Rainbow Trout caught on a fly in Hot Creek, California
Rainbow Trout
Rainbow Trout Description
Rainbow trout are probably the most common and easiest to catch of all trout in North America. They are stocked in many lakes and rivers and eat a wide variety of both baits and lures. They are also very popular among fly fishermen. Even the stocked fish, however, can often be picky and sometimes you have to try a variety of approaches before you find what they want that day. Most rainbow trout caught range from 1/2 to 3lbs in size, with anything much over that being a pretty decent fish in most places other than Alaska and a couple of other places.
Rainbows often jump when hooked and are a fun adversary on light tackle. As an added bonus, many of the mountain rivers and lakes where they are found are very scenic which adds to the fishing experience. Wild-caught rainbows taste delicious.
Rainbow Trout Tackle
When fishing for rainbow trout I like to fish with the lightest line I can possibly get away with. Trout have good eyesight and will often be scared away by line that is too thick, especially in heavily pressured waters. An ultra light rod and reel are usually sufficient to land most trout. I generally fish with 2lb test line in nearly all situations when fishing for rainbows. The largest fish I have landed on 2lb test was 6.5lbs and if you are patient you should be able to land much larger fish on that. A Daiwa Certate spinning reel is the best in class for trout. Click here for tackle recommendations.
Rainbow Trout Techniques
There are a ton of ways to catch trout. Below are some of the ones that have worked well for me.
Rainbow Trout Lures
Rainbow trout eat a wide variety of lures, including spinners, spoons, plugs, and jigs in the 1"-3" size range. I like to pack a wide variety as trout can often turn on to one lure and turn off to another that they were biting the day or even the hour before. I once caught 13 in a row in about an hour fishing with a small green and yellow plastic jig. I then ran out of green and yellow jigs and switched to an identical jig in brown and yellow and couldn't buy a bite. I switched back to the one torn up green and yellow jig I had left and immediately caught a few more. Like with any kind of fishing, it pays to observe people who are catching fish and use what they are using.
If I had to pack just one lure for trout it would be a small silver and red Kastmaster spoon. It also catches most other types of game fish that live in the same lakes and streams which is a plus. It casts great and has a nice erratic action. My second choice would be a Panther Martin spinner in Rainbow Trout color. For both the spinner and the spoon I usually just use a steady retrieve. As soon as I feel a strike I set the hook.
If I'm in a spot where I can see the trout or they are otherwise concentrated for some reason in relatively clear water, my choice would be a green and yellow rubber jig such as a Trout Teaser. Those will usually entice a strike from fish you can see when the other lures won't get a look. Cast the jig to where the trout are, let it sink, twitch it occasionally, and let it sink again. Work it back in that manner and then repeat. Almost all bites will come on the fall, and it takes some practice to detect those bites. If you want the trout to hold onto the jig a little longer you can try tipping it with a mealworm and/or adding fish attractant.
Sometimes trout are focused on insects. You will see them rising to eat them on the surface and they usually ignore all other types of food during this time. If you are a fly fisherman then this is the time you have been waiting for, but if like me you aren't that into fly fishing then this can be frustrating. What I do in times like these is tie a small clear bobber to my line, followed by a 4' or 5' very light leader, and tie a fly on the end. You can cast this with regular spinning gear and probably get more distance than the fly fishermen in most instances. You then VERY SLOWLY retrieve it back so that it looks like a bug drifting along. The fun part of this is that you can see the fish eat your fly most of the time. The hard part is that they bite and spit it out in one quick motion so you have to be very fast on the hookset. This tactic has been very productive for me in times when all else failed.
Rainbow Trout Baits
Probably the most popular bait for trout is PowerBait, which is a playdough-like substance that comes in a little plastic jar. There are a bazillion colors and everyone has their favorite. You just mold some on a small treble hook, put a small sliding weight between 12-30 inches behind it, cast it out, and let it float off the bottom. For whatever reason I've never been a big fan of this stuff but it works. There are a lot of other similar baits but I have never experimented with them as they just aren't my thing.
