Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Adrian-Webbs-Trout-Tips » Trout on Bait Basics
Trout on Bait Basics
Adrian (meppstas) Webb
The first time that many of us started fishing as kids, it was usually with a cheap little rod and a few worms, whether it was freshwater fishing a river or saltwater fishing from a jetty somewhere. This article is about the simple basics of bait fishing for trout in rivers/streams and with the trout season not all that far off, here's a few tips on how to set up and catch a few trout.
There are several methods used to catch trout and most novice trout anglers begin by learning to catch trout on light spinning tackle, bait fishing first up. From there they move onto the more advanced methods of trout fishing, like spinning with inline spinners, hard body and soft plastic lures. Many good experienced trout anglers then make fishing more of a challenge by using a fly rod and fishing for wild trout in crystal clear lakes, rivers and streams. A lot of anglers will spend many days (even years) trying to catch that trophy fish. As you get more experienced with your trout fishing, then you may want to get into that type of trout fishing.
For now I am going to stick with the basics of bait fishing. It's not an expensive way to set yourself up and that's a good thing too. Bait fishing for trout is also something that you can do throughout the whole trout season, if you wish to do so. As you read this article, you'll find that I have mentioned fishing in Tasmania. What I have written about can be applied in any state in Australia where trout and native species are found, just make sure to abide by the fishing regulations in your own region.
Getting Started
For starters, get hold of some IFS Angler Access Brochures of the many rivers in and around Tasmania that you can fish with ease. These are found in most tackle stores and information centres here in Tasmania. When I first started fishing here in Tasmania, I sat down and went over and over detailed Tasmaps (1:100,000) for hours, checking out rivers and marking them down as ones that I wanted to fish one day. It's always handy to study maps of the areas that you may like to explore and fish one day.
I have fished a lot of them and I'm still fishing many of them each season, so it wasn't a waste of time looking for waters to fish. If you intend to enter any property, that does not have Angler Access set ups on it, remember to get permission from the landowner before you enter the property. You will find most landowners are happy to let you fish on their property, if you just ask for their permission first. Remember to respect their property also and do not leave any rubbish behind. Also remember that bait fishing is not allowed in National Parks throughout Tasmania.
Bait & Tackle
We all have different ideas on the best methods for catching trout and what baits to use. Anything that works is good, that's for sure, however the following will help you get set up for bait fishing.
1. A lightweight, fast action Okuma Celilo Finesse 2-6lb spinning rod, around 1.8m to 2.1m in length, is all that I use for bait fishing rivers. It doesn't have to be an expensive rod either and that's where the Okuma Celilo Finesse rods come into it.
2: The Okuma Epixor XT, Inspira Blue, Helios SX and Ceymar spinning reels are all well suited to the Okuma rods. I have these reels spooled with Platypus Super 100 4lb and 6lb nylon monofilament line. You can go for a heavy mainline if you prefer to. I just prefer to fish with light tackle. Okuma also have a range of baitfeeder reels that are quite good for bait fishing for trout also.
3: Size 4 or 6 bronze baitholder hooks are ideal when using earthworms, with hook sizes 12 or 14 for mudeyes.
4: A few small/medium split shots and running ball sinkers for the odd occasion when you need to get your bait down in a section of faster flowing water.
Bait (It's all free if you want to collect it yourself)
1: Earthworms and wattle grubs - early season in flooding rivers.
2: Wattle grubs, cockroaches, crickets and grasshoppers later in the season as the river levels drop and the weather becomes warmer and more settled. Another excellent bait is the mudeye, a bait that the trout won't bypass.
The mudeye is a dragonfly in the nymph stage of its life cycle and it can be collected in waters that have reeds and any dead wood along the edges. Farm dams are a great place to collect them from and around the end of October would be the time to start collecting them. They are best kept in a container, half filled with cool clear water and kept them shaded. If any happen to die then remove them from the container, which can be kept in the fridge too. You can fish the mudeyes under a bubble float or flick them out unweighted and just let them drift, while you wait for the trout to snap them up. Place the hook through the unopened wing area, just behind the head and this will keep them alive much longer.
Worms are the best bait to use in the early season and especially in flooded waters. Even more so when the rivers are spilling into the paddocks. This is when the trout will be in these areas gorging themselves on earthworms that have come out of the saturated ground. You will often see the trout feeding in these flooded areas, spotting bow waves, quite often with their fins protruding out of the shallow water.
I have found that the common garden (earth) worm works a treat in these conditions. Depending on the size of the worms, I usually thread two of them on the hook and flick it out into the area where they are feeding. It's just a matter of waiting for the trout to pick up the baited hook. Give the fish a little line as it moves off, then when you feel the weight of the fish on the line, lift the rod and set the hook. Do not have the reel tension too tight either as you don't want to break your line and lose what could be your first trout and the start of your trout fishing days.
