A Trout Fishing Technique That You May Have Never Heard Of

It's no secret, at least not to us, that crayfish are as effective a trout bait as there is when it comes to fishing for trout.   We always  have a small crayfish crank bait or two in our fishing vest, but  we end up utilizing them much less often than we probably should.  And we have and do use live crayfish as bait for trout from time to time, but not as often as we would like due to how much of a pain in the butt it is. 

But recently we were introduced to a trout fishing technique involving this extremely effective trout bait that we weren't previously aware of.  In hind site this isn't quite true as we like to utilize a small jig head and a Powerbait mini craw as bait for whitefish on the Flathead river, but for some strange reason never put two and two together?  The technique involves something called the Trout Slayer and is as effective a trout fishing bait and technique as we have come across in quite a while.  What is the Trout Slayer you ask?  Well, it's simply a mini jig head (1/64 oz.) and a tiny soft plastic crayfish that you thread onto the shank of your hook.   This jig is then drift fished with the current of the river or stream in which you are fishing or bounced along the bottom if you are fishing in a lake or pond for trout.

At this point you are probably saying to yourself something to the effect if, "how in the heck am I going to cast a jig that small and there is no way that little thing is going to stay anywhere near the bottom", and you would be exactly right! Without using a really long ultralight fishing rod (which some trout fishermen do choose to employ) casting and retrieving a jig head that is this small can be very difficult. However, this problem in remedied by simply placing a 12-18 inch leader to your line by using a small barrel swivel and attaching your jig head to the end of the leader.  This way split shot sinkers can be added to your line (above the swivel) for weight, which makes the entire rig much easier to cast and retrieve, while keeping the bait on or very near the bottom.

In order to implement this particular trout fishing technique, the rig is cast into the water, either in a lake or across the current of a river, and allowed to sink to the bottom.  The trout slayer is then worked along the bottom, varying the speed of your retrieve, to imitate a crayfish working it's way along the bottom.  Keep the tip of your rod close to the water so that your slayer stays close to the bottom.  As I said you are imitating a small crayfish, and they stay as close to the bottom as much as possible.

Hungry trout will readily gobble up a little crayfish whenever they can, so be ready.  We have found that low light conditions, like morning, evening, or cloudy days seem to be the most effective when it comes to fishing the trout slayer.  But, truth be told, most trout will snatch up a crayfish anytime they get the opportunity, but during low light conditions we seem to catch larger trout that we do at other times.  

How To Fish For Trout With Powerbait

One of the most popular ways to fish for trout is with Powerbait and in this post I will outline a very simple and effective way to do it. The first thing to understand about using Powerbait to catch trout is that in almost all instances you will be fishing for rainbow trout that have been stocked (which simply means that these trout have been raised in a hatchery for the express purpose of being caught by anglers). Stocked rainbow trout aren't generally the most difficult fish to catch and Powerbait is an excellent bait to use to catch them.

If you want to know how to fish for trout with Powerbait, you are going to be still fishing, which simply means that you cast your bait into the water and (wait for it) let it sit still. Yep, a pretty simple idea, however there are some rules that need to be adhered to. First, you want to make sure that you are using fishing hooks that are very small. This means if you are using tradition "bait holder" style hooks you should use size #8, #10, or even #12. And if you are using a treble hook you should use size #12 or #18. Small fishing hooks are used when you are fishing with Powerbait, because a little bit goes a long way. The bait is impregnated with trout attracting scents that disperse throughout the water to attract hungry trout so large portions aren't necessary. This and stocked trout are used to eating small portions and generally aren't in search of large chunks of food.

Second you want to make sure that you are utilizing light fishing line. The lighter your line, the better, because the lighter your line is the less visible it will be to the trout that you are attempting to catch, which means that you will receive more bites. This means that two, four, or six pound test should be used, and nothing heavier.

And finally we have the way is which your Powerbait is rigged and fished. Begin by cutting a piece of fishing line off that is 12-18 inches long and set it aside (this will be your "leader"). At this point an egg sinker that is at least a 1/4 of an ounce in weight is slipped onto your line and a small barrel swivel is tied onto the end of the line. The swivel will act as a 'stopper' for the egg sinker and will prevent your line from becoming twisted when trout are hooked. Now the section of line that was cut off earlier (the "leader") is tied to the opposite end of the swivel. Now your hook is tied to the other end of the "leader".

Now enough Powerbait is molded onto your fishing hook to completely cover the hook and the rig is cast into the water. Keep the bail of your reel open and allow the rig to sink to the bottom. Once on bottom, slowly reel in the slack line and rest your fishing rod in a forked stick that you have placed into the ground. Make sure that your line is totally taught and wait for a trout to bite. Every 30 or so minutes, if you haven't received any bites, reel your rig in, replace the Powerbait, and recast. What was just described is how to fish for trout with Powerbait.

How To Fish For Rainbow Trout

In this post I'm going to reveal some tips and techniques that will teach you how to fish for rainbow trout. Rainbow trout are a very popular species of fish that area lot of fun to catch. This is especially when it comes to native rainbows. It has always seemed to me that native trout are much harder fighters, and any experienced trout fisherman will tell you that native rainbows are much more beautiful than their genetically altered, stocked cousins. When I use the word 'native' to describe trout, I'm referring to trout that have been born naturally or at least have grown up in the river, stream, or lake that you're fishing for them in.

