In this article I'm going to discuss how to catch a trout. There are four major species of trout that I'm going to be referring to when I use the term 'trout'. Those species would include rainbow, brown, brook, and cutthroat trout. Basically, any trout that swims in the various rivers and streams of North America. Most of the species can be found in lakes as well, although all of these trout seem to prefer rivers, if given a choice. Just to be clear, when I use the term 'trout' in this article, I'm not referring to lake trout or sea trout, but the previously mentioned trout.
Catching a trout is fairly easy. As with many species of fish, the small ones aren't that tough to catch. The challenge comes with catching large trout. For the purposes of this article, anything over twenty inches will be considered 'large'. The easiest way to just catch a trout is to employ a good old American worm. Really, what could be more American than fishing with a worm? In any case, the easiest way to catch a trout is to use a small hook, and bait that hook with a worm. To increase your catch rates, try using a set of gang hooks. Gang hooks present a worm in an amazingly natural way.
If live bait just doesn't do it for you, the best way to catch a trout is with a small spinner or spoon. If you're simply trying to catch a trout, any trout, I wouldn't suggest anything larger that ¼ ounce. I personally like darker colors when it comes to spinners and gold when it comes to spoons, when fishing for trout. There are literally enough color choices to choke a horse, so experimentation with colors will be your best bet. The colors of your spinners and spoons really comes down to personal preference as much as anything else when it comes to trout. A good rule of thumb is to remember that it's always a good idea to emulate the fish's natural prey as closely as possible.
Another good rule of thumb when attempting to catch a trout is to use light line. Trout, as a general rule, live in cold clear water. In clear water your fishing line can become visible to the trout underwater if it's too heavy. I personally use 4lb. test monofilament, and don't suggest using anything over 6lb. test for trout fishing. I see a lot of fishing line that gets left along the banks of various trout rivers and many times this excess line is much heavier than six pound test. This is a big mistake when trout fishing.
That should provide any angler with enough information to go out and catch a trout. Before you think that large trout can't be caught with gear as 'small' as I've been mentioning, think again. I regularly catch large trout using exactly the size gear that I've been referring to in this article. I also never use gang hooks tied with any hooks other than size 10 (which if you don't know, is a small hook). Now it's time to take this information and get out there and catch a trout or two.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country…..Montana!
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