Catching Trout in a Lake

At this time of year when the rivers and steams become high and muddy, many anglers are reserved to catching trout in lakes. Catching trout in a lake means that you will be fishing for stocked trout much of the time, and stocked trout mean that they shouldn't be terribly difficult to catch. Think about it, if a bear is born and raised in captivity, how much of a mean streak to you think said bear will have? Not much and I feel the same way about trout raised in captivity. Sure they're fun to catch in a pinch, but given the choice, I would much rather catch native trout who have grown as nature intended, and not in a glorified aquarium.

That being said, catching trout in a lake can be quite productive and fun when done properly. How is it done properly? The first thing to do is begin using a set of gang hooks. Obviously anglers know about hooks, but gang hooks are a bit different. You see, gang hooks are simply two small hooks tied in tandem. For trout fishing I suggest size 8 or 10 gang hooks. Gang hooks allow the angler to present a worm in a completely natural manner, and when it comes to catching trout in a lake allows the angler to present Powerbait in a very effective manner.
Although many different baits can be employed while attempting to catch a trout in a lake such as cheese, corn, and marshmallows, the most effective bait that I've found is Powerbait or similar synthetic baits. When a set of gang hooks is employed, no the angler can present twice as much bait, thus doubling their chances of a hook up! This is obviously quite an advantage.

It's quite simple to set up a gang hook rig. Simply take the end of your line and slip an egg sinker onto it (1/4 should work if it's not too windy). Now tie a small barrel swivel onto your line that will act as a "stopper" for the egg sinker. If the egg sinker can slip over the barrel swivel, attach a small split shot to act as a "stopper". Now tie a set of pre-tied gang hooks onto the other end of the barrel swivel (You can make your gang hooks yourself or buy them, it's up to you). Now add your Powerbait or similar synthetic bait to each of the hooks on the set of gang hooks. I like to use just enough bait to completely cover each hook. This is your gang hook still fishing rig. Simply cast this out and let it sink to the bottom. Then slowly reel in any slack line, and wait.

I usually wait for at least 30 minutes before checking my bait if I haven't received any bites. After an hour, I'll usually re-bait, sometimes with a different color. Sometimes something as crazy as the color of your Powerbait can make a difference? You can never tell with these stocked trout. I think they are born without brains in some cases. Who knows what the scientists do to breed these finless wonders? The point is that sometimes the color of the Powerbait makes a difference, and experimentation is the only way to find out which will work best on a given day. At the end of the day, this technique will enable you to catch trout in a lake, especially if stocked trout live in that lake.

How To Catch Trout : Tips For Choosing The Best Trout Bait

Whether you are new to the world of trout fishing or are wondering how to catch more and/or bigger trout, many times the key to success lies in using the best trout bait. The problem is that the best trout bait to use on a given day will vary from situation to situation and there isn't one particular type of bait that will be effective every time that you fish for trout. One of the keys to success when it comes to catching trout is to choose the correct type of trout bait for the situation that you find yourself in.

In this article I will draw upon my twenty plus years of experience fishing for trout to list some tips for choosing the best trout bait to use for whatever situation you find yourself in. By learning these simple tips and committing them to memory you will know how to catch trout no matter what trout fishing style you choose to employ and what type of trout fishing situation that you find yourself fishing in. There is no doubt that these tips will help you to choose the correct trout bait the next time that you head out in search of our multi colored friends.

1. What Kind Of Trout Are You Fishing For? - When I refer to the kind of trout, I'm not referring to the species of fish such as rainbow, brown, or brook. Rather, I'm referring to whether of not the trout that you are fishing for have been stocked or not. Knowing whether the fish that you are fishing for have been stocked or not is important because trout that have been stocked (especially if the "stocking" has happened recently) eat very different things than trout that are native to a given body of water. Trout baits such as dough baits, corn, or marshmallows are most effective for trout that have been recently stocked, whereas these types of baits are less effective for trout that are native, or have lived in a body of water for an extended period of time. Natural or live baits are generally not a good choice for stocked fish, whereas they are a good choice for native fish.
2. Are The Trout Actively Feeding? - If the trout are actively feeding, meaning you can actually see them feeding with your eyes or you are fishing during a new moon phase or moon rise/set (which are both times when trout feed actively) trout baits that cause a lot of flash or natural trout baits tend to be the most effective choices. In other words spinners, spoons, and streamers or live baits such as worms or minnows are all effective trout bait choices and will catch trout when the trout are actively feeding.
3. Is There a Hatch Taking Place? - If you see a lot of insects flying around in the air or nymphs actively "hatching" from rocks you will have a difficult time catching trout unless you employ an artificial fly that matches said hatch as trout bait. Fly fishermen love hatches for this very reason. If you are a spin fisherman you can use a casting bubble or similar fly casting device to fish with an artificial fly, but the bottom line is that if a hatch is under way an artificial fly had better be your bait choice.

