From 10/19/00</font id=blue>
Last week we talked about locating Trout and for the next two weeks we are going to discuss how to catch them once you find a good location. There are almost as many different techniques for catching Trout, as there are locations. I think every fisherman has, at least, one secret Trout bait they love to use when the trout fishing gets tough. I have a good friend, who is also a very good fisherman, and he believes that we are able to catch more fish when we have confidence in the bait we are fishing and while I’m not sure if there is any truth to this theory, I do have a couple of baits I consider to be my go-to baits when the fish are finicky. As I mentioned, there are many different techniques so I will break this into two categories. I will cover live bait fishing for Trout this week and next week I will cover artificial baits.
Live bait fishing for Trout is a favorite for many fishermen for the simple reason that it works. The fishing tackle industry spends millions of dollars each year trying to develop artificial lures that mimic the action of live bait. There is no substitute for the real thing. Not only does a live bait have the right action; they also have the right scent and the perfect reaction when they spot a predator. I was out fishing last weekend and was able to watch a large shrimp jump several times before a nice size Trout gobbled him up. There are several baits that work well for Trout. They include shrimp, mudminnows, finger mullet, small menhaden, and small pinfish.
All of these types of bait attract Trout in the fall months, but I prefer to use live finger mullet or mudminnows because they are readily available and much easier to keep alive than menhaden. I agree that a Trout cannot turn down a live shrimp, but shrimp are also a favorite delicacy of many other small fish and often end up stolen before a Trout even gets a good look at them. If you are familiar with the area you are fishing the best method is to find out what type of bait