The Ultimate Guide To Brown Trout Fishing

I’ll never forget the first time I caught a Brown Trout. It was dusk in November and I had just tied on a black rooster tail and made my first cast. The flash of the blade could be seen from the bank. Then a massive strike followed as the lure vanished and I remember netting the fish and gazing at psychedelic red spots amid brown and green – a far cry from the usual rainbow trout. It fought differently than other freshwater species and was more aggressive and wild.

I was hooked from that day on. Every waterway -whether a lake, stream, creek, or reservoir – I consider fishing for wild trout, even without knowing they’re there. It’s important to have a comprehensive knowledge of these foreign beasts inhabiting out waterways such as local forage, seasonal behavior, and lure selection. In this article, I’ll provide a detailed walkthrough of how to fish for these trout. You’ll be ready to hit the water with confidence.

 Brown Trout History & Biology

Originally from Europe, German Brown Trout were introduced to the United States in the 19th century to enhance recreational fishing. This occurred when recreational fishing began seeing diverse changes in the industry as more people took to fishing as a sport. This led to conservation efforts to protect brown trout as a sport fish in the states. Since then, Browns have spread across the country, occupying rivers, lakes, creeks, and reservoirs, and feeding on a diverse natural forage. Fly fishing and lures are both effective methods of catching them as their diet is vast.

Appearance

Brown trout have a streamlined body that can vary in color from golden brown to olive green. They often feature dark spots on their dorsal side and lateral hues of gold and light brown and sometimes psychedelic red spots. This coloration provides excellent camouflage in their natural habitat. Adult brown trout can exceed 30 inches and weigh over 20 pounds, although most average around 12 to 20 inches. They develop pin-sharp teeth as they mature and possess backward-facing teeth on their tongue for holding small fish. They are beautiful yet deadly freshwater fish.

Habitat

Brown Trout are typically colder-water fish that inhabit lakes, rivers, streams, creeks, and reservoirs and thrive in 50-60 degrees F. They can tolerate different environments, which has allowed them to thrive across the US. Browns prefer structure in their environment including wood like fallen trees, humps, and rock piles, as well as moving water, which turns up food. All of these structures provide cover from predators like osprey and otters and provide ambush points for hunting.

Brown Trout Feeding Habits

Browns will feed on a variety of prey including:

• Fish: Big brown trout will prey on smaller fish, including their own species, especially when available. Stocked fish like rainbow trout are commonly on the menue for the native fish population.
• Small Mammals: Brown trout have been known to take  small mammals such as mice and rats off the surface.

• Insects: Aquatic insects are a primary food source, especially during their larval stages.
• Crustaceans: Small crustaceans and other invertebrates are also consumed.

Browns are known to adapt their feeding habits to adjust to the seasons. This allows anglers to play with different lures and baits depending on the time of year from top water flys to large jerk baits and everything in between.

Best Lures For Brown Trout

 

Winter

Browns are adaptable, which means they can change their target forage based on the season and availability. It’s important to have a variety of lures and presentations for this reason.

As water temperatures cool, fish begin to slow their metabolisms and eat less. This doesn’t mean they can’t be caught. Hard baits like a minnow lure still have a place in my tackle box regardless of the temperature. Try targeting wooded areas like fallen trees, undercut banks, and submerged humps. I like fishing a light action rod with 10-20 lb braided line joined with a 10 lb mono leader. The soft rod tip allows for a better hook set with exposed treble hooks. Winter is also a time when I’ll specifically target larger fish in tail-outs with larger lures. Below are some of my favorite winter minnow presentations for just such occasions.

Rapala Floating Minnow – Buy From FishUSA

Rapala Count Down Elite – Buy From FishUSA

Mega Bass X-70 – Buy From FishUSA

Winter is also a time when I’ll specifically target larger fish with minnow presentations. I like fishing moving water with minnow lures in winter because it presents an easy target that sweeps past them slowly. Cast at a 45º angle up stream and real in as the lure action begins working in the current. This will sweep the lure across. Similarly, you can cast directly up stream and retrieve with the current. This action appear most natural.

