Bass Pro Shops Foxborough, MA

It looks like we will be having an early start to trout season this year with many of our ponds in Massachusetts still ice free so I thought I would share some trout fishing tips with our readers.

One of the popular and productive ways of catching trout is to fish for them with bait. For spring rainbows fishing with power bait is a very productive method. For this I prefer a six to six and a half foot medium light spinning rod such as the Bass Pro Shops MicroLite Graphite rod with a Shimano Sahara FD spinning reel loaded with either six or eight pound test mono. I use a fish finder rig set up so the fish does not feel any weight when they pick up the bait. Other alternative baits which I have found to be effective are marshmallows and worms and marshmallows and meal worms. These alternatives also do well on brown trout and brook trout both of which I have not had much luck with using powerbait.

 Another approach which I enjoy in the spring time is casting lures. Spring trout can be a lot of fun with lures as they often hit a lure very hard and since they are usually hooked near the surface they will often jump. Spoons and spinner are very effective on trout. Two of my favorites are the Thomas Buoyant Minnow and the Rooster Tail. Other popular lures include the Worden’s Flatfish, small Rapalas and Rebels, Luhr Jensen Needlefish, Luhr Jensen Super Duper and Mepps Spinners. Another lure that is also effective is the mooselook wobbler. I typically use a slower retrieve although I will experiment at times with a faster retrieve and a stop and go retrieve as each approach will at times prove effective. With sinking lures I will sometimes allow the lure to sink before I start to retrieve if I think that the fish are holding close to the bottom.

At times I will take my small boat out and troll for trout. This can be a very effective approach for catching trout as it allows you to cover a lot more water in searching for the trout. I rely on a couple of approaches here. You can fish lures near the surface with a spinning rod and straight mono. You can also add weight above your lures if the trout are running a bit deeper (usually they nearer the surface in the spring. I always tie a barrel swivel to the main tine and then run around a four foot leader to the lure which helps prevent line twist. Another approach I use is to troll with a downrigger which allows me to fish the lures at a specific depth. Finally I also troll using a fly rod with lead core line which also allows me to target fish at a specific depth. All of the lures listed above can be trolled as well as cast but my two favorites are the buoyant minnow and the needlefish. So get your tackle ready it won’t be long before it is time to get out and start catching spring time trout. Good luck fishing.

Don Nelson

Bass Pro Shops