Anyone with trout fishing experience knows that live bait can be very effective. I've been trout fishing with bait for more than 25 years and in this article will provide you with some trout fishing bait tips that will make you a much more successful trout angler. A few of these bait tips were taught to me more than 20 years ago by the best trout angler I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. The ideas were his, and although very simple, these tips are quite remarkable.

I think it's important to point out that these bait tips are best employed while fishing in rivers and/or streams while wading. This is how I prefer to go trout fishing and these tips are certainly for the angler who likes to wade while fishing for trout with bait. These bait tips can also be easily modified for different fishing styles, but they were born for the wading trout angler.

Let's get down to business, shall we? These tips are being listed in no particular order.

1. Keep Your Bait Lively - When fishing for trout (or any other species of fish for that matter) you always want your bait to be as lively as possible. Dead or dying bait will not be effective and isn't even worth trying. For example, if you are using minnows as live bait, change the water frequently to keep the water that the minnows are in oxygenated. In the case of live worms on hot days, get your worms wet in water from the river to cool them off. These tips will help to keep your bait as lively as possible.
2. Have An Effective Worm Carrier - If you're using live worms as bait (and when trout fishing in rivers you should) having an effective way to carry your worms is an absolute must. When it comes to trout fishing bait tips this is one that I wont fish without. Having an effective worm carrier saves a ton of valuable fishing time by keeping your worms at your fingertips at all times. This saves a ton of time baiting up and re-baiting.
3. Present Your Bait Effectively - When fishing for trout, especially in rivers, with bait you always want to present your bait in the most effective way possible. This doesn't mean just wrapping your bait onto a hook and calling it good. In order to present your bait effectively a set of gang hooks needs to be employed. Rigging a live worm on a set of gang hooks and allowing your offering to flow naturally with the current of a river is a very effective trout fishing technique. The more natural your bait appears to the trout, the more effective it will be, it's as simple as that.

When it comes to trout fishing bait, these tips will make you a much more effective angler. Add one or all of them to your trout fishing repertoire sooner, rather than later.