How to Troll for Trout (2024)

Fishing for trout is not a simple task by any means. Trout are exceptional at catching anything that they perceive to be remote to their natural environment. This is why it is essential to be street-smart while trolling for trout. You need to be aware of different factors that can help you catch trout.

Before you go out fishing with your friends or family, you need to make a mind map about the size of

the trout that you expect to catch. If you are uncertain about your objective, the chances of

having a poor day out become significantly larger. It is just as much about your luck as it is about

pre-planning smartly and efficiently.

This article will discuss certain factors that will allow you to become adept at trolling for trout, but before that, we need to explain what trolling for trout means.

What is Trolling?

Trolling, in simple words, is one of the many methods used for fishing. Bait is attached to a bat that moves at varying depths (and speed), depending on the water body’s nature, the size of the trout you are looking for, and the habitat.

Trolling can be employed in both salt and freshwater areas. At sea, powerboats that are equipped with solid gear are most commonly used. Essentially, what trolling does is allows the fisherman to cover a vast area of lakes or rivers in the pursuit of various species.

Now, let’s talk about how we can troll effectively to catch trout.

How Fast Should We Troll for Trout?

The perfect speed for trolling for trout in a lake is between 1.5 and 3 mph. This varies because of the type of trout lure you are using and the depth of the water body. Generally, it would be preferable to troll slightly slower in a deep water body than a shallower one.

Going beyond 3 mph increases the risk of scaring away the trout. This is a common mistake that most fishers make. You have to understand that trout can be easily scared away, and the slower your pace, the better results you would produce.

This speed, although, depends heavily on the luring method you are using. As we will see later on, there are multiple ways to lure trout, each requiring the boat to go at its own different pace. Before we do that, let’s talk about the perfect depth required for trout trolling.

Depth for Trout Trolling

Different temperatures require different depths to operate on. During Springtime, lake trout will come right at the edge of the surface. However, as the water starts to become warmer in the summertime, trout generally start going deeper into the water body.

A rough estimate for the perfect depth during various seasons is mentioned below:

Snowing: Midway between the surface and 10 feet below.
Early to mid-Spring: 20-30 feet below surface level.
Late Spring: 50 feet below surface level.
Mid-Summer: It is not easy to estimate the perfect depth during summertime. Some fishermen believe that Lake Trout travel to the depths of the lake body and do not move for long periods. However, during feeding time, the trout travel to the shallower holes on the water body. This is usually around 60-70 feet. They do this because there are a lot of batfishes in those parts of the body. Moreover, they tend to move up if the lake body is injected with a cold natural spring.

As we can see, different temperatures require us to operate on different depths at a time. This can cause a lot of inconvenience to an amateur angler. It is imperative to know which depths you will find the trout during different times of the year; otherwise, you may end up empty-handed. Now let’s talk about the best lures you can use to troll for trout.

Best Lure to Use for Trout Trolling

Trout are known for their notorious trickery. It is not easy to catch them, especially if you’re a beginner. This is why it is essential to have the best luring method in your tackle box. However, even choosing the best lure is not an easy task by any means.

There are multiple different lures available on the market. However, the best luring methods (and the most common ones) include Needlefish Spoons and Spinners.

Needlefish spoons have an elongated blade that is designed for catching trout at different speeds. It has a super-active flipper tail made of metal that attracts all types of trout. Whether you put some bait on the Needlefish or fish alone, it doesn’t matter. It will work perfectly well either way.

Best Lines to Use for Trout Trolling

When you are trolling for trout in lakes or rivers the best solution is to go for monofilament as main line and fluorocarbon as leader.

We have write a post to give you all the information you need to understand how to choose lines for trout trolling.

Making the Lure Deeper While Trolling for Trout

To get the lure to go in deeper into the water body, you can use split shots. Split shots are one of the standard and well-known sinkers among fishing circles. They have various sizes depending on the type of catch you are looking for.

Split shots are attached almost 4-5 feet above the lure to make it go deeper into the water body. However, the size of these sinkers depends on how far deep you want to go. Furthermore, split shots are most commonly used along with live bait.

Conclusion

So far, we have covered some of the most essential things required for trout trolling. As long as you comply with these methods, you will be able to catch a massive load of trout. Lastly, make sure that your fishing technique is environmentally friendly and does not harm the fish.