by Marc Phillippe Babineau

Created on: August 23, 2009   Last Updated: June 30, 2010

The best baits for trout fishing will depend upon factors like the type of trout that you are fishing for, the type of water body (river, creek or lake), the temperature and clarity of the water, the cloud cover and any storm systems, either coming in or leaving the area. With the basic knowledge of what trout like to eat and what makes them irritated to the point of aggravation, the trout fisherman can catch trout during any type of weather. However, the time of day may have more of an effect on catching trout than the weather and even water clarity will.

When the waters are dirty, either as a normal effect from sediment, or from a storm, the best baits for trout are scented worms, crayfish, mice and grubs.  In very clear waters, you have to  make your offering to the fish a lot more natural looking, as most trout will spot a fake if given enough time.  The more pure a trout is, like the Arctic char or the sea trout, the more intelligent it is, and live baits will work much better, with no leaders, spoons, blades or swivels to give off the authenticity of your offerings.

Fishing for trout with mice? A mouse fly, from about the size of a chicken egg to the size of a large tomato, is a wonderful trout lure, one that makes the trout aggressively strike the lure on the top of the water. This is when the fisherman needs a companion with a good digital camera and a big fishing net, in order to get the pictures of the trout flying through the air, and landing the brut.  The mouse dry fly is a top-water lure, so reeling the lure in with a hopping formation, quick followed by slow retrievals, will drive any nearby territorial trout into a biting frenzy.

Split-minnow lures and red devils are two of the most long-standing best artificial lures for trout fishing, under all weather and water conditions, but especially for deep water lake trout fishing.  However, worms are the standard for trout fishing in rivers and streams, unless you are fly fishing or trolling behind a boat or other watercraft.  No real trout fishermen, unless a die-hard fly fisherman, won’t have a couple of dozen worms as backup in case the trout are not falling for false bait’s and lures, like the split minnow, in either deep diver or floater model. When trolling, reflective plates should be used about 6 to 8 feet above the lure, as the blade’s reflection of the sun’s rays will act as an attractant to any nearby trout, and they act as weights, keeping

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>