The bottom line is that when it comes to learning how to catch trout or catching more or bigger trout the type of bait that you choose to use is of the utmost importance. Commit these simple tips to memory, choose your bait wisely and you will be catching fish in no time.

How To Catch Trout In a Lake

Many people want to know how to catch trout in a lake and in this article I will

outline three effective ways to accomplish this fairly simple task. Many times catching trout is thought of as something that takes place in a river or stream, but the truth is that in many areas trout are "stocked" or "planted" by local fish and game departments and are available to be be caught by anglers. For the aforementioned reason trout are not only found in lakes, but can also be caught from said lakes by fishermen.

If you are one of the many fishermen that are interested in how to catch trout in a lake, this article is most certainly for you. The following three methods are among the most effective methods that can be employed to catch trout in a lake. The most common species of trout that are stocked in lakes is the rainbow trout, which is the species of trout that the following techniques are effective for. There is another species of trout that is found in lakes, lake trout, but this species of trout requires not only a boat, but also specialized gear and techniques to fish for effectively. For the purposes of this article the subject of how to catch trout in a lake will revolve around the beautiful rainbow trout, rather than there distant cousins the lake trout.

1. Still Fishing - This technique is used by many people to catch trout in a lake. It involves fishing with a basic bottom rig (often referred to as still fishing) that has been baited with a dough style trout bait. The most popular form of dough style trout bait is called Powerbait. If you want to know how to catch trout in a lake, still fishing is an excellent way to go (especially if those trout have been "planted").


2. Fly Fishing - Fly fishing is a very effective technique to use to catch trout in a lake. Whether you are a traditional "fly fisherman" or a spin fisherman that is using a casting bubble, there is little doubt that the use of an artificial fly as bait is an excellent way to catch trout in a lake. Trout are known by virtually anyone who has ever fished for them as loving to eat insects, which is why "fly fishing" is an excellent technique to use if you want to catch trout in a lake. Fishing with an artificial fly is the only way to mimic an insect while fishing in an effective manner.


3. Stick Bait Fishing - "Throwing" a small stick bait (such as a Rapala floating minnow) is an excellent way to catch trout in a lake. Stick baits that are from one to four inches long are the way to go when attempting to catch rainbow trout. Stick baits mimic live minnow very well and can be hard for hungry trout to resist. Jerking your rod tip as you retrieve the stick bait adds action that makes the minnow look as if it's wounded, which can attract even non-active rainbow trout.

The bottom line is that all of the aforementioned techniques are all excellent ways to catch trout in a lake and if any of them aren't a part of your trout fishing repertoire, they should be added sooner rather than later.

How To Catch Trout With A Worm

Using a worm as bait certainly couldn't be compared to learning quantum physics, but it isn't quite as simple as most anglers make it out to be either. Worms are a good bait to use while fishing and when a worm is coupled with a few other factors a simple "worm" can become a truly excellent fishing bait. Nowhere is this more true than when you talk about fishing for trout, a species of fish that I have been targeting for more than two decades, and in this article I will use the knowledge that I've gained over that time to teach you how to catch trout with a worm (which is the most effective trout bait in my opinion).

In my experience when it comes to catching trout with a worm the type of water that you fish in is of the utmost importance. Trout are found in both lakes and rivers and rivers are what you want to focus on when you are using a fishing worm in an attempt to catch trout. Not just rivers, but more to the point, small to medium sized rivers (the size rivers that can be "wade fished" effectively). When learning how to catch trout with worms, this is the type of water that you want to focus on.

