Having Trouble Catching Rainbow Trout This Summer?

As I have said before, other than the dead of winter, there is no more difficult time of the year to rainbow trout that the hot summer months.  There are many reasons why this is true, but the most important in my experience is the fact that water temperatures often rise above the high end of the rainbow trouts ideal temperature range (61 degrees).  Once water temperatures start to climb above the 60 degree mark rainbows will become less and less active, thus making them much more difficult to catch.

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Here is Northwest Montana where I live we have gotten lucky this year, as the run off lasted quite a while and the water temperatures are still well below the 60 degree mark.  This sucked for the spring trout season, but should bode well for the fall season.  In any case, trout can still be caught during the summer, especially if a few simple tips are adhered to. 

First, you always want to make sure that you are on the water at the most opportune times, meaning when the rainbows are the most likely to be actively feeding.  I accomplish this by doing two things.  The first thing I do is check the moon rise and set for the particular day that I am going to be fishing.  Here's a website that makes finding this information simple and easy.   Over the years I have found that rainbows are almost always more active during the times when the moon is either rising or setting.

And the next thing that I check is what phase the moon is in at the time when I am going to be fishing for rainbow trout.  If at all possible I try to plan my trip around the New Moon phase, especially during the warm summer months when rainbows tend to be less active anyway.  In my experience the fishing is almost always more productive when the moon is new, as opposed to many other times of the month. 

Finally, because water temperatures are the major enemy of summer trout fishing, do your best to be on the water fishing when the water temperatures are their coolest.  This means fishing right after rainstorms, early in the mornings, or after cold fronts pass through your fishing area.  All of these things cause slightly cooler water temperatures, which oftentimes "turn" the rainbows on so to speak, if only for a short period of time. 

If you are having trouble catching rainbow trout this summer, implement one (or all) of these simple tips.   If you do you should definitely experience more summer trout fishing success. 

Summer Trout Bait – Utilizing Crayfish as Trout Bait

On of the most effective baits that can be used for trout fishing (especially during the summer

months) are crayfish, but often these freshwater crustaceans get overlooked by trout fishermen. The main reason that this is the case is because they are difficult to utilize as live bait, but the truth of the matter is that crayfish crank baits and soft plastics often work quite well as summer trout bait as well. When I was growing up in Central Pennsylvania, my friends father Mr Widman, used to have me go out to the creek behind my house and gather live two to three inch crayfish that he would then use to catch HUGE rainbow trout.

It has been over twenty years since then and I have done the same thing as an adult fishing in Montana. The truth of the matter is that large trout love to feast of crayfish, especially during the summer and early fall. Going out and catching live crayfish, then transporting them on the river while you are fishing is an ordeal, so often I opt to fish with a crayfish crank bait or soft plastic crayfish imitations and experience a ton of success with these baits as well.

The Berkley 3" Powerbait Chigger Craw rigged on an 1/8 jig head is my soft plastic choice when it comes to crayfish imitations. Bounce these little buggers along the bottom of your favorite river in area's of the river where the current isn't "raging" and you will be in for some summertime trout fishing fun.

When it come to crank baits for trout fishing my hands down favorite is the 1 1/2 or 2 inch Rebel Crawfish . The pulsating action and darting moves of the original Rebel Crawfish looks just like a mudbug that's trying to get away. The hard plastic body is finished in detailed crawdad colors for the ultimate in lifelike realism that hungry summertime trout find difficult to resist.

The bottom line is that crayfish are an excellent summer trout bait and if you happen to have a LARGE trout located, these little freshwater crustaceans can be just "what the doctor ordered". For trout fishing I have always found the "natural" color patterns to be the most effective choices when it comes to fishing crayfish for trout.

Summer Trout Fishing Tips & Tricks

As the summer enters the months that are commonly referred to as the "dog days" trout fishing often slows down to what seems like a trickle, unless you are fishing for trout in a deep water lake and have access to a boat for trolling, but this doesn’t have to be the case. The summer can actually be a fairly productive time of the year for trout fishing if you adjust your techniques a little bit. In this post I will outline some tips and tricks that will help virtually anyone increase their summer trout catch rates.

The first thing that needs to be done during the summertime is adjusting the baits that you use. Trout feed on foods that aren't available to them during other times of the year, and using baits that mimic these foods is a key to success during summer trout fishing. This means utilizing baits that mimic things like crayfish, frogs, crickets, or grasshoppers. All of these baits are most abundant during the summertime and should therefore be utilized as bait when trout fishing in the summer months.

Does this means that you should use the live versions of one or all of the aforementioned trout baits? Not at all, especially since using most of these baits as live baits is difficult to say the least, this is the time that micro crank baits and artificial flies should be utilized. Some effective micro crank baits that mimic some of these baits would include: the Rebel Crickethopper , the Rebel Crawfish , and the Rebel Wee Frog . And as far as artificial flies are concerned , during the summer months, try to stick with "hopper" or frog patterns, as well as the streamer hybrid known as the Universal Fly.

