The Best Trout Baits for Every Situation: Get More Bites with these Baits
Why Bait Choice Matters More Than Gear
I’ve caught more trout on my cheap $50 combo than I have on my expensive $200+ combos because the gear doesn’t make the angler. Understanding what the fish want in that moment matters most. That’s why knowing what the best bait for trout is in every situation (water temperature, water clarity, stocked vs. wild trout, and species) will help you land more trout every time you’re fishing for them. Get the right bait in front of them, and they’re more inclined to bite, no matter the cost of your gear. Let’s begin with natural baits.
Best Natural Baits for Trout
Natural bait has been catching trout longer than anything else; the best live bait for trout is what they were eating before manmade baits existed.
Worms
Live worms are the universal trout bait (fishing bait, for that matter). Big Nightcrawlers work best for bigger fish, whereas the smaller red worms and garden worms work best for streams and smaller trout. Match the size of the worm to the size of the trout in the body of water you’re fishing. I prefer to wad them on the hook because they come off easier when you thread them on. However, I’ve caught fish using both methods. In cold water, trout become lethargic and prefer smaller pieces.
Minnows
When targeting big trout, especially browns and lake trout, minnows work best. Since stocked trout are fed pellets for most of their life, their instincts might take a little while to kick in and realize minnows are edible. To keep the minnows alive longer, hook them through the lips (especially when trolling or drifting) or behind the dorsal fin when sitting still (bobber fishing).
Salmon Eggs
Salmon eggs are extremely effective in rivers and streams, especially during spawning seasons. Even if the river or stream doesn’t have salmon, trout will eat them. I’ve caught trout using cured eggs from a jar, but other anglers swear by fresh or home-cured eggs. You can add a single egg to a size 10-14 hook (they’re tiny), or you can use egg sacs using an egg loop knot on your hook.
Crickets and Grasshoppers
An often overlooked, but seriously deadly summer and early fall bait is crickets and grasshoppers, especially for wild trout used to eating insects. You can fish weightless with them or with a little weight and a bobber. Pierce them through the thorax, cast it out, and watch the fish attack.
Wax Worms and Mealworms
Less common but effective in cold water (thanks to the small profile), wax worms and mealworms make excellent trout bait, especially while ice fishing for trout (so I’ve been told by my father-in-law). Don’t overlook them because they’re easy to keep alive, and trout consistently hit them.
Best Prepared and Artificial Baits for Trout
Natural bait is great (and often my first choice), but it’s perishable, messy, and occasionally difficult to find (seasonally available). Prepared baits are less perishable, readily available, and are regularly the best bait for stocked trout because it’s what they ate at the hatchery.
Berkley PowerBait (Dough Bait)
Berkley PowerBait is the #1 bait for stocked trout, period. That’s because it’s designed to smell and taste like the food from the hatchery. I grew up using PowerBait in dough, nugget, and floating-worm forms. Each has its place, but the dough and nuggets are my go-to. I prefer to keep my color selection simple: yellow, chartreuse, rainbow, and garlic are staples. PowerBait is less effective on wild trout that haven’t been raised on pellet feed, but they will still bite it. I rig it on a small size 10 hook with a split shot weight about 1 ½ to 2 feet above it. This allows the PowerBait to float off the button and sit in the strike zone.
Corn
Yes, corn is natural… sort of, but I listed it in the prepared and artificial section. I’ve used it to catch tons of stocked trout using a bobber. Some dough baits even try to mimic the smell and feel of corn.
Inline Spinners
Rooster Tails, Panther Martins, Blue Fox Vibrax (1/16-1/8 oz for most trout), but larger trout regularly attack larger inline spinners. Silver and gold work best in clear water; bright colors like chartreuse, white, red, or pink work best in stained water. I love using them to cover water and locate fish, especially while fishing from the bank.
