Our author and trout whisperer Jonas wants to give you a closer look at his passion through this blog post: fishing for brown trout. Salmonids have a very special place in his heart. In this article, he takes you on the hunt for these beautiful fish along a small stream. Enjoy the read!
Brown Trout: Out on the Small Stream
More and more often I get asked where and how I catch my trout...
You know how it is — you're out driving, you cross a small bridge and instinctively glance down to see if there's water below. If there is, my eyes go straight to the vegetation and the current speed. On those rare occasions when it turns out to be not just an overgrown ditch but a small, fast-flowing stream, the first thing I do is find out whether fishing is permitted there. Because these little waters can hold some truly stunning fish.
Tips for Brown Trout Fishing
So how do you approach a water like this? First things first — you need to decide which method you want to use to outwit these red-spotted beauties. Light lure fishing is the way to go, since most other methods simply don't work where space is this tight. I rule out bait fishing entirely: when a trout takes, it does so with serious aggression and swallows the bait almost instantly, which means too many fish end up being deeply hooked.
Tackle for Brown Trout
For rods, I use UL/ML rods around 1.80 m in length with a casting weight up to 10 g. Pair that with a fixed spool reel in a 1000 to 2000 size, ideally with a high gear ratio. The OKUMA Epixor and the Quantum Vapor are both solid choices here.
TIP:
Match your reel to your rod — sizes vary from one manufacturer to the next.
For line, a thin mono with a diameter of 0.17–0.22 mm works well. The advantages of mono are clear: stretch, abrasion resistance, and — not to be overlooked — a price that's usually well below that of braid. You also won't need a separate leader.
The Right Lure for Brown Trout
Think about what brown trout actually feed on in a small stream — mainly insects and their larvae, plus small fish such as minnows. Worth bearing in mind as well: our target fish is a creature of habit with a strong attachment to its territory, which it will defend quite aggressively. You can use that to your advantage — more on that in a moment.
My go-to lures are plugs such as minnows, crankbaits and twitchbaits between 3 and 7 cm. I also wouldn't want to be without a classic spinner in my lure box. It's a good idea to replace the hooks with barbless singles, or at the very least crimp the barbs on the original treble hooks.
Spoons: Using Trout Spoons
Another firm favourite among trout anglers is the spoon — sometimes called a trout spoon. The name comes from its characteristic spoon-like shape, which can produce completely different swimming actions with only minor tweaks. Combine that with the right weight and you quickly realise: there are spoons for every conceivable water, depth and situation — in an enormous variety of patterns and finishes.
The GTT Turbo Spoony in white with a black back — painted on both sides. The white has a subtle pearl effect and catches the light in a seriously tempting way.
Hot Spots and Lure Presentation for Brown Trout
There's no point hammering a single spot for hours. Covering ground is the name of the game — you can easily clock up several kilometres on a good session. Work your way upstream, fishing against the current: if you spook a fish, it will usually bolt downstream and won't disturb other catchable fish ahead of you.
Keep an eye out for large boulders, channels, riffles, pools and bends — these features almost always hold fish, and they tend to concentrate food as well.
At spots like these, work the lure through fairly quickly with the current. A take on the very first cast is not unusual. If the fish doesn't connect, cast again — as long as it hasn't spotted you, a trout will often have another go at the lure.
Switching to a different lure can sometimes tempt a fish that has stopped reacting to what you were using before.
On tough days especially, I like to reach for deep-diving plugs suited to stream conditions. These let you tease a lethargic fish right on its own patch — and as already mentioned, trout defend their territory with real aggression.
Spoons are of course another excellent option for trout fishing — not only on purpose-built stillwaters, but equally well on streams and small rivers. They're growing in popularity and come in a wide range of finishes. Here too, different shapes produce very different swimming actions.
Playing and Landing Brown Trout: Handling Them with Care for Catch and Release
Brown trout are sensitive fish and need to be handled with particular care. Keep the fight as short as possible — even with light tackle you can bring a big trout to the net quickly if you apply steady pressure. Land the fish either in a pre-wetted landing net or by hand. If you go bare-handed, make sure your hands are wet and never grip the fish by the gills. If you don't have a net to hand when a larger fish comes in, cradling it by the wrist of the tail is the best approach.
Summary
- Short, light rods
- Fast reels with a high gear ratio
- Use highly stimulating lures
- Fish the deeper sections too
- Handle brown trout with great care — they are very sensitive
Fishing for salmonids in often near-pristine surroundings is probably the finest form of angling there is — which is why I've been devoted to it for years. What do you think about fishing for brown trout or salmonids in general?
Have you already got some experience to share? Or perhaps a question? Drop it in the comments — we're always happy to reply.
Tight lines,
Jonas.
