Rainbow trout are among the most popular fish species to catch in freshwater, and it’s easy to see why. Known for their big, colorful spots, these fish are beautiful and fun to catch.
Whether you’re a seasoned angler or just beginning your fishing career, learning how to catch rainbow trout will help you know what to do when the moment strikes.
Here’s how to catch rainbow trout with these step-by-step instructions.
Plan your fishing trip today, and get your gear ready according to what techniques I will be telling you here. Because after reading this step-by-step guide, you would wish to catch a rainbow trout!
Where Can You Find Rainbow Trout?
As rainbow trout are cold-water fish, there are certain things you will have to keep in mind about them. Catching them is not that hard; you just need to know their right whereabouts. Don’t worry; I will guide you on how to catch rainbow trout.
Finding them shouldn’t be that difficult; many Trout stocking schedules are available that tell you where you can find your fish.
Even if you haven’t checked those, rainbow trout can easily be found in fresh waters, including streams, rivers, banks, lakes, reservoirs, and ponds. They are also not very fond of heavy currents and need seams to hold on to.
You can find trout all year round, but here are some tips from my side so you can find them without a hitch. If you feel the temperatures are colder, you should look for calm deep waters. On the other hand, if the water feels warm, you should look for rocky, shallow parts of the river streams.
A similar read: Trout 101: biography, complete diet, and interesting facts!
Best Baits You Should Get To Catch A Rainbow Trout
Rainbow trout are adventurous eaters, yes! They eat pretty much everything they come across. So setting up baits for them should not be challenging. If you want to know how to catch rainbow trout in a river, you should first know how to set up the best bait.
Let me tell you; there are many options you can use as bait for rainbow trout. But if I talk from my personal experience, not all the baits will give you the best results. Here are some of the most acceptable bait options.
If you like staying old school, then opt for live baits. Live baits include worms, leeches, grasshoppers and beetles, or water insects. Even if you don’t have access to any of these, you can use flies as bait too.
Apart from living baits, other options include fish eggs too. They are often tied into little sacks that you can easily adjust in your lures. Rainbow trout love having fish eggs, so you’ll quickly catch them with it.
As trout don’t carefully inspect what they’re gulping, there are many plastic bait options available that are cheaper, sustainable, and reusable.
They won’t make a lot of mess. The options include plastic worms, plastic fish eggs, and beads which are a good option for new anglers to start fishing.
Best Lures To Catch Rainbow Trout
There are many lures out there, and you can choose which would suit your needs. Guiding you on how to catch rainbow trout in a river, I suggest you opt for spinners. Because I know how effective they are, they consist of spinning blades that catch fish efficiently.
Spoons are popular lures too, which look like fish; you can buy them in silver or gold—wondering how to catch rainbow trout from shore? Or how to catch rainbow trout in a pond? Get smaller spoons. Small spoons work best for shores or ponds.
If you’re fishing in deep waters like lakes and rivers, you will need more giant spoons. Spoons are ancient and terrific baits for rainbow trout. Some of the best spoons include Kastmaster, Phoebe, and Crocodile spoons.
On the other hand, if you decide to have spinners, some useful spinners are Roostertail, Mepps Aglia, Blue Fox, and Panther Martin.
Best Rigs To Catch Rainbow Trout
There are multiple rigs present in the market, each for a different purpose. In this guide on how to catch rainbow trout, I am highlighting the best ones for you.
Each rig serves different fishing techniques; the best rigs to catch trout include Slip bobber rigs, Slip sinker rigs, and Spinner rigs.
Now, I will be digging deeper into their details to let you know which rig is perfect for what situation. To be more specific, I will discuss which rig will suit the water depth.
So, if you want to catch a trout in deep waters, consider getting a slip sinker rig and planning to fish for rainbow trout in high currents? Invest in a spinner rig. Do you want to suspend your bait under a bobber? You can do so when rainbow trout are extra active in the water.
You can use a slipper bobber rig to suspend your bait in such situations. Remember, choosing the perfect rig is very important.
