Using Fish Attractants When Trout Fishing – Does It Make a Difference?

Fish attractants are something that bass fishermen have been aware of for many years, squirting and spraying various scents onto their baits to help attract bass, but these products aren't something that trout fishermen usually never consider. So does using fish attractants make a difference when trout fishing? Well, the short answer is yes they do, but it depends on the type of water that you are fishing and the amount of fishing pressure that that water receives. One of the biggest advantages to using an attractant is that it will mask any human scents that may be on your bait or lure, which as I have pontificated about in the past, can be detrimental to catching "seasoned" trout.

In this post I will outline how and why fish attractants should be used when trout fishing along with a list of the most popular and effective choices. At the end of the day, it's not as simple as just squirting whatever trout bait you are using and calling it good. A little more thought should be put into the process to help to make fish attractants help you to catch more trout.

The first thing to consider is that attractants should not be used when you are fishing with live bait or in pristine water that contains a population of largely "native trout". They are best utilized when using soft plastics, crank baits, or other trout lures for trout that have been "stocked" in the past 1-3 years. An attractant will not only add the specific scent that you choose to the bait, it will also help to cover up any unnatural human scents on the trout bait. And since we all know how sensitive a trouts sense of "smell" is, both of these factors are a good thing.

So, what kinds of attractants should be utilized when fishing for trout? In my experience the list has three members, all of which I have found to be effective. Carrying all of them with you isn't necessary, but having at least one of them in your fishing vest is a great idea anytime trout lures are going to be utilized. The first attractant is called Smelly Jelly which is the strongest and most concentrated liquid scents available. The best flavors for trout would be "crawfish", "trout enhancer", and "anise". The next attractant that is effective for trout fishing is called Atlas Mikes Glo Scents Oil . And finally we have Berkley Powerbait Trout Attractant , which I have found to be the most effective with "freshly stocked" trout.

The bottom line is that fish attractants definitely have their place in the world of trout fishing and are something that anyone who him or herself to be a serious trout fisherman should always have available to them, especially when they are fishing for trout with lures or soft plastics.

Summer Trout Lures – 3 Lures That You Should Always Have When Trout Fishing During The Summer

Fishing for freshwater trout, whether you are talking about rainbow, brown, cutthroat, or brook trout is a popular summertime activity, but can be a challenge in many instances. Things like rising water temperatures, activity on the waterways where trout are fished for, and low water conditions can make catching trout consistently a difficult task. One of the ways to combat some of these problems that face the summer trout angler is to utilize the most effective trout lures.

I have been spin fishing for trout (mainly rainbow trout) for more than two decades and in that time have learned that certain trout lures are more effective than others during the summer months and these lures will be outlined in this post.

Let's begin with a very prevalent insect in many trout fishing area's and that insect in the grasshopper. Fly fishermen are well aware of the fact that "hopper" patterns are a great summertime trout bait option and it's high time that we as ultra light spin fishermen use this information to our advantage as well. During the summer months make sure that you have a Rebel Crickethopper or two in your fishing vest at all times. Twitching one of these little lures on the surface of slow moving water is deadly when you notice grasshoppers jumping along the bank.

Next we have a sort of spinner/fly combo called the Mepps Spinner Fly. These unique trout fishing lures are effective all year, but seem to be particularly effective during the summer months. Make sure that you have a couple of spinnerflies available to you as well anytime that you are fishing for trout during the summer. I have found black and brown color patterns to be effective, but there is nothing scientific about this conclusion.

Finally, we have my peronal favorite and that is any form of crayfish imitation. You can use a crayfish crank bait such as the Rebel Crawfish or a soft plastic Berkley Powerbait crayfish, but the point is that trout (especially large trout) LOVE to feast on tiny cray fish. The point is that some form of cray fish imitation needs to be a part of your summertime trout fishing repertoire.

The Best Fishing Lures For Trout

For those of us who choose not to fly fish, but instead enjoy fishing for trout while using spin fishing gear, fishing lures are a valuable part of our trout fishing repertoire. I have been using various lures and baits to catch trout for more than a quarter of a century and in that time have learned that some fishing lures are more effective than other when it comes to trout fishing. Below I will outline some of the best lures for trout, so that you can make sure that you have one or all of them available the next time that you head out in search of these beautiful fish.

No list of trout fishing lures would be complete without mentioning the Blue Fox Vibrax spinner. The flash and action of these lures is legendary. Their unique design reduces twist and adds vibration that drives most species of freshwater trout wild.

Next we have the often overlooked Mepps Spin Fly which is a true fly/spinner hybrid that is one of the most effective lures that you will come across for trout. They have a stainless steel shaft to resist bending and breaking and have either silver or brass polished spinners.

While Original Panther Martin Spinners are a good lures for trout, the Panther Martin Red Hook spinner is one of the best fishing lures for trout without a doubt. The red hook simulates a wounded bait fish and the patented Panther Martin "action" come together to create one very effective trout fishing lure.

Finally we have the Lytle's Secret Tail Spinner. While this lure is generally thought of as a bass, striper, and walleye lure, it is also very effective for large freshwater trout of all kinds. The lure features a one-piece internal wire system that's uniquely balanced for maximizing body wobble and strike-triggering action. The rotating back blade offers fish-attracting vibration and flash, making it an easy target for freshwater predators such as trout.

The bottom line is that the aforementioned fishing lures are among the best fishing lures for trout and at least two of them should be available to you anytime that you are trout fishing.

Trout Fishing Lures - The Panther Martin Spinner

As a person who has been fishing for trout, all manners of freshwater trout including rainbow, cutthroat, brook, and brown trout, for more than twenty years I have learned one lesson that holds true above all others. When it comes to trout fishing lures the choices available to us are vast, and the lures that are effective when fishing for trout are small.

This means that when a fishing lure is in order on the trout river or local lake that contains hungry trout, in many instances the best fishing lure option is and in line spinner. While there are various companies that design and manufacture these particular trout fishing lures, the one that stand out above all of the others in my experience are Panther Martin trout spinners.

You may be thinking to yourself, "why in the world is this the case and what makes Panther Martin spinners better than other trout spinner manufacturers?" While companies such as Worden and Mepps also make trout spinners that seem to perform pretty well, Panther Martin has some proprietary features that seem to make their trout fishing lures perform well time after time.

Some of those features would include:

1. A unique shaft through blade design creates easiest and fastest spinning action in the world.
2. Convex/Concave blades that send out sonic vibrations that are irresistible to trout
3. Heavy weighted bodies cast like bullets and go down deeper than average trout fishing lures.
4. Super sharp premium quality hooks that keep trout hooked.
5. Classic patterns which are time tested spinners that are deadly on both river, stream, and lake trout.
6. Have both holographic and holographic "fly pattern" trout spinners

All of these features come together to make what Panther Martin calls, "The greatest fish catcher of all time". Is this statement actually true? Who knows, because as we all know the "greatest fish catcher" will vary from angler to angler, but what I do know after using these particular trout fishing lures for more than two decades is that they are as effective as I've seen when it comes to fishing for trout.

This manufacturer also stands by all of their lures and spinners with a complete 100% money back guarantee. If you don't catch fish while using Panther Martin spinners and lures that are purchased online and you can return them for a full refund. This is nothing short of a great deal, that at least to me, means that the company stands behind their products. In any case when it comes to spinners that are used to catch trout, Panther Martin spinners are are a difficult choice to beat both because of effectiveness and of value.