Trout Fishing Tip Videos

  • Double Your Catch While Ice Fishing

    This simple tip for modifying a white tube jig from expert, Gord Pyzer, will double the number of lake trout you land through the ice.

  • Making Your Own Feathered Trebles

    Feathered trebles add flash to any bait that uses treble hooks, here's how to make your own at home.

  • How To: Fish Spring Creeks

    Brian Trow, owner of Mossy Creek Fly Fishing Shop teaches you methods how to fish in spring creeks.

  • Setting up for Drop-Shotting

    How to rig a drop-shot set-up for smallmouth, walleye, perch or even trout.

  • Six Top Drop-shot Baits

    Looking for an edge on summer bass and walleye?

  • How To: Catch Sea Run Brook Trout

    Redbrook stream in Massachusetts is a unique area where you can fish for Sea Run Brook Trout.

  • Love Your Lake: Squam Lake

    Big and Little Squam Lakes are found in the northern part of the Lakes region of NH. Known for their big fresh water game fish including Landlock Salmon, Rainbow Trout and Lake Trout, the lakes offer beautiful scenery and great cold and warm water fishing.

  • How To: Fly Fish Steelhead

    Some tips to keep in mind next time you're fly fishing for steelhead.

  • Love Your Lake: Lower Illinois River

    The lower Illinois Rover is the only place in the state of Oklahoma where anglers can enjoy year round trout fishing. This scenic river is located downstream from Lake Tenkiller near Gore, Oklahoma, and is stocked regularly with rainbow and brown trout.

  • Local Flavor: New Hampshire Hatchery

    The New Hampshire State Fish Hatchery in New Hampton, NH is the oldest hatchery in the state, over 100 years old. This facility specializes in raising wild and domesticated strains of Eastern brook trout and brown trout.

  • How To: Pick A Fly For Winter Fishing

    Fly fishing in the Rockies happens all year long, but there are a few standard fly patterns to keep in mind while chasing trout in the winter months. Jim Cannon shows what he thinks are the the best flies to stock up on for the best results.

  • How To: Winter Tail Water Fishing

    When the lakes and rivers freeze in the Rockies many anglers head out to the tail waters below the dams where the water is still open and fish can feed on insects all year round.

  • Love Your Lake: Delaney Butte

    Ten miles west of Walden, Colorado, in North Park, you'll find the Delaney Butte Lakes. If fly fishing for brown trout is your thing, then these lakes should be to your liking as the North Lake is a Gold Medal Fishery with trout averaging between 14 - 22 inches.

  • Love Your Lake: Pearl Lake

    Pearl Lake is nestled in the mountains north of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Surrounded by lush forest in the Pearl Lake State Park, the lake offers anglers peace and quiet while they seek to land brook trout, cutthroat trout, graylings and longnose suckers.

  • Love Your Lake: Lake John

    Located in North Park, northwest of Walden, Colorado, Lake John is a rainbow trout haven for anglers. The lake provides a lot of structure with weed beds and can be easily fished from shore.

  • Trophy Brown Trout From a Kayak

    While fly fishing down the Madison River in Montana, Jeff Herman hooked and landed this beauty brown trout from his kayak.

  • Fish Facts: Lake Trout

    Find out all the detailed facts about lake trout, and how to target them in Colorado.

  • Love Your Lake: Irvine Lake

    Where can an angler find some great fishing for rainbow, brook, and brown trout, blue and channel catfish, bass, wipers, crappies, bluegill, and sturgeons, in the same body of water? They're all in Irvine Lake, just a few miles east of Anaheim, Calif

  • How To: Target Speckled Trout

    Pensacola Bay offers a lot of variety and speckled trout is a popular target among anglers. From weed fishing to casting from a flats boat, there's more than one way to hook a trout. It's all about trying different techniques and having patience

  • How To: Releasing Trout in High Temperatures

    You don't think about the higher elevation lakes of the Rockies getting that warm but these shallow water lakes can heat up quickly. Anytime the water temperature gets above 65 °F you have to start taking precautions when handling fish, especially trout.

  • How To: Live Bait Rigging

    Live bait rigging provides an opportunity to present a natural food source to fish, which ultimately produces more hook ups. Learn how properly rig live bait to present it to fish efficiently.

  • How To Adapt To Environmental Change

    Different conditions will force you to adapt your presentation. Lake Michigan holds some of the best trout and salmon, and if you want to catch them, consistently, you'll have to adjust.

  • How to: Jigging Trout

    Some of the higher elevation lakes in the Rockies are loaded with a fresh water shrimp known as scud. A lot of times when the trout are feeding on scuds they will only focus on looking down in the weeds and vegetation. When they are in this mode you're forced to use a jig and bring your bait up to them.