If I'm going to fish bait for trout I usually go with the old classic, the worm. I like to fish either a whole red worm or half of a large nightcrawler on a small single baitholder hook. Instead of suspending it below a bobber, I usually attach a sliding sinker and have the worm 12-24" from it. One trick that works very well is to get a syringe and inject the worm with air so that it floats off the bottom. This makes it much easier for the trout to find and usually works a lot better than having the worm sit on the bottom.
If I am fishing in a river, my go to bait is usually a single salmon egg suspended below a small bobber. I cast upstream and drift it through likely-looking spots. If the bobber dips unnaturally I set the hook.
Other Rainbow Trout Tips
If I am fishing in a lake with which I am unfamiliar, I usually start at an end of the lake that has a stream flowing in. It seems those spots always cause fish to congregate. I usually set up one rod with a floating worm, cast that out, put a strike indicator of some sort, put it in a rod holder and then fish around that spot with a Kastmaster or other lure for a while. If I get no hits on either the worm or the lure in about 1/2 hour I go to another promising looking spot. That approach seems to work pretty well all the places I have fished. If I can see the fish I switch to the plastic jig in a natural color.
When fishing in a river I like to concentrate on slower moving pools and spots of slower moving water behind large rocks. Trout don't sit in the fastest part of the current; that would tire them out. They wait in ambush in spots outside the current and dart out to eat things that float by. Try to make your bait or lure float by in the same way that a stray bug or worm or fish might.
Where to get the big Raintbow Trout
Alaska has some of the largest wild rainbow trout in the world. If I were looking for a trophy rainbow I would go there. I have also heard of a place called Jurassic Lake in Argentina which is supposed to be absolutely insane for rainbows in the 8-12lbs category. California and some other states have stocked fish that are genetically bred to get huge, but that just doesn't seem the same. These stocked fish do not fight as hard as the wild ones and generally do not have the brilliant colors that the wild ones do. Their fins are often torn as well, although if they survive in the wild for long enough they grow back.
Other Rainbow Trout Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch rainbow trout. The resources below will provide a wealth of information:
Ronnie Kovach's book Trout Fishing in California is an excellent resource.
If you are in the Midwest this guy will put you on fish: www.wibigfish.com
Rainbow Trout Description
Rainbow trout are probably the most common and easiest to catch of all trout in North America. They are stocked in many lakes and rivers and eat a wide variety of both baits and lures. They are also very popular among fly fishermen. Even the stocked fish, however, can often be picky and sometimes you have to try a variety of approaches before you find what they want that day. Most rainbow trout caught range from 1/2 to 3lbs in size, with anything much over that being a pretty decent fish in most places other than Alaska and a couple of other places.
Rainbows often jump when hooked and are a fun adversary on light tackle. As an added bonus, many of the mountain rivers and lakes where they are found are very scenic which adds to the fishing experience. Wild-caught rainbows taste delicious.
Rainbow Trout Tackle
When fishing for rainbow trout I like to fish with the lightest line I can possibly get away with. Trout have good eyesight and will often be scared away by line that is too thick, especially in heavily pressured waters. An ultra light rod and reel are usually sufficient to land most trout. I generally fish with 2lb test line in nearly all situations when fishing for rainbows. The largest fish I have landed on 2lb test was 6.5lbs and if you are patient you should be able to land much larger fish on that. A Daiwa Certate spinning reel is the best in class for trout. Click here for tackle recommendations.
Rainbow Trout Techniques
There are a ton of ways to catch trout. Below are some of the ones that have worked well for me.
Rainbow Trout Lures
Rainbow trout eat a wide variety of lures, including spinners, spoons, plugs, and jigs in the 1"-3" size range. I like to pack a wide variety as trout can often turn on to one lure and turn off to another that they were biting the day or even the hour before. I once caught 13 in a row in about an hour fishing with a small green and yellow plastic jig. I then ran out of green and yellow jigs and switched to an identical jig in brown and yellow and couldn't buy a bite. I switched back to the one torn up green and yellow jig I had left and immediately caught a few more. Like with any kind of fishing, it pays to observe people who are catching fish and use what they are using.
