FS Digest

Pretty much just made the move from Georgia to Seattle. As the old adage goes "anglers target what's common", the best game around here is trout.

I'd consider myself a competent Bass and Catfish angler, but I am truly at a loss for this trout stuff after doing about 4 hours of YouTube and forum searching.

I brought up my 6'6" medium casting rod and abu garcia silvermaxx. Running 25 pound braid (6# mono diameter equiv.). Should I get one of those smaller light/ultra light spinning reels?

Should I be looking to swap out for some lighter line too? I hear 6-8# mono is the sweet spot for trout.

For tackle, I really loved jigging for bass with craws. All of the jigs for trout seem to not be weedless; this terrifies me. I was aiming to pick up a few blue fox/rooster tails, some trout magnet style jigs and worms, and maybe some undersized finesse craws for my 1/8 oz finesse bass jigs. Any thoughts on this?

I guess I'm just wondering if I should be getting a ton of new gear or just adapting my smaller/finesse bass gear for trout.

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by kohTheRobot

FS Digest

I’m not sure about fishing from a boat for trout like lakers. But at least for rainbows, brown, etc. from the shore you should be using mono or preferably fluoro under 10 lb test at the highest. Trout are finicky and braid will scare them away.

My gotos are in-line spinners, trout magnets, and powerbait

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by Jets179

FS Digest

Thanks. Will be picking up some spinners and trout magnets soon enough

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by kohTheRobot

FS Digest

Just to add: in line spinners are nice cast and straight retrieve.

Trout magnets i try to fish like a really light wacky rig

Powerbait is nice to just leave out and wait for line to start tearing out

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by Jets179

FS Digest

You're going to want to get go ahead and get a spinning combo. Any will probably do but light action is the way to go because you are going to want to use lighter line and lures. 6-8 Mono or fluoro is a sweet spot for line, I prefer fluoro as it's harder for fish to see. Trout primarily hunt by eyesight so too thick of line will put them off. If you are looking for trout bait, powerbait is the king. Google a simple powerbait rig and you will catch trout at lakes or ponds like that. Since you are a bass fisherman, I imagine you want to fish with lures instead. Spoons and inline spinners have done me wonders in the trout fishing game. Both are simple cast and retrieve lures. I primarily use the walmart brands of spoons (kastmasters) and spinners but the more expensive ones are a little better quality (not by much tbh). You can also get some rapalas or some jakes spin-a-lure's, they catch fish but I've caught more on spoons and spinners. Let me know if you have any questions or if something was unclear/confusing.

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by JRam41

FS Digest

Thanks for the detailed reply! I’ll be hitting the stores today and will look at a decent light spinner combo and some spoons n spinners

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by kohTheRobot

FS Digest

no problem man good luck

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by JRam41

FS Digest

Whenever I’m at Walmart i always pick up a couple rooster tails

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by Jets179

FS Digest

me too, they’re options are limited lately so i get some when i see them

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by JRam41

FS Digest

6 foot light action spinning rod/reel combo with 6 lb mono. In terms of lures, rooster tails that are 1/8 and 1/16 oz are the best options. Micro spoons and small grub tails can also be fun and effective. For larger trout and slower bodies of water, try smaller topwater rapalas, my PB Brown was fishing for smallmouth on a 3.5 inch topwater rapala. I’m here to tell you now though, the best way to guarantee that you catch trout is to dig up worms from just off the bank of wherever you are fishing, and float them under a cork down rapids, swirls, into holes, etc. I work the river in roughly 90 foot intervals doing this. If there are trout in the water, and you float a lively worm by them, they will eat it, stocked/wild/hungry/fed, whatever they are. That is not the case with lures and flies. I was up in western North Carolina fishing a secluded section of a trout stream/river that is notable but hard to get to. Probably 10 guys over a few mile stretch where I was, I was the only non fly fisher. Unless they all went gangbusters while out of sight, the worm under bobber technique outproduced all of the fly rods combined. You can also just survey your surroundings, if you see a “hatch” going on, meaning a bunch of a certain insect around at the time, throw those in a container and sub them for worms if that’s easier. Another cool, similar strategy is essentially fly fishing with bait. Take a very small hook that won’t sink, throw a bug on it with nothing else on the rig, drop it in front of you and let it float down as is.

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by T-P-T-W-P

Chill55 Loc: Pleasant hill California

I have three grandsons who fish trout with me I have got one a new rod and reel this year the oldest 21 he has been fishing with me since he is 9 this year with his new rod and reel he went wild light weight St Croix 7 foot with a phluger president real around 50 for the reel and anywhere between 90 and 120 for the rod I put 6 lb test on it I fish with a Gary loomis it is really sweet same real I got my daughter the st croix 6 ft with a sham o reel and she loves it the other two boys use ugly sticks that are really a good rig for spinners if troilling in a lake I either use fenders three blades triple teasers or panther martins also the PM in streams but you can’t beat power bait for just laying back small sliding sinker then about three feet leader and 8 to 12 hook on the end the power bait comes off the bottom love fishing trout or you can fly fish that’s a teal art started about 4 years ago and I’m still as dumb as when I started but getting better sure is fun though

Spiritof27 Loc: Lincoln, CA

No one mentioned braid. I have 20 pound or so braid on all my spinning reels and then use fluoro for a leader. I like the braid because it has no stretch, unlike mono. I trout fish almost exclusively barbless. If I never kill another fish I will be happy.

Freshwater Fin Loc: Killbuck Ohio

I’ve had great success with Joe’s Flies and small rooster tails on a light action rod. I use a 4lb diameter braid with a flouro or mono tippet. Someone else mentioned live worms which are great. You can also float minnows.
Enjoy 🎣
Fly fishing is also a fun experience