Rainbow Trout Fishing Basics

Many anglers wonder or have wondered how to catch a rainbow trout and in this article I will draw upon my twenty plus years of trout fishing experience to outline some of the basics that every fisherman in search of rainbow trout should be aware of along with some tips and techniques that will make them a more successful trout fisherman.

When it comes to fishing for these beautiful fish the first thing to consider is where you are going to fish for them. There are two main types of water that rainbow trout are found in, lakes and rivers, and the baits and techniques that are used to catch them in each type of water can be quite different. So, the first of the basics that you need to know when you want to catch a rainbow trout is what type of water you will be fishing in. Will you be fishing in a lake or will you be fishing in a river?

The next thing that every beginning trout angler needs to be aware of is the size of the rod, reel, and fishing line that they are going to use. Many times trout fishing “rookies” tend to think that a fishing setup is a fishing setup and this is a big mistake. All fishing setups are not created equal and thus should be matched to the type of fishing that you are engaging in. When you are fishing for rainbow trout you want to use a fishing setup that is ultralight action. In other words, you want an ultra light action rod and reel that is spooled with light fishing line (preferably either four or six pound test).

After the type of water that you are fishing in and the type of fishing setup you are going to use, the next of the basics of how to catch a rainbow trout that you need to know is that the smaller the fishing hooks that you use the more bites that you will receive. Whether you are “bottom fishing” with Powerbait for stocked rainbow trout in a lake or “drift fishing” a live worm for rainbows in a river, many beginning trout fisherman tend to use fishing hooks that are entirely too large. When using treble hooks, size 12 is as large as you want to use and when using single fishing hooks (or set of single fishing hooks such as gang hooks), size 8 would be the largest that you would want to use.

The last of the basics that I want to discuss is when you are on the water fishing. Many beginning fishermen overlook when they are going fishing and tend to think that every day is the same when it comes to fishing. This is also a fallacy, as certain times of the day, week, and/or month tend to be much more conducive to fishing than others. By paying attention to something as simple as the phase of the moon and panning your fishing trips accordingly you can increase your bite rates dramatically.

Follow these basics and you will never again wonder how to catch a rainbow trout, within a short amount of time you will in fact know how to accomplish this task.

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