Spring

I like to use flash in my lures in spring and fish fast. This is when the rooster tail and bullet spinners are most effective as trout are likely to chase down prey. Many parts of the country will see rain right through spring which causes poor water clarity. I like using a black or silver lure like a rooster tail or Panther Martin. These colors contrast well and trout are able to see it. Below are my top picks for spinner lures for brown trout;

Panther Martin- Buy From Fish USA 

Rooster Tail-Buy From FishUSA 

Vibrax Bullet Spinner- Buy From FishUSA 

Summer

Brown Trout are typically active in warmer waters and move around quite a bit, feeding on insects and small fish. Despite being more active, it’s important to understand what trout eat during this season to stay sharp with the right presentation. They may hide out in the mid day heat along undercut banks, or shaded areas, or faster riffles, and in the evening they’ll rise and feed more aggressively. I find that summer is a cross of Spring and winter lures and it all depends on the miid of the fish. They can also be found at lower depths closer to the thermocline transition. This is where a hair jig can be effective.

Wild brown trout will scavenge and hunt along rocky bottoms, especially in moving water as food flows to them. One such prey item are sculpin, a small fresh water bottom fish. A hair jig is a killer imitation of a sculpin. You can fish these jigs along rocky bottoms in moving water using a light action rod with 10lb braided main line and a 4-8 lb fluorocarbon leader. I like keeping my leader at least 4 ft, others anglers might recommend longer. This prevents the trout from being your line.  Cast at a 90º  (straight across), allow a moment for the jig to sink, and begin twitching your rod upward causing the jig to pop up and down close to the rocky bottom. This action imitates a small sculpin or other bait fish. Below are some effective hair jig lures, rods, and reels, to get the job done.

Jig Fishing Essentials;

Voodoo Custom Tackle Rabbit Hair Jigs – Buy From FishUSA 

Okuma SST Trout Rod (6-7ft)  – Buy From FishUSA

Pflueger President Spinning Reel (8lb Drag) – Buy From Fish USA 

Fishing With Worms

Nightcrawlers and meal worms are great presentations in moving water. You can use a size 2 Gamakatsu Bait Holder hook and thread the worm on. A bobber set-up will hold your bait at the desired depth. Use split shots a  few inches above the bait to hold it in the strike zone. You can also use a split-shot weight with no bobber and cast at a 45º angle up stream and let the worm bounce down stream. This method is typically called bouncing and can produce a lot of bites.

Additionally, you can use a worm blower to inflate the worm, which allows it to float off the bottom. This can be an effective method when trout are suspended off the bottom and hunting mid water column. You can use a chunk of night crawler as a trailer on a spoon. This presentation is effective for all wild trout and stocked.

How To Catch Brown Trout In Lakes 

Lakes are generally similar to one another. Whether you’re fishing lake Ontario or Tahoe, trout behave in similar ways. Trolling is an effective way of reaching brown trout when they’re deep. You can use a three-way swivel, 2-3 oz weight, and a leader line tied to your lure and troll at 2- 3 miles per hour. The more weight you use, the deeper you’ll fish. You can also use trout flashers when water clarity is poor.

Trolling lures include Rapala floating minnows, flicker shads, and spoons. If you don’t get a bite after a while, try adjusting your depth by increasing or decreasing your weight. You can also use a fish finder to identify trout as well as bait fish. This will tell you the general depth of where the fish are. Trolling is an effective way to cover water large areas of water.

Fishing Tips: Acme Kast Masters

The Kast Master is one of the best lures for Brown Trout in lakes, especially when fishing over ledges and submerged structure. A 1/2 oz lure will sink to the right depth quickly and remain in the strike zone as you retrieve it. From a boat, you can vertically jig a kast master over deep areas or cast out, let it fall, and jig it back, allowing the lure to flutter on the fall. Both these retrieves imitate a bait fish in destress. The Kast Master is a perfect lure to tip with a chunk of worm for added scent and action. Jigging is especially effective in winter when fishing from a boat as you’re able to drop the lure on top of the fish.

Final Thoughts

Brown Trout are some of the most impressive species of fish in the US. They’ve flourished among our diverse climates and waters and have provided an alluring, almost mythical, target species for anglers. They’re aggressive and opportunistic, and can be found from Coast to Coast. Every trout angler dreams of seeing a trophy brown trout in their net – those beautifully unique colors, glistening. They’re one of the prettiest wild fish species.  So get out there and try these lures and techniques!