Fishing Gear Tips

Trout Fishing Tips

Trout fishing is one of the most popular types of fishing in the United States and whether you are fishing for rainbow trout, brown trout or brook trout it’s sure to be an exciting as well as relaxing time. While there are different types of trout, the methods of fishing for them are pretty much the same but the fish themselves are different in color as well as size and disposition.

Fishing for trout is typically done in streams or rivers and here are four things you might want to keep in mind on your fishing trip.

1. Smell. Many people don’t realize that fish can smell and trout have a very strong sense of it. In fact, they usually sniff at the bait before they take a bite. So, if the trout smells anything out of place on the bait, the hook, the lure or the line chances are he won’t bite. Smoking is particularly bad because the smell from smoking is very pungent and if you have this on your hands and then you touch the bait or the lure the fish is going to smell it. Whenever you’re handling the fishing equipment, make sure you rub your hands in the dirt and water to try to remove any unnatural smell.

2. Presentation. Trout can be very particular and they are smart as well so fishing for them is literally a battle of wits. You need to be sure to present your bait in the way that is most natural for the fish, otherwise the fish will become suspicious and swim away. Especially when you use live bait, you want it to look like the way it would naturally be in the water and using gang hooks is a good way to accomplish this.

3. Fishing gear. Trout fishing requires lightweight gear and bait. You don’t want to use the same stuff that you use for salmon fishing unless you are going to someplace like the great lakes will be catching huge brown trout. Typically, an ultralight fishing rod of 5 feet with a light reel works good. Small lures - under 4 inches are usually what is used but if you are using real bait a size 10 usually works pretty good.

4. What to wear. When fishing in streams and rivers, you’ll be standing pretty close to where the fish are so you want to avoid wearing bright colors and, in particular, white. These bright colors will make you stick out against the background and any fish looking in your direction is bound to be spooked by this unnatural color. Drab colors are best so that you can have every advantage against these intelligent fish.

Trout fishing can be challenging, but that’s what makes it so much fun. Follow these tips and, hopefully, you increase your chances of catching more trout.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 4th, 2008 at 8:13 pm and is filed under Fishing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.