How To Fish For Rainbow Trout

In this article I'm going to reveal some tips and techniques that will teach you how to fish for rainbow trout . Rainbow trout are a very popular species of fish that area lot of fun to catch. This is especially when it comes to native rainbows. It has always seemed to me that native trout are much harder fighters, and any experienced trout fisherman will tell you that native rainbows are much more beautiful than their genetically altered, stocked cousins. When I use the word 'native' to describe trout, I'm referring to trout that have been born naturally or at least have grown up in the river, stream, or lake that you're fishing for them in.

Now that I've completed my rant on native rainbows versus stocked (or planted) rainbows, let's get down to the business of how to fish for them. The first thing to keep in mind is that light rods and reels should be employed for trout fishing. As a matter of fact, I personally use ultra light rods and reels, but nothing heavier than light action should be used for rainbow trout fishing.

You gear should be spooled with light line as well. I personally use no fishing line heavier than four-pound test for trot fishing, but line as heavy as six pound test is passable. However, no line heavier than six-pound test should be employed. This is for two reasons. First, rainbow trout are found in cold, clear water and second they have very keen eyesight. For these reasons, the trout can easily detect your fishing line if it's too heavy. And if the fish detect your line, they are much less apt to bite.

Since we're discussing how to fish for rainbow trout, it's important that we're on the water when the trout are the most active. It only makes sense that the more active the trout are, the more readily they'll bite, right? So how do we determine when the trout are going to be the most active? This is accomplished by paying attention to the weather and moon. The weather and moon have an incredible impact on the behavior of all fish (including rainbow trout) so learning how to use this information to your advantage, will result in more bites.

When it comes to fishing for rainbow trout, it's important to discuss bait. I realize some anglers don't use bait, but they are really cheating themselves. Live bait (especially live worms) is a great way to catch trout, and synthetic bait is quite effective for stocked (or planted) rainbows. Whether you're bouncing a live worm along the bottom of a river or still fishing with synthetic bait (both techniques are effective) the bottom line is that gang hooks should be employed. Every trout angler should carry pre-tied gang hooks in their fishing vest or tackle box when fishing for trout.

A gang hook rig is a great technique for fishing for rainbow trout, and it's set up like this: begin by taking the end of your line and tying on a small barrel swivel (size 10 or 12). If you're going to be still fishing, slip an egg sinker onto your line before tying on the barrel swivel. Now on the opposite end of the barrel swivel tie on a set of pre-tied gang hooks. For river and stream fishing, split shot sinkers are added for weight above the barrel swivel. Now simply add your live worm to the gang hooks and you're ready to catch some trout. If you're fishing with synthetic bait, simply add enough to cover each hook and you're god to go.

This is how to fish for rainbow trout. These tips and techniques will lead to a ton of success on your next trout fishing excursion.

Habits of Highly Successful Trout Fishermen

I have been fishing for trout for more than two decades and in that time have learned that there are certain traits that all highly successful trout fishermen have in common and in this article I will reveal these habits so that you can add them to your repertoire as this trout season gets underway. These 3 habits aren't anything new per say, but they are something that all highly successful trout fishermen have in common, there's no doubt about that.

But, before we get down to the habits themselves it's important to explain what it is that makes a highly successful trout fisherman. Trout fishermen that are highly successful take the act of fishing for trout much more seriously than your average fisherman and therefore tend to be able to catch trout virtually any time that they head out onto the water. If catching trout virtually anytime that you head out onto the water is something that interests you then try to make the following 3 habits a part of your trout fishing routine as soon as you can.

1. Mindfulness - All highly successful trout fishermen are extremely mindful when it comes to the act of trout fishing. This means that they stay focused on the present moment and the task at hand. When they are fishing for trout they are thinking about the trout they are about to catch, rather than what they are going to do later that day or what movie they would like to see that weekend. When tying knots, baiting hooks, or making casts these fishermen have their minds focused on exactly what they are doing and nothing else.


2. Being on The Water at The Best Times - For a majority of anglers the best time to go fishing is "anytime that you can", but highly successful trout fishermen (and fishermen in general) know that certain times of the day, week, and month are much more conducive to catching fish than others and these anglers plan their fishing excursions around these times. Of all of the trout fishing habits being outlined in this article this might be the most overlooked, yet the most important.


3. Patience - Although listing patience might seem like some sort of cop out when it comes to fishing the habit nonetheless needs to be mentioned. Highly successful trout fishermen are almost unnaturally patient creatures, often fishing a single "hole" or stretch of river for over an hour without as much as a bite when the trout aren't cooperating. For example, I have been known to fish for the same trout in the same stretch of river for long periods, until which time as I hook the trout. The bottom line is that developing uncommon patience is undoubtedly a habit of all highly successful trout fishermen.

If any of the aforementioned habits aren't something that you currently possess and you would like to be a highly successful trout fisherman (or woman) I would suggest that you get to work at making said habit a part of your trout fishing arsenal sooner rather than later.

Springtime In The Mountains

Yesterday I headed out to my favorite river to do a little trout fishing and as I was driving there I remembered, "you know it was actually quite warm in the early part of the week?" As I looked at the mountains in the distance and saw that they still had alot of snow on them, I thought, "Maybe it will be okay." I was not okay, the run off had no doubt started and the river was extremely high and muddy. In hindsight, I knew better, but It was a decent day weather wise and I figured I'd give drift fishing a shot.

Once I arrived at the river, I figured I'd driven for 40 minutes so why not give it a shot anyway? So that's what I did. The main river was too high to fish, but I was able to find an eddy where it looked like I might be okay. An hour and one eight inch rainbow trout later I "called it a day" and was thankful that I at least got a chance to wet a line and now knew that river fishing is going to be an impossibility in my area for the next two to three months.

But hey, this is how it works during the springtime in the mountains. Now, it's time to do a little trout fishing in the local lakes while the rivers fill and then drain over the next few months. The good thing about this phenomenon is that it makes me look forward to the fall, when fishing for trout in the Northern Rockies really heats up.