If I had to pack just one lure for trout it would be a small silver and red Kastmaster spoon. It also catches most other types of game fish that live in the same lakes and streams which is a plus. It casts great and has a nice erratic action. My second choice would be a Panther Martin spinner in Rainbow Trout color. For both the spinner and the spoon I usually just use a steady retrieve. As soon as I feel a strike I set the hook.
If I'm in a spot where I can see the trout or they are otherwise concentrated for some reason in relatively clear water, my choice would be a green and yellow rubber jig such as a Trout Teaser. Those will usually entice a strike from fish you can see when the other lures won't get a look. Cast the jig to where the trout are, let it sink, twitch it occasionally, and let it sink again. Work it back in that manner and then repeat. Almost all bites will come on the fall, and it takes some practice to detect those bites. If you want the trout to hold onto the jig a little longer you can try tipping it with a mealworm and/or adding fish attractant.
Sometimes trout are focused on insects. You will see them rising to eat them on the surface and they usually ignore all other types of food during this time. If you are a fly fisherman then this is the time you have been waiting for, but if like me you aren't that into fly fishing then this can be frustrating. What I do in times like these is tie a small clear bobber to my line, followed by a 4' or 5' very light leader, and tie a fly on the end. You can cast this with regular spinning gear and probably get more distance than the fly fishermen in most instances. You then VERY SLOWLY retrieve it back so that it looks like a bug drifting along. The fun part of this is that you can see the fish eat your fly most of the time. The hard part is that they bite and spit it out in one quick motion so you have to be very fast on the hookset. This tactic has been very productive for me in times when all else failed.
Rainbow Trout Baits
Probably the most popular bait for trout is PowerBait, which is a playdough-like substance that comes in a little plastic jar. There are a bazillion colors and everyone has their favorite. You just mold some on a small treble hook, put a small sliding weight between 12-30 inches behind it, cast it out, and let it float off the bottom. For whatever reason I've never been a big fan of this stuff but it works. There are a lot of other similar baits but I have never experimented with them as they just aren't my thing.
If I'm going to fish bait for trout I usually go with the old classic, the worm. I like to fish either a whole red worm or half of a large nightcrawler on a small single baitholder hook. Instead of suspending it below a bobber, I usually attach a sliding sinker and have the worm 12-24" from it. One trick that works very well is to get a syringe and inject the worm with air so that it floats off the bottom. This makes it much easier for the trout to find and usually works a lot better than having the worm sit on the bottom.
If I am fishing in a river, my go to bait is usually a single salmon egg suspended below a small bobber. I cast upstream and drift it through likely-looking spots. If the bobber dips unnaturally I set the hook.
Other Rainbow Trout Tips
If I am fishing in a lake with which I am unfamiliar, I usually start at an end of the lake that has a stream flowing in. It seems those spots always cause fish to congregate. I usually set up one rod with a floating worm, cast that out, put a strike indicator of some sort, put it in a rod holder and then fish around that spot with a Kastmaster or other lure for a while. If I get no hits on either the worm or the lure in about 1/2 hour I go to another promising looking spot. That approach seems to work pretty well all the places I have fished. If I can see the fish I switch to the plastic jig in a natural color.
When fishing in a river I like to concentrate on slower moving pools and spots of slower moving water behind large rocks. Trout don't sit in the fastest part of the current; that would tire them out. They wait in ambush in spots outside the current and dart out to eat things that float by. Try to make your bait or lure float by in the same way that a stray bug or worm or fish might.
Where to get the big Raintbow Trout
Alaska has some of the largest wild rainbow trout in the world. If I were looking for a trophy rainbow I would go there. I have also heard of a place called Jurassic Lake in Argentina which is supposed to be absolutely insane for rainbows in the 8-12lbs category. California and some other states have stocked fish that are genetically bred to get huge, but that just doesn't seem the same. These stocked fish do not fight as hard as the wild ones and generally do not have the brilliant colors that the wild ones do. Their fins are often torn as well, although if they survive in the wild for long enough they grow back.
Other Rainbow Trout Resources
The above barely scratches the surface on how to catch rainbow trout. The resources below will provide a wealth of information:
Ronnie Kovach's book Trout Fishing in California is an excellent resource.
If you are in the Midwest this guy will put you on fish: www.wibigfish.com
Click on any pic below to enlarge
