For those of you who are new to trout fishing I figured I’d write a quick article titled, a beginners guide to trout fishing, to give you some simple and basic trout fishing tips that will help you be more successful. It isn’t very different from any other type of fishing (obviously) but there are certain simple things that can be implemented to tip the odds into your favor.
I’ve personally been fishing for trout for more than twenty years, and learned from an angler that was someone I consider to be a trout fishing master. This man (who I refer to as my fishing mentor) was a highly successful trout angler, and some of the simple tips and techniques he developed/used will most certainly help you on your journey.
The first thing to keep in mind in reference to trout fishing is that light gear should be employed. Actually, in a perfect world, ultra light gear should be employed. When I refer to gear, I’m referring specifically to your rod, reel, and line. So ultra light rods and reels, spooled with light line should be used for trout fishing. By ‘light line’ I mean six-pound test at the heaviest. I personally prefer four-pound test, but six-pound test is passable, especially for a beginner.
The reason we use such light line is because trout are found in cold clear water, and fishing line is much more visible in these types of conditions. Couple this with the fact that trout have very keen eyesight, and the bottom line is that light line needs to be employed when trout fishing. Ultra light rods and reels make using light line much easier as well. Not only this, but using ultra light gear makes catching fish a ton of fun as well.
The next thing for the beginning trout angler to understand is that certain days and times of the day are more productive than others. What, you don’t believe me? It’s true; there are certain times that are better for fishing than others. As a matter of fact, when the moon isn’t in my favor for example, I tend not to even bother going fishing. The key to understanding the most opportune times for fishing lies in understanding the weather and moon.
When fishing for trout it’s always a good idea to use live worms as bait. My mentor used live worms for trout bait almost exclusively. And the best way to rig a live worm, when using it as bait, is a set of gang hooks. My mentor was the first person that I ever saw using this method for freshwater fishing, and it is highly effective. For me, trout fishing and gang hooks go hand in hand.
These simple tips will help the beginning trout angler have a lot more success. How am I so sure of this? Because I’ve been using every one of these tips for more than twenty years and know from experience how effective they are. Remember, there’s no substitute for spending time on the water, and as you implement and practice these techniques you will become even more adept at catching trout.
