4 Top Techniques for Catching Winter Trout

Winter ranks among the best times of the year to catch trout in many areas. Trout, being cold-water fish, by nature, remain more active than many other types of fish when the water is cold. If fact, toward the southern end of their range, trout are more active in the winter than they are during summer.

That said, trout don’t act the same during winter as they do at other times. Primary forage available and behavior of the forage differ during winter, and the trout tend to spend more time closer to the bottom, often feeding on minnows or aquatic insect nymphs in deeper runs, instead of watching for hatching insect in riffles.

With such things in mind, we’ll break down four lure types and strategies that are highly effective through the coldest part of the year.

Slow-sinking minnow-style lures, such as the Rebel Tracdown Minnow and Tracdown Ghost Minnow, excel in trout streams through the cooler months for a couple of important reasons: They “match the hatch,” and they work effectively through the primary zone.

With very few aquatic insects hatching or terrestrial insects landing on the water, and crawfish largely burrowed and inactive, trout feed heavily on sculpins, darters, creek minnows and other fish species through the winter. A minnow bait, therefore, looks like food, and a 2 1/2-inch version is small enough to look like a suitable dinner to most stream trout.

As importantly, these baits can be presented effectively low in the water column, where trout spend the bulk of their time when the water is extra cold. They sink naturally, so it’s easy to get one down in a pool. However, the sink rate is slow, so you can easily control the depth with the rod and retrieve speed.

For working pools and deep runs, orient casts upstream so the bait moves with the current and sinks freely. For shallower runs, casting across the current and allowing it to sweep and cross works great. Tracdown Minnows are effective for all types of trout holding areas.

Steady cranking creates a subtle rolling wiggle in most minnow baits. Snaps of the rod tip cause the same baits to flare more erratically. It’s vital to experiment with presentation speeds and rod movements and to pay careful attention to the fish’s responses. Sometimes they want it slow and steady. Other times, erratic.

Also experiment with specific lure choices. The Tracdown Ghost Minnow’s swimming action is tighter than that of the Tracdown Minnow, but the darts are more erratic. The regular Tracdown Minnow also comes in three sizes, with the middle size matching the length of the slenderer Tracdown Ghost Minnow.

Although jerkbaits are shaped much like the sinking minnows discussed above, the approaches differ substantially. Jerks or twitches trigger a darting, gliding dance. Pauses allow the bait to suspend irresistibly in the strike zone, whether stationary in an eddy or drifting in a current line.

Ideal baits, including a BOOYAH Flash Point or Flash Point Jr and a Smithwick Suspending Rattlin’ Rogue, were created primarily for bass fishing and are sized accordingly, and the technique feels like “bass fishing for trout.”

Jerkbait fishing tends to be extra good for brown trout and larger rainbows, especially in tailwaters and other large rivers that support quality trout and have plenty of baitfish that offer important forage for larger trout. In tailwaters, the best jerkbait bite often occurs when power is being generated, creating stronger current lines and more defined eddies and putting fish in feeding mode.

Key areas include the ledges, downed trees, boulders and anything else that creates a hard eddy. Trout also hold atop mid-river bars and in cuts in the bank, which commonly create hidden eddies. If a spot looks difficult for making a good presentation and potentially getting a big fish out, it’s likely a good place to cast a jerkbait for brown trout.

The presentation combines snaps or twitches of the rod with punctuated pauses, with most fish hitting during pauses. Tapping into the best action often requires experimentation with the sharpness and length of rod movements, the overall cadence and the length of pauses.

Flashy and generally narrow in profile, spoons are perennial producers for trout. Through the cooler months, lightweight spoons that sink slowly with a flutter, produce extra well. Among the best spoons for this approach is the Lindy Quiver Spoon, which was designed for and is mostly used for ice fishing.

A thin spoon cut from lightweight metal, the Quiver Spoon has an irresistible flutter whether being pulled through the water or allowed to tumble in the current. It also comes in a rattling version, which a single ball in a small chamber in the eye that creates a distinct rattling/knocking sound as the spoon does its dance.

Through winter, spoons generally produce best when fished close to the bottom and carried by the current. Aim casts generally upstream, keep the line mostly tight and use gentle lifts on the rod tip to control the bait’s tumble, make it rise and fall, and prevent it from getting hung.

Some cross-current spots, shallow areas and eddies that lack current to carry the bait call for more reeling to engage the action and keep the spoon off the bottom. However, slow reeling with only gentle lifts far outproduces fast spoon presentations and aggressive rod snaps most winter days.

The Quiver Spoon and Rattl’n Quiver Spoon come in three sizes and a great mix of colors. All are metallic on at least one side. Chrome, Gold and Pink Glow/Gold are among the best colors for trout fishing.

Some days, slow and low is the way to go, and on those days it’s tough to top a small jig, which might be a hair or feather jig or a simple jighead rigged with a small soft-plastic lure. The best jigs for this approach are at the small end of the spectrum, and the current does the bulk of the delivery work – much like drifting nymphs with a fly rod.

A couple of excellent options for this approach are a Lindy B-Max Little Nipper Jig in a 1/32- or 1/64-ounce size and a Bobby Garland Itty Bit Mayfly on a 1/48- or 1/64-ounce Itty Bits Jighead. In truth, the entire Itty Bit series works well in trout streams. However, the Itty Bit Mayfly stands out for winter drifting because the shape matches the aquatic insect nymphs that are near the bottom and that get moved mostly by the current.

The lightness of the jigheads creates admitted casting challenges. In small streams and pocket water, where drifts are short anyway, ultralight gear allows for sufficient casting distance. For longer casts, options include adding a split shot, tying a tandem rig (which keeps the offerings small but doubles the casting weight) or adding a small float, like a Thill Gold Medal Mini Stealth, to the line.

For relatively shallow runs (3 feet or less), the float option allows you to control the depth and to drift the bait just off the bottom at the same speed as the current. The float also serves as a “strike indicator,” which can be valuable, as trout frequently nab would-be meals but reject them quickly if everything doesn’t seem exactly right.

Lacking a float, the level of the rod tip, and amount of line tension are used to control the jig and keep it from dragging. Depending on current speed and depth, some soft lifts might be needed to keep the jig from hanging on the bottom. The goal, though, is to keep the jig near the stream bottom, drifting as naturally as possible at the same speed as the current, to imitate foodstuff that lacks significant independent mobility.

Rebel Tracdown Minnow

Rebel Tracdown Ghost Minnow

BOOYAH Flash Point

BOOYAH Flash Point Jr

Smithwick Suspending Rattlin’ Rogue

Lindy Quiver Spoon

Lindy Rattl’n Quiver Spoon

Lindy B-Max Little Nipper

Bobby Garland Itty Bit Mayfly

Bobby Garland Itty Bits Jigheads

Thill Gold Medal Mini Stealth Float