Trout fishing bait is always the ultimate determining factor in luring in and hooking the big ones. Therefore, it is important that you choose and use the right ones. Anglers today have a virtually unlimited selection of bait to choose from. Using the right bait depends on your situation as well as your own individual fishing style. Everything is available from live to artificial to old fashioned bait.
Trout Fishing Bait Types
There are many different types of baits available. One of the all time favorites is the live bait. These creepy crawlers are at the top of the list. Using this kind of live bait has several advantages over other kinds of bait. For one, they are readily available. They also have enough weight to pull off some long casting. Some of the smaller live worms can be a bit tricky to cast but they are still the favorite of many anglers who use them.
Various kinds of insect larva such as hellgrammites and water worms are also excellent choices for trout bait. However, they can often be in short supply especially late in the summer. They also tend to require more skill and effort if you plan to cast these babies far and long. When the trout are less lively, then I recommend to use small minnows.
One of the live baits and one of my personal favorites that will consistently catch a lot of trophy trout is crayfish. Rigging up live crayfish onto a size 8 gang hook is maybe the perfect choice in many locations. There are a few veteran anglers out there who always seem to catch big trout with “almost live” chunks of chub or sucker meat.
Aside from live bait, many trout fishermen like to use synthetic bait. The variety of these artificial bait is plentiful. There is a color, size and style for just about any fishing preference. These are especially effective with hatchery trout, though no one really seems to know why.
Whatever the reason, the synthetics are a good first choice in stocked lakes or streams. Many anglers swear that in these types of situations synthetic bait will always outperform the live ones. Normally, you will need to experiment to find the right match for the location that you are fishing in. You may have to try out a few different types to find the one that works best for you.
Aside from digging to find live worms, there are also a lot of do-it-yourself baits today. These traditional and “old school baits” are corn and cheese. Believe it or not, these still work. Cheese, for some reason, works great with hatchery fish. It also works really well for still fishing.
Trout fishing bait should be one of the top things you need to know and study well. These are the tools of the trade, so to speak. Its also important to experiment with this over and over again so you will know the right bait to use on a particular fishing spot and season. What works today might not work tomorrow, this is especially true in trout fishing. You must understand that trout are wily and cunning fish. They aren’t called water bloodhounds for nothing. You got to know what makes them bite for the time and place that you’re in. Ok, now I’m ranting. I will leave you on that note.
Good luck in choosing your trout fishing bait and have fun.
