If how to catch rainbow trout in a pond sounds like an easy task, you have probably done it before. The best part of fishing for rainbow trout is how fun it is. It is a great way to teach someone how to get started. Many veteran anglers still choose to try it because it is fun. Local ponds at farms, parks, and wildlife sanctuaries are often filled with these great fish. They are fun to catch, they bite on conventional and fly tackle, and they possess a tasty and flaky meat.

Once you know the basics of fishing for them, you can start to catch a few for dinner or for a few very nice photos. This is a fish species for absolutely everybody involved. They are absolutely stunning. Such gorgeous colors adorn the scales of these great salmon relatives. While they are not technically rainbow, the distinction between gray, brown, and pink is a pretty sight to see.

Targeting rainbow trout, particularly in ponds, is something that everybody should try. It is a little bit of fun for the whole family. A nice wall mount or trophy photo is a nice addition to a very nice fish meal and a day full of fun for everybody involved in catching these great fish. There are some things you can do to hook into some rainbow trout at a local pond. Give them a try.

Best Fishing Spots – A Rainbow Trout Where And When

When we are talking about pond fishing, we need to remember that the fish are much more concentrated than they would be in a lake or river. This means you will have a lot easier time finding the fish. The best spot for rainbow trout is usually around the bank. If you study up a bit on their biology, they love to inhabit structures and stay out of sunlight. You can remember this as you begin your search. Certain areas hold fish better than others and you have to know how.

Best Places To Fish To Increase Your Chances – Locating Rainbow Trout In A Pond

You always want to target structure, cover, and undercuts if trout are what you are after. You can catch rainbow trout in some of the shallowest of waters. They are typically looking for insects or minnows to ambush. Cover gives them shade from the sun as well as protection from the elements. Structure is anywhere that changes the bottom contour of the water bottom.

Places like deep channels, dropoffs, and shallow pools are examples of this. If you are in a pond that has no submerged cover, it makes what structure there is that much more important. In the warmest weather, they will migrate to the deepest spot in the water to get out of the sunlight. During winter and colder months, they will usually rest shallow lying in wait for prey to swim by.

The best thing is that they are always concentrated within ponds and other enclosed water bodies. Unlike in rivers, lakes, or streams, they cannot escape the perimeter of the outside bank. This makes finding them easier because you only have so many places to try before you find them. The only thing to remember about this is how pressured the water is. Ponds are hit much more often than other places. Although you can find them easier, they will be harder to catch.

• Always try deeper water first. Deeper pools often contain fish because it is cooler in temperature.
• Try to fish near submerged trees. Wood and grass mats too. These house insects and minnows.
• Moving white water is great. Places like this have a ton of oxygen and house many schools of fish.
• Always try to cast to likely areas first and go from there afterwards. They can be a little hard to find.

What Gear You’ll Need To Catch Trout Effectively

A very great thing is that local farm ponds do not often produce unbelievably huge catches. Some may see this as a problem instead of a good thing. Even so, they can always catch bigger specimens in local lakes and rivers. Pond fish tend to be very small in size. This means that the gear needs to be as well. Their small size will make gear selection easy. Anything can catch them. A stick, a hand line, an ice fishing rod, or even a very expensive ultralight setup are options. Both catch trout. The components to the optimal setup have a few distinctions.

• A light or ultralight spinning combo: A good spinning combo will really work wonders. If it is in the light or ultralight power class, it should be fine. More expensive combos are more sensitive and can often cast line farther. Pretty much every combo out there has enough power to reel in what you would be catching. Select any ultralight combo you have just laying around! Almost anything can work as a great rainbow trout setup.
• A natural bait or artificial lure: Regardless if you choose to use a live bait or an artificial one, a good thing to remember when choosing a lure or bait is how many anglers tempt them. We suggest using lures or baits that have been proven to work time and time again. The more natural the bait is, the better. You can still catch them on offerings that are not natural too. You just have to make sure the color closely matches the natural food they are already eating. They can be caught on live bait and artificial fishing lures.
• Monofilament or fluorocarbon fishing line: You want to have the right fishing line on your reel. If you choose something to heavy, you will not be able to detect bites and you may even scare them away. For this reason, we suggest using six pound test maximum. A great choice all around, two pound test should only be used if you are certain that you set your spinning reel’s drag perfectly. Four pound is also common but it also breaks very easily. Fluorocarbon may be a better option for a few reasons. The first one is invisibility. Fluorocarbon is almost invisible in the water when the sunlight hits it. The second reason is abrasion resistance. Rainbow trout have a set of needle sharp teeth that cut right through common nylon based lines. This is the same reason why you never hold them by the mouth. Try not to use braid. The line differences in braid mean you can see it and the fish can too.

Use Live Bait To Catch Fish All Year In Most Weather

A very foolproof and easy way to get some very nice catches is to use live bait. Live bait is especially effective as these fish have very good vision. Great live bait options to use include emerald shiners, other minnows, insects like grasshoppers and crickets, earthworms, wax worms, and mealworms. The best live bait is the one they are naturally feeding on already.

If your local pond fish are eating mayflies naturally as their primary forage, it doesn’t hurt to actually pick up some real mayflies to put on the hook. This is always going to be the most effective way to bait a hook too. Live bait options include grasshoppers, crickets, mayflies, minnows, caddisflies, cockroaches, leeches, stoneflies, small crayfish, sculpin, snails, and clams.

You can rig them on a basic bobber rig for a very simple and easy way to catch every size that swims. All you need is a pencil float, a split shot, a thin aberdeen hook, and some patience. Use different baits depending on the season of the year to increase your success rate. Pond trout do not eat near as much as other fish so changing your baits up now and again helps with this.

Use Lures If You Want A Special Kind Of Challenge

While live bait is always nice to have on hand, sometimes you just cannot get it. Other times, you can and just would prefer to use artificial baits. this is fine too. Rainbow trout can be caught on a number of different fishing lure presentations. common choices to tie on include artificial salmon egg sacks, spinners, plastic worms, and minnows. Your success rate will vary for each.

The main thing you need to remember about them is that they will eat insects their entire lives. They will begin to consume minnows when they get older but they only serve as a secondary food instead of the primary one. The main diet is insects and as many as they can shove inside. They start out in life consuming waterfleas and slowly making a transition to caddisflies, midges, and mayflies. They will also eat just about anything that will fit in their mouths. They are foragers.

This can make lure selection easy. Many anglers choose to fly fish for them for this reason. Certain fly patterns like a clouser minnow or gummy minnow work for when they are feeding on shiners, smelt, or shad. Spinners, jigs, soft plastic minnows, miniature crankbaits, soft plastic worms, and casting spoons are all very popular lures to try. The main thing to remember is to try and match natural patterns as closely as possible. Having something shiny helps in all weather.

In Conclusion – It May Be Summed Up

Catching rainbow trout in a pond is not all that difficult. You just need to know where to look, what gear to use, and have some patience. It is much easier than trying to catch them in a river or stream. regardless if you want a nice photo or wall mount or if you are playing for catch and release, it is a sport the entire family can come to enjoy. You should try catching some!

What do you think? You like pond fishing for them? What tips do you recommend that we left out? Leave a comment below to let us know.