As the weather begins to get warmer and we start thinking about things like fishing, many anglers pursue trout in the early spring. Although there are many ways to catch these fish I wanted to go over a few tips that may increase you catch rate. I personally find the spring to be a difficult time to catch trout, especially as the water begins to rise and rivers become high and muddy. If you can catch the rivers before the high water, you'll be okay; otherwise you may be reserved to lake fishing. Either way, here are some tips to help you catch more trout

Use Gang Hooks - If you don't know what gang hooks are, they are simply two small hooks tied in tandem. This enables the angler to present a worm or minnow in an incredibly natural way. Gang hooks also enable the angler to present double the dough bait (such as Powerbait). Think about it, don't you think that having two balls of Powerbait floating off of the bottom would be better than just one?

As The Current Increases, Increase The Length Of Your Rod - In the spring when the water is higher than normal I use my six foot ultra light rod, rather than my four footer. The extra length makes fishing in heavy current that much more effective. The heavier the flow of water, the longer fishing rod, that's a rule I live by.

If A Bait Isn't Working, Change It - This is especially true for those of you fishing lakes with some sort of bait, including Powerbait. If you've been fishing maggots for an hour without a bite, change to worms or Powerbait. If blue Powerbait hasn't produced a bite in an hour, change to a different color. Making a small change can make all the difference.

Have A Little Patience - I realize that having a little patience is no great realization in the sport of fishing, but it's still important. Fish can't be caught on every cast or even every time we go out fishing. Give a certain technique or lure a half hour or forty five minutes, and then switch to a different one. Don?t be changing things up every five minutes. Give things a chance to work and then change.

Clean You Hands Before Baiting Up - The human scent isn't appealing to fish at all. Fish have a tremendous sense of smell and if they smell something foreign on your bait or lure, they are much less apt to attempt to eat it. I like to grab a handful of grass and rub it in my hands. This covers the scent of my hands, and I believe, increases the amount of bites I get. Cleaning your hands is especially true if you are a smoker (as I used to be).

Beginning to employ these tips will increase the amount of bites that you get while fishing, it's as simple as that. The tips will help with the bites, but the catching is up to you. You're the one that actually has to set the hook, and reel the fish in. The bottom line is that these tips will, at the very least, help you get more bites. Good luck and good fishing!

Return to Index

 

Copyright 2007 SunshineStateFishing.Com All Rights Reserved