Rainbow Trout Bait: The Top 3

Many people who fish for rainbow trout, whether they are new to the world of fishing for trout or are a trout fishing veteran, always wonder one thing above all others when it comes to fishing for these beautiful fish, and that question is, "what's the best bait to use when fishing for rainbow trout?" Well, I have spent the last twenty plus years fishing for and catching "rainbows" and in that time have learned a thing or two about trout bait.

Although the single best rainbow trout bait is probably impossible to determine due to factors such as favorite style of fishing, type of water that is being fished, and whether or not you are trying to catch stocked or native fish, what can be determined is what has worked best for me in my experience fishing for "rainbows" over the last quarter of a century, plus some tips and tricks for putting said baits into action on the water.

1. Powerbait - Powerbait is the most well known and popular synthetic trout bait on the market and with good reason. This bait is manufactured by a company known as Berkley and is floating trout bait disperses advanced scent and flavor enhancers to trigger more strikes from hungry trout. This bait is most effective when "still fished" on a basic bottom rig in a lake or pond that contains hatchery raised trout. When it comes to stocked trout, this rainbow trout bait is hard to beat.


2. Insects - If you know anything about rainbow trout, you are well aware of the fact that these fish love to eat insects and if you aren't aware of this fact, you should be. Insects are an excellent bait to use for "rainbows", whether you are talking about live insects (which can be difficult to use as bait) or artificial flies which mimic live insects. Fly fishermen are obviously well aware of this fact, but one thing that you may not be aware of is that spin fishermen can use artificial flies as rainbow trout bait as well by employing something called a fly fishing bubble. In any case, the point is that insects are without question one of the top 3 rainbow trout baits.


3. Worms - Any list of the best baits for rainbow trout would be incomplete without mentioning the old fishing standby the worm. Whether you are talking about live fishing worms like red worms or nightcrawlers or you are talking about synthetic worms such as Berkley 'trout worms' or 'Gulp Alive Red Wigglers' the fact of the matter is that worms are among the best baits that can be used for "rainbows" virtually all year long.

When it comes to trout bait, the aforementioned choices are the top 3. If any of these baits aren't a part of your trout fishing repertoire, they should be added sooner rather than later of you are interested in experiencing more success on the water.

The Best Bait To Use For Rainbow Trout

When it comes to fishing for trout one trout species stands out above all others, at least as far a popularity is concerned, and that species of trout is the rainbow trout. This trout, which boasts that familiar large red stripe running along the length of it's body, is the most popular species of trout for one simple reason. It is the most readily available species that is found in most areas. These beautiful fish are known as being very opportunistic feeders that can be caught on a variety of baits and/or lures, but a question that is often asked is, "what is the best bait to use for rainbow trout?"

In this article I will draw upon my twenty plus years of experience fishing for rainbow trout to try to answer the question posed in the title of this article. I'm going to do this by breaking the question into the three main types of bait that can be used when fishing for rainbow trout; Artificial, live, and synthetic baits. Then, depending on your personal favorite "style of fishing", you can determine which of the bait choices is the best bait to use for rainbow trout.

1. Artificial Baits - There are many types of artificial baits that are effective when fishing for "rainbows" including: small in-line spinners, small spoons or crank baits, trout jigs (either twister tail or marabou) and the very popular and well known artificial fly. "Fly fishing" is the most effective way to fish with artificial flies and is a technique that many anglers use when fishing for our friends called "rainbows". The bottom line is that no matter where you may be fishing for "rainbows", artificial baits could easily be considered the best type of bait to use.
2. Live Baits - Live baits are an excellent bait choice when it comes to fishing for rainbow trout, but can be difficult to use in some cases. Crayfish for example are an excellent bait to use when fishing for large rainbow trout, but can be difficult to find and carry on the water with you while you are fishing, so they are rarely used. Live worms on the other hand are very easy to find and are easily carried on the water with you while you are fishing with the help of a bait bag, making live worms a great bait to use when fishing for rainbow trout. Other effective live bait choices include crickets, minnows, grass hoppers, grubs, and even small frogs (if you can find them?)
3. Synthetic Baits - Synthetic baits consist of baits that have been manufactured by humans with trout attracting scents in them for the purpose of attracting and catching trout. Basically synthetic baits look and smell so god to the trout that you are attempting to catch that the trout eats them and viola you have a trout hooked. While there is no doubt that synthetic baits are an effective bait choice when it comes to fishing for rainbow trout, it is most effective on trout that have been recently "stocked" or otherwise placed into a waterway.

