In autumn, when the weather and water temperatures start cooling, big trout begin to shake off their summer lethargy and become active. The dropping water temperatures get the fish salivating like Pavlov’s dogs and they move in close to shore to feast before the onset of winter.?? That’s exactly what makes the upcoming several weeks the most productive time of year to hook a monster.
When it is still warm (hot) in the low elevations, I like to start my quest for jumbo ‘bows and browns up in the higher elevations and work my way down the hill as the season progresses. One really nice thing about fishing for fall trout is they are typically very close to shore, so boatless anglers aren’t at a big disadvantage.
A nice November Brown
Flukes
Speaking of shore fishing, I like to target large trout with bass-style gear. One of my favorite lures to throw is the 4-inch Zoom Fluke or 3-inch Tiny Fluke.
Zoom Fluke
Senkos
Another popular bass lure that works well for trout is the Yamamoto Senko worm. I run the 3- and 4-inch sizes and usually fish them “wacky style,” which involves placing your hook through the middle of the worm. Senko worms are very dense and designed to be fished without weight. They cast well and then have a fluttering action as they sink. With the wacky rigging, I’ll throw my worm out and let it fall. Every second or two, I’ll give it 2-3 quick pops of the rod tip, which causes the two ends of the bait to twitch very enticingly, which drives trout nuts.??Sometimes, they’ll follow the worm all the way to the bottom, pecking at it as it sinks and finally inhaling it once it hits the lake floor.??The only drawback to the above two techniques is you have to fish very slowly and methodically – not a bad idea when you’ve got a piece of water in front of you that you know holds fish.
Cranks and Rip Baits
Big Brown Food
But, when I’m not exactly sure where the fish are and need to cover some ground to find them, I love burning ripbaits and cranks. Lucky Craft’s 2.5-inch Pointer 65 minnow in the rainbow trout or American shad finishes is a dandy…??The bait looks like a standard Rapala, but it’s neutrally buoyant and suspends when you stop reeling it. It also casts like a bomb, unlike baits made of balsa. Cast it out and burn it back in, allowing it to pause and suspend momentarily along the way.??
A nice rainbow that mistook a small crankbait for a tasty meal...
There’s a whole host of other cranks you can fish for fall trout, like Speed Traps, Norman Tiny N Deeps, Bagley’s Crawfish, etc. Rainbows will often smack these lures, but they are particularly deadly on big brownies.
Old School Baits
Going Old Skool...
Of course, you can fish “old school” style for big trout with stuff like inflated nightcrawlers, live minnows, Rapalas, spinners and spoons and do just fine, but give some of these bass techniques a try this fall and I bet you’ll be happy with the results.
Robert T Payne says
I have been absolutely crushing big wild browns and rainbows on the super fluke jr’s and regular size the last month. I fish them with a 1/0 offset shank worm hook. If I need some extra weight I wrap a twist on weight around the shank of the weight. Prevents nose dipping. A barrel swivel 18 inches above helps keep then down and prevents line twist as well
JD says
Nice thanks for the tips!
John says
when rigging superfluous weightless what size hooks do you use and do you rig exposed (as you would with a jig) or nose hooked or texposed like when bass fishing? I have been wanting to try them for a long time in the stream as I crush bass with them and I like to throw hard jerkbaits for trout. Obviously the 4/0 3/0 EWG hook I use for bass is not appropriate.
JD says
John, the size of the hook just depends on the bait I’m using. Simply match the hook to the bait. I usually fish them exposed unless I’m tossing into heavy cover. I don’t think the fish really see too much of the hook when the bait is flopping all over the joint and I want that thing sticking out of the plastic so I get a better hook set.
Good luck!
Charlie Schafer says
Great advice. What size line do uou use. Mono or fluoro. And what size hook for each
Fishing Lures says
You are so cool! I do not believe I have read through something like that before. So great to discover somebody with genuine thoughts on this topic. Really.. thank you for starting this up. This website is one thing that is needed on the internet, someone with some originality!
Jeff says
Hey JD, what colors of flukes and Senkos might you suggest? Also what type and size hooks would be best. Thanks!
Levi says
What size of hooks do you use with the Flukes? I’m thinking about using circle hooks with them.
sam w says
I traditionaly troll spoons or if im feeling a little lazy use powerbait, but i have to agree that using bass tackle of trout can deffinately be deadly. one of my favorite techniques is using a 2 inch floating rapala in a rainbow finish with size 12 treble hooks. cast out, jerk once or twice and let it float to the suface for 3-5 seconds. watching hungry trout nail this thing on top water is electrifying! good fishing everyone!
Mark Weber says
What size hook do you use with the tiny fluke for trout?
eric says
what kind of rod do you have in the first two pictures? and what reel im looking to buy a new trout setup for under 110
JD says
Eric, the rod’s a $300 GLoomis, but you don’t have to get that crazy. Just find a decent 6- to 7-foot graphite stick rated for 2- to 6-pound line and add a quality reel. We found nice, wide arbor spooled US Reel Super Caster XL 180’s for 39 bucks recently at Big 5. Keep your eyes open for sales and check Craigslist and eBay for deals.
Charlie Schafer says
What size line do you use. Mono or fluoro. And what size hook for each