How To Catch Brown Trout The Easy Way

Brown trout are a highly prized and coveted fish. They get to be very large, they put up a great fight, and they are some of the best-eating fish. How to catch brown trout successfully has a few different methods, all of which have their time and place. These fish will readily bite many presentations and it’s up to you to select which one to use. It’s a particularly peculiar fish in that it is always active. It is possible to ice fish for them through a hole in the ice or they can be taken in the hottest parts of summer.

No times are ever off limits for browns. That certainly makes things easier to the degree of lure selection. In addition to the excessive number of fish that live in the wild, brown trout are also stocked in high numbers in local ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and reservoirs. To the degree of other fish, brown trout do not require absurdly special gear either. Most outfits that you will need to get started will be setups you already have for other fish. If not, getting started is very simple as well as affordable.

Brown Trout Location Guide 101

The most important step in brown trout fishing is location. These fish are notorious for being a little hard to find once they get to a certain size. For the most part, they are freshwater fish although a certain amount of the population will inhabit saltwater after they spawn. Populations are best in bodies of water that have ample amounts of clear water and dissolved oxygen. For the most part, they prefer structure and cover because they provide ideal hunting grounds. Look for large rocks, fallen trees, and the like.

Like most predator fish species, they prefer places that are easy to hunt but are safe from predators like hawks and eagles. Wherever the most bait is should be where to find the fish. You can always try to go after cut banks too. Current naturally pushes bait into cut banks and bigger fish like to sit and feed in the cove instead of hunting.  In more open water, you will tend to find more active fish that are more willing to take your rig simply because they hunt more often.

What a Trout Setup Looks Like

There is no setup that is specifically made for trout of any kind. While specific trout fly rods and spinning rods exist, they are made for all species of fish. Because of this, the gear you already have is probably more than enough to handle whatever fish you need. You can use a spinning rod if you have one available. What you already have will probably work but a great setup to target them. If we are talking just parameters, a setup that is pretty much ideal would be a 7ft rod or longer with a medium-slow action. You should spool your reel up with a 6 to 8-lb monofilament line for most applications.

A simple bass fishing rod or catfish rod can also double as a great option for trout and salmon. Most of the time, all you have to do is adjust your rig or lure. For example, a spinning rod traditionally used for bass fishing or catfishing can just as easily throw smaller trout lures or live bait rigs to the right spot and still provide more than enough insurance to bring it in. Most of the time, you won’t need to adjust your drag.

Lure And Rig Selection Choices

Out of all the lures available on the market today, the best trout lures are also some of the most simple. The best baits for trout are inline spinnerbaits. This is because the fish prefer faster-moving and injured prey. My very first trout was on an inline spinner. I was just throwing it to see what happened. Inline spinners are lures that are connected to the line via a wire and have a clevis that rotates a metal blade clockwise around the center axis. In the middle of the bait is usually a simple bait body and a single treble hook.

Lures like a Mepp’s Black Fury, Panther Martin, Original Rooster Tail, and Blue Foxx Vibrax are all great examples of what usually gets fish to bite. There are also a few other options available to you if you want a more traditional approach. You can hook them on miniature jerkbaits like a Rapala Countdown or on jigging spoons like a Little Cleo. The main thing to remember is that most of these baits are common in their use and they get fished a lot already. That means you may already have them lying around.




Live Bait Fishing

When it comes to live bait fishing, stealth is the ticket to success. Use a live bait rig with tiny components to increase your chances of hooking up with one. The best live bait rig for brown trout is a basic bobber rig. The rig consists of a float or bobber, a hook, and some sort of bait. Try using a smaller, foam, bobber and a very thin wire fishing hook such as an Aberdeen. Aberdeen hooks use a very thin wire and they have a very long shank. This is absolutely essential to ensuring your bait stays alive longer while you are fishing with it.

As for bait options, there are quite a few you can choose to opt for and they all work well depending on the conditions. By far, the most versatile and effective trout bait is live minnows. They are easy to catch, they provide a lot of action, and they are available at most bait stores too. Trout prefer eating small fish and insects as their main diets so minnows are a no-brainer.

Another bait to try is a nightcrawler or earthworm. All fish love worms and you can use this for a few more catches. In addition, you can also use shiners, chubs, wax worms, crickets, sculpins, crayfish, shrimp, hellgrammites., and just about anything else. If you have it available, you can probably use it for bait. The rig and being sneaky are usually more important than your live bait selection.

Fly Fishing For Brown trout

Some of the greatest specimens and catches are usually on the fly. Trout species are particularly keen on consuming insects for the entirety of their lives. Fly fishermen account for a large portion of trophy-sized catches. Fly fishing for brown trout is very similar to the techniques used for rainbows and brook trout. They will take a variety of dry and wet flies. As long as your fly rod has some sensitivity to it, you should be golden.

Make sure your leader is monofilament because it floats. Make sure you bait up with pheasant tail nymphs, crayfish, and caddis flies. Aside from that, you can also try stoneflies and muddler minnows. You should carry a big assortment of flies in different color patterns to mimic all the life stages of the insects they want. They are sometimes intrigued by bright colors but the best way to choose a fly color is to match the hatch. Once you have your gear, find a lake or river with a brown trout population.

After that, search for areas that are likely to hold a ton of bait. They will inhabit still water and white water. It just depends on what places have the most food available. The key to not spooking the fish is to make a long cast and make the fly move naturally. They can be quite finicky so the longer cast means less chance of spooking them. Move your fly in a natural way to invoke the most bites.

Overall, It May Be Concluded

To summarize, catching brown trout is very similar to catching rainbow and brook trout. The main difference is finding them. They can be caught fly fishing, on spinning gear, on lures, with live bait, with dead bait, and many other ways. As far as simplicity goes, a basic bobber rig can put more fish in the boat for you. If that is not an option, throw inline spinners around logs and another type of cover. Try your luck at throwing miniature jerkbaits or bypass it all completely and use your fly rod for best results.

What are your thoughts on catching brown trout? Let us know in the comments below so we can hear what you think.

If This Helps You, Please Leave A Comment Below!

Doing so helps us produce more quality content like this! Also, don't forget to read a related post!

Leave a Comment