Next is the technique that is employed. Just "threading" a worm onto a #4 hook and throwing it into the water is not the way to go about catching a trout with a worm. You need to have a more "measured" approach and that approach is known drift fishing. Drift fishing is usually thought of as a steel head fishing technique, but it also works very well when fishing for trout. After all a steel head is just a trout that "runs" to the ocean (or similarly large body of water) to feed before returning to spawn. In any case, if you want to know how to catch trout with a worm, drift fishing said worm is the technique that you want to employ.

By allowing the worm to "drift" naturally with the current of the river, the worms looks exactly like it would in nature which means that hungry trout will find the worm very difficult to resist. There are two keys to attempting to catch trout by fishing with worms in this manner. The first key is to rig your worm on a set of gang hooks so that the worm appears as natural as possible to the trout that you are attempting to catch and the second is to use something called a worm bag. By using a worm bag your live fishing worms are always within easy reach for baiting up and re-baiting which saves you a ton of valuable fishing time.

Follow these simple tips and you will experience much more success the next time that you head out in an attempt to catch trout and you will never again wonder how to catch trout with a worm, you will in fact know how.

How To Catch Trout - Rainbow Trout Fishing 101

If you want to know how to catch trout, the rainbow trout is probably the most important species of "trout" to learn about, mainly because the rainbow trout is the most plentiful and readily available species of trout that can to be fished for and caught in most areas. I have been fishing for and catching "rainbows" for more than two decades and in that time have learned that the most important aspects to catching these beautiful fish consistently are that some basic ideas are mastered. Fishing for and catching rainbow trout certainly couldn't be compared to quantum physics, but the bottom line is that learning and mastering some of the basics will go a long way towards not only learning how to catch trout, but also catching trout on a consistent basis.

In this article I will draw upon my twenty plus years of experience to outline some of these basics. Kind of a little rainbow trout fishing 101 "class" if you will. This "class" will go a long way towards making you a much more successful angler when it comes to fishing for the muti-colored beauties known as rainbow trout. Rainbows can be caught in rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds using many different techniques that employ both fly fishing gear and spin fishing gear. I have always chosen to use traditional spin fishing gear when fishing for rainbow trout so this "course" will include tips and techniques for using this type of fishing gear.

1. An Ultra Light Rod & Reel Are A Must - Using an ultra light rod and reel is a must when fishing for rainbow trout mainly because ultra light gear is designed specifically for using light fishing line and using light fishing line is also a "must" when it comes to fishing for these fish. This is a mistake that all to many people make when learning how to catch trout. Using an ultra light rod and reel which is spooled with light line also makes hooking and landing trout much more enjoyable, as many times rainbow trout can be between ten and fifteen inches in length.


2. Drift Fishing With Live Worms is an Effective Technique - When fishing for these beautiful fish in the flowing water of a river or stream, "drift fishing" with a live worm is an extremely effective technique to use. I have been rainbow trout fishing using this "drift fishing" technique ever since I originally learned how to catch trout more than two decades ago.


3. Cleaning Your Hands Is Important - All species of freshwater trout have a very sensitive sense of smell and can easily detect any unnatural scents on the food source that they are about to eat. Human scents will transfer easily to your bait or lure through your fingers as you touch them, and this can cause a weary trout not to bite your offering. For this reason you always want to "clean" your hands of any unnatural scents that may be present before touching your bait or lure. This can be accomplished by rubbing a handful of dirt in your hands before touching any of your bait or lure when you are on the water.

Whether you are just learning how to catch trout or have been fishing for trout for years, there is little doubt that the aforementioned tips will make you more effective the next time that you head out in search of our friends' the rainbow trout.

How To Catch Trout - Tips For Fishing With Powerbait

If you want to know how to catch trout you need to familiarize yourself with something known as "Powerbait". Powerbait is a synthetic trout bait manufactured by the fishing company Berkley and is one of the best trout baits that can be used when you are trying to catch trout that have been stocked. If you have a local lake that contains trout, it has more than likely been stocked with trout by your local fish and game department or conservation agency. Fishing with Powerbait on your local lake is something that many anglers engage in and in this article I will outline a few tips that will help you learn how to catch these trout.

