Small curly tail grubs in the 2″ to 3″ range will work for rainbow trout. You can fish for wild stream trout and rainbow trout in lakes with a curly tail grubs. The smaller grubs tend to work best and a simple jighead is the most common way to rig the curly tail grub, however, a drop shot rig can also be effective. Swimming the grubs and hopping them along the bottom seem to be the most popular ways to fish them when targeting rainbow trout.
Finesse worms are known more as bass fishing lures, however, rainbow trout can definitely be caught with finesse worms. Smaller worms in the 3 to 4 inch range work well on a variety of rigs. You don’t want to rig soft plastic worms with larger hooks, so the Texas rig, Florida rig and shaky head jig are not your best options. A smaller hook on a drop shot rig can be effective. A smal jighead is another good option as well.
Soft Plastic Minnows work for rainbow trout. Many anglers will use a simple jig and soft plastic minnow or a drop shot rig. Ice fishing for rainbow trout is also very popular in certain parts of the country.
Swimbaits definitely work well for rainbow trout. It is more common for anglers to fish with swimbaits when targeting brown trout in lakes compared to streams though. You can cast swimbaits or troll with them. When you do troll with swimbaits, make sure your trolling speed works with the action of the swimbait.
