Early Spring Rainbow Trout

Although the official start of spring is a couple of weeks away, I can tell from the number of birds chirping outside that for nature it may be a bit sooner than this.  Hearing the sounds of birds chirping and feeling that the air temperatures are climbing, makes me think of one thing, rainbow trout.  You see in the area of the country that I reside (Northwest Montana) the early spring, before the snow really begins to melt in the mountains, can be a very productive time to fish for rainbow trout.


After a long winter, in which rainbows are quite dormant compared to when water temperatures are in their "ideal range", rainbows will feed voraciously until high and muddy water temperature make feeding diffiucult.   So the early spring, which means for the next 3-4 weeks or so around here, the early spring rainbow trout fishing is usually quite good.  So, can you guess what I'll be doing during this timeframe?

Yep, getting out there as much as possible to catch a rainbow or two, before the spring run-off kicks into high gear and makes river fishing extremely difficult for a month or two.  The same scenario probably holds true for you as well, no matter where you live, so make sure that you do what I'm going to do and get out there and catch a few early spring rainbow trout while you have a chance. 

The Best Ways To Fool Early Spring Trout

The spring of the year is when trout fishing season gets underway in many area's of the country and after a long winter spent indoors engaged is less than productive activities, many trout fishermen are "chomping at the bit" to get out onto the water and chase some early spring trout. As I am one of these anglers (and have been for more than twenty years) below I will draw upon my extensive experience to reveal a few simple ways to fool early spring trout.

The operative word when it comes to springtime trout is the word slow. You want to slow down your retrieves and presentations as much as possible if you want to fool early spring trout. Very cold water conditions in the early spring cause trout to be extremely lethargic and thus they don't want to "chase" any meals. This fact also means that accurate casting is of the utmost importance during the early spring.

Flashy and/or colorful lures are a great way to fool trout early in the season. It's a good idea to present lures to the trout from upstream and to be very thorough when doing so. Fishing upstream of holding area's is also quite productive early in the season, and sudden increases in lure speed (when the lure is close to a trout) will often trigger a bite from a lethargic early season trout.

Don't neglect the use of streamers when targeting early spring trout. This fact is true even if you aren't a "fly fisherman", as streamers can be used by spin casters by "drift fishing" as well as utilizing something called a "fly fishing bubble". Bright and/or colorful streamers fished near the bottom on warm spring afternoons will often trigger strikes from large, hungry trout.

In many area's rainbow trout will spawn in the early spring and if you are fishing in one of these area's utilizing salmon eggs as bait is easily one of the best ways to fool early season trout. Drifting salmon eggs on a small salmon egg hook or a set of #10 gang hooks through the current of a river, stream, or creek where spring trout are spawning will often result in a "limit" of trout before the day is done.

Add these techniques to your trout fishing repertoire this spring and you will experience more success, I guarantee it. While the springtime can be a challenge for trout fishermen, these challenges can be overcome, and a lot of trout can be caught.

Spring Rainbow Trout Fishing Tips

The spring of the year means many things to many different people, but for those of us who like to fish for rainbow trout the spring means one thing; the start of trout fishing. After a long winter spent either indoors reading or watching television or standing on a frozen lake attempting to catch a fish the idea of being outside fishing for when the temperatures are less than freezing sounds like one of the best things a person can do. Yep, the spring of the year is a great time to catch some rainbow trout and below I will outline a few tips that will help you to accomplish this goal.

There are two types of water that people like to fish for rainbow trout, lakes and rivers, and below I will list some tips for each type of water so that your bases are covered. These spring rainbow trout fishing tips are based on fifty years of combined trout fishing experience and will serve you well for many years to come.

1. River Fishing - Rivers can be difficult to fish in the spring of the year due to run-off and stained water conditions, but this doesn't mean that rainbows can't be caught. Try to focus your efforts on deeper tail outs and pools and use larger and brighter colored lures the murkier the water conditions are. A key to catching rainbows in the spring whether you are a fly or spin fisherman is the speed of your retrieve. Try different speeds until you find the one that's most effective on the day you are fishing. Roe and live worms can also be effective when fishing for spring rainbow trout in rivers, but keeping your bait in the rainbow's strike zone can be challenging in high river conditions.
2. Lake Fishing - In the spring of the year, lakes are probably the best place to fish for these beautiful fish. Right after ice off rainbows are particularly hungry and like to cruise shallow water shoals or the shoreline (ten feet deep or less) where the water temperatures will be the warmest. In these area's aquatic invertebrates become active and hungry rainbows feast on them. When it comes to spring rainbow trout in lakes these area's are the place to focus your fishing efforts. Fly fishermen should try such as larva imitations, freshwater shrimp flies, and leech patterns. For spin fishermen, effective trout lures include Flatfish, Quickfish, and Mepps or Panther Martin spinners. I personally spend 75% of my spring trout fishing time fishing for rainbow trout in lakes so that I can take advantage of the trout awakening from their "winter slumber" spent stuck beneath the ice.

In any case, make sure that you get out there this spring and put these simple tips into action so that you can catch a few of the beautiful fish known as rainbow trout.

Fishing For Rainbow Trout in the Spring

In many parts of the United States one season stands out above all the others when it comes to the act of trout fishing and that season is the spring. The spring of the year is when "trout season" begins in many states and there is one species of trout that many fishermen in these states target during the spring season; the rainbow trout . Fishing for rainbow trout in the spring is an activity that many anglers engage in and below I will outline a few tips that will help you catch more fish when you head out onto the water this spring.

The first and easiest thing for you to pay attention to is when you are fishing. Most anglers just head out fishing for trout anytime that they get the chance, but if you have the luxury of being a little more discerning about when you go fishing, you can easily experience more success. You see the trout will be more or less active at different times and as a rainbow trout fisherman you want to try to be on the water when the trout are the most active.

You can figure out when the trout will be the most active by paying attention to things like the weather, the phase of the moon, and whether or not the moon in rising or setting. The moon rise and/or set is probably the most important of these three factors, as fish tend to be very active in the hour or two window of time that brackets these two occurrences. And if you think that the moon rise and set coincides with the sun rise and set, you would be wrong. The moon can rise or set at twelve in the afternoon on some days. As simple internet search will give you all of the data that you need on the moon is rising and setting on a particular day.

The next thing to concentrate on is the bait that you use when you are fishing for. If you are fishing in a lake for rainbow trout that have been stocked, the answer begins and ends with two types of trout bait; Powerbait and salmon eggs. Still fishing for stocked rainbow trout with either of these baits is definitely the way to go in the spring of the year.

If you are fishing for rainbow trout in a river or stream the bait choices are a little more extensive, but two of the most effective types of bait are live worms or small spinners. Drift fishing with either live worms or small spinners is an extremely effective springtime rainbow trout fishing tactic. Try adjusting the depth at which your bait drifts by adding split shot sinkers or tape lead, so that you can keep your bait as close to the bottom as possible.

The bottom line is that fishing for rainbow trout in the spring is a ton of fun after a long winter spent indoors and the aforementioned tips will help you to catch more trout this spring.

Spring Is Upon Us!

The month of march has begun and in my mind that means one thing. Trout fishing season is right around the corner! Oh sure, the snow is still flying around a little bit here in Northwest Montana, but the weather will be getting better and better from here on out, and so will the trout fishing.

There is nothing better than when the weather begins to change in the spring of the year. Everything seems to come alive after a long winters "sleep" and the trout fishing follows suit right along with everything else in nature. Although it may not feel like it at this particular moment, the truth is that spring is upon us and that makes me one happy camper.