I love trout fishing, especially when it's in a cool, slow moving river. Hours at a time can be spent standing waist deep in the brisk waters of a good trout river waiting for just the right moment to tug on your line. And when you reel that fish in you can feel the sense of accomplishment of taking down an agile, intelligent, and powerful animal that will put food on your plate for dinner. But with such a great experience ahead, how do you get started? I'd say 60% of trout fishing is all about the cast.
The basic cast is your most important but with trout you need to make a few small modifications to really be effective. First off, you want your bait to float over the trout (because this is how their food comes to them naturally) so stand between 20 and 30 feet downstream to cast up and over them. This is also great because typically trout face upstream so you'll be less inclined to scare them. Why would a fish face upstream? Because that's the best way to face to lay and wait for tasty morsels to float by. When the food floats over pretty much any hungry trout will take a grab at it. If you're having problems even getting nibbles then you might not be in the best place for catching trout. Try reexamining the area to find out where they're hiding so you can adjust your casting. It's also important to remember not to overfish an area. If you catch several fish in one spot, they may start to get edgy and it would be smart for you to leave the area for 30-45 minutes until they calm down and new fish come in.
Once you've got your bait in the water, get the tip up in the air before you start reeling it in. That way you won't be caught off guard when a fish grabs and yanks on your pole. Once this happens however, make sure you jerk the tip up about a foot more to set the hook. That way your fish doesn't escape you while it weaves and dives.
Something else you can work with (specifically with fly fishing) is the false cast. This cast is very effective for changing the direction of your cast mid-air as well as giving you pinpoint casting accuracy once you get it down. Make a figure 8 above your head until you've got your cast lined up to where you want it to go and then let it loose.
Another important aspect of any kind of fishing is keeping your line clean. If you have a dirty line then it's going to be harder to cast and reel in, and it's already hard enough with a good sized fish on the line! Make sure your line is clean before you start fishing, and it may be good to clean it up halfway through the day as well just to remove any algae and dirt that may have accumulated.
About this Author
Jim Belson is a trout fishing expert. For more great tips on river trout fishing [http://www.tipsfortroutfishing.com/river-trout-fishing/], visit [http://www.tipsfortroutfishing.com/river-trout-fishing/].
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