Tips For Catching More Rainbow Trout on Your Next River Fishing Trip

When it comes to the act of fishing there is one style of fishing that stands out above all the others as rainbow trout. Fishing for and catching rainbow trout has been a passion of mine for almost thirty years, so much so that about ten years ago I moved to the sate of Montana with these beautiful fish in the front of my mind.
far as I'm concerned and that style of fishing is fishing in a river while wading. And when I fish in this manner (which is a majority of my fishing time) there is one species of fish that I target above all others, and that fish species is the

Well, as you can probably imagine, in the past three decades I have learned many tips and tricks many of which enable me to catch rainbows virtually every time that I head out fishing. Below I will outline a few of the tips that I believe are the most important so that you can use them to experience more success on your next river fishing trip as well. The tips are being outlined in no particular order and are all equally important in my humble opinion.

The first thing to keep in mind when you are river fishing for rainbow trout is the way in which you walk through the water. Never forget that sound travels very well underwater and when rainbows hear "unnatural" things they tend to become weary and much less apt to be interested in eating. For this reason you always want to wade through the water mindfully and slowly, so as to not cause too much of a ruckus under the water. The more noise you make the more apt you are to spook the trout that you are fishing for and spooking the trout that you are attempting to catch is never a good idea.

Next, you want to familiarize yourself with a river fishing technique known as drift fishing. This technique involves letting your live bait, lure, or even fly drift with the current of the river that you are fishing. I have found that it is a good idea to adjust the amount of weight on your line so that you offering bounces along the bottom as it drifts, especially in cases where live or synthetic fishing worms are the bait of choice. If you want to catch more rainbow trout on your next river fishing trip, drift fishing needs to be a part of your arsenal.

Finally, if you want to catch more rainbows the next time that you hit the river, pay attention to what time of the day that you go fishing. There is a phenomenon that happens every day called the moon rise and believe it or not when the moon is rising or setting, fish tend to be much more active and thus more likely to be feeding. Try to be on the river when the moon is either rising or setting and you will catch more rainbow trout, I promise you. A simple internet search for the term 'moon rise' will reveal all the free information that you need in regards to when this phenomenon takes place each day.

Add one or all of these simple tips to your fishing data base and you will experience more success on your next river fishing trip, I promise you. If they work for me (and they do) I guarantee that these tips will do the same for you.

When To Fish : The Best Time To Fish For Rainbow Trout

I have been an avid trout fisherman for almost three decades, with a majority of that time spentwhen to fish. While there are a myriad of reasons why a trout might or might not bite your offering on a given day, there are some simple rules that should be adhered to in regards to when to fish for rainbow trout that have served me well over the years and have enabled me to experience success more often than not.

fishing for and catching rainbow trout, and the question that I probably get asked more than any other by my fellow fishermen is
Below I will outline a few of these rules so that you can begin to determine the best time to fish for rainbow trout and thus begin to experience more success on the water as well. Your goal should be to have as many of these factors in your favor as possible on a given day, because I have learned that the more of them that are, the more trout I will catch. Having all of them in your favor only happens once or twice a year for me, but when it does, it always ends up being an epic day of trout fishing.

• Weather Fronts – The weather and more specifically the air pressure changes that occur when fronts pass through your fishing area, play quite a role in whether or not rainbow trout will be actively feeding. Check the weather forecast and try to be on the water fishing right after a warm front passes through the area. On the other hand, if a cold front passes through, generally rainbow trout will get "lock jaw" and become very difficult to catch.
• The Moon Rise – Many anglers don't realize it, but the moon rises and sets just like the sun, but at different times of the day throughout the month and when the moon is rising or setting the fishing is usually much more productive. If you can be on your favorite trout water in the hour or two that brackets either one of these occurrences you will receive more bites from hungry rainbow trout, I promise you.
• The Moon Phase – The phase that the moon is in also plays a role in when to fish. The moon goes through 8 phases during each month, but for the purposes of freshwater fishing we need only concern ourselves with two. The Full and the new moon phases, with an emphasis on the new moon. Fishing is almost always better when the moon is "new", so do your best to be on the water fishing for rainbows in the 2-3 day period around which the new moon is happening each month.
• The Barometer – The barometer is an instrument that is used to measure atmospheric pressure, which is also called barometric pressure. When the atmospheric pressure fluctuates, it affects the air bladders in fish and consequently makes them feel more or less like eating. Remember these simple rules in relation to the barometer. A rising barometer, the fishing should be slightly better with fish starting to get active. A falling barometer, the fishing very good to great.  If the pressure is high, fishing should be average. If the pressure is low, fishing should be sub par at best.

