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Trout fishing is one of the greatest outdoor activities that exist. In many places, trout fishing consists of going to a stalked lake or stream and casting into holes hoping the heap of "stalkies," is hungry. Tracking native trout does not happen like it did "back in the day," but can still provide some fun if you are in the right spot and have the right bait.

To catch a stalk trout, fishermen will use flies, spinners, bait-worms, powerbait, salmon eggs, minnows, salted minnows, cheese, meal-worms and even maggots. I feel it is safe to say that the best baits are alive. Yes, even a live maggot may draw in more trout then a combination plastic-metal lure. However, I feel minnows give you the best opportunity to catch quality and quantity when fishing for trout. A basic minnow rigged up by hooking the minnow through both lips can be effective. This rig helps keep the minnow alive longer and allows the minnow the freedom to swim and appear more like a minnow and less like bait. Running a needle with fishing line through the minnow and rigging a set of treble hooks just below the trouts tail can help assure the catch as a trout will find it very difficult to escape the treble hooks. This method may injure or kill the minnow quicker and create a less natural look but the advantages are 1. the minnow will not come unhooked and 2. the treble hooks will help land the big one.

The next most successful live bait is the almighty earth worm, or more specifically the red worm. These can be found in leaf piles, dug up in gardens, and they also have now found their way into vending machines at gas stations. The redworm is easy to hook, has very little escape power and looks delicious to the common stream trout. Trout will often see earthworms in the water after storms much like we see them crawling in a parking lot. Worms are easy to get, easy to transport and fish love em.

Moving from live bait to artificial bait, I have to admit I am very fond of spinner fishing for trout. A spinner is a bait with a metal body and blade that rotates while the lure is being retrieved. Many of them are supposed to mimic a live baitfish. Spinners come in several different sizes and dozens of colors. If you have a good have supply of spinners, trout fishing can become a spontaneous event. You can grab your spinner box and take off to your favorite stream, no digging for worms or catching minnows. When advising a buddy what type of spinners to use, the CP Swing is still an old favorite and Mepps rooster tails have also landed dozens of trout as well. One of my more recent favorites is a Panther Martin witha black blade with yellow spots. There is a good chance that any spinner works anywhere, but I like to believe that there is a science of when and where to use my favorite colors and types of spinners. Either way, spinner fishing can be very productive and enjoyable.

It is true that there are dozens of other baits that can produce a bite when trout fishing. Berkely powerbait works very well in stocked streams. I have seen people using little balls of cheddar cheese with good results and salmon eggs are also a tasty treat for rainbow trout. I still feel that the combination of some live baits and a collection of spinners is often all you need to enjoy a walk up the stream.

Learn more about this author, Steve Gray.
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