catching hatchery stocked rainbow trout

[jed clampett]

This is kind of off the regular subject matter but....In Illinois they stock rainbow trout for the opener on April 4th anybody know what bait to use to catch them??    How do you fish them  on the bottom, bobber?? Was going to  try for the first time on these but know nothing about them...I always fish for bass an muskys...thanks.  Jim

[jblackburn]

I like Trout Nuggets, either off the bottom or under a bobber, depending on the depth of the water and where the fish seem to be hanging out.

http://www.basspro.com/Berkley-PowerBait-Trout-Nuggets/product/46165/

I've also had pretty good luck using a small Mepps rooster tails spinner

[Marc]

Generally fished floating off the bottom of a small egg-sinker...

Any trout power bait, or I have used live worms blown up with air (they actually sell a syringe for this in the fishing section of most stores)...

[zelmo1]

Power Bait on the bottom, sonic vibrax/mepps spinners, small spoons. I have a friend who uses Velveeta cheese, don't laugh, he catches more fish than most.

[M,Yingling]

Streams ,,, live minnows rigged with needle treble hook red worms ,,,,,, lakes -  6 pack and power bait ha 

[Bowguy]

Stocked trout can be funny, specially if recently stocked. They're often bunched up for a bit, you get one n it's on for a while. Now you need small hooks, I use 8s, some guys 10s, I wouldn't use anything bigger. My daughter caught a 5 lb bass on a number 8 and I've caught two trout that size on the same. Also caught fish over 7 lbs on #8 streamer hooks when fly fishing them. You can fish em many ways, in a stream a salmon egg, worm piece(notice the word piece) or power bait, bouncing just off the bottom. You'll prob snag some but you'll be at right depth. On a lake either drown a worm or if it's windy, a mealworm drifted off a bobber a few feet down. It's deadly but you need some wind to move bait.
Better option n more fun is go buy some blue fox spinners. The vibrax. You can fish em in a lake or stream, even the riffs which may be best of all. One more thing I find it best setting hook up, a trouts mouth is long sideways.  Lighter line is better most times, leave your bass rods home.  Good luck

[Gumby]

Rooster tails and little cleos

[nativeks]

Corn out of a can on a small hook with a split shot for weight.

[Bowguy]

Corn out of a can on a small hook with a split shot for weight.

i could be wrong but I've always been told corn is something they can't digest n kills em

[redmag]

Here in WV they stock the stream on a regular basis.  If you want to catch trout here, you'd best show up with your own rock to stand on and be prepared to tailgate the stock truck to dropoff points.  That said, trout just school up in the water and they can be caught on a shiny hook, just shake it in front of them.  I don't mess with the trout.
   

[Tomspur]

Dynamic lures. They are deadly.

[bbcoach]

If your fishing clear streams, use velveeta cheese on a salmon egg hook with 1 split shot about a foot above the hook.  Most trout will swallow the cheese and hook, so only a very light hook set is required.  1/8 oz  all white or all black Rooster Tails are deadly as well and silver Panther Martins with a orange and black hackle are great also. 

[wvmntnhick]

Here in WV they stock the stream on a regular basis.  If you want to catch trout here, you'd best show up with your own rock to stand on and be prepared to tailgate the stock truck to dropoff points.  That said, trout just school up in the water and they can be caught on a shiny hook, just shake it in front of them.  I don't mess with the trout.

Ive found this to be true in some instances but certainly not the majority. People fish the holes where they're stocked pretty hard but most won't venture far from the vehicle. I've found that getting away from where people normally travel can lead to some exciting trips. Having said that, back to the bait options. Powerbait is pretty much a staple for stocked trout. Almost everyone has it in their bag/vest somewhere. It's quite possibly the most commonly used commercial bait when it comes to trout. Having said that, while I carry it, I much prefer to use either a red worm or piece of nightcrawler (1/3-1/2) blown up with a worm blower as mentioned before. Along with that I'll use a power egg. Generally orange but I'm not real sure it matters most of the time. If fishing a stream, the flow will dictate your weight. Faster flow, more weight and the opposite is also true. They're not hard to catch but they can certainly be tricky at times. Don't wait for them to pull all of the slack out like a bass does. Trout aren't as lethargic about eating like a bass. They'll suck it in and tug on it a few times usually. When this happens, set the hook. Wait too long and they'll spit it out. Don't wait long enough and you'll miss them and they often won't hit again for a while. If they're really hungry they'll inhale it and you'll not have to worry about anything but removing it from their gut. Personally, trout are my favorite freshwater fish to pursue. Tons of fun.

[jed clampett]

Wow...thanks for all the replies..guess I will go out and get me some trout powerbait..and maybe some worms...gonna be fishin some trilene xl 6 lb test on some spinning rods I use for crappie. Probably pick up a few small spinners also an maybe even some velveta cheese. Lol..thanks again for the replies..Jim