Remember, the "best" time to fish for rainbow trout will vary from day to day, but the more of these factors you can have in your favor the better off you will be. "When to fish" is a question that every fisherman asks him or herself on many occasions and the answer can be found by paying attention to the aforementioned factors, along with others if you are willing to do a little research?

Fall Trout Fishing is Underway For 2013

After my morning run, I immediately checked to see when the moon rise/set calender to see when I should head out to the river and learned that on this day the moon was rising at 11:56 AM, which was perfect because I usually eat my lunch at around 11, which gave me plenty of time to get to the river within the moon rise window. I arrived at the river and began fishing at about 11:45. For the next 30 minutes or so I drift fished without as much as a bite, so I moved downstream to a nice hole that usually hold a nice rainbow trout. Withing 3 casts I felt the familiar tap, tap, pull that usually means a decent trout, and I set the hook. As son as the hook was set the reel began to squeal and I was in business.

Ten or so minutes later I landed a nice, wide 17 inch rainbow and I couldn't help but think to myself, "I'm surprised that she didn't fight me a bit harder?", when I remembered that it was early September and the water temperature was still fairly warm. You see, rainbow trout don't like warm water temperatures and for the past 2 or so months it has been pretty hot, which means the water temperatures are above what the rainbows prefer. When the water temperatures are above 63 degrees the trout tend to be fairly sluggish and thus they don't fight as much as you might expect.

In any case, after catching that trout, I couldn't get any more bites, so I headed downstream. As I walked and waded downstream I couldn't help but think about how the fall trout fishing is underway for 2013. The next hole that I fished has the perfect combination of current, depth, and wide open river for fighting large trout that you will find anywhere on earth, and as I was releasing another 17 inch rainbow, I thought to myself how this was the perfect place to find and catch a true trophy rainbow trout.

I continued to fish this hole for another hour or so and in that time hooked and lost a HEAVY fish and landed two more rainbows in the 15-16 inch range. It was a successful trout fishing outing by anyone's standards, and it helped to realize that the 2013 fall trout fishily season is underway and I have located the stretch of river that will probably produce my next trophy sized rainbow tout.

A Real Life Example of The Moon Rise Impacting Trout Fishing

Last week my daughter and I went on a camping trip along the Swan River and had the opportunity to do a little trout fishing while we were there.  Although, truth be told with a 10 year old little girl, trout fishing the way I prefer to fish, is all but impossible for more than a cast or two.  If you have young children, you undoubtedly know what I'm talking about.  But even with this being the case, I was able to "fish" a little bit for about an hour and a half without as much as a nibble. 

I was having a difficult time accepting this, as the area that we were in was fairly remote, and doesn't receive much fishing pressure, when I took a second to look at my watch.  I remembered that the moon was supposed to rise on this particular day at 12:30 pm and I had been fishing from about 8:30-10 am.  We had walked a mile or so upstream to the area of the river that we were, and I said to Cameron, let's take some time to go "frog hunting" (her favorite activity when Dad is attempting to fish) and then I would fish that one good looking stretch on our way back.  She agreed, and that's what we did.

We arrived back at the aforementioned stretch of river at about 12:45 pm and I began to fish the area that I had fished a couple of hours earlier.  In 30 minutes I caught 3 rainbow trout from 10-12 inches, and 1 that was a plump 14 inches.  After the 14 incher, Cameron had had enough and we headed back to camp. 

My point to this little story is that the trout were biting when the moon was rising, and not before this celestial happening was talking place.  It was a real world example of some of the things that we talk about in this blog.  Pay attention to the moon rise and you will catch more trout, it's as simple as that.

Trout Fishing & The Moon.....Start Catching More Trout Today!

When most people think of the term 'trout fishing' the last thing that comes to mind is the moon, but it shouldn't be and in this post I will attempt to explain why. You see, what many fishermen don't understand is that the moon has an incredible impact on the behavior of fish and goes a long way towards determining whether or not fish will be actively feeding. And obviously, because rainbow, cutthroat, brown and brook trout are all species of fish, this means that if we as fishermen want to catch them consistently we need to understand the basics of how this phenomenon works.