Next we have the time when you are on the water fishing for summer trout. It is well known that all species of trout are cold water fish, most of whom enjoy water temperatures that are in the mid to low sixties, which is often difficult to find during the sweltering summer months. This means that trout will be much more active during the coolest periods of the day and even at night. Yep, during the hot summer months when there is a full moon, do yourself a favor and giver night fishing a try, it can be quite productive. But otherwise, during the summer months, do your best to be on the water from day break to about 11am, the trout fishing is normally much more productive during these times (when the water temperature will be the coolest).

Keep these simple tips and trick the next time that you head out in search of summer trout and you will experience more success, I promise you.

Rainbow Trout – How To Catch More Rainbow Trout This Summer

Fishing for rainbow trout in the summer poses some unique challenges to trout fishermen. In this post I will outline a few of these challenges along with some tips and trick for overcoming them so that you can catch more rainbow trout this summer. In many area's of the country, hot weather,m and crowded waterways can make active rainbow trout difficult to find, so the first challenge that needs to be overcome is finding rainbows that are active, because as you are probably aware a rainbow trout that is active is much more apt to bite whatever it is that you are offing it

In order to consistently locate active rainbows, you need to make sure you are on the water fishing at the most opportune times of the day. This can be accomplished by paying attention to things like the phase of the moon, the moon rise and/or set, and the weather. All of these factors impact the activity level of rainbow trout and the more that you understand about these subjects, the more successful you will be as a trout fisherman.

As water temperatures rise during the summer, rainbows can become much more lethargic and will seek cooler water temperatures. This means focusing on deeper water, and fishing as much as you can during the early mornings when water temperatures will be at their coolest. Summer rains can cool down water temperatures quickly and dramatically, often causing rainbow trout to become active.
During the summer months when rainbows are feeding, they are often doing so quite aggressively, which means that techniques and lures that have lots of movement are often very effective. Aggressively fishing inline spinners that match the natural forage of the water that you are fishing is often an effective summer trout fishing technique. And, during the summer when crayfish are prevalent, a crayfish crank bait can be a serious rainbow catcher as well.

The bottom line is that if you want to catch more rainbow trout this summer, the aforementioned tips and tricks will help you accomplish this task. Don't believe me? Give one (or all) of them a shot and find out for yourself.

The Best Time To Trout Fish: Mid Summer Trout Fishing Tactics

Trout fishing really "heats up" and begins to get popular during the mid summer in the western United States when river flows get back to normal and mountain lakes become easier to access for fishermen. This is mostly because by mid summer most, if not all, of the snow is melted in the mountains and spring run-off has subsided to a point where rivers become fish-able again and lakes are much less crowded due to various summertime outdoor activities. Because of these factors, the mid summer is the best time to trout fish for many trout anglers.

In this post I will outline a couple of mid summer trout fishing techniques that can be employed by any spin fisherman to catch more trout and experience more trout fishing success. That's right this article pertains to anyone who likes to trout fish while using spinning gear. I realize that this might seem strange, seeing as how "fly fishing" is so very popular when it comes to the act of fishing for trout, but I have never been a "fly fisherman" (at least not in the traditional sense), although I love to fish for trout and have been doing so for more than two decades. So, I will outline a few very effective mid summer trout fishing tactics for anyone who enjoys using traditional spin fishing gear while fishing for trout.

The first tactic that I want to discuss involves wading, live worms, and a small to medium sized river that contains trout. The tactic itself is called drift fishing and it as effective a trout fishing tactic as you will ever come across. It involves "drifting" a live worm through the current of the river that you are fishing, while the worm "rolls" along the bottom of the river as it drifts. This tactic takes a bit of practice to master, as telling the difference between the worm "rolling" along the bottom and a trout biting can be difficult to detect at first, but with practice telling the difference becomes quite easy and you will be setting the hook into hungry trouts mouths in no time. Drift fishing with a live worm is the first mid summer fishing tactic that will help you catch more trout.

The next tactic involves using an artificial fly as bait, but not while using "fly fishing" gear. Instead you use something called a "fly fishing bubble" in order to help you cast and fish a lightweight fly in an effective manner. When it comes to trout fishing tactics this mid summer tactic is best employed in lakes that contain trout, although with experience a fly fishing bubble can be used to fish with artificial flies in river fishing scenarios as well. Anyone who spends time fishing for trout knows how much trout love to eat insects and by employing a fly fishing bubble spin fishermen can utilize artificial flies as bait for mid summer trout.

The bottom line is that the best time to fish for trout will vary from angler to angler depending on personal preferences, but when it comes to mid summer trout fishing tactics, the two outlined above should be a part of every spin fisherman's arsenal.