Part 1
TROUT
The Fish


This is the rainbow trout (hearby referred to as a 'bow). Of the three main fishing trout, this is the most common and perhaps the strongest of them.



Here we have a brown trout. These are a little less common and a lot smarter than any 'bow.


Finally, there's the brook trout ('brookie') , not quite as big as a 'bow or as smart as a brown, but a very beautiful fish and very fun to catch all around.

Catching Methods

First of all, when you're going on a trout fishing trip, you have to identify what sorts of places you'll be fishing and for what sorts of trout. Catching browns in a river is completely different from catching 'bows in a pond. If the latter, you can usually spot the fish by sight. If the former, look for calm, slower areas with some fallen logs and other shelter for browns.

Now, a lot of people will try to tell you that the only way to catch trout is by flyfishing. This is incorrect, the biggest trout I've caught in my life (32in 'bow) was on an Uglystik rod with a spinning reel. If you're using a spinning reel instead of flyfishing, I recommend 4-6lb test for line. Anything heavier and the fish will be able to spot the line and won't bite. The lighter line means you won't be able to just crank the trout in, you'll have to tire 'em out a bit, but you'll be rewarded with more bites by using light line. Personally, I use a 6lb monofilament line called Trilene Maxx, and it has never broken on me with a fish on the line.

Trout are skittish, so if you see a trout and have a regular rod, don't cast directly at them. Instead, cast a few yards beyond them then reel back so your lure moves across their line of sight. Be sure that said lure isn't too heavy, or the splash will scare off the trout. Speaking of lures, I find that yellow or white bodied jig with a long body and tail works best for trout. Spoons are good in rivers and moving water. But don't listen to me, mix and experiment. Trout are temperamental fish, what works on them one day may not work the next. Since it's January, I haven't gotten a chance to get out for trout yet and am speaking from the previous years experience.

When you do get a bite, set the hook with a quick hard snap of your rod upwards. To reel him in, you have to 'work 'em over' as I call it. Let the trout run, then reel him in slowly but deliberately, then let him run again. Does this until the trout is good and tired, then you can bring your catch in fully. Use a net or your hands, whichever you prefer. If you will be keeping the trout, I suggest stunning the trout with a fish whacker or some other form of bludgeon, then storing it in a bucket full of cool water or a live well if you have it. If it's catch and release, just snap a quick picture with a disposable camera then put him back in the water. To properly release the trout, hold him with both hands around his belly, then move him back and forth through the water to revive him. Once he regains some strength, release him. If you'll be taking a picture, I suggest a disposable camera (digitals are too expensive and too vulnerable to stuff like water) and put your rod in the frame to give the fish some scale.


Join me next time when I go over flyfishing for trout in the storied foothills of Alberta. And after that, walleye fishing in Saskatchewan's Churchill river system!