Trout Fishing Tackle: 2 Effective Trout Fishing Tackles
There is no doubt that one of the most important aspects of trout fishing is the trout fishing tackle that is used to fish for trout. You may not be familiar with the term “trout fishing rigs”, but a trout fishing rig is simply a way to rig bait for trout fishing. Sure some people just tie a hook to their line or attach a carabiner swivel to their line, hook a hook onto the swivel and say it’s ok. While these two ways of presenting trout bait could technically be trout fishing tackle They are by no means the most effective tackle to employ when fishing for trout.
In this article, I will describe two very effective trout fishing rigs, one for use in rivers and streams and one for use in lakes, so you can start catching more trout while trout fishing. I have been trout fishing for over two decades and have learned and fine tuned these rigs during that time to make them quite effective. The most important factor in the success of any trout fishing technique or tackle is the amount of time you spend on the water putting that technique or tackle into action. The bottom line is that the more time you spend putting these trout fishing tackles in action on the water, the better they will work for you.
With that said, let’s start with the fishing tackle that should be used on the lakes. This rig is a basic bottom fishing rig consisting of a small treble hook (size #12 or #18), a small barrel swivel (size #12 or #14), a sinker for ¼ to ½ ounce eggs and a 12 to 24 inch leader. The first thing to do is cut a length of line 12-24 inches from the end of your line for a leader and set this ‘leader’ aside. Now slip the egg sinker onto the end of your line and tie it into a swivel (the swivel will act as a Stop for the plumb line). If the weather is windy, you will need to use a larger sinker, but a ¼ ounce egg sinker is the perfect size for this kit. Now the leader is attached to the opposite end of the swivel barrel and a treble hook attached to the end of the leader. The treble hook is now covered with Powerbait or a similar trout bait. The key is that the trout batter bait you use fleet. This rig is now cast into a lake containing trout, and the eye of the reel is left open until the rig sinks to the bottom, at which point the eye of your reel is closed. Your line is now recovered slowly until fully taught and the rig is “still fishing” until a trout starts to bite. The trout bait will be floating off the bottom, while the plumb bob sits on the bottom. When a trout bites, it feels no resistance from the sinker, which makes setting the hook much more effective.
The second of the trout fishing tackles that I am going to describe is for trout fishing in river fishing settings. This trout fishing rig is called a drift rig and involves the use of a set of multihooks (size 8 or 10), a small barrel swivel (size #12 or #14) and some Split plumbs to add weight to the rig. A swivel is attached to the end of your line and a set of multihooks is attached to the opposite end of the barrel swivel. Split shot sinkers are added to the line up the rotating barrel for the weight. The size and number of split shots will vary depending on the depth of the river and the flow of the current, but the goal is to have the bait bounce or “roll” across the river bottom while naturally flowing with the current. The hooks on the multihook set are now baited with the live bait of your choice and the rig is fished “drift” in the river current. Live worms are a great trout bait option for this trout fishing rig.
The bottom line is that both of these fishing tackles are extremely effective and should be added to any serious trout angler’s repertoire sooner rather than later.
