| Some people may think I'm talking about some "airy | | | | you're more of a bait fisherman, the good old |
| fairy" new age subject when I title my article - How To | | | | earthworm or power bait are great bets. A bottom rig |
| Catch A Rainbow - but that's not what's going on here. | | | | is the way to go when fishing on a lake. For those |
| I'm speaking of the beautiful Rainbow Trout. Otherwise | | | | who aren't familiar with this technique, start with a 1/2 |
| known as a rainbow for short. So how does a person | | | | ounce egg sinker. Slip it onto your line then tie a #10 |
| go about catching a Rainbow? That's what we're | | | | barrel swivel onto your line. Now tie another section of |
| going to discuss here.For our purposes I'm not writing | | | | line onto the other end of the barrel swivel. You want |
| about the "darts" that we all know and love. A dart is a | | | | this length of line to be the length that you want your |
| stocked trout. We've all seen them. All of their fins | | | | bait to float off of the bottom. Now attach a small |
| have been rubbed off from swimming in a tank with | | | | hook to the end of the line. This is where you will add |
| so many other fish. It makes them all but finless. And | | | | a ball of Power bait that will then float off of the |
| they thus resemble a "dart". The other name that fits | | | | bottom. This technique will work in most lakes |
| these genetic anomalies well is "finless wonders". In | | | | throughout the country, especially if there are stocked |
| any case, that's not what we are going to be | | | | trout swimming around.But as I said before, I don't want |
| discussing here. We're going to focus on a true | | | | to focus on stocked trout.When river fishing with bait, |
| Rainbow Trout that was born in a body of water and | | | | live bait will be your best bet. The synthetic baits have |
| has been swimming free for years just as God | | | | never worked well for me with "native" trout. "Native" |
| created it.The first thing you have to do is locate a | | | | trout are trout that were born and continue to live in a |
| Rainbow. Rainbow Trout like colder water | | | | particular stream or river. Thus becoming "native" |
| temperatures. They prefer water from 50 to 60 | | | | rather than planted from an outside source. In any |
| degrees and will tolerate temperatures up to 75 | | | | case synthetic baits have never performed well for |
| degrees. With that little tidbit of information, we | | | | me for anything other than stocked trout. So you're |
| obviously want to start looking in the northern part of | | | | best bet to catch a rainbow in moving water will be |
| the United States. Rainbows inhabit both lakes and | | | | some form of live bait, whether it be worms, minnows, |
| streams, as long as the water temperature is cold | | | | crickets, crayfish, mealworms, etc. You'll want to use |
| enough. This obviously means that on hot summer | | | | something for bait that the rainbows are used to |
| days, as the water temperature in a given body of | | | | eating. The more natural the presentation, the better. |
| water is reaching it's peak for the day, an angler isn't | | | | You may want to consider employing a set of gang |
| going to have a ton of success fishing for | | | | hooks to achieve a very natural presentation. The |
| rainbows.Fishing success is typically greatest in the | | | | bottom line is that you want your live bait to appear as |
| spring and fall. Rainbow trout are voracious feeders | | | | natural as is possible. The more natural the bait |
| and strong swimmers willing to hit a wide variety of | | | | appears, the more rainbow's you will catch. It's that |
| lures, baits, and flies. Many anglers prefer weighted | | | | simple.Trevor Kugler - Co-founder of |
| spinners. The wobbling spoon is another fine rainbow | | | | JRWfishing.comTrevor has more than 20 years of |
| lure. Fly fishers find that streamers, muddlers, and egg | | | | fishing experience, and now specializes in ultralight trout |
| patterns fished near the bottom can be depended on | | | | fishing. |
| to do the trick; black and red, especially fluorescent red, | | | | - products and information to save you time and help |
| seem to add something of value to the presentation.If | | | | you catch more fish. |