For the average angler spinning & baitcasting are easier than fly fishing. Because trout eat alot of baitfish and less insects as they get older many feel these are also the best tehniques for catching larger trout.
I'll try to give you a "bird's eye" view of fishing for trout using spinning and baitcasting techniques.
Maybe you will read something you did not know or at least possibly read something you may want to try...I hope you enjoy this section..
A lot of anglers do not use jigs for trout fishing. They use them for wamwater species. But jigs do have a place in trout fishing and used properly they can be deadly.
JIG FISHING..
Jigs resemble minnows, insect larvae, crustaceans, worms, leeches, and salmon eggs. All of which are a part of a trout's diet.
When trout are feeding heavy, a jig with a " tail " (dressing) of soft plastic ( Mr. Twister types) or marabou or hair types ( fuzzy grub types) is all you need to catch trout.
When they are fussy .. try a piece of worm or small minnow on the jig.
Jigs cast easily and sink to the bottom quickly. A jig of the correct weight hugs the bottom and does not get swept along by the current as fast as other lures.
There are 3 basic ways of fishing a jig : drifting - cross-stream retrieve - and vertical jigging...
Cast a 1/32 or 1/80 ounce microjig upstream, then let it drift down with the current (especially good in riffles) Keep the rod tip high - reel in line as the jig moves downsream. Use 2# or 4# test line for this type jig fishing. Strikes can be hard to detect with heavier line.
In deeper water use a heaver jig, 1/16 or 1/4 ounce. Aim your cast diagonally across the stream (look for boulders or logs) Let the jig sink to the bottom, then retrieve in a series of short twitches, lower the jig back to the bottom after each twitch. Try different speeds for your retrieves.
This works good in deep holes of rivers or large streams when fishing from a boat. Simply lower the jig to the bottom. then jerk vertically as the boat drifts downstream.Keep your line tight as the jig sinks back to the bottom after jerking it . Set hook at the slightest tug on the line. Use 3/8 to 2 ounces for this method of jigging, depending on the depth of water and the force of the current.
By lures I am referring to spoons, spinners, and plugs. Lures attract trout by flash and vibrations. By fishing with lures you can cover alot of water in a short time. Fishing with lures is best from late spring through early fall, when the water temperatures are a little warmer. These warmer temperatures make trout more aggressive, and the trout often will quickly follow and strike at your lure. Fishing with lures is basically very easy. Just cast across stream then find the right speed for your retreive based on the current. The more you angle your cast upstream the deeper the lure will run. Further downstream will cause the lure to ride higher.Water resistence from the current will keep the lure off the bottom, as long as you are not using a lure that is too heavy.
TROUT FISHING WITH LURES
Floating minnow plugs work good in small streams, but sinking minnow plugs and diving crankbaits are more effective in deeper water currents.
Remember the slower you retreive the deeper the lure will run.
Attach spinners and spoons with a ball-bearing snap swivel, this will not allow line twist.
Crank a floating minnow plug through the riffles in early morning to catch trout feeding in the riffles. from downstream cast to the head of the riffle, then reel fast through the riffle and downstream run.
When you are using lures here is a point to remember:
Work the cover farthest downstream and closest to you FIRST ! That way a hooked trout will not " spook" other trout in unfished water when the current swipes it downstream.
I placed bait in quotes because I will discuss two types of baits for trout.
1. Natural---minnows - worms - etc.
2. Other--- cheese - corn - etc
Fishing with natural baits probably catchs more Trout than any other method. In Spring and early Summer when streams are cold, high and at times muddy by runoff it maybe the only way to catch them.
Fishing with Naturals....
Trout rely on their sense of smell to locate food.
Smell is important when water is high or cloudy.
Bait fishermen often make one basic mistake when using bait for trout. ..
Heavy line..big hook..and heavy weight will not catch many trout...
For most trout fishing you should use ..
1. 2 to 4 pound test line .. trout will detect the heavier lines and refuse you offering
2. size 6 to 12 hooks .. trout have small mouths
3. just enough split-shot, for weight, to help bait reach bottom... NOT to lay there.. but enough to allow the bait to drift along with the current just "bumping" the bottom as it goes.