  • Love Your Lake: Antero Reservoir - Winter

    Laying two hours outside of Denver, the Antero Reservoir brings some of the most diverse landscape to the Colorado Region. Rainbows, Brown Trout and Kokanne Salmon make this super charged area an anglers dream!

  • Fish Facts: Hofer Rainbow Trout

    A look at this special strain of rainbow trout and how they were used to replenish the fishery in Colorado.

Fresh Water
Salt Water

Trout Identification

#
Lake Trout
USFWS

Introduction

Trout, like salmon, belong to the Salmonidae family. Unlike salmon, trout spend most of their time in freshwater. Certain trout species swim in saltwater, like steelhead, but spawn in freshwater. Trout make up three of the seven genera in the Salmonidae family: Atlantic (Salmo), Pacific (Oncorhynchus), and char (Salvelinus).

Fishing for trout is a loved activity among novice and professional anglers alike. These fish provide a strong and exciting fight when hooked, and it is precisely this excitement that draws so many anglers. In addition, trout makes for a delicious meal for anglers who choose to keep a few.

#
Bull Trout
Eric Engbretson/USWFS

Trout Species

Select a species from the list below for detailed information on common types of trout:

Salmo:

Oncorhynchus:

Salvelinus:

There are other species of fish out there referred to as trout despite not technically being part of the Salmonidae family. The spotted seatrout is an example. Despite its name, it is actually part of the drum family (Sciaenidae).

Trout Fishing Tips

Top 3 Trout Fishing Tips

  1. Learn the Area

    Knowing more about the area where you intend to fish for trout will definitely work to your advantage. Try to learn the temperature patterns, seasons, and the type of food that the trout feeds on locally. This information will help you in choosing the correct baits and seasons to fish. If you fish for trout in streams in the spring, then visit those same areas in the summer when the water is low. Take notes and draw maps of rocks, under cut banks, depressions, and fallen trees that might not be visible in high water levels. Fish will use the spots for cover when the water is high.
  2. Don't Let The Fish See You

    What was that we said? That's right; trout are a very clever fish. When you are river trout fishing in clear or shallow waters, they may be able to see all the anglers that are on shore. Therefore, wearing clothing that blends in well with the surrounding environment will make you stealthier and put the fish ease. Brighter colors that do no naturally belong in that habitat scream out to the fish that something is going on. They may get timid and that will put a damper on your river trout fishing ambitions. Also, stay as low as possible, move slowly and try to put some grass or brush between you and the water so that you don't spook the fish.
  3. Choose The Right Equipment

    This one is kind of obvious. You need to go in with the right tools for the job. If you are a trout fishing novice, we suggest doing your research and asking the experts before you buy. In general, lighter line is used for trout fishing than most other types of fishing because trout have good eye sight and usually live in clear water.

Trout Fishing Photo Galleries

Ice Fishing For Trout

Ice fishing for trout is one of the more popular ice fishing activities among North American anglers. Here are some important tips to keep in mind when going ice fishing for trout.

Safety Is Number One

We mention this as the first priority for a reason. Never venture out on lakes with thin ice and do no put yourself in compromising situations. Make sure that the ice is at least four to six inches thick for walking and much thicker if you plan to use a vehicle.

Do Your Research

Read the latest local reports about weather and moon patterns. Trout respond heavily to changes in conditions. Finding out the best times to go trout ice fishing in your area can help assure a more successful trip.

Take Your Time

Trout are very sluggish under the ice and will normally not exert too much effort to catch their prey. You can not jerk the line hard or fast as that will only scare the fish. Use your lures to imitate a slow swimming prey and the trout will see it as an easy meal.

Drill In Different Locations

You need to drill several holes in a systematic pattern to see which ones produce the best results. You should map out the locations and drill the holes in a way that will allow you to test different depths.

Start The Drilling Early

Trout tend to bite well in the early morning hours during the winter. It is a wise idea to drill your fishing hole before sunrise so that when the fish come, you do not disturb them with the drilling.

Try Different Lures and Baits

There is never a one size fits all when ice fishing. You will need to try out different baits and lures to see which ones work best throughout your trip. When something is not working, try something else. Attempt to use different combinations of spoons, spinners, jigs, and baits to see what works.


Fly Fishing For Trout

Fly fishing for trout is the most popular and preferred method amongst anglers. Trout rivers and streams are common ground for fly fishermen. Anglers will use a variety of artificial flies depending on the species, location and time of year.

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