The big trout formula

Understanding the important factors governing successful big trout fishing

There is a question that haunts many anglers seeking big trout. Is the most important factor for consistently catching them the selection of bait, the correct presentation of the bait, fishing the right spot, or is it fishing at the right time? Smaller trout can be caught almost anytime, with many types of baits and in many locations, but not so with big trout, so answering this question thoughtfully will surely improve our success. 

I cannot say that there is only one correct ranked order of these factors, because the correct order may be somewhat circumstantial. However, I find the mental exercise of ranking the four factors useful because it makes us dig deep into what we know about speckled trout. My ranked order of the four factors is: the right time, the right spot, the right bait and then the right presentation. 

The right time

Many big trout anglers rate timing as high or even the top spot in the ranking. 

Timing pulls in several sub-factors, such as the height of the tide, the tide direction, the height of the sun, the phase of the moon, the temperature of the water and the solunar predicted feeding period. In big trout areas without much tide, such as the southern Texas coast and Guana River Preserve in Florida, the solunar predictions are highly valued by anglers to determine optimal timing for big trout. 

Timing also determines how clean the water will be, how it will flow through a cut or around a point, how structure is inundated, and often where the bait will be. Therefore, timing will usually define when a spot is worth fishing for big trout. 

For instance, while I love fishing the rocks, on a very low tide the water does not inundate enough of the rocks and the big trout are not there. Or, when fishing the surf side of the barrier islands in summertime, I find the best time is on a rising tide when trout can get to the bait. 

My best general advice is to learn how timing affects habitat where you know big trout are caught. Equally as important is to know when the timing no longer supports a spot and therefore it is time to move on. 

The right spot

On a macro scale, you could say that the right spot for big trout is the Guana River Preserve in Florida or Baffin Bay in Texas, and there are anglers who regularly go to the national hot spots in search of trophy trout. We can also ask that question of areas nearer to home. But wherever you fish, there is a micro scale that defines the best spots where we are most likely to catch a trout that is in the 90th percentile of size for the area. 

My micro scale preferences for the right spot are structure such as rocks, rigs and pilings, flats with submerged aquatic grasses and barrier island beaches. But nearly all these spots are subjugated by the best timing factor, and we need to fish spots when the timing dictates. 

The right bait

The class of bait selected is critical to support the right timing and the right spot. For instance, if timing determines that two feet of water over a rock pile will energize that spot at 8 a.m., then it is likely that the timing and the spot dictates that a topwater bait should be thrown first. In another case, the timing and spot will suggest a jig or a jerkbait as good choices. 

When choosing a bait, it is very important to understand where in the water column the big trout are likely to be feeding. For instance, in low light and shallow water the trout will often feed at the surface, whereas in cold water or bright sun they will often feed on the bottom. Sometimes the only way to understand where the trout are willing to feed is to try different baits that target the top, middle and bottom of the water column. 

If you are fishing live bait, the right bait may be a particular species used or the size of the bait. The rigging used is also critical because that determines where in the water column the live bait is placed.   

I am sure at this point you are grasping the complexity raised by timing, spot and class of bait. Therefore, it is helpful to reduce the complexity where possible, and I do that by reducing my use of bait colors and variations of baits within a class. For instance, I can typically live with just three colors of baits, which are green, clear/white and dark. 

When reducing the complexity of my approach or when trying to maximize time, I will stick to a small collection of lures instead of cycling through different brands of the same type of lure. But in some cases, such as when wade fishing, where I don’t have the option of easily changing spots, I may use variations of the same lure type to probe for unresponsive trout.

The right presentation

Finally, we arrive at bait presentation as the last factor in my ranking, but don’t think we have cleared the bar just because it is number four. Without a convincing presentation, it is possible to have correctly chosen the first three factors only to fail when the trout turns away from the bait instead of striking. Thus the bait presentation is very important, and the only reason I place it at number four is because the other three are absolutely necessary to setup the possibility of the presentation eliciting a strike. 

A successful presentation of an artificial bait often depends on the timing factor. For instance, should the bait be moving with the tide or across it? Should the bait be in the current or outside the current? These questions are critical, but fortunately we can answer many of them in the moment by altering the bait speed or action, choosing a different boat position relative to the area targeted, fan casting, etc. I think the ability to move a boat’s position quickly is nearly the most important technological advantage we have as modern fishermen because it allows us to alter our bait presentations until we find the one that works best.

There is also a basic proficiency level that an angler needs when fishing artificial baits so that the presentation makes the bait appear lifelike. This is achievable by almost all anglers given enough practice and study. Beyond the basic proficiency, anglers advance to different levels just as athletes do. 

One simple piece of advice to improve our presentations is to stay focused. I find that envisioning a strike on every cast will keep me focused on delivering an optimal presentation. 

Using live bait

Live bait has an advantage over artificial baits in its potential to appear alive, but live bait can easily become dead bait and then its presentation is far worse than a well-presented artificial bait. Therefore, many successful live bait anglers choose to buy bait from particular bait shops and take measures to keep the bait healthy and active in their livewell by maintaining good water circulation, monitoring water temperature, not overcrowding the livewell and even adding air bubblers in addition to circulating water. 

Beyond the health of the bait, live bait anglers need to make other presentation-related decisions, such as where to place the hook, should the bait be free lined, attached to a cork, or weighted? If it is weighted, should it be on a drop shot or a Carolina rig? Lastly, which live bait species are most successful when targeting large trout? 

There is no shortage of answers to these questions from the fishing community, so we just need to listen and choose to act on what we find most useful and believable.   

I hope this discussion of the critical factors determining successful big trout fishing will awaken some new ideas in your mind or challenge you to research approaches that will ultimately improve your chances of success. 

The post “The big trout formula” first appeared on LouisianaSportsman.com.