Choosing A Trout Fishing Bait

Whether you fish for trout or any other fish, bait is one thing that you must not leave behind. When going on a trout fishing trip, remember that the bait matters a lot if you want to catch a nice-sized trout. Part of the art of trout fishing is using the right bait at the right time.

Before you contemplate about the kind of bait to use, you have to know first about the difference of a native trout from a stocked trout. The trout that have been born and are living in the area where you fish are native trout. Trout raised in hatcheries and were just placed there are what they call stocked trout.

What trout fishing bait to bring relies mostly on the kind of trout that are living in the waters where you plan to fish. As you can see, the behavior of a stocked trout towards baits differs from that of a native trout. For example, a certain bait that may attract a stocked trout may not be that attractive to a native trout.

As to the kinds of baits, they usually categorized as synthetic baits, live baits, and small spoons or spinners. You can also consider marshmallows, cheese, corn and the like as baits because they can entice stocked trout to bite. But these untraditional baits do not usually appeal to a native trout which seems to have more discriminating tastes.

Native trout like live baits. Generally excellent as baits, live baits are best used when trout fishing in the flowing waters of a stream or a river. Some examples of live baits are nightcrawlers, hellgrammites, large insects, worms, and minnow. If you plan a long cast, the nightcrawlers you use must be of the right weight.

During the trout's breeding season, the best bait to use would be minnows. But if you want to catch a really big trout, you can use crayfish. Worms rigged to gang hooks and just left flowing with the current are generally considered as all-around bait. During summer, since they are plenty and easy to catch, you can use grasshoppers and crickets as baits. Trout just love bugs. If you are planning to use hellgrammites and water worms during this season, they will be very hard to find. Besides, using them can be quite tricky and requires certain knowledge and skill.

Synthetic baits are manufactured and, therefore, manmade. They are available in different sizes, styles, patterns and colors. They usually resemble live baits like worms, crayfish, and minnows. To make sure that they can attract trout, they are made with fish-catching scents.

When trout fishing in lakes, where stocked trout are usually placed, your best bet would be synthetic baits. Stocked trout are easily lured by synthetic baits as their instincts are not that sharp like a native trout's. You can try rigging synthetic baits to a set of gang hooks as many trout fishers swear that this technique really works.

Also popular baits are small spinners and spoons. Whether you are angling for a stocked or a native trout, these are known to bring good results. You can use them as trout fishing baits whether you are in a lake or in a river. The small ones, from 1/8 oz to 1/3 oz, should be used.

In determining the right trout fishing bait to use, you can't really find a set of hard and fast rules to guide you. The best teacher is still experimentation, trying on different kinds of baits for various circumstances. Whether they're effective or not, it's for the trout to prove.

George Dodrell is a trout fishing expert. For more great information on trout fishing, visit http://www.yourtroutfishingguide.com.