So, after listing the best three types if bait to use when fishing for these beautiful fish, is there one that stands out above all the others? To me, the best bait that can be used when fishing for rainbow trout is a live worm. To one of my fishing buddies, the best bait that can be used is a stone fly imitation. To someone else, it's probably something else, so at the end of the day the best bait to use for rainbow trout is the one that you have found to be the best for yourself through trial and error. The one best bait simply doesn't exist.

Rainbow Trout Bait: What Do Trout Bite On?

I have been fishing for and catching rainbow trout for more than twenty years and in that time have realized that although rainbow trout bite on a lot of different things there are certain types of bait that are much more effective than others and in this article I will outline a few of these baits. As I said, these fish bite or feed on a variety of things and the more that we understand about the types of food "rainbows" like to eat, the more we will understand what types of baits that we should use to catch them.

Rainbow trout are predatory fish and will eat most anything that they can grab from many types of insects to bait fish such as sculpins and minnows and most anything in between. The average size of a rainbow trout will vary from waterway to waterway, but from 9-14 inches has always seemed like an average size rainbow trout to me. Depending on the size of the water they are found in and amount of food available to them, these beautiful fish can get quite large. In fact the world record rainbow weighed over forty ponds!

So what is the best way to figure out what these trout bite on so that you can have the best odds for experiencing fishing success? Let's start with one of the most well known and popular forms of trout bait, insects. Fly fishers have known about the effectiveness of insects for a very long time and practice a form of fishing referred to as "fly fishing" as an effective way to fish with insect imitations. There is little doubt that when it comes to rainbow trout bait, insects are a wonderful choice and are something that trout definitely bite on.

If you are trying to answer the question of what do trout bite on the answer could be as simple as saying the good old worm. Live fishing worms, whether you are referring to night crawlers or their smaller cousins the red worm, are an excellent rainbow trout bait. This is especially true when you are talking about river fishing in small to medium sized rivers. A live worm that is "drift fished" with the current of a river that contains rainbow trout is an excellent "rainbow" tactic.

Finally there are bait fish. Bait fish, such as live minnows or sculpins or lures that mimic small bait fish are an excellent rainbow trout bait choice. You can use a fly that mimics a bait fish or a small "stick bait" such as a Rapala with great success on most any type of water that contains these beautiful fish. In line spinners and/or spoons are also great choices when it comes to mimicking a bait fish.

Whether you are just learning how to fish for rainbows, or you are a trout fishing veteran, the types of rainbow trout bait outlined above are a great place to start. In fact there may never be a need to dig much deeper when it comes to rainbow trout bait, because trout definitely bite on all of the aforementioned choices.

Best Ways to Catch Trout - Rainbow Trout Fishing Tips

In this article I'm going to outline a few simple, yet extremely effective rainbow trout fishing tips. Are these the best ways to catch trout? This of course would be up for debate, but I can tell you from experience that for the past twenty plus years of fishing for and catching trout these tips have been the best ways to catch trout for me, and I have to assume they will be the same for you.

When we're talking about rainbow trout it's important to understand a little bit about them. These fish are voracious predators and are very often at the top of the food chain for the river system that they reside. This means that rainbow trout usually aren't that difficult to catch, especially when the proper techniques and equipment is employed. Larger rainbow trout (like most fish species) don't like to expend a ton of energy catching food, so they will find a good ambush spot and tend to sit there and wait for food to come to them. Locating and fishing these area's thoroughly is of the utmost importance when large rainbow trout are the target.

Below I will list the two best ways to catch trout that I've experienced during my twenty five years of trout fishing experience. Each of these techniques is effective and has their time and place when fishing for rainbow trout.

