As a person who has been fishing for trout, all manners of freshwater trout including rainbow, cutthroat, brook, and brown trout, for more than twenty years I have learned one lesson that holds true above all others. When it comes to trout fishing lures the choices available to us are vast, and the lures that are effective when fishing for trout are small.
This means that when a fishing lure is in order on the trout river or local lake that contains hungry trout, in many instances the best fishing lure option is and in line spinner. While there are various companies that design and manufacture these particular trout fishing lures, the one that stand out above all of the others in my experience are Panther Martin trout spinners.
If you are a trout fisherman you are more than likely aware of the fact that the fall is the most productive time of the year for trout fishing (especially if you like to fish for trout in the flowing waters of a river or stream) and if you weren't aware of this fact, you need to be. I have been fishing for and catching trout from rivers and streams in the western hemisphere for more than a quarter of a century and have learned through experience that the fall is by far the best time of the year to fish for trout.
If you have never been fishing for rainbow trout you more than likely need a quick and easy way to learn the basics so that you can have a better chance of success when you head out onto the water. I have been fishing for rainbow trout for more than two decades and in this article I will outline the basics of what you need to catch a trout or two; a little rainbow trout fishing 101 course, if you will. This "course" will relate specifically to spin fishing because that is where my expertise lies.
The first thing that you will need when you head out fishing for rainbow trout is a proper sized rod and reel. The reason for this is because you want to use light fishing line and certain types of rods and reels are designed specifically for using light fishing line. The type of rod and reel that I am referring to is called ultra light and this is want you want to look for and use anytime that you are going to be fishing for rainbow trout.
Anglers love nothing better than to fight a winter steelhead on Michigan's Muskegon River in Newaygo. These powerful fish are known as hot chrome torpedoes and can weigh as much as 20 pounds. Just having one on your line is the thrill of a lifetime and most of Michigan's steelheads are wild steels.
The steelhead migration season begins at the end of October, after the Chinook are finished spawning. Peak months for fishing steelhead are November and December when the fish being their spawning migration. These beauties end the migration near the end of February and into early March.
The best place to fish for chrome torpedoes, the Muskegon River in Newaygo is perfect for fly fishing in early spring and late fall.
Steelhead fishing in winter is never easy, not even during the good times. But when the mid-season doldrums set in around February, things can get downright tough. The big runs of hatchery steelhead that provided such good fishing in December and January have tapered off to a trickle in most rivers. And the large wild fish that will cause so much excitement at the end of the season haven't yet arrived. On a coast-wide average, there simply aren't nearly as many steelhead in our rivers and creeks during February as during the rest of the season.
The fish may be fewer and farther between, but not the fishermen. A steady stream of boat anglers casts to every inch of likely looking holding water, and the shores of popular rivers are crisscrossed by the muddy trails of bank anglers. The fish available in most streams get pounded hard on a daily basis. And it doesn't help when prolonged cold weather results in cool, clear water and spooky, sluggish steelhead.
When winter comes and the temperature drops and white stuff covers the ground, many animals have become inactive and are hiding out until spring. But trout are not one of those animals! Water cools slower than air, so the water may still be warm enough for trout to be active - and since trout are cold-water fish, they just might be active all winter!
Your first consideration for winter fishing is whether the season is open. For the state of Pennsylvania, open season for trout ends on September 3 - except in "approved trout waters," so Pennsylvania residents need to refer to the list of approved trout waters on the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's web site.
Modern day trout fishermen have a wealth of fishing tackle to choose from, and much of it thoroughly adaptable to any situation in trout fishing. Spinning and fly fishing equipment seem to be the most popular. Everyone has a different idea as to which bait or method is the best for catching trout. Anything that works is good, I will assume you would like a basic outfit to get started. An acceptable starter trout fishing outfit would include:
Bait fishing for trout can be effective, using worms, eggs, artificial paste baits, or combinations. Bait can be dangled downward from a floating bobber or can float upward from a slip-sinker, both of which provide weight to cast the bait outward from shore. Worms are probably the best all-around trout bait and work especially well in spring and fall, particularly after rainfall.
Bait fishing should only be done when you plan to keep the fish you catch, since the fish tend to swallow the bait and hook, making injury-free release much harder. This is why fish caught while using bait count as part of your daily limit, whether or not you keep them. Also check to make sure bait is legal where you're planning to fish; some lakes have selective fishery regulations or other quality rules designed to improve survival and growth of fish.
A very popular winter time activity is ice fishing for trout rainbow trout and in this article I will outline a few tips so that you can experience more success on your next excursion out onto a frozen lake in search of these beautiful and tasty fish. Rainbow trout are active during all seasons, so fishing for them through the ice can be very productive. The biggest key to ice fishing for rainbow trout is the type of bait that is used.
I have been fishing for the three major species of freshwater trout (rainbow, brook, and brown) for more than twenty years and in that time have found that one season stands out above all the others when it comes to catching the multi colored beauties known as trout. That season is the fall and in this article I will outline the best bait to use for trout in the fall so that you can experience more success the next time that you head out onto the water.
