Trout Fishing for Beginners

Unlike other types of fishing, trout fishing can be a bit more challenging at times - which often results in much frustration. The trick to trout fishing, is understanding trout - their needs and behavior. Once you understand trout, it’s a lot easier to catch them more consistently.

Like people, trout have basic needs:

• They need to feel secure in their environment from predators
• They need to be comfortable (that is, water temperatures needs to be comfortable and they need plenty of dissolved oxygen to breath)
• They need to have a food source

When these needs are met, trout will feed (or be more open to take your bait). When one or more of these basic needs aren’t being met, they'll stop feeding (and you'll have a very hard time catching them).

Trout are cold-blooded fish - meaning they like cool water. They're ideal water temperature is between 50-68 degrees Fahrenheit. When water temperatures get much cooler than this, trout become very lethargic. When water temperatures rise above 70 degrees (as it often does in summer time), trout start to suffocate and die.

Trout also need clean water that is well oxygenated. The amount of dissolved oxygen in the water is dependent on a few different factors including water temperatures, currents (i.e., moving water), and underwater plant growth.

Trout metabolism is affected by the amount of dissolved oxygen in the water - which in turn is affected by the factors mentioned above. Maintaining their comfort zone is a huge priority for trout. And when trout aren’t comfortable, they won't feed (and it becomes nearly impossible to catch them).

Since water temperature is largely affected by outdoor temperature, summer months tend to be the most challenging for trout anglers. When water temperatures get high, trout will often seek cooler water temps. Understanding this, will help you know where to find trout.

Security is another big priority for trout. They have many predators, including other fish, animals, and humans. For this reason, trout will hang out in portions of the water that provide them cover from predators. This includes big rocks, logs, uncut banks, and currents (assuming they're not too strong). Understanding this will help you understand where to find trout in rivers and streams.

And lastly, trout will usually be found where the food source is. Trout don't like to work hard for a meal. So they will usually hang out near a good food source. This means you'll have a better chance of catching trout, if you can get your baited hook close to them.

Half the battle in trout fishing, is knowing where to find trout. And understanding a trout's basic needs will greatly increase your chances of knowing where to find them - which in turn will increase your chances of catching trout!

For a more detailed understanding of the principles mentioned above, check out the "Trout Fishing Tips" eBook.