The 4 Best Tactics to Catch Spring Trout
March 2021
Spring Trout Fishing
Spring Trout Fishing is one of the best opportunities to catch early season freshwater fish. Trout become highly active in the Spring and with the addition of 1000s of stocked fish from state hatcheries this is an exciting time to catch yours. We present the Best 4 Tactics for catching Spring Trout.
Finding a productive water to catch Spring Trout if often as simple as following your state department of conservation stocking maps. The snobby anglers might complain that stocked Trout are too easy to catch, but the savvy angler will also take on the challenge of catching holdover, larger fish from previous years. Many of these Trout can be trophy sized.
View our list of state fisheries departments in our article How to Find Secret Fishing Spots.
Spoons and Spinners
Some of the most effective lures for catching Spring Trout are spinners and spoons. The supply flash and action that are extremely attractive to early season trout. You can also cover a lot of area while casting or trolling these lures to find hungry Trout. It is best to use light line 4 or 6 pound test, connected to a small ball bearing swivel (to minimize line twist). In general lure sizes of ¼ ounce or less and colors either silver or gold are most productive.
Recommended Spinners and Spoons
Spoons
Spinners
Jigs
Small jigs are often an overlooked lure to catch Trout. This is unfortunate as they are some of the most effective methods and are able to catch very large fish including the previous world record as seen in our article Jig Fishing for World Record Trout.
Jigs can mimic key prey species such as minnows, bug larva and worms which are all attractive to hungry trout. Jigs can be retrieved on the bottom in a slow raise and drop type method. You can use white, chartreuse, black and brown as productive colors for trout jigs.They also can be fished very effectively on small floats at various depths. When float fishing with jigs it is best to have a bit of ripple or wave action on the water to impart action. You can read more about float fishing in our article Tactics and Techniques for Float Fishing.
Jigs can also be fished in rivers or streams by casting upstream and drifting down with the current. The weight and size of the jig must match the water flow and depth, so the jig gets near the bottom and flows with the current but does not get hung up.
Recommended Jigs
Live Bait
Live bait and be a highly effective method of catching Spring Trout. While other tactics might work best for newly stocked fish, live bait often is more effective for catching the wary, larger holdover Trout. You can use live baits such as, garden worms (or cut up nightcrawlers), minnows and grubs. You can catch these yourself or buy them in bait stores. See our article Live Bait for Freshwater Fishing.
It is best to use light line such as 4 or 6 pound test and small hooks in the 6 to 10 size depending upon the size of your baits. Bait and be presented in a float of slip float method, free lined (cast with just a hook) or with a slip weight rig. The slip weight is best if you are casting farther and ae fishing deeper waters.
Fake Bait
Fake baits such as Berkeley Power Bait, Gulp, kernel cord and small marshmallows can all be effective trout baits. There are times it seems stocked trout will only strike these baits vs. any other type. They can be fished with small split shot weights about 18” above the hook and then either casted directly or under a small float. See our article Bait for Freshwater Fishing for more details on these baits and how to use them.
SUMMARY
Spring Trout fishing can be the most fun and productive time of the year to catch Trout. I highlighted the most successful tactics and approaches to assure you catch your share. It is also a wonderful time to get kids involved in their first fishing trip. Take Your Kid Fishing.
Please share your fishing success, pictures, or questions. You can contact me by email at [email protected].
Tight lines … Captain P.