Without getting too involved and thus boring you to death, when it comes to trout fishing and the moon you only need to concern yourself with two things. What phase the moon is in and whether or not the moon is rising or it is setting. Let's start with the phase of the moon. The moon goes trout four phases every month, but as trout fishermen we need to pay the most attention to the new and full phases. Any calender or internet weather site will show you what phase the moon is in for a particular day. You want to try to be on the water fishing in the 3-4 day period that brackets either of the above phases, with an emphasis on the new moon.

Next we have whether of not the moon is rising or setting. Before you go start thinking that this must sync up with the sun rising and setting, just hold on. It doesn't. As a matter of fact the moon can rise at one o’clock in the afternoon. The best way to figure out when the moon is rising or setting is by using the power of the internet, like we do. Here is a valuable tool that is 100% free and easy to use: moon rise and set calculator that should be added to your "favorites" ASAP. Just enter in your town, state, or area in the world and this free tool provides you with all of the information that you need concerning the moon rise. Be on the water fishing in the hour or two that brackets the moon rise or set and you are virtually guaranteed to catch more trout.

Well, there you have it. The basics rules concerning trout fishing & the moon. Your goal should be to be on the water fishing for trout when both of these factors are in your favor (which usually only happens once a month, if you are lucky) because when this happens you are in for one of those epic days of trout fishing that you could be talking about for years to come.

The Moon Rise, Drift Fishing, & a Ton of Rainbow Trout

I knew I was going to have some time on Monday afternoon to get some fall trout fishing in, so I checked what time the moon was rising on that particular day and learned that the moon rise was taking place at 2:35 in the afternoon. "Perfect", I thought to myself, as that was about the time that I expected to be on the river. I pulled up to the parking area at about 11:45 AM, put on my waders, loaded my bait bag with live worms, and headed down the hill to the river to try to catch some trout.

I was drift fishing by 12:15 and within 10 minutes had my first rainbow trout hooked. She felt like a decent trout, and once landed her I found out that she indeed was a fifteen inch beauty. I fished the same hole for another half an hour or so, catching only a little seven or so inch rainbow, and I began to work my way downstream to the next nice area. I was a bit confused as to why I hadn't received more bites, but quickly forgot about this, as I cast my live worm into the next hole. Within three seconds I felt the familiar "tap" "tap" from a hungry trout. A minute or so later I had landed a nice 10 or so inch rainbow trout

This trend continued for the next hour or so until which time as I ran out of live worms. None of the trout were huge, with the fifteen incher being the largest, but it was nonetheless a wonderful afternoon on the water. Once I ran out of live worms I figured that I'd give a spinner a shot because spinners are usually an effective drift fishing choice as well. After a half an hour or so without as much as a bite, I abandoned the spinner fishing and headed back to my vehicle.

Even though the rainbows were biting like crazy on live worms, they simply weren't interested in anything else on this particular day. Such is the case with fishing for rainbow trout, you never know what they are going to prefer most on a particular day? What I do know is after an experience such as this, there is no way that you can convince me that the moon rise and/or set doesn't have an impact on fishing. I've simply experienced too many times that it does, but the fact that it is the fall certainly doesn't hurt the trout fishing either.

A Change in the Weather

Last week I was driving through 2 inches of snow and I was convinced that the winter was upon us and it was time to begin getting mentally prepared for ice fishing and then I stepped outside at five o'clock yesterday morning.  It was forty five degrees and the skies were clear.  The small bit of snow we received  a few days ago was gone, but I didn't expect this kind of temperature change seeing as how it was in the single digits last week.  Oh well, it is what it is, as they say and my mind immrediately turned to trout fishing. 

"Is it possible that the trout will be biting?" I thought to myself and I immediately checked to see when the moon was rising and setting for the day.  The moon was setting at 3:40 PM in my area on the 23rd of November, so I decided to take a flyer and do a little trout fishing. 

I got to the river at around three o'clock and began fishing.  I was drift fishing of course, hoping that the trout might be hungry with the little "break" in the weather.   Well, two hours and three rainbow trout later, I came to the conclusion that they were.  None of the trout were enormous, the biggest was 12 inches, but it was nonetheless a great afternoon on the water.  This goes to show you how fishing in the heat of the day, when the moon is rising or setting, during the cold weather months can be the key to catching a few trout.