Probably the biggest drawback about fishing with bait is "deep hooking".
Even a small trout will usually take the bait so deeply that it is almost impossible to remove hook without causing serious damage to the fish. If you want to release a deeply hooked fish -- CUT THE LINE -- rather than try to remove the hook. Cutting the line will not hurt the fish.
Since I, personally, practice CATCH & RELEASE I have found I have to "cut the line" quite often when fishing with baits..
WELL let's take a look at the various Natural Baits.....
WORMS
The earthworm is the most widely used bait in the USA. The three most popular are the nightcrawler - garden worm - and the red worm or red wiggler. They will catch fish. Many use them according to the type fish they are trying to catch, be it a large or small species.
Here's a tip for making your worms the best they can be.
CONDITIONING YOUR WORMS...
Select a dozen or two worms one or two days before your fishing trip. Rinse them off in cool water, and place them in a plastic container half full of - cool - DAMP - worm bedding.
Add strips of wet paper to the container on top of the worms, and press lid into place. This creates a pressure pack. Place the container into the refrigerator or cooler for 24 to 36 hours.
Conditioning your worms (especially nightcrawlers) makes them larger and more vigorous.
During this time in "conditioning" the worms absorb water from the paper, swelling to nearly twice their normal size.
LEECHES
Leehes are becoming more and more popular to use for large gamefish. They are proving to be a good Bass and Walleye bait. They also work well for trout, but few anglers use them. I think this is mainly because , they are not always available.
At times leeches are not easy to buy, check with your local bait shop for availability.
Catching them in ponds is also possible if you know of a pond that has them.
Place some beef liver into a container.and let it stay overnight. the leeches will attach themselves to the liver - feeding on it - til you remove them .
Leeches are easy to keep alive. They are not as sensitive to temperature changes as minnnows. They require little oxygen to survive. But will die if left in the hot sunlight. Keep them cool.
Fish them just as you would a worm.
MINNOWS
Many of us have used minnows for bait. Minnows come in a large selection of types, and colors. you can buy them at a bait shop or catch your own in a minnow trap. Catching your own is usually done in the early morning or late evening when they are in shallower water.
I have decided to list some common types by Hardiness (easiest to keep alive & active) Because - as we all know - that is what is the hardest thing about using minnows... keeping them alive and active.
EXTREMELY HARDY :
American eel - mudminnows - fat-heads - madtoms
MODERATELY HARDY :
Blacknose dace - bluegill - blunt-nose minow- creek chub - fine-scale dace - goldfish - hornyhead chub - sculpin - redbelly dace - and whit suckers
SOMEWHAT HARDY :
Banded Killifish - common shiner - golden shiner -red shiner - yellow perch
LEAST HARDY :
Alewife - cisco - emeral shiner - gizzrd shad - rainbw smelt - spottail shiner.
There are many ways of fishing with minnows. along the bottom, under a bobber, attched to a spoon or spinner, and fastened to a jig and fished that way- jigging up & down.
I have used all these methods but - by far - my favorite is under a bobber.
INSECTS
Insects can be divided into two types :
aquatic - those found in the water. They spend much of their life cycle in he water.
land - those that live on land but near water and on occasion find themselves in the water.
Most aquatic insects are used for catching trout and are a basic for the fly fishing style. I have some information about usng them on the fly fishing pages, so I will no dwell on them here.
Land Insects used for fishing come in a variety of sizes and forms...
Larval stages used :
caterpillers
maggots
grubs
waxworms
catalpa worms
mealworms
mousees
elm sawfly larvae
Adult stages used :
Wasps
Beetles
Bees
Crickets
Grasshoppers
Moths
Cockroaches
FISHING WITH INSECTS:
In late summer trout often lay next to the bank and wait for grasshoppers and crickets to fall or get blown into the water. Thus they make an excellent bait in areas with those insects near the stream. Using a bobber or casting bubble wil enabe you to " toss" them to likely spots. Put the insects a few feet from the boober or bubble with no added weight .. this will enable the insect to stay on top of the water. Set hook quickly if you see a trout rise to take the insects.