Spoons
Kastmaster, Super Duper, Phoebe, and Little Cleo are small (1/8-1/4 oz) spoons that work in current and still water for stocked or native trout. This is my favorite artificial lure because you can cast and retrieve or let it flutter down in deeper water. So you can cover a lot of water at various depths. I’ve also trolled many times with larger spoons for lake trout in deep water.
Soft Plastics
Soft plastics like Trout Magnet, Gulp! Trout Dough, and Slug-Go are newer trout bait categories that have grown fast. You can place them on a small jig head and fish them similarly to a spoon, or while fishing for crappie. I’ve found soft plastic works best in high-pressure situations when you need something just a bit different than what everyone else is using. Natural colors like green pumpkin, white, and translucent work best in clear water, whereas bright colors like chartreuse, red, and purple work well in stained or muddy water.
Best Bait by Trout Species
Different species are more attracted to specific baits. While many trout baits will catch a wide variety of trout species, if you’re targeting a specific species, it’s best to use the best bait for that species.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbows are the most commonly stocked species. I’ve found the best bait for rainbow trout is dough bait like PowerBait, but worms and salmon eggs also work. Wild rainbows are a bit more selective, so I recommend going with natural baits and smaller presentations. My favorite way to catch rainbow trout is using in-line spinners and spoons in silver or gold.
Brown Trout
Brown trout are bigger, meaner, and harder to catch than rainbows. The best bait for brown trout is most often minnows, crawfish, and larger lures. I caught my first brown trout while trolling with crankbaits. They feed more aggressively at dawn, dusk, and night than they do during the middle of the day. Bigger spoons and jerkbaits outperform small spinners when targeting trophy browns.
Brook Trout
Brook trout are small, so downsizing is a must. Small worms, tiny spinners (1/32-1/16 oz), and dry flies tend to get the most bites from these tiny trout.
Speckled Trout (Sea Trout)
Speckled trout are a different species entirely; they live in saltwater, not freshwater. The best bait for speckled trout is live shrimp, soft plastic jigs (DOA shrimp and MirrOlure), and topwater plugs. Speckled trout spend most of their time around grass flats, oyster bars, and structure.
Lake Trout
Lake trout spend most of their time in deep water (I’ve pulled them out of 100’ of water before). Heavy gear is a must for these giant trout. The best bait for lake trout is large spoons, tube jigs, and live bait (suckers or smelt) trolled or jigged deep. This style of fishing is a very different game from stream trout fishing; at times, I consider it closer to deep-sea fishing.
Best Bait for Trout by Situation
The trout species isn’t the only thing that affects which bait works best. Water temperature, clarity, time of year, type of water body, and time of day are many of the other factors. In this section, we’ll focus on the type of water you’re fishing.
Lakes
The best bait for trout in lakes is PowerBait, using a bottom rig for stocked fish, a float rig with worms, or inline spinners from the bank. For deeper lakes, trolling spoons catches a ton of trout.
Rivers and Streams
The best bait for trout in rivers is a Super Duper, Powerbait, or salmon eggs on a split-shot rig. Worms and crickets also get bitten. Try casting inline spinners upstream and retrieving them with the current. Getting a natural drift is the key; your bait or lure should look like it’s floating naturally, not dragging.
Ponds (Stocked)
The best bait for trout in ponds is PowerBait or corn. Worms, inline spinners, and small spoons are also amazing. I like to fish near the aerator, dock, or structure.
Common Trout Bait Mistakes
The biggest mistakes I see most often from new and seasoned trout anglers are:
- Using big baits. Don’t be afraid to downsize; trout have excellent eyesight and will eat tiny lures.
- Fishing too fast. I’m guilty of this when the water gets extra cold. Slow down and thoroughly fish the area.
- Using old or dried-out bait. I’ve tried to use old bait, and it didn’t work out very well. If your bait has sat in your tackle box for a while, it’s probably time to buy some new stuff.
- Fishing with the wrong rig with the bait. PowerBait floats, so using it without a weight or on a bobber doesn’t work very well. Or worms should drift, so using them with a bottom rig will be less effective.
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