no matter what you throw into the water.  Below I will outline what I do to catch hatchery trout so that you can do the same thing.  Believe me this little "how to" lesson certainly couldn't be compared to consistently catching Steelhead or anything else that is known to be difficult, but it is nonetheless effective and will enable you to catch a limit of hatchery trout the next time you head out in search of these fish. 

Let's start with your rod, reel, and line.  For the particular hatchery trout technique that I will outline, "still fishing" is the name of the game, so a fishing rod that is six to seven feet long is in order.  Using a longer rod when fishing form the shore means that you will get a better and more effective hook set.  The rod should also be ultralight power (often indicated by an UL) and I prefer fast action (which means the tip of the rod is pretty "stiff").  A matching reel should then be added to the mix and your reel should be spooled with line that's no heavier than six pound test mono filament.
  
Next there are three pieces of terminal tackle that you are going to need;  a small barrel swivel, an egg sinker, and your choice of trout fishing hook.  You can use a treble hook, a single bait holder fishing hook, salmon egg style hook, or a set of gang hooks.  In the case of your fishing hook choice the only caveat is that your keep your choice small.  In the case of salmon egg, bait holder or gang hooks don't go any larger than size 8 and in the case of treble hooks don't go any larger than size 12.  When it comes to hatchery trout (or most any species of freshwater trout for that matter) remember, the smaller the better when it comes to your fishing hooks.

Now we have  the rigs itself.  Start by taking the end of your line and clipping off a 12-18 inch length of line for a leader and set it aside (the leader will be needed unless you are using gang hooks where this won't be necessary as they are made with the leader attached).  Now slip one egg sinker onto your line and tie a small barrel swivel to the end of your line.  This accomplished two things, it acts as a stopper for the sinker and it helps to prevent line twist by hooked trout.  Finally the leader (or set of gang hooks) is tied to the opposite end of the barrel swivel and your fishing hook of choice is tied to the end of the leader. 

That's your rig, now all you need to do is bait the hook and there is no more productive bait for hatchery trout in my experience than the trout bait known as Powerbait.  Enough Powerbait is molded onto the hook so that the hook is completely covered and you are ready to go.  If you prefer not to mold your bait onto your hook I have found that Powerbait Magnum Eggs are often just as effective (if not not more so) without all of the mess.   This rig is now cast into the water and allowed to sink to the bottom.  The slack line is then slowly reeled in until your line is completely taught.  Now the "still fishing" begins.  When the rod tip starts to bounce a hungry trout is biting your offering. 

Using Powerbait to Catch Rainbow Trout

If you fish for rainbow trout you need to familiarize yourself with a trout bait known as Powerbait. This dough style bait is manufactured by a company named Berkley and as an effective a bait as there is if you want to catch a rainbow trout. However there are two caveats that you should be aware of. First,the rainbow trout that you are attempting to catch have been "stocked" or "planted" into the water that you are fishing, hopefully within a fairly recent time frame, and second that you are fishing in a fairly stagnant water scenario such as a lake, pond, or large pool in a river.


Why is it that all of this is true? Well, I have spent the past twenty five years or so fishing for rainbow trout and much of that time has been while using Powerbait to catch these colorful fish and have learned through experience that all of these things are the case. I believe it has to do with "stocked" rainbow trout being used to being "fed", rather than hunting their own meals and that Powerbait is full of scents that disperse into the water around the bait as well as being quite colorful and both of these facts help our fairly uneducated friends locate their potential meal.
The biggest key to using Powerbait to catch trout is to use the bait in the way in which it was designed, which means to use it while you are bottom fishing in a lake or pond that contains rainbow trout. I have seen guys attempt to use Powerbait when they are fishing for rainbows in a river, and this is often like attempting to spit into the wind. It usually doesn’t end well. In order to use Powerbait to catch rainbow trout you want to make sure that you are bottom fishing in a lake or pond that contains rainbow trout, preferably that have been stocked into that body of water in the past 2-12 months.

You want to use a rig that allows your Powerbait to float off of the bottom so that the trout can see it easily. When making your bottom fishing rig you should employ either a single treble hook or a set of gang hooks. Whichever type of fishing hook you choose to use, the key is that you keep your hook (or set of gang hooks) small. Using small fishing hooks is a key to using Powerbait to catch rainbow trout. In the case of treble hooks, I suggest size #12 or even #18. In the case of gang hooks, I suggest size #8 or size #10. You want to make our bottom rig with some manifestation of slip sinker as well, which means that your sinker will be 'floating freely' on your fishing line.

The slip sinker should be kept a twelve to eighteen inch distance from you hook or gang hooks by using a small split shot sinker or swivel. This will make sure that your sinker doesn’t 'float' all the way down to your bait and interfere with your ability to fight any trout that are hooked. Also, when the rig is on the bottom, this will allow the Powerbait to float 12-18 inches off of the bottom where your sinker is. With whichever type of fishing hook that you are using, you want to make sure that all of the metal on the fishing hook is covered with bait and no more. This means that your ball (or balls of Powerbait in the case of gang hooks) is going to be pretty small. This is okay though, as I have found that hungry rainbow trout prefer to gobble up little meals, as opposed to a huge ball of Powerbait.