Waxworms, meal worms, maggots, and other small insects can be fished the same way or allowed to sink below a bobber or casting bubble, with a small split-shot. Also they work well drifting along the bottom.
CRUSTACEANS :
Crayfish from 1" to 3" make an excellent summertime bait for large trout, especially Brown Trout. For smaller trout just use the tail section for bait. Drift them along the bottom and get ready for some fast action . Streams with a good population of crayfish will usually be the the best for this bait. Often Trout ( especally large ones) in these type streams will eat nothing but crayfish. So give them a try on these type streams.
SALMON EGGS :
All trout will eat each other's eggs. The larger eggs ( many are commercially produced) work great, natural eggs (though much smaller) will also work well. Drifting this bait is the best method of fisihng it , or if you prefer still fishing it will produce too.
OTHER "NATURAL" BAITS:
LIVER -
I have often heard of anglers catching Trout on pieces or either chicken or beef liver. Just attach small pieces to your hook and fish them just thesame other baits - drifting is best.
"Dough Baits" -
I use these to to refer to those clay lke materials with differn scents added to attact fish. The one I am NEVER without is Berkley's Power Bait. It comes in about as many colors as I can think of. My personal favorites are...
White
Green
Yellow
Red
Flourescent Orange
and Rainbow
If I am not catching trout on other lures-spinners-or baits before I decide to leave I always try some power bait.
CORN -
One of if not the most popular "natural" baits for trout is a kernal or two of corn placed on your hook. I like to use frozen niblets. In the frozen state they seem to last and stay firm longer than the canned varieties.
MARSHMALLOWS -
Yes, those small minature marshmallows usually one on a hook also catch trout. They also "float" so you may need a small BB spitshot on the leader.
(TRICK) thread a marshmallow thru your line and then tie on your hook and place a small red worm or two on your hook, NO Weight let the worm lower your marshmallow and the marshmallow to help "ride" your bait thru the current to the waiting trout. IT WORKS !!!
Dr. Trout's BONUS Secret Baits ---
PEAS --
YEP !! frozen green peas.. they work just like corn and if not attracted to yellow .... green just may do the trick..
DICED CARROTS...
LOL... Don't laugh... orange just may be the color of choice that day !!! I have caught trout on those square little frozen carrot pieces too !!!
DRIFT FISHING
DRIFT FISHING
Use just enough weight to keep your bait drifting along the bottom. If the weight is too heavy a trout will drop the bait when he/she feels the weight.
A slip-sinker is ideal. It allows the fish to pick up the bait and move without pulling the weight along.
If you want to float your bait just off the bottom ... here's a litttle trick...
attach a small marshmallow above the hook knot. This will lift the bait off the bottom and suspend it in the current. There are also floating jig heads that do the same thing.
STILL-FISHING
Still-fishing is probably the most common method of angling. It is easy and usually will prove to be rewarding.
The usual method is to cast the bait to a certain spot, then sit back and wait for a strike. Most fishermen use live bait or other types of bait that attract fish by smell.
Here are three tips on still-fishing.
(1) - use fresh bait, a lively bait has much more appeal to a trout than a dead limp bait.
(2) - fish near cover, just throwing anywhere is not as productive as selecting a spot that woud hold fish. Plus alot of casting will "spook" trout quickly and they will not bite.
(3) - keep trying different spots if the first selection does not produce. It does not pay to sit for hours at a spot if nothing is biting there.
Most anglers just attach a hook and some weight to their line and they are ready for still-fishing.
Nightcrawlers and minnows are probably the best bet. Brown trout and Rainbow trout are susceptible to this method.
Practially all trout anglers have been "out-fished" at one time or another by a child tossing worms into a pool and still-fishing. Still-fishing may not be as exciting or glamorous as other methods BUT...it accounts for plenty of Trout....
STILL FISHING
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