Powerbait is a dough bait that comes in a variety of colors and fishing with Powerbait isn't at all difficult. As a matter of fact fishing with Powerbait is actually quite easy and if the simple tips in this article are implemented, this unique trout bait is quite effective as well. Many trout fishermen wonder what the best color of Powerbait is to use and in my twenty plus years of experience I've found that there is no single answer to this question. The bottom line is that you never know what color will be best on a given day, so having a few choices available for experimentation is a key to success. Try one color for thirty minutes to an hour and if you receive no bites, switch to another color. One thing that I have found to be true as far as the color of Powerbait goes is that one color tends to outperform all other colors on specific days, so try different colors until you find the one that is working on the day that you are fishing.

Another thing to keep in mind when you are learning how to catch trout using this unique trout bait is when you are on the water fishing. Being on the water when the trout are the most active, and thus the most apt to be feeding, means that you will experience more success. The best way to figure out when the trout will be the most active is by learning the simple ways that the weather and moon impact fish and thus fishing. By paying attention to the weather and moon and planning your fishing trip accordingly you will be fishing when the trout are the most active and will thus have a better day fishing.

The next tip to use when fishing with powerbait is to use the proper amount of bait and to keep as much human scent off of said bait as possible. The easiest way to accomplish this task is to use a Powerbait press of some sort. By using a Powerbait press you don't actually touch the bait with your fingers, thus keeping any "human scent" off of it. The press produces the perfect amount of Powerbait to fit around the hook as well, so very little bait is wasted.

The bottom line is that if you want to know how to catch trout these simple tips for fishing with Powerbait will make you much more successful. They have been helping me catch trout for more than two decades and I know they will do the same for you.

How To Catch Trout - Why Light Line Is So Important To Trout Fishing

Whether you are just learning how to catch trout or are a trout fishing veteran there is one aspect of trout fishing that I have learned over the past two decades of fishing for trout has a bigger impact on catching trout than any other. That aspect is the weight of your fishing line, and in this article I will do my best to explain why this is the case. Light line is extremely important to being a successful trout fisherman and in my experience is the biggest reason why many people simply don't know how to catch trout.

Although recent developments in fishing line technology have brought fishermen many other types of fishing line, I have always found traditional mono-filament fishing line to be the most effective when it comes to trout fishing. While there are many different colors of mono-filament fishing line available, I prefer to use line that is "clear/blue" in color because this color is visible to the fisherman out of the water, but is invisible to the fish beneath the water. Being able to "see" your fishing line is important with many trout fishing techniques. As far as the weight of the line is concerned no line heavier than six pound test should be used when fishing for trout (in most trout fishing situations). In my experience four pound test is the perfect weight to use when fishing for trout.

If you think that four pound test is too light to catch large trout consider the fact that I regularly hook and land trout in the twenty inch range using four pound test mono-filament. So why is it that using light line is so important when fishing for trout. There are many reasons for this fact with the most important being that light line is much less visible to the trout you are attempting to catch than heavier fishing line. Because trout have very keen eyesight this simple fact means that you will get more bites simply by using lighter fishing line.

I think the best way to illustrate this point is through a real life story. I was trout fishing about six years ago in a river where trout over twenty inches are caught regularly, so I decided to use six pound test fishing line because of the extremely large native trout population. Because of the possibility of catching a really large trout, I figured six pound test was in order. I caught a trout or two a day for about three months when one day I decided to change to four pound test just to see what would happen. Within a half an hour I began catching a trout of two an hour (sometimes more) and this pattern continued for the rest of the season. I went from catching a trout or two a day to a trout or two an hour so from that time on I knew how important light line was to trout fishing.

In order to use light fishing line effectively it's important that you use a quality ultra light rod and reel as well. This will make the line perform as it was designed to perform. I know from experience how important light line is to catching trout, so if you are wondering how to catch trout the truth is that it begins with using light fishing line.

