You don’t need the most expensive fishing gear to catch trout- you just need the right gear. Using the right gear, the right way, will make all the difference. These expert tips on trout gear came straight from Graham Bristow, a fishing guide and author. You can learn more about trout fishing here @ How To Catch Trout: Expert Advice From A Trout Guide 2025

The essentials- If you really want to catch trout, your line, leader, weights, floats, and hook should be the same, because that’s what matters the most. And the way you set it up should also be the same.

• Rod and reels: Buy a decent quality rod and reel setup that is suitable for the methods of fishing you want to do. Do NOT buy a cheap reel or a closed-faced reel.
• Leader material – For bait fishing, use 2 to 6-pound fluorocarbon, for lures, 8 to 10lb.
• Split shots: Use only round ones that are dull black or grey. Do NOT use silver, shiny weights with removable tabs OR gold barrel snap swivels

• Mainline: Use a good quality 4-pound to 6-pound monofilament, or a 12 to 20-pound braided line.

• Hooks- use high-quality wide-gape hooks like the Raven Specimen hook or Gamakatsu Octopus hooks.

• Floats / Bobbers: Use thin river floats even when fishing lakes. Clear floats are best in low clear water streams. Do NOT use red and white bobbers.

Lures- If you are going to try fishing for trout with lures, you will want an assortment of lures; lures that go deep, lures that can be fished shallow, lures that can be fished fast, and lures that can be fished slow.

• Spinners, spoons, crankbaits, jigs, and plugs in a variety of sizes and colors.
• One inch to four inches.
• Good trout lures will have good action and vibration.
• In small streams use lures that are much lighter and smaller, so they won’t make a big splash
• In larger rivers use a larger or heavier lure that can be cast a long way.

Bait- High percentage trout baits you should use 95% of the time

• Garden worms: Do not ball them up or fold them on the hook. Do not use dew worms that need to be cut in half or break into pieces.
• Egg Sacks and Single Salmon Eggs: Spring and fall is a good time to use real eggs.
• Artificial flies: Trout love insects. Artificial flies account for a lot of the caught trout
• Beads: Use only in faster currents.
• Crickets, grubs, maggots, mealworms: Excellent, if rigged properly on the right size hook
• Plastic trout worms: Very effective in faster currents. Pink, red and brown are best.
• Minnows, leeches, crayfish: Good baits if they are the right size and rigged properly
• Do NOT: Tip your spoons with wax worms or use Corn and Marshmallows for bait

Advice

• Most new anglers do not get their bait deep enough. Learn which lures and baits sink, and which ones are more buoyant, which ones go deeper faster and then learn how to fish them to get them deep.
• Whether you fish rivers or lakes, you should learn to cover all areas of the spot by moving your bait or lure around. Casting a lure into the same spot is often a waste of time. The same is often true of baits, especially bigger baits. Instead, move your bait around to multiple spots quickly.
• Drift lines down the river and don’t fish the same line more than twice.

Last, But Not Least

• Nippers- for cutting the line.
• Trout Net – I highly recommend a good trout net meant for river fishing.
• Forceps – A set of forceps or needle-nose pliers will be needed to safely remove hooks.
• Waders: Waders are great for river fishing.
• Vest or Packs: A good vest or pack is far better than a tackle box when river fishing.
• Polarized sunglasses to reduce glare and enable you to spot trout beneath the water
• Do NOT Leave your fishing gear in the car and go scout the river first 

Using the proper fishing gear is beneficial for protecting the environment and to help ensure the safety of the angler and the fish.