Trout Rigs - Three Highly Effective Trout Fishing Rigs
by Trevor Kugler
I have had the good fortune of fishing for trout from coast to coast and have always found certain trout rigs to be much more effective than others when fishing for these beautiful and sometimes hard to catch fish. In this article I will use my two plus decades of trout fishing experience to outline 3 highly effective trout fishing rigs that can be used by any spin fishing angler. The bottom line is that if you like to fish for trout with traditional spinning gear, this article is for you.
Before getting down to the rigs themselves, I think it's important to point out one of the biggest mistakes that anglers make when fishing for trout, which is the size of the line that they use. Many trout fishermen tend to use fishing line that's entirely too heavy. In my experience no fishing line heavier than six pound test should be used when fishing for trout. Sure, if you are expecting to catch very large trout (heavier than 6 to 7 pounds) heavier fishing line can and should be used, but for most trout fishing situations, six pound test monofilament should be the maximum line weight that is used. I personally use and suggest four pound test monofilament when fishing for trout.
With that being said, let's get down to the trout rigs themselves, what do you say?
- The Gang Hook Rig - This trout fishing rig is for those of you who like to use live worms as bait (an excellent trout bait by the way) when fishing for trout. The gang hook rig is an extremely effective way to fish for trout in the flowing waters of a river or stream. This trout rig is simple to set up. All you need is a swivel, some split shot sinkers, pre-tied gang hooks, and live worms. In the case of large live worms such as night crawlers, make sure that you pinch the worm in half so as not to leave too much of the worm hanging from the second of the two hooks that gang hooks are made of. A live worm
rigged onto a gang hook rig and allowed to flow naturally with the current of your favorite trout river, is an extremely effective trout fishing technique, and one that you could easily "fall in love" with.
- The Casting Bubble & Fly Rig - A casting bubble is one of the best ways for a spin fisherman to fish with an artificial fly in an effective manner. Of the 3 trout fishing rigs being outlined in this article, this rig is most effective when fishing for trout in lakes. This
trout fishing rig involves a casting bubble, a swivel, a tapered leader, and an artificial fly. Both wet and dry flies can be used with this trout fishing rig, with dry flies (meaning a fly floating on top of the water) being a bit more effective in my experience. In any case a casting bubble rig is a great trout fishing rig for fishing an artificial fly in a lake or other still water fishing situation.
- The Nymph Rig - When it comes to trout rigs, this rig is one of my favorites. This rig is much like the gang hook rig, minus the use of gang hooks and bait. For this trout fishing rig all you need are some split shot sinkers, a swivel, a tapered leader (or a 12-18 inch length of line), and an artificial nymph. This trout fishing rig should be fished in the flowing water of a river or stream just as the gang hook rig is. The rig is made like this: tie a swivel onto one end of your line and a leader (or length of line) to the opposite end of the swivel. Now add the nymph to the end of your leader. Split shot sinkers are
added to the line above the swivel for weight. The goal is to have enough weight for the entire rig to bounce along the bottom as it flows with the current without becoming snagged. Trial and error, combined with experience, make this process a breeze. The bottom line is that the nymph rig is a very effective trout fishing rig, especially when fishing for large trout.
The bottom line is that when it comes to trout rigs, these 3 highly effective rigs are hard to beat. If any of them aren't a part of your trout fishing arsenal they should be added sooner, rather than later.
Trevor Kugler is co-founder of JRWfishing.com and an avid angler. He has more than 25 years experience fishing for all types of fish, and 15 years of business and internet experience. He currently raises his five year old daughter in the heart of trout fishing country.