Once you have hooked and landed your first trout, you will be hooked on trout fishing and keen to keep on coming back to fish for them. Wattle grubs can be used at most times of the season and they are a great all round bait for trout. Later in the season as the weather becomes more settled and the days are warmer, the trout's feeding habits change. Early mornings and late afternoons are the best times to fish, once the days get longer. River levels are much lower and the water is also clearer, so this is when mudeyes, crickets, cockroaches and later in the season, starting in January, the grasshoppers come into play.
In the deeper rivers, quite often the wattle grub is used to good effect. This is where a pair of polarised sunglasses are a must as they take the sun glare off the water, giving you a good vision of what is in the river in front of you. With the clear conditions the trout will spook quite easily and the slightest movement will often send them on their way, well before you can get a bait in the river. So remember, it's a low and slow approach.
When I bait fish in a river, in these conditions, I always keep well back from the river banks and stay in the shade where possible. Trout will sit in the areas of shade that are on the water and it's only a matter of flicking the unweighted baited line upstream and letting it drift back down. This method of fishing will often produce a feed of trout, especially when you see them on the rise.
February, March and even into April is when the grasshoppers work a treat on the trout. An easy way of collecting hoppers is to walk along the river's edge (not where you are going to fish) and pick them off the water as they very often land on the water as you disturb them. The other method is to buy a child's butterfly net and swipe it through the long grass and collect them that way.
Keep the hoppers in a white plastic container, with a few air holes in the lid. Place some grass in the container and make sure to keep them in a cool place. The light coloured container is ideal. If you use a tin or a dark container, then as soon as you open it the hoppers will head straight for the light and you will lose most of them. When using the hopper for bait it's only a matter of placing the hook through the back of it, just below the neck. Approach the river quietly from downstream and cast the hopper upstream, then let it drift with the flow back toward you. You should pick up a trout or two using this method.
There is an alternative that you may want to try and that is fishing for trout in the lakes of Tasmania. Before you do though, make sure the lake that you intend to fish is allowed to be bait fished. Check your IFS Tasmanian Inland Fishing Code Booklet, to make sure that you can fish your selected lake. I am not one for fishing the lakes as there just seems to be too much water between the fish for me.
If you do decide to give it a go, then you can use a few different setups for fishing the lakes. You can use a light running sinker rig, which is the most common set up, consisting of a hook below the sinker, with one set at least a meter above it. The same size hooks can be used, fishing worms early season and wattle grubs, cockroaches and crickets later.
Lakes like Arthur's, Rowallan and Cethana, to name a few, would be my preference to fish as they hold a lot of dead trees in them and these are the areas to bait fish. I was successful on the few trips that I did to Lake Cethana many years ago. So, the lakes are there if you wish to give them a go, with several of them open all year round as well. Make sure to check the Inland Fisheries booklet to confirm which lakes are open all year.
Night fishing can be rewarding as well and you will often be rewarded with much bigger fish. Larger trout often move into the shallow areas along the lakes at night to feed, so a night fishing session is always worth a try. This article has been written from my experiences of bait fishing the rivers over the many years of my trout fishing days. Today I mainly lure fish, wading and spinning the rivers in the north of Tasmania. I still do my bit of bait fishing, early in the season in flooded rivers and I like to flick a grasshopper about late in the season as well. Make sure you have a lure box with you during the day too. If the water is clear you can always flick a Mepps inline spinner around, while waiting for a trout to take the bait.
A Few Pointers to Remember
1. Flooded rivers, backwaters and paddocks are ideal for bait fishing with worms in the early season.
2. When fishing flooded rivers, look for calm stretches along river banks or tree lined sections of the river.
3. Stay hidden when rivers are low and clear as trout spook easily on clear sunny days.
4. Try not to walk in the water and spook the fish when the rivers are low.
5. If you spot a fish, try to make an accurate cast past the fish and let the bait drift back to it.
6. In warmer weather conditions, fish early morning and late afternoon.
7. Fish with light weight tackle (very small ball sinker) and unweighted where possible.
8. If lake fishing, use light running sinkers and fish the heavily wooded areas.
9. Give a night bait fishing session a try as doing this may get you that big fish of a lifetime.
10. To release a fish that has swallowed the hook, cut the line near the mouth of the fish. Do not try and remove a swallowed hook, unless you intend to keep the fish.
So, there you have it, the basics of getting yourself started in the methods of bait fishing for trout. Bait fishing is one of the most inexpensive methods of fishing too and the bait that you use is free as it's just a matter of getting out there and collecting it. It is also a relaxing method of fishing. Just sitting back on a river bank, enjoying the beautiful scenery that surrounds oneself, while waiting for a trout to take the bait. It doesn't get any better than that, so get out there, give it a go and stay safe too.
Adrian (meppstas)
Gearing Up:
Okuma Celilo Finesse Spin Rods
Okuma Helios SX Spin Reels
Okuma Inspira Blue Spin Reels
Okuma Epixor XT Spin Reels
Okuma Ceymar Spin Reels
Platypus Super 100 Nylon Monofilament - 4lb & 6lb
Bronze Baitholder Hooks - #14, #12, #6 & #4
Small Ball & Split Shot Sinkers