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How To Catch Trout - Tips For Fishing With Powerbait

If you want to know how to catch trout you need to familiarize yourself with something known as "Powerbait". Powerbait is a synthetic trout bait manufactured by the fishing company Berkley and is one of the best trout baits that can be used when you are trying to catch trout that have been stocked. If you have a local lake that contains trout, it has more than likely been stocked with trout by your local fish and game department or conservation agency. Fishing with Powerbait on your local lake is something that many anglers engage in and in this article I will outline a few tips that will help you learn how to catch these trout.

Powerbait is a dough bait that comes in a variety of colors and fishing with Powerbait isn't at all difficult. As a matter of fact fishing with Powerbait is actually quite easy and if the simple tips in this article are implemented, this unique trout bait is quite effective as well. Many trout fishermen wonder what the best color of Powerbait is to use and in my twenty plus years of experience I've found that there is no single answer to this question. The bottom line is that you never know what color will be best on a given day, so having a few choices available for experimentation is a key to success. Try one color for thirty minutes to an hour and if you receive no bites, switch to another color. One thing that I have found to be true as far as the color of Powerbait goes is that one color tends to outperform all other colors on specific days, so try different colors until you find the one that is working on the day that you are fishing.

Another thing to keep in mind when you are learning how to catch trout using this unique trout bait is when you are on the water fishing. Being on the water when the trout are the most active, and thus the most apt to be feeding, means that you will experience more success. The best way to figure out when the trout will be the most active is by learning the simple ways that the weather and moon impact fish and thus fishing. By paying attention to the weather and moon and planning your fishing trip accordingly you will be fishing when the trout are the most active and will thus have a better day fishing.

The next tip to use when fishing with powerbait is to use the proper amount of bait and to keep as much human scent off of said bait as possible. The easiest way to accomplish this task is to use a Powerbait press of some sort. By using a Powerbait press you don't actually touch the bait with your fingers, thus keeping any "human scent" off of it. The press produces the perfect amount of Powerbait to fit around the hook as well, so very little bait is wasted.

The bottom line is that if you want to know how to catch trout these simple tips for fishing with Powerbait will make you much more successful. They have been helping me catch trout for more than two decades and I know they will do the same for you.

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How To Catch Trout - The Most Effective Way of Rigging a Worm for Trout Fishing

If you want to know how to catch trout there is one bait that should be used above all others in my humble opinion and that bait is a live worm. The most popular types of live worms are night crawlers and red worms (for anyone who doesn't know a red worm is it is basically a small night crawler). My fishing mentor taught me how to catch trout while using live worms as bait more than twenty five years ago and the principles and techniques that he instilled in me have stuck with me to this very day.

There are two important points to consider when using live worms as bait to catch trout and those things are the way in which you go about rigging a worm for trout fishing and the type of water that you fish in. Let's begin with the type of water that you fish in.

When using live worms for trout fishing you want to be fishing in the flowing water of a river or stream. The fishing technique itself is called "drift fishing" and in involves drifting a live worm with the current of the river or stream that you are fishing. This technique is how I learned how to catch trout more than two decades ago and the technique that I continue to use to catch trout to this day. The goal of "drift fishing" with a worm is to have you worm bounce or roll along the bottom of the river or stream as it flows naturally with the current of the river or stream. Although difficult at first, once mastered this technique is a great way to learn how to catch trout.

The next thing to consider when trout fishing with a live worm is the way in which you go about rigging said worm as bait. Many novice or less experienced fishermen will attempt to thread their live worm onto a single hook when fishing, but this is a big mistake. First of all a single hook is no way to go about rigging a worm for fishing because in the "threading" of the worm the worm ends up looking anything but natural and second rigging a worm in this manner leaves a large portion of the worm without a hook in it, thus the trout can easily steal your bait. When rigging a worm for trout fishing you want to use a set of bait rigs, which is simply two small hooks tied in tandem which allow a live worm (or section of a live worm in the case of large worms) to be presented as bait in an outstretched and natural manner. This is the most effective way of rigging a worm for trout fishing.

Whether you are just learning how to catch trout or have been fishing for trout for many years these two factors should be kept in mind when using worms for trout fishing. As I said, these tips have been helping me catch trout for more than twenty years and I know they will do the same for you.