More than fifteen years ago I had the pleasure of knowing the greatest trout angler that I've ever seen. He lived in central Pennsylvania and caught trophy trout in heavily fished rivers that the local fishermen didn't think contained trout of that size. He was a great fisherman and, as I said, the greatest trout angler that I've ever seen. He didn't believe in flea flicking, and his bait of choice was a live worm. On occasion he would use a small spinner or spoon, but his favorite bait was a definitely a live worm. If he had a trophy trout located could get his hands on them, he liked to use live crayfish for bait. My point is that during the years that he was alive, he taught his son and myself some of his secrets for catching trout. I'm going to pass a few of those secrets on to you through this article.
- Be Efficient - JRW, my fishing mentor, believed in being as efficient as possible while trout fishing. His philosophy was that you only get so much time to fish, so when you're fishing as much time as possible needs to be spent with your line in the water. That's why he believed in using retractors to hold your heavily used fishing gear, and he insisted on using a bait bag to carry your live worms. You see a bait bag allows your live worms to always be "at your fingertips" so there's little or no wasted time baiting up.
- Pay Attention To Your Hands - Trout have a very sensitive sense of smell, and any foreign smells on your hands (such as gasoline or cigarettes) will transfer to your bait and result in less bites. I've tested this theory myself since JRW taught it to me, and it's absolutely true. If you're in doubt, simply grab a handful of dirt or grass and rub it in your hands for a minute before baiting up, that's what I do.
- Always Use Gang Hooks - As far as I know, JRW is the person who came up with the concept of gang hooks. Gang hooks are simply a pair of small hooks, tied in tandem, that allow a live worm to be presented in a completely natural manner, which results in many more bites and hook-ups. I've personally been using gang hooks for all of my live bait fishing for more than fifteen years, and know for a fact that they out fish single hooks at least 2 to 1!
- Bottom Is Your Friend - This tip is concerned to fishing in the flowing water of either a river or stream. The best way to catch trout is to bounce your offering off of the bottom, as it flows naturally downstream. This technique is deadly once you get the hang of it. One of JRW's favorite things to say was, "if you're not getting snagged, you're not fishing in the right place." As I've learned throughout the years, getting snagged is just a part of trout fishing. Getting snagged doesn't even bother me any more. If I get snagged, I just break off, re-tie, and keep fishing. Because I know that If I'm getting snagged, then I am at least fishing in the right place.
These simple, yet effective tips, will help you catch more trout, I promise you. I've been using all of them for more than 15 years with much success. Have they made me as good a trout angler as JRW was? Not yet, but I sure do enjoy trying. Start employing them and you too will start catching more trout.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of http://www.JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 20 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his three year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country... Montana!
The Original Bait Bag: http://www.jrwfishing.com/bait_pouch.asp
Affordable Retractors - http://www.jrwfishing.com/jrwretractors.htm
