Trout fishing is a rewarding way to get outdoors and spend time in nature. Although the sport may seem intimidating for the uninitiated, for anyone prepared to invest a little time and effort to learn the techniques, the payoff is excellent. You can fish pristine lakes and streams while surrounded by stunning scenery and experience the thrill of landing a trophy fish—one that also tastes delicious.
If you’re new to trout fishing, here are a few tips and pointers to consider as you get started.
Hire a Guide
You can certainly catch trout with a regular spinning rod, but flyfishing can be particularly rewarding. If you’re new to flyfishing, hiring a guide to teach you the basics is an excellent place to start. An experienced guide can provide flyfishing tricks and tips, share good fishing locations, recommend appropriate gear, and help even seasoned recreational anglers up their game. From casting tips to ensuring proper fly presentation to advice on fish handling and release, hiring a guide helps to instill good flyfishing habits right from the start.
Get the Right Gear and Tackle
Though many anglers are successful with a spinning rod, it’s hard to beat flyfishing when you’re targeting trout. This family of fish tend to prefer insect imitations and when fishing across trout waters, lures and spinning reels often fall short.
Basic flyfishing tackle includes flies and fly treatments; a fly rod and fly reel; and fly line, backing, leader, and tippets. There are also many optional extras to add, such as fly nets, although these can often be borrowed, so beginning anglers need not jump in at once and risk buying gear they won’t use. Many manufacturers and outdoor specialists offer beginner starter packs including everything the novice trout angler needs to get started.
Nymphing
Nymphing involves flyfishing with a wet fly that mimics a subaquatic insect. In trout fishing, nymphing is a vital technique to master. Designed to look exactly like insects in their larval stage, nymph flies are an effective means of luring trout. Since trout spend most of their time eating underwater, nymphing is usually done with weighted nymphs to ensure they stay well under the surface.
Streamer Fishing
Streamer fishing appeals to the predatory, aggressive nature of trout. It is an exciting way of fishing rivers that can yield an impressively large catch. The technique involves using large flies that imitate baitfish like minnows and smaller trout. The angler casts the fly across the stream, allowing it to swing on the current. Rather than letting the bait drift downstream undisturbed, the streamer can be twitched to mimic the movements of small fish—the goal is to activate the trout’s predatory instinct and make them give chase. Since streamers are generally heavier and more wind resistant, streamer fishing requires a fly rod of 9’ to 9’6”.
Dry Flyfishing
This mode of trout fishing involves the angler casting their fly upstream of the fish, just far enough that the fish can see and easily intercept the fly as it drifts down over their head. As the angler sees the fish take the fly then turn back down, they set the hook by lifting the tip of the rod. Dry flyfishing requires a line and flies that float, so the fly lands softly without breaking the surface of the water.
This technique is particularly effective in the summer months when fishing smaller mountain streams. In these conditions trout tend to target terrestrial insects floating on the surface such as beetles, grasshoppers, and ants that have fallen into the water.
Location
In angling, location is all important, and it is vital for trout anglers to do their homework to ensure that their time is well spent. Be sure to check out online reports, forums, and even social media. Location hunting is yet another reason to hire a guide who can not only take you to the best rivers and streams, but help you find the most promising spots when you’re onsite. If you don’t hire a guide, the local bait/tackle shop is your best bet when it comes to finding information about local conditions.
In terms of top spots on the water, find a riffle—a shallow section of fast water that is well oxygenated and plentiful in crustaceans, insects, and minnows. Trout typically feed in riffles in the morning and evening. Pools, meanwhile, are where the fish often hold and wait as they hunt for food. In rushing streams, you can find fish sheltering from the current on the lee side of a boulder or large rock. Trout also love undercuts, where the riverbank overhangs into the water and provides cover from predators.
Regulations
Always ensure you’re following the local rules and regulations whenever and wherever you go fishing. In the U.S., almost all anglers need a fishing license, but all 50 states have their own regulations and requirements, so be sure to check beforehand. In some states, trout fishing is restricted to catch-and-release during certain times of the year, depending on which lakes and streams you’re fishing. Additional rules may also specify a minimum catch length or limit the number of trout that are permitted to catch daily. Some states also have catch-and-release guidelines to reduce the risk of trout mortality when they are released back into the water.