More than 25 years ago I had the pleasure of learning how to trout fish from someone I've always considered a 'trout fishing master' of sorts and certainly my fishing mentor. This man was my friends' father and was easily the best trout fisherman I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. I've been using tips and techniques that he taught ever since I met him. Over the years I've refined and added to some of these tips and techniques, which is what this article is about.
In this article I am going to provide some of the fishing basics that have served me so well for the past 2 decades. Every trout fishing rookie should make these tips a part of their fishing repertoire sooner, rather than later
. Starting off on the proper foot is very important, especially when it comes to fishing for trout.
Most of these fishing basics are best employed in the flowing waters of rivers and streams, although they can certainly be easily modified for lake fishing as well. The first thing every rookie trout angler needs to understand is that ultra light gear should be employed. When I refer to the word 'gear', I'm referring specifically to your rod, reel, and line. All too often I see anglers trout fishing with gear that's entirely too heavy.
An ultra light rod and reel should be used when fishing for trout. An ultra light reel will normally hold between 90 and 150 yards of four pond test, just so you know. The perfect length for a trout fishing rod is five feet. So you will want a five foot rod that is ultra light action. Many times, when the water is high in the spring a longer length rod is in order. In these instances a six foot six inch ultra light rod is perfect for trout fishing. Your reel should be spooled with four pound test mono filament, and for the trout fishing rookie, six pound test is passable. Any line heavier than six pound test should be avoided when fishing for trout is most instances.
Any article titled 'trout fishing 101' has to include one of the simplest trout fishing basics of all; when to fish. When you go trout fishing is very important. The best times to go trout fishing can be determined by paying attention to the weather & moon. The weather & moon impact the feeding behavior of trout, and the more you understand about this phenomenon, the more successful you will be.
For the fishing rookie, live bait is one of the best trout baits to use. As a matter of fact, my mentor taught me to use live worms when fishing for trout and I've been using live worms with great success ever since. He also taught me to rig my worm on a set of gang hooks, which is also one of the fishing basics I use to this day. A live worm rigged on a set of gang hooks and allowed to flow naturally with the current of a river or stream is a great fishing tactic.
The bottom line is that these trout fishing basics will certainly put you on the right foot when it comes to fishing for trout. Add these simple fishing tips to your repertoire and you will be much better off.
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