1. 
   The Rooster Tail Technique - Although various spinners are effective for catching trout my favorite has always been the Rooster Tail. As far as sizes go, you're going to want to have a variety available. Having a couple of rooster tails in sizes ranging from 3/16 to 1/2 ounce is always a good idea. I've always had more success with darker colors such as black, brown, and green. The key is to have a few choices available so that you can experiment to find the most effective. Attach your rooster tail to your line using a piece of line attached to a small barrel swivel. 12 to 18 inches will normally suffice. I like to cast roster tails into pools and deep water runs where it looks like there are good ambush areas such as boulders or fallen trees. It's always a good idea to vary the speed of your retrieve and even 'snap' your rod tip as you reel in. Many times this will trigger a strike.
2. 
   The Live Worm Technique - Of all the rainbow trout fishing tips that you'll ever get this one may be the best. Live worms are an extremely effective trout bait, especially when rigged on a set of gang-hooks. These hooks allow for the most natural and realistic presentation of a live worm that's possible. Attach the gang hooks to your line by again using a small barrel swivel. Weight is added by using split shot sinkers above the swivel. The same areas of the river will be fished as mentioned above. With this technique you fish much more slowly ant thoroughly though. The goal is to bounce your offering along the bottom as it flows naturally with the current of the water that you're fishing. Many times trout find this technique all but irresistible.

When it comes to rainbow trout fishing tips these are two of the best ways to catch our multi colored friends that you will ever come across. Give one or both of them a shot for yourself and find out exactly what I'm talking about.

Trout Fishing With Dough Bait : Should I Use A Bait Press?

One of the most popular trout baits to employ when trout fishing are dough style baits such as Powerbait and a question that many anglers have is whether or not they should use a dough bait press to mold their bait onto their fishing hook. Well, in this article I will draw upon my twenty plus years of trout fishing experience to try to answer the question of whether or not you should use a dough bait press when fishing for trout.

It's important to point out the best manner in which this style of bait is used to catch trout. In almost all trout fishing scenarios this type of bait is used in "still" or bank fishing situations. In other words dough bait is most effective when fished on some manifestation of a bottom rig while you are still fishing in a lake or pond that has been stocked with trout. For the most part, this style of trout bait isn't nearly as effective when used in flowing water scenarios like in a river.

As I said trout fishing with dough bait is most successful in "still fishing" scenarios while using a bottom fishing rig, and the biggest key to the bottom rig when trout fishing with this unique bait is the size of hook that is used. There are three styles of fishing hooks that are best for fishing with dough style baits: a #10 or #12 salmon egg hook, a #12 or #18 treble hook, or a set of #10 gang hooks. Any of these fishing hook choices are the way to go when making a bottom rig that will be baited with dough bait.

No matter which style of fishing hook you choose to use it seems as if the best way to bait your hook with this style of trout bait is to "dig" a little bit of bait out of the jar and mold it onto your hook. While this obviously works, baiting your fishing hook with dough bait in this manner isn't nearly as effective as it could be by using a dough bait press to mold the bait onto your fishing hook.

What is a dough bait press you ask? This unique piece of fishing gear is made from non stick hard plastic and allows you to scoop the perfect amount of dough bait out of the jar while molding it into the perfect ball around your fishing hook. There are two main benefits of using a bait press; first your fingers are kept clean of smelly trout bait (which is nice) and second human scents from your hands are kept off of the bait as well, which means that more trout will bite your offering.

So, do you need to use a dough bait press when fishing with this style of trout bait? Of course you don't have to, but using one sure makes fishing with dough bait less messy and more effective which means that you will catch more trout.

Rainbow Trout Bait : The Best Baits To Use To Catch Rainbow Trout

When it comes to fishing for trout that are colored like a rainbow, did you ever wonder what the best bait to use was? There are so many trout bait choices available that it can be difficult to determine what the correct bait choice is for a given fishing scenario when fishing for rainbow trout. I have been fishing for rainbow trout for more than twenty years and in that time have discovered that certain baits are more effective than others, depending on what type of trout you are fishing for and what type of water you are fishing for these beautiful fish in.

You may be thinking to yourself, "what type of trout?" and to that question I would answer, "yes, the type of trout that you are fishing for is of the utmost importance." Technically a rainbow trout may be a rainbow trout, but in truth there are two types of rainbows available in most areas. Trout that have been stocked and trout that are native to the body of water that they are found in. The reason that this is important is because the two different types of trout tend to eat very different things and thus different trout baits tend to be more or less effective depending on the type of trout (stocked or native) that is being fished for.

With that being said, I will outline which of the following baits are most effective and the type of trout that is most likely to eat each bait. The bottom line is that the following options are among the best baits that can be used when fishing for these beautiful fish.

