For autumn trout, don't overlook
Rebel's ultralight lures that resemble insects. Here are tips on how to pick the best baits and fish them effectively.
As the current sweeps your lure close to a steep, grassy bank, you watch the little topwater bait intensively, knowing a trout may slurp it under at any moment. The trout get quite a few easy meals from misdirected grasshoppers, beetles and ants this time of year, so your
Rebel Crickhopper looks like dinner to the fish.
Fly-fishermen recognize the great value of drifting terrestrial-insect imitations during late summer and throughout the fall, and they catch loads of trout on various 'hopper and ant patterns. To find the same success with an ultralight rod, tie on a
Rebel Crickhopper , Crickhopper Popper , Big Ant , Cat'r Crawler or Bumble Bug . All imitate land-based bugs that trout are accustomed to eating this time of year.
Except for Cat'r Crawlers, these baits float, and the best presentations keep them on or near the surface. Crickhoppers, Big Ants and Bumble Bugs can all be wobbled across the surface by reeling slowly with the rod held high. If the fish are aggressive, twitching the baits across the top and creating extra kick may draw more strikes. Crickhopper Poppers, of course, need to be popped. Quarter casts upstream and work the baits with your rod tip as they current carries them through natural feeding lanes.
For all the surface baits, incorporate some long pauses, and even try some straight drifts. Just cast upstream and let the bait drift naturally. The trout are used to seeing stunned or scared insects caught in the current, and a drifting insect silhouette often will attract more strikes than any kind of imparted action.
The best bait for any given outing depends on the size and aggressiveness of the trout, the types of terrestrial insects they likely see the most of and character of the stream. Begin with the most obvious picks (like
Crickhoppers in meadows streams and Big Ants in timber-filled tailwaters), but experiment quite a bit and let the trout dictate their preferences. Sometimes just switching from a traditional Crickhopper to a Bighopper , which is 1/4-inch longer makes all the difference.
A
Cat'r Crawler , which can imitate a host off different caterpillar and worms varieties, is an especially good lure after a heavy rain, which can wash these kinds of critters off the banks and into streams. Cast to the heads of big pools, where current feeds the deeper water, and let the bait sink and drift. Once it's well down in the pool, alternate short sweeps of the rods with pauses. The sweeps will make the bait wobble. Watch your line closely during the pauses, and then set the hook sharply if you detect any unnatural movement.
All of these baits are very light, with a Bighopper being the heavyweight of the group at 1/4 ounce. Grab your lightest spinning outfit, spool up with
4- or 6-pound-test Silver Thread Trout line , grab a box of Rebel ultralight baits , and you'll be ready to go catch some trout.