Best Tackles For Rainbow Trout
Anglers who use artificial lures instead of living ones mostly prefer a spinning tackle as they’re convenient, easy to handle, and unique. Spin-cast gears are a good option for anglers on the beginning level, but obviously, it is not the best.
As these trout can be found in diverse freshwaters, I cannot choose a single spinning outfit for all the occasions. There are a few factors you must keep in mind while choosing one. If I talk about starters, the rainbow trout they would be catching won’t weigh that much.
So a light spinning outfit would be the best tackle for them. Not only for them, but it would also suit most the anglers. To be more precise, getting a five-and-a-half-foot light action rod is a good idea. Get it matched to a reel of 1000 series, and you’ll be good to catch trout in many environments.
Tips And Techniques To Catch Rainbow Trout
Now, let me further demonstrate how to catch rainbow trout for you with some extra tricks and tips. I already mentioned where you can find rainbow trout and what rigs, lures, tackles, and gear you will need. Once you have everything set, you are reading to go fishing.
Firstly, you must remember that many places require a license to catch trout. Get your license made if your state requires you to do so to be sure you are doing it the legal way.
The next step is looking for calm and relaxed waters, where rainbow trout like to stay. If you are fishing in streams, try looking for trout around rocks, bushes, or anything that can provide a calm barrier to them.
Wherever you think, they can hide, waiting for the currents to bring food for them while they hide from predators. There are many techniques to catch them with your fishing gear; I mention some of them here.
Talking about how to catch rainbow trout in a stocked pond, it is relatively easy to fish in calm waters. Suspend the bobber with your bait in the water and wait for any jiggle or movement. Any movement would indicate that a fish is near, and once it gets trolled by the bait, you will be able to catch it.
On the contrary, spoon or spinner lures are required for rivers and streams, mimicking fish or leeches. To start with it, suspend the lure underwater in a slack line. The currents will try to carry it down, which causes a natural drift in it, try to control it.
You can also add some live or artificial baits to the stream to attract rainbow trout. A bobber can be used too to keep an eye on the bait. So you know where the currents are taking it to. I hope now you have a better understanding of how to catch rainbow trout in a river.
Fishing a river is tricky, but when the currents get slowed, you can use the same easy fishing techniques you would use in ponds. So look for calm waters if you want it to be smooth.
Related guides:
- Perch fish 101: discover how to identify and tips to catch!
- How to catch sheepshead? (a complete guide)
Final Verdict:
Catching rainbow trout is undoubtedly a healthy activity, and they are the ideal fish to catch. They are beautiful in color, nutritious, and have a nutty flavor, making them an ideal fish for food. Now that you know how to catch rainbow trout, it is time that you should plan a fishing trip with your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
#1 – Is rainbow trout good eating?
Rainbow trout is a flavorful fish that can be easily prepared. Its taste is close to salmon, and you can cook it in many ways. You can even use it to make sushi.
It is full of benefits and perfect for your health as it contains omega-3. For a healthier fix, you can also replace its lean meat with chicken in most dishes.
#2 – Should you use a bobber when trout fishing?
Yes, catching trout with a bobber makes a process a lot easier. Watching your bobber plunge into the water as you set your hook with bait is also thrilling. Just choose the right bobber; otherwise, you won’t be able to catch your trout smoothly.
#3 – What is rainbow trout’s favorite food?
Rainbow trout are not picky when it comes to eating. They can eat everything they find underwater, including water insects, worms, minnows, and other dead animal carcasses.
But what they love eating is a maggot. It is the main reason why maggots are a popular bait among anglers.
#4 – What depth does rainbow trout swim at?
During colder seasons, trout swim at depths between 35 feet and 45 feet. As the warmer seasons arrive, they start swimming into deeper water, from 50 feet to 65 feet. When the temperatures are ice cold, they only swim at the surface, only 10 feet deep.
#5 – What size hooks for rainbow trout fishing?
If you are fishing for rainbow trout, you should choose hooks from sizes 8 to 14: the smaller ones to catch fish weighing a few pounds and bigger ones for heavier trout.
