How to Catch More Trout

Last Updated on October 2, 2023 by Kyle Whitley

If you are like most trout fishermen, you are always wanting to catch more fish. Now while we all might enjoy getting out in the outdoors and enjoying the scenery, we want to catch more fish. We will look at how to catch more trout and make yourself a better angler in the process.

Get A Guide

Getting a guide will help you learn about fishing and catch more fish. You don’t have to spend hours researching online and reading forums, but we folks at Southern Trout would love you to do so. With a guide, you’ll receive personalized information about the best places to go, the best equipment, and the most effective techniques.

A good fishing guide knows where the fish are hiding. They’ll tell you where to look and what to do to make sure you catch more fish.

Use A Longer Leader

If you want to reduce the fish you get from a particular spot, one way to do so is by using a shorter line. When fishing for trout in a fast-flowing stream, it is important to use the right equipment. If your fly line doesn’t reach the bottom where the trout likes to hang out, you need to hope that the trout are hanging out at the top.

Furthermore, if you’re casting into still or slow-moving waters, the disturbance of your line when you land it on the river’s surface may cause fish to swim away from your lure. As long as the tip of your fly rod is close enough to the fish when it hits the water, the farther away the tip of your fly reel is from the fish, the better off you” ll be.

Be Stealthy

When fishing, there are certain things that just make sense. If you want to catch more, you shouldn’t be too obvious about it. You should be quiet. And you should avoid casting shadows over the water.

Fish don’t like it when people are noisy or loud. So, if you want to catch some fish, try being stealthy.

Don’t Play The Fish Too Much

Don’t overplay the catch when you’re fishing. If you keep playing a fish for long enough, eventually, he’ll break away from you. When you spot an opening to catch a fish, take advantage of it. When landing the fish you will want to lift the rod so that you can guide the fish into the landing net. Sometimes a little tough love is exactly what a trout needs.

Pay Attention To the Depth

When fishing, it is important to know how far down the water you want to cast your lure. You’ll waste energy and possibly lose your bait if you don’t know where you’re casting. In addition, you won’t be able to see what’s happening under the surface. You might even miss a bite because you weren’t aware of the fish’s location.

Use a strike indicator to find out how deep you should be casting. Strike indicators come in many different styles; some are designed specifically for nymphing, while others work well for both types of fishing. A good strike indicator lets you set the desired depth without guessing.

Keep Your Rig Clean

You’re probably disappointed if you believe a fish will bite a small piece of debris floating downstream.

That’s one reason you should always check for water debris and regularly clean your equipment.

Landing Trout From The Front

It’s not fun to catch a big one but lose him because you didn’t get him out of the water quickly enough. It’s an empty feeling when you don’t catch anything. If you’re trying to net the fish by pulling them out from the water at their tail end, then you will likely lose some fish because the hook comes out.

Fish cannot move in any direction except the one their heads point towards. If the trout is facing into the net, you are much more likely to land the fish and not have the fish become unhooked.

Walk Your Fish Downstream

You must be prepared to walk them downstream to catch more big fish. Letting the fish work its way downstream will tire them out, making it easier to land.

One thing to keep in mind is a busy stream or fishing area. If you don’t want to lose your stop on the bank, you might want to forego this, but you might lose a few fish.

Let The Fish Run

A good fisherman knows that it takes patience to catch a big one. But sometimes, you don’t want to wait to see what happens next. Sometimes, you want to give the fish some space to run. Sometimes, letting a fish run is better than reeling him in.

Knowing how much slack you’re giving the line without breaking the connection is key. If you set the drag too tightly, the fish won’t have anywhere to go. He might break off.

Don’t restrict trout from running when needed. Restricting a fish too soon, when they’re stronger than usual, might break you off.

Don’t set your reel drag so tight that you’re not letting any lines out. Let the trout expend some energy, so they aren’t too energetic when you attempt to net them.

Set The Hook Downstream

This is one of the hardest things to master when fishing for trout. Because when you feel your indicator dipping below or a fish sipping your dry fly, your instinct is to lift your rod upward. If you wanted to improve the performance of your fishing rod, you’d pull it to the downstream side.

Since the trout face upstream, the hook will hook the fish in the corner of their mouth. Setting the hook to the fish’s upstream side will cause you to pull the hook for the trout’s mouth.

Fish At Night

The next time you go fishing, try catching some fish at night. You might just find yourself hooked up with a real monster.

Often fish will bite readily at night, especially in the summer when the nights are cooler, and insects are more abundant.

Get Guidance from Some Experienced Anglers

If you want to become a better fisherman, it helps to spend some time around people who know what they’re doing. You’ll pick up tips and tricks along the way, whether learning how to tie flies or just trying to figure out where to go next. If you’re looking to improve your skills, there are plenty of places to find like-minded folks.

You could try checking out local fishing clubs, connecting with local guides, online forums, and YouTube.

Read the River Like a Pro

Fish tend to congregate in certain parts of rivers, such as ripples, pools, and deep holes. These are called “riffle habitats,” and they provide shelter and food for different species. You can use this knowledge to identify where fish are most likely to live and, thus where you might catch them.

A good way to learn how to read a river is to think about the types of fish that live there. For example, trout prefer clear, fast-moving waters with lots of rocks and boulders. They don’t like muddy bottoms because they’re hard to see. Bass love slow-moving water with plenty of vegetation. They like places where the current is strong enough to keep the weeds growing.

