Number one on the list is, of course, a valid fishing license. Not perfect; 4 or 5 feet of leader gives the bait lots of room to move around, but better than if I couldn't see the line at all. I haven't done much saltwater; some for bluefish in the Chesapeake Bay and a little for salmon off the Oregon coast but that's about it. Hey Dan, this article is very informative and just what I needed for a starter course on stream fishing. The sinking bait can then be adjusted to sit about 1-foot off the bottom.

Having the proper egg imitation bait works great in these situations. I really needed heavy trout jigs but did not have any. These are larger baits then I would typically use for trout but fish frequently swallow the bait and get hooked deep which means the large size is not a problem. Night Crawler Egg Trout Bait comes in a glass jar containing 1.1 ounces of bait. Some people claim that corn and cheese work well for stock trout but there are much better baits to use. Corn can catch trout but is not particularly a good bait. Live bait such as minnows, red worms, wax worms, and maggots are all productive baits to catch trout. The 1-1/4 is probably the most popular and weighs 1/10 of an ounce. The first trout I ever caught was drifting a worm down a stream in Colorado.

Chroma-glow is a great glow in the dark color bait for low light conditions and fishing at night. Rainbow, Chartreuse, then Yellow!

Learn how your comment data is processed. Typically stocked trout are released about two weeks before the season near bridges. For steelhead and salmon fishing in the great lakes, the season starts in the fall around labor day. Polarized sunglasses are a must, and make sure they are polarized. If you have not used a trout magnet before it is definitely worth trying these jigs out for yourself. Crayfish can swim with fast bursts of speed so short jerky jerks that bring the bait off the bottom and flutter back down can be a great way to get trout to strike. Some good color options include blush roe, cerise egg, hot pink, mandarin roe, and shrimp swirl. I have occasionally found the best fishing in the middle of the day; it doesn't make much difference to me, as I am up and moving around the campsite before daylight and, if the fishing is poor, I'll return for breakfast and wait a while before going out later. The blade creates flash and vibrations that attract fish and the tail resembles an aquatic insect. Read all about it here!

Use the pliers to do so to ensure they are fixed in position. These gulp baits are also more durable and last longer on the hook than live maggots. The Original Rooster Tail comes in size 1/32 ounce, 1/24 ounce, 1/16 ounce, 1/8 ounce, and 1/4 ounce. Neither one is my idea of a quiet day communing with nature. Trout beads come in sizes of 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm. During the day crayfish are often found hiding under rocks or ledges. I will often use this stream rig with a floating Rapala. Most of the time using a weighted fly is going to catch the highest number of trout for fly fishermen. These baits come with two jig heads and 10 bodies. The Acme Phoebe trout spoon comes in size 1/12 ounce, 1/8 ounce and 1/4 ounce. If you haven’t tried it, or just would like a much more visual style of trout fishing, try the excitement of fishing for trout with a bobber. Allow the bait to float past the fish you hope to find at home, without guiding it any more than necessary. Never allow your shadow to come anywhere near your suspected hidey hole. This rig features a small bobber and a really small (size 8) hook. The best way to fish this bait is with a split shot above a hook to get the bait near the bottom. When fishing a light source fish in the shadows of the light not directly in bright light. I hate salmon, and freshwater trout tastes similar to me. Color options include red, yellow, and natural. Either color option works well. The trout magnet jig heads are painted silver or gold and weigh 1/64 of an ounce. In fact, we went down 2 weeks ago! Color options include black, nickel, blue, red, bronze, green and chartreuse. Luhr Jensen Super Duper Spoon is a classic trout lure that can be difficult to find in stores. With trout, a lightweight jig head is typically the best to use especially in shallow water and slow-moving currents. Stream Rig for Trout. By placing the split shot on your line you are slightly damaging the lines integrity. In this picture is a cutthroat trout that my brother and nephew caught while fishing at Yellowstone National Park. Fishing for trout does not need to be labor-intensive, you can cast a hook and bobber out there and relax while waiting for a trout to find the bait.

While fish can and will be found nearly anywhere there is water, trout tend to congregate in quiet pools with some depth and a hiding place. The fourth trout fishing rig is the simplest to set up, using a 3/0 split shot and a hook. And even when I wasn’t out on the water fishing, I would grab my tackle box and my trout rod and practice setting up all the different trout rigs. This next tip is quite important and may be the difference between landing the fish and not landing it. Check out my newest hands-on review. Last using fly fishing gear can be a fun and effective way to catch trout. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no additional cost to you. I like spinning gear.

Dan Harmon (author) from Boise, Idaho on March 04, 2011: Like you, I learned from my Dad, and those are memories I cherish. I've pulled a five-foot sturgeon from the Snake River in Idaho, and I've enjoyed it all immensely; but nothing can compare to wading a small mountain stream trying to hook a wild rainbow trout. The pro-cure trophy trout scent comes in a two-ounce squeeze bottle. I grew up on venison and elk, but haven't hunted in years and years. Dan Harmon (author) from Boise, Idaho on December 07, 2011: Perhaps it is a man sport (although my daughter-n-law and grandaughter enjoy it, as does my mother and sister) but that's all right - I'm male! Stream fishing in moving water is much different than lake fishing or deep-river fishing. When the fish bites—and only experience will tell you what is a bite, as opposed to a bump as the when the hook or its weight passes over a rock on the bottom—give a sharp tug upwards on the pole to set the hook. In the picture above is my friend Justin fly fishing for trout at Yellowstone National park. It should only be used where small rainbow trout (9-13 inches) are stocked. - Agree on the license 100%! A unique lip design creates a wobbling and side to side rolling action. Dry flies include blue wing olive, caenis spinner, cinnamon sedge, dark Hendrickson, elk wing caddis, humpy red, light Cahill, light Hendrickson, march brown, olive dun pheasant tail, royal coachman stimulator orange, stimulator yellow and Adams parachute. The last step is to attach the live worm bait to the hook. When the Field Team fishes for rainbow trout using PowerBait, we like to use ultralight fishing gear. The reason for this is when the trout grabs the worm and takes it under, you don’t want the fish to feel any extra “pull” and have them let go. It makes for a shaky day, always looking over my shoulder and I usually find some excuse to go back to camp and collect it. Using gulp alive minnows or power minnows found further down this list are great scented jig baits to use without having to deal with a gel scent. Live minnows are one of the best baits for trout but are often difficult to find.

A longtime camper, Dan has experience with tents, pop-up trailers, camp trailers, and motorhomes. You are not flipping dense weed mats or pulling five pounders from sunken timber. What rigs do you prefer for fishing under lily pads or heavy vegetation? As you can tell it was almost dark out when he caught it. The wooly bugger fly is another classic weighted trout fly.

I am in Idaho fishing the Big Wood, silver creek and trail creek. The Rapala Countdown comes in size 01 which is 1-inch and weighs 1/16 ounce, size 03 is 1-1/2 inches and weighs 1/8 ounce, and size 05 which is 2-inches and weighs 3/16 ounce.

Thanks for the comment; I'm glad you enjoyed the hub. Lures as large as 1/2 ounce are available but those larger sizes are for pike and bass fishing.

Yes, trout can absolutely be caught with lures. Powerbait will only work on stocked trout (most likely) 2. I have heard a lot about some fantastic mountain streams. Finally, attach the small #6 split shot about two inches from the bullet weight. Often times you can see eggs in the water and know the best size and color to use. I have had great success with Panther Martin spinners for trout. A 120 piece fly kit with box. Standard for me is usually a #4 hook on the end. I typically fish close to home in the Rogue River where you will find brown and rainbow trout along with steelhead runs twice a year. Each clear plastic container holds 500 toothpicks for a total of 1000 toothpicks. Running in third is Yellow!

Enjoyed the great info. There are three flies in size 12, size 14, size 16 and size 18. These creels are small and cheap, which is a good thing because they live in my RV and eventually rot out.