Smaller Lakes and Ponds
The smaller lakes and ponds that are popular in many of the mountain destinations are home to some very good rainbow trout fishing. You usually won’t find many trophy-sized fish, but these are usually well stocked action lakes that give anglers a lot of fun. There are also lakes throughout many states that are stocked in the late fall to give people a chance to catch these fish. When water temperatures rise the next summer, all the fish that weren’t caught and kept will eventually die due to the warmer water temperatures.
These stocked trout are not too hard to catch if you know what you are doing. Small lures such as spinners, crankbaits and jigs will all take fish. Most anglers choose to use live baits and natural baits such as nightcrawlers, minnows, dough baits, corn, salmon eggs and dough baits when fishing for them.
Bigger Lakes
On bigger lakes, it is a lot tougher to catch these fish. Rainbow trout will roam the open waters in search of their preferred water temperature and to follow bait fish. In the spring on some big lakes, you may be able to catch some fish off the shores. When these fish come into spawn, you can catch some of these fish from shore in the fall too. However, your best bet is going to be in a boat and you will most likely be trolling to cover water. You can use a variety of baits when trolling for rainbows, however, crankbaits, spoons and a dodger and fly are usually the go to baits for most anglers.