Fish Better Locations

Some fisheries have many different types of species, while others just plain lack variety. Regardless of how skilled you are at fishing, if there aren’t any species available for you to target, you won’t be able to land anything.

If you want to get more fish, go fishing where there are lots.

Bait Fishing for Trout

There are many types of artificial lures used for catching trout. Some are designed specifically for one method of lure fishing, while others work well for multiple methods.

Trout fishing using live bait is probably the most common method for catching trout and perhaps the easiest. You must decide whether you want to fish near or below the surface. You should be ready for both techniques because they differ depending on where you fish.

Fishing on the bottom of the river or stream can be very successful since trout tend to cruise the bottom of the waterway when there is still water.

If trout are surfac­ing or cruisin’ near the surface, using a floating lure under a bobber is an effective and fun method for “seeing” the bite.

Natural Trout Baits

There are many ways to catch trout. Some prefer live bait, such as minnows, while others prefer artificial lures. If you want to try natural baiting, there are some things you should know about it.

Anglers often use natural bait for fishing for trout. Earthworms are one of the best choices for bait. Other foods that may attract fish include salmon eggs, mealworms, and locally available bait. These items may sometimes resemble natural prey found in the environment.

Fish accustomed to foraging may prefer natural bait or artificial lures.

Artificial Trout Baits

Artificial trout baits like dough or egg imitations are easy to catch trout, especially those stocked from your stated trout hatcheries. Some popular types include dough-baited lures and pre-formed baited lures that are easy to place on hooks. Power Bait trout nuggets are a good example.

Some of these lures have the advantage of sinking below the surface and coming in bright colors, so they’re easily spotted by fish. They may also be scented as an additional attractant.

There are many different brands of fishing lures available for sale. Among these, Berkley Powerbait has been the most popular brand.

Artificial baits that closely resemble natural baits are a good way to trick fish that have adapted to live off of natural bait.

Trout Bait Hooks

Hooks with bait holders will vary depending on the bait you use. For example, medium-size bait-holding hooks are usually best for most natural baits. You can usually get them ready-tied to leaders.

For bigger worms, use a size 6 hook; for smaller ones, use a size 10 or 12 hooks.

Artificial dough baiting works best when using a bait holder or a treble-hooked rig. Treble hooks are better for holding the bait on the line.

A single barbless hook is easier to remove from a caught trout than a long barbed hook. Also, having longer hooks makes removing them easier.

If you’re going to fish for one egg at a time, a small egg hook works best.

Bait Fishing Line and Leader

For most trout anglers, I recommend using either a 4- or 6-pound test main line for baitcasting. If the fish aren’t spooky, use a 2- or 4-pound test mono line. You might get more strikes when casting lighter lines.

For different types of fishing, I vary the leader lengths.

When using floating baits for lakeside fishing, I prefer leaders between 18 and 30 inches long so they don’t sink too far into the water.

When fishing in streams, I prefer a shorter 12 to 18-inch leader so that the lure stays close to the bottom and near the fish.

When fishing, I prefer to have some control over the bite. That means having the lure closer to the weight.

Trout Fishing Weights and Sinkers

Sliding sinkers are ideal for trout fishing with bait in slow-moving waters. They offer the best balance between holding the line steady and allowing it to drift freely. A fixed sinker gives you more control over the line, especially when fishing with drifting baits like worms and minnows.

In addition, sliding sinkers allow you to change the amount of drag on the line depending on what type of presentation you are making. If you are fishing a deep hole with a sinking lure, you can increase the drag to hold the lure down longer and give yourself more time to strike.

On the other hand, if you are fishing a shallow riffle, you might want to reduce the drag to keep the lure from getting stuck in the bottom.

Float Fishing for Trout

Floats (also known as bobbers) are used for many different types of fishing, but the best way to do it is to use a floating fly rod. Floating rods work well for trout fishing because they allow you to cast farther, and the added weight keeps the flies out of the weeds. You can either use live bait or artificial lures.

The key to successful float fishing is choosing the right lure. A good choice is a sinking lure, such as a plastic worm or a small crankbait. These lures are easy to cast and won’t snag on underwater obstructions like rocks.

When choosing a float rod, ensure it is long enough to reach the water depth where you intend to fish. The longer the rod, the easier it will be to control the lure.

Lure Fishing for Trout

Trout fishing is one of North America’s most popular forms of freshwater angling. And it doesn’t take much to catch a fish — just a good bait and some patience. But there’s much more to lure fishing than simply hooking up with a bite.

The key to successful lure fishing lies in selecting the correct lure size and shape and the appropriate fishing technique.

You’ll want to choose the best type of lure based on the species of trout you are targeting and where you plan to fish. You wouldn’t want to cast a minnow imitation like a Rapala minnow with all its treble hooks into an area where you might get hung up on sticks and vegetation. In that case, a worm imitation with a single hook would be better.

Research & Plan: How to Catch More Trout

Researching and planning is the best way to prepare for a fishing trip. You want to know where the fish are biting, how much bait you’ll need, and what type of tackle is necessary.

You also want to make sure you bring plenty of supplies. Like tackle, lures, hooks, bobbers, reels, etc. If you’re heading into unfamiliar waters, like a lake, you’ll want to pack extra clothes, sunscreen, bug spray, snacks, and water.

If you plan, you won’t have to worry about forgetting anything. This helps ensure you spend less time worrying about what you forgot and more time enjoying yourself.

Resources

Take Me Fishing

Karls

DIY Fly Fishing