1. Insects - Insects are a very effective trout bait, but live insects are extremely difficult to use as trout bait. The obvious alternative to live insects are artificial flies when it comes to mimicking insects. Everyone seems to know that "fly fishing" and "trout fishing" go hand in hand and this is because fly fishing is a very effective way to use artificial flies as bait for trout. For traditional spin fishermen artificial flies can be used as bait for trout by employing something called a casting bubble, but the bottom line is that insects (in the form of an artificial fly) make an excellent bait for catching rainbows. Native trout as opposed to stocked trout are the most susceptible to this type of trout bait.
2. Worms and Grubs - Live worms and grubs make excellent trout bait when fishing for "rainbows". Live worms and grubs are most effective when fished in the flowing waters of a river or stream containing native trout (or stocked trout that have had a couple of fishing seasons to acclimate to their surroundings) but the bottom line is that worms and grubs also make an excellent bait for these beautiful fish.
3. Dough Style Baits - Dough style baits include any synthetic trout bait that is sold in a small jar and is molded onto your fishing hook for the express purpose of catching a rainbow trout. The most popular form of dough bait is called "Powerbait" which is a very effective bait for trout. This type of trout bait is fished on a bottom rig in a lake that has been stocked with trout. As you might imagine dough style trout baits are most effective when used for stocked trout and normally don't work at all for native fish.

At the end of the day the aforementioned trout bait choices are certainly among (if not at the top of the list) for the best baits that can be used to catch rainbow trout. If any of them aren't a part of your trout fishing arsenal, they should be added sooner rather than later.

Rainbow Trout Bait - The Best Baits To Use To Catch Rainbow Trout

When it comes to fishing for trout that are colored like a rainbow, did you ever wonder what the best bait to use was? There are so many trout bait choices available that it can be difficult to determine what the correct bait choice is for a given fishing scenario when fishing for rainbow trout. I have been fishing for rainbow trout for more than twenty years and in that time have discovered that certain baits are more effective than others, depending on what type of trout you are fishing for and what type of water you are fishing for these beautiful fish in.
You may be thinking to yourself, "what type of trout?" and to that question I would answer, "yes, the type of trout that you are fishing for is of the utmost importance." Technically a rainbow trout may be a rainbow trout, but in truth there are two types of rainbows available in most areas. Trout that have been stocked and trout that are native to the body of water that they are found in. The reason that this is important is because the two different types of trout tend to eat very different things and thus different trout baits tend to be more or less effective depending on the type of trout (stocked or native) that is being fished for.
With that being said, I will outline which of the following baits are most effective and the type of trout that is most likely to eat each bait. The bottom line is that the following options are among the best baits that can be used when fishing for these beautiful fish.

1. Insects - Insects are a very effective trout bait, but live insects are extremely difficult to use as trout bait. The obvious alternative to live insects are artificial flies when it comes to mimicking insects. Everyone seems to know that "fly fishing" and "trout fishing" go hand in hand and this is because fly fishing is a very effective way to use artificial flies as bait for trout. For traditional spin fishermen artificial flies can be used as bait for trout by employing something called a casting bubble, but the bottom line is that insects (in the form of an artificial fly) make an excellent bait for catching rainbows. Native trout as opposed to stocked trout are the most susceptible to this type of trout bait.
2. Worms and Grubs - Live worms and grubs make excellent trout bait when fishing for "rainbows". Live worms and grubs are most effective when fished in the flowing waters of a river or stream containing native trout (or stocked trout that have had a couple of fishing seasons to acclimate to their surroundings) but the bottom line is that worms and grubs also make an excellent bait for these beautiful fish.
3. Dough Style Baits - Dough style baits include any synthetic trout bait that is sold in a small jar and is molded onto your fishing hook for the express purpose of catching a rainbow trout. The most popular form of dough bait is called "Powerbait" which is a very effective bait for trout. This type of trout bait is fished on a bottom rig in a lake that has been stocked with trout. As you might imagine dough style trout baits are most effective when used for stocked trout and normally don't work at all for native fish.

At the end of the day the aforementioned trout bait choices are certainly among (if not at the top of the list) for the best baits that can be used to catch rainbow trout. If any of them aren't a part of your trout fishing arsenal, they should be added sooner rather than later.