What To Use & When To Use It

Using the best trout bait for your target species is the first step in getting as many bites as possible. I’ve targeted trout for decades and caught several species nationwide using various baits and artificial lures. In this article, I’ll spill the beans on my favorite trout baits and lures to catch the big ones.

Best Trout Bait

Specific baits work better in certain situations. For example, while targeting stocked rainbow trout, PowerBait and corn work incredibly well, but they would be terrible choices to target stocked lake trout at times. 

Color choice is a significant contributing factor to enticing a bite, and it is primarily based on the time of year and water clarity. Many of the following trout lures and baits can be purchased in various colors, ensuring they can be used in various situations. 

So with these things in mind, here are my top trout baits to try out on your next trip: 

• PowerBait (Dough bait)
• Artificial Salmon Eggs
• Soft-Plastics
• Corn
• Worms
• Crickets
• Artificial Flies
• Spinners/Spoons
• Hardbaits (Crankbaits/Jerkbaits)

I’m biased toward Berkley PowerBait because I grew up using it while chasing stocked rainbow and brown trout on the river. This dough bait comes in various colors, with or without flakes, and styles. Sometimes, it’s prepackaged dough balls, which stay on your hook a little better in my experience, and other times, it’s dough that you must roll into a ball before placing it on your hook. These baits are designed to float off the bottom to entice the trout to bite.

Artificial salmon eggs are great for native and stocked trout. This bait mimics the trout’s natural food and is an excellent combo with dough bait because it rests on the bottom, instead of floating. I’ve used them in rivers and ponds where trout are stocked. In some places 

Soft plastic lures are another great option, as they can mimic the natural insect larvae trout are often eating. You can use soft plastics with various rigs and sizes to target a wide range of fish in multiple environments. 

Corn, worms, minnows, crickets, and other insects make incredible trout baits because they’re natural. These baits are almost guaranteed to catch a trout because you don’t have to trick it into eating something it wouldn’t normally eat. These baits look, smell, and taste real because they are real. They work in a wide variety of places, and are one of the best choices for beginners or anglers wanting to catch a lot of fish (kids).

Using artificial flies is the most popular approach to trout fishing, so I had to mention that artificial flies that match the hatch typically work very well. However, using these lures is a bit daunting for beginners due to the gap in knowledge needed to make an educated guess as to what will work. Flies typically work best in streams and ponds, but can be effective in lakes. 

My favorite lure is a SuperDuper spoon. I’ve caught trout in rivers and ponds with it, and it’s generally the only lure I need to catch my limit for the day. Small spoons and spinners are incredible trout lures because they mimic small baitfish struggling in the water, making the trout think it’s an easy meal. I’ve also used big spoons to catch giant lake trout while trolling, so don’t think they’re only for small streams and fish.

Another excellent trolling lure is a crankbait or jerkbait. I’ve caught brown trout while trolling a hardbait in Lake Huron. You can also cast and retrieve these lures. However, I’m not a fan of them in shallow streams. They tend to snag too often, so you spend more time getting unsnagged than you do fishing.

Last Cast: Best Trout Bait

Choosing the best trout bait depends on numerous factors, such as the time of year, water temperature, water clarity, barometric pressure, water current, the trout’s mood, and other environmental factors.

However, by using some of the lures and baits above, you’ll have a head start on your next trout fishing trip because I’ve used all of these to catch trout across the country in various conditions. As you fish for trout, you’ll begin to find lures and baits that work better in your situation. When you do, feel free to let me know what works for you in the comments. I’m always looking to experiment with new techniques and baits.

Wes Littlefield

Wes is an avid outdoorsman from Oklahoma always on the hunt for the next adventure. When he’s not writing, he’s probably in his kayak reeling in a fish or trying to trick waterfowl into checking out his spread.