Catching trout - low skills, low equipment.

^ A BIG +1. Those things are awesome. I prefer the smaller ones 1/8oz or 1/4 oz IIRC. I pulled three or four rainbows out of a single hole in under 15 minutes a couple of years ago and I had a couple of misses in between. They were going nuts. It was a brass colored one.
 
Tiny trout will hit spinners, I think this was a 3grm Blue Fox.

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This one was caught with a few BB split shot on the line and a size 12 hook with a couple of maggots.

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An ultra light rod and reel (with a few spare spools of different line) is a versatile combo. I got mine in Japan for about 10,000 yen. It's 6ft, rated for 2-6lb line and casts 0.8grams-4grams. It doesn't cast very far but it's one of my favourite rods and is perfect for close in fishing.

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Chub caught with free lined bread.

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Pike caught on a beetle spin lure.
 
With your experience level, the thought of an open faced spinning reel is worrisome.

Closed face, Zebco 33 type, has a quicker learning curve and less possible frustration, but doesn't have the retrieve speed for the spinner type or Rapala baits.

If you'll be using live bait, closed face will be fine.

If you go with open faced spinning reel, practice before you go into the wild to avoid backlash.

OBTW, corn works great on many species, and doesn't have the obvious factor of worms, eggs, etc., in the areas where live bait is problematic. Have a corn "snack", clean the pot in the stream/lake (chum), and put corn on the trebel/fly you're usin.

If the man shows up DON'T REEL IN.

Have fun.
 
You can practice your casting skills by clipping on an appropriate weight for your rod and then casting towards a bucket. You can do this in your garden/backyard or a field.

Start off with the bucket very close and use one handed underarm casts and side casts. Move the bucket further and further away and use two handed over the shoulder casts. Practice casting from a kneeling position, imagine you're trying to be stealthy and not spook trout!

It's actually quite fun to do and after a few hours you'll be confident enough to start making accurate casts alongside snags, boulders and underneath bushes and trees. Hopefully this little