Now that I've completed my rant on native rainbows versus stocked (or planted) rainbows, let's get down to the business of how to fish for them. The first thing to keep in mind is that light rods and reels should be employed for trout fishing. As a matter of fact, I personally use ultra light rods and reels, but nothing heavier than light action should be used for rainbow trout fishing.
You gear should be spooled with light line as well. I personally use no fishing line heavier than four-pound test for trot fishing, but line as heavy as six pound test is passable. However, no line heavier than six-pound test should be employed. This is for two reasons. First, rainbow trout are found in cold, clear water and second they have very keen eyesight. For these reasons, the trout can easily detect your fishing line if it's too heavy. And if the fish detect your line, they are much less apt to bite.

Since we're discussing how to fish for rainbow trout, it's important that we're on the water when the trout are the most active. It only makes sense that the more active the trout are, the more readily they'll bite, right? So how do we determine when the trout are going to be the most active? This is accomplished by paying attention to the weather and moon. The weather and moon have an incredible impact on the behavior of all fish (including rainbow trout) so learning how to use this information to your advantage, will result in more bites.

When it comes to fishing for rainbow trout, it's important to discuss bait. I realize some anglers don't use bait, but they are really cheating themselves. Live bait (especially live worms) is a great way to catch trout, and synthetic bait is quite effective for stocked (or planted) rainbows. Whether you're bouncing a live worm along the bottom of a river or still fishing with synthetic bait (both techniques are effective) the bottom line is that gang hooks should be employed. Every trout angler should carry trout fishing rigs in their fishing vest or tackle box when fishing for trout.

A gang hook rig is a great technique for fishing for rainbow trout, and it's set up like this: begin by taking the end of your line and tying on a small barrel swivel (size 10 or 12). If you're going to be still fishing, slip an egg sinker onto your line before tying on the barrel swivel. Now on the opposite end of the barrel swivel tie on a set of pre-tied gang hooks. For river and stream fishing, split shot sinkers are added for weight above the barrel swivel. Now simply add your live worm to the gang hooks and you're ready 6to catch some trout. If you're fishing with synthetic bait, simply add enough to cover each hook and you're god to go.

This is how to fish for rainbow trout. These tips and techniques will lead to a ton of success on your next trout fishing excursion.

How To Fish For Rainbow Trout

In this article I'm going to reveal some tips and techniques that will teach you how to fish for rainbow trout . Rainbow trout are a very popular species of fish that area lot of fun to catch. This is especially when it comes to native rainbows. It has always seemed to me that native trout are much harder fighters, and any experienced trout fisherman will tell you that native rainbows are much more beautiful than their genetically altered, stocked cousins. When I use the word 'native' to describe trout, I'm referring to trout that have been born naturally or at least have grown up in the river, stream, or lake that you're fishing for them in.

Now that I've completed my rant on native rainbows versus stocked (or planted) rainbows, let's get down to the business of how to fish for them. The first thing to keep in mind is that light rods and reels should be employed for trout fishing. As a matter of fact, I personally use ultra light rods and reels, but nothing heavier than light action should be used for rainbow trout fishing.

You gear should be spooled with light line as well. I personally use no fishing line heavier than four-pound test for trot fishing, but line as heavy as six pound test is passable. However, no line heavier than six-pound test should be employed. This is for two reasons. First, rainbow trout are found in cold, clear water and second they have very keen eyesight. For these reasons, the trout can easily detect your fishing line if it's too heavy. And if the fish detect your line, they are much less apt to bite.

Since we're discussing how to fish for rainbow trout, it's important that we're on the water when the trout are the most active. It only makes sense that the more active the trout are, the more readily they'll bite, right? So how do we determine when the trout are going to be the most active? This is accomplished by paying attention to the weather and moon. The weather and moon have an incredible impact on the behavior of all fish (including rainbow trout) so learning how to use this information to your advantage, will result in more bites.

When it comes to fishing for rainbow trout, it's important to discuss bait. I realize some anglers don't use bait, but they are really cheating themselves. Live bait (especially live worms) is a great way to catch trout, and synthetic bait is quite effective for stocked (or planted) rainbows. Whether you're bouncing a live worm along the bottom of a river or still fishing with synthetic bait (both techniques are effective) the bottom line is that gang hooks should be employed. Every trout angler should carry pre-tied gang hooks in their fishing vest or tackle box when fishing for trout.

A gang hook rig is a great technique for fishing for rainbow trout, and it's set up like this: begin by taking the end of your line and tying on a small barrel swivel (size 10 or 12). If you're going to be still fishing, slip an egg sinker onto your line before tying on the barrel swivel. Now on the opposite end of the barrel swivel tie on a set of pre-tied gang hooks. For river and stream fishing, split shot sinkers are added for weight above the barrel swivel. Now simply add your live worm to the gang hooks and you're ready to catch some trout. If you're fishing with synthetic bait, simply add enough to cover each hook and you're god to go.

This is how to fish for rainbow trout. These tips and techniques will lead to a ton of success on your next trout fishing excursion.