The baited rig is now cast into the water that is being fished and allowed to sink all the way to the bottom. Once on bottom, the slack line is slowly reeled in until your line is completely taut. Now the waiting begins. It's time to wait until an inquisitive rainbow trout smells your bait and begins to nibble on your offering. When this happens the tip of your rod will begin to bounce. When my rod tip is bouncing I like to gently pick up my rod and feel for the bouncing myself. When it feels like the trout has the Powerbait in its mouth, I set the hook by lifting my arm in an upward motion, hopefully hooking the trout.

What was just outlined is the fastest and easiest way of using Powerbait to catch rainbow trout in my opinion. I have been using this method to catch rainbows for more than twenty five years and know that it will work as well for you as it has for me.

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.

Rainbow Trout – How To Catch More Rainbow Trout This Summer

Fishing for rainbow trout in the summer poses some unique challenges to trout fishermen. In this post I will outline a few of these challenges along with some tips and trick for overcoming them so that you can catch more rainbow trout this summer. In many area's of the country, hot weather,m and crowded waterways can make active rainbow trout difficult to find, so the first challenge that needs to be overcome is finding rainbows that are active, because as you are probably aware a rainbow trout that is active is much more apt to bite whatever it is that you are offing it

In order to consistently locate active rainbows, you need to make sure you are on the water fishing at the most opportune times of the day. This can be accomplished by paying attention to things like the phase of the moon, the moon rise and/or set, and the weather. All of these factors impact the activity level of rainbow trout and the more that you understand about these subjects, the more successful you will be as a trout fisherman.

As water temperatures rise during the summer, rainbows can become much more lethargic and will seek cooler water temperatures. This means focusing on deeper water, and fishing as much as you can during the early mornings when water temperatures will be at their coolest. Summer rains can cool down water temperatures quickly and dramatically, often causing rainbow trout to become active.
During the summer months when rainbows are feeding, they are often doing so quite aggressively, which means that techniques and lures that have lots of movement are often very effective. Aggressively fishing inline spinners that match the natural forage of the water that you are fishing is often an effective summer trout fishing technique. And, during the summer when crayfish are prevalent, a crayfish crank bait can be a serious rainbow catcher as well.

The bottom line is that if you want to catch more rainbow trout this summer, the aforementioned tips and tricks will help you accomplish this task. Don't believe me? Give one (or all) of them a shot and find out for yourself.

How To Catch More Trout In Moving Water

As you probably already know our favorite place to fish for trout is in the moving water of a river or stream and in this post we will outline exactly how to catch trout in moving water (the same way that we have been doing it for more than 25 years!) Although the techniques that we employ have been refined over the years, the basic tenants of what we will be found below.

To consistently catch trout is moving water you have to learn and master a technique known as drift fishing. Drift fishing involves letting your trout bait (either live or in the form of a small spinner) drift with the current of the river or stream that you are fishing. Sounds simple enough, right? It sure does and in actuality the technique is simple, but the reality is that drift fishing is like cooking a perfect rack of ribs. We can all get a rack of ribs cooked, and sometimes they end up tasting pretty good, but they are nothing like the ribs that a pit master in Memphis Tennessee can create.

Just as with cooing a masterful rack of ribs, becoming really good at catching trout in moving water, takes practice. The more time that can be spent on the river, putting the technique into action, the better. As you do, you will learn little nuances that make drift fishing for trout so very enjoyable and effective, just like with cooking a great rack of ribs.

To catch trout in moving water you want to position yourself in the water 5-20 feet upstream of the run or pool that you intend to fish. You make casts parallel to wear you are standing, close the bail of your spinning reel and try to keep your line as taught as possible as it drifts with the current. When you bait or lure is below where you are standing and you begin to really feel the bottom the drift is over and it's time to recast. Varying the length of your cast, the amount of weight that you have on your line, and the place that you are standing within the river will all change the position of your bait in relation to the trout that you are fishing for.

Give each area that you are fishing for trout a thorough "going over" and you will almost always catch a trout or two, unless outside circumstances are completely against on the day the you are trout fishing. Remember, the technique is simple in theory, but as you gain experience it becomes highly effective, so make sure that you practice as much as you can. The bottom line is that drift fishing is, without question, how to catch more trout in moving water.

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.

Powerbait Tips - How To Fish With Powerbait

Fishing with the trout bait known as Powerbait seems quite simple, and on the surface it surely is, but the truth of the matter is that if taken somewhat seriously fishing with Powerbait is actually more effective than you have probably ever thought possible. Below I will outline a few Powerbait tips that you may have never considered and will no doubt make you a more successful trout fisherman.
When most people think of this unique type of trout bait they automatically think of the little jars that are filled with the bait, which is then molded over a fishing hook to be used when trout fishing. This is probably what most people think of because this is the most popular (and easiest) way to utilize Powerbait. Just bait your hook, throw it into a lake, and still fish until a hungry trout bites, right?

But the fact of the matter is that there are other Powerbait products such as the floating trout and steelhead worm, micro wiggler, 1" nymph, grub, and Power minnow that are all very effective when used while trout fishing as well. If you want to know how to fish with Powerbait, these other options should be added to your trout fishing arsenal as well. All of these forms of trout bait have been manufactured with the same trout attracting scents as the bait sold in the little jars, which makes all of them extremely effective when used while fishing fort trout.

For example floating trout or steelhead worms, micro wigglers, and minnows can be used while drift fishing for trout and are often just as, if not more, effective as their live counterparts when fishing for trout in the current of a river or stream. And how about threading a Powerbait nymph or grub onto a 1/32 or 1/16 ounce jig head and fishing your lake or river that has been stocked with rainbow trout? There is little doubt that these are some of the best Powerbait tips that you will come across when it comes to using Powerbait for trout.

Just remember, if you want to know how to fish with this unique type of trout bait, don't forget to "think outside the box" a bit and utilize the other ways in which Powerbait can help you catch trout. While traditional Powerbait that is sold in small jars is a very effective trout bait choice, there are other options that enable you to engage in trout fishing techniques other than still fishing from the shore of your favorite trout lake.

How To Find Trout In Winter

If you fish for freshwater trout you are more than likely aware that the winter is probably the least productive time of the year for trout fishing, but that doesn't man that you should put your rod and reel away and not even try to catch trout in the wintertime. There is probably no place on earth that is as serene and beautiful as a trout stream or river during the winter months, so if you consider yourself a serious trout fisherman, the wintertime should not be neglected.

If you want to find trout in winter you simply need to adjust your approach and expectations a bit, and you will be good to go. As far as expectations are concerned, when you are looking to catch trout in winter, don't expect to catch trout at the rate you might during the warmer seasons, because you almost always won't. But this doesn't mean that trout can't be enticed to bite your offering during the winter, because they can as long as you follow a few simple rules.

The first of these rules is the time of day that you are fishing. During the winter the sunlight is your friend. You see, during the winter months the sunlight beating on the water will trigger insect hatches and aquatic insects are the main food source for winter trout. If you fish with worms or salmon eggs, these hatches are good for you as well because it means that the trout will be feeding and will be much more likely to bite your offering.

Since trout are cold blooded, when the water temperatures are abnormally cold they want to expend as little energy as possible to get a meal. This means that large eddies and pools are a great place to concentrate your fishing efforts when looking for winter trout. The confluence of streams and/or rivers is also a great place to find congregated trout during the winter.

No matter where you choose to fish for trout in winter, "warm snaps" where air temperatures are above normal for a day or two are also a great time to fish for winter trout. Temperature changes such as these often turn trout "on" and trigger winter feeding. And finally, no matter how you choose to fish for wintertime trout, make sure that you slow your presentation down as much as possible. The slower the better should be the monicker of every winter trout fisherman. Even though you won't be as successful as during warmer seasons, the winter months should not be neglected by the serious trout fisherman.

Do You Want To Catch Bigger Trout?

If you are a person who has spent any meaningful amount of time on the water fishing for freshwater trout, such as rainbow or cutthroat trout, you are probably aware of the fact that these fish are generally not that large. As a matter of fact the average rainbow or cutthroat trout is a whopping 10-12 inches in most area's so catching a "big trout" can be a fairly difficult task to accomplish, but this doesn't have to be the case.

I have been fishing for trout for more than a quarter of a century and in that time have learned that catching bigger trout is not only possible, it's a fairly easy thing to do once you learn how to approach the act of trout fishing. So, if you would like to catch bigger trout (and you obviously do because you are reading this) read on and learn a few simple tips that will put you on the track to catching bigger trout on a consistent basis.

The most important thing that I have learned about trout fishing over the last twenty plus years is that Mother Nature has as much to do with catching trout as any other single factor. What do I mean by this? Specifically that the weather and moon (forces of Mother Nature) play a huge factor in whether or not the trout are going to be actively feeding and as you can probably imagine if the trout are actively feeding I am much more likely to catch not only more but also bigger trout.
Some study as to how the weather and moon impact fishing is definitely in order, as well as paying attention to something simple; the moon rise and set. The hour or two window that brackets either the rising or the setting of the moon is a great time to be fishing if you are looking to catch bigger trout there's no doubt about it. Just do a quick search on the internet for the term "moon rise" and you will find free tables that will inform you as to when the moon is rising and/or setting on a particular day of the year.

The next thing that you need to do if you want to catch bigger trout is to make sure that you are using fishing line that's as light as possible. Many trout fishermen (especially "newbies") think that you have to use heavy fishing line if you want to land heavy fish, but the truth of the matter is that this simply isn't true if you know how to "play" your catch. Consider the fact that I regularly hook, catch, and subsequently release rainbow trout that exceed the four pound mark. Using light fishing line (either two or four pound test) is incredibly important if you want to catch more and bigger trout on a consistent basis.

In closing let me say that these few simple tips will go a long way towards you consistently catching bigger trout, but there is nothing in this world that will increase your catch rates like experience. So, spend as much time as you can on the water fishing for trout and you to will begin to catch bigger trout.