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What You Need To Catch Trout

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Trout are one of the most popular game fish in the US. They are beautiful, powerful, and a load of fun to catch. If you live in the upper or western US, then you have a good chance of catching trout both wild and stocked. Wild Trout live in some of the most beautiful streams and lakes and are a great species to target if you like hiking into the back country. There are many methods to catch trout from bait, to lures to flies.

This page shows the basics of how to catch trout, but if you want to become an expert, be sure to read my articles on choosing the right fishing line, hooks, bait, rods, and locations. Knowing these topics will greatly improve your catch.

How to catch stocked trout

First off, you’re going to need some tools. Those would be a rod, reel, line, and hooks. Obvious right? Well, making sure your tools are dialed in, can make a huge difference in how many trout you catch.

You may already have a rod, reel, line and hooks, but I recommend taking a second look through it all to make sure you are giving yourself the best chances possible.

Lets start with a good rod and reel…

Rod and Reel

These are the two most expensive parts to your kit. Fortunately, they have the least amount of effect on how many fish you catch. So long as they can cast the proper distance, and aren’t too stiff, then you will be fine.

Having a good rod is more about your own comfort. I like light weight rods and reels that will cast far with little effort.

Currently my favorite rod is the Daiwa Presso, and my favorite reel is the Pflueger President. Combined these cost around $100.

You do not have to spend that much! You can catch just as many fish with something like the Shakespeare Micro Series rod with a $15 Shimano reel. These would put you somewhere around $40.

Shakespeare makes some decent rods for the price.

There are so many rods out there and some you’ll love, some you’ll hate. There are a few things I suggest you look out for. Here is an article that goes much more in depth as far as choosing a good trout rod.

Next let’s look at fishing line.

Line

There are about as many types of line out there as there are fishing rods. There’s good reason for this. Not all lines are created equal and some excel where others fail.

Choosing the right line is one of those things that actually has a pretty big effect on how many fish you catch.

For trout, the basic answer is that you can use 4lb mono or fluoro.

But if you want to dial it down even further, consider your fishing methods, and the size of trout you are after, and read this article on choosing the Best Line For Trout.

Hooks

As far as your gear goes, getting the right hook may just have the greatest impact on how many trout you catch.

You want to have the proper size and shape depending on what bait you are using.

Even more importantly, you want to make sure you are using the sharpest hooks you can find.

A good starting place is to use Gamakatsu Bait Holder hooks in size 10. These work well with both worms and PowerBait.

best trout hooks

If you want to take it to the next level, make sure you learn all that you can about hooks. Here is an article all about trout hooks.

Now let’s get into bait.

Bait

Now that we got through the basic gear, we need to talk about bait.

When choosing what bait you use, you should consider the location, type of water body, weather, where the fish are feeding (deep, shallow…) and whether you are after stocked or wild trout.

When I show up to a new trout fishing spot, I’ll usually start off with earthworms. You can buy these at the store or dig them up. If you buy them at the store, they are usually big 8+ inch worms. These are too big for most trout. I always cut those big worms down to 3-4 inch lengths. This will increase your hookups, helping you catch more trout.

Just like anything, there are hundreds of trout baits out there. If you want to learn about the top producers, and learn what to use when and where, check out this article on Trout Bait.

Lures For Trout

Sometimes I get a little bored waiting for a fish to come across my bait. That’s a good time for me to pull out my favorite trout lures. When the fish are active, you can have some great success with lures.

Lures also work amazingly well for both stocked and wild trout. Fish in the wild, eat not only insects, but also smaller fish. And the bigger they get, the more they will target smaller fish. This is what the lure is meant to represent.

Before I got into fly fishing and now bait fishing, I was a lure fisherman. My all around favorite and most productive lure is a black Rooster Tail with a sliver blade. My second favorite is a brown Rooster Tail with a brass blade.

best rooster tail for trout fishing
Black Rooster Tail with silver blade
Rooster Tails catch trout
Brown Rooster Tail with brass blade

If you are using light line like 2-4 pound test, you should use a high quality snap swivel when fishing spinning lures like these. Otherwise your line will twist and tangle badly.

There are many other types of lures but I have had the most success with these Rooster Tails.

Location

Your first step should be to do an online search for your states trout stocking schedule. This will tell you when certain ponds and lakes will be stocked in your area. You’ll be most likely to catch a trout during the first week after a stocking.

Another way to find a good trout fishing hole is to ask friends, or go to your local tackle shop and ask them if they can point you in the right direction.

I also love finding new spots by searching over Googles satellite images.

Use google maps to find fishing holes

Here is a guide I wrote to help people find good fishing holes near them and how to get started at a new location.

If you happen to live in the Phoenix, Arizona area I have written about a handful of community ponds and my experience fishing them.

Become A Trout Fishing Expert

Now that you know the basics of how to catch trout. You should really take things to the next level if you want to become an expert. This website is dedicated to teaching everything I have learned about bait fishing over years and years of trial and error.

Most people take the basic easy-grab information and catch a couple fish. But if you want to catch more fish than the average person then there are some simple yet effective tips that can greatly increase your numbers.

If you haven’t already, check out my more detailed articles on choosing the right fishing line, hooks, bait, rods, and locations so that you too can become a trout fishing expert.

By John

Hi I'm John. I'm the author of FishingWithBait.com. I have been obsessed with fishing since my dad took me to catch bluegill in the creek as a little kid, over 20 years ago. I love learning and perfecting all kinds of fishing techniques. I have spent time living in different countries learning their unique traditional fishing methods, and then combining the best of all worlds to catch as many fish as possible. My hope is that this website can help you, or someone you are teaching, to have a better fishing experience early on so that you too can be hooked into this wonderful sport.