The Best Bait to Use For Trout in the Fall

I have been fishing for the three major species of freshwater trout (rainbow, brook, and brown) for more than twenty years and in that time have found that one season stands out above all the others when it comes to catching the multi colored beauties known as trout. That season is the fall and in this article I will outline the best bait to use for trout in the fall so that you can experience more success the next time that you head out onto the water.

Why is it that I find the fall to be the best time of the year to fish for trout? The main reasons are that the fall offers cooler temperatures, less congested rivers, and the trout are amazingly active as they instinctively "feel" the winter approaching. I prefer to fish for trout in rivers and because they are the most plentiful species in many areas, rainbow trout are the species of trout that I most often catch. The fall offers excellent trout fishing no matter how you slice it and the best bait to use for trout in the fall is live fishing worms.

That's right, the most widely known and popular fishing bait on the planet, the live worm (whether you are talking about night crawlers or the smaller red worm) is the best bait to use when fishing for trout in the fall, especially when you are fishing in rivers. A live worm tumbling through the current of a river is something that trout find very difficult to resist. This fact is true during almost all seasons, but seems to be especially true when you talk about the fall of the year.

The key to using live fishing worms when fishing for trout is to present them in the most natural manner possible so that the worm looks like what the trout expect it to look like. This fact is the key to making live worms the best bait to use for trout in the fall. By presenting your worm "naturally" and allowing it to flow with the current of the river that you are fishing this popular fishing bait becomes all but impossible for trout to resist.

The presentation of the worm is where most anglers "get it wrong" when they are fishing. They use a fishing hook that is too large and attempt to "thread" their live worm onto the hook, which makes it look totally unnatural and isn't as effective as it should be. During the fall, when the trout are feeding heavily, a live fishing worm that is presented naturally is definitely the best bait that can be used. Is it the only bait that can be used? Of course not, but it is the bait that I have found to be the best over the past twenty plus years of fishing for trout in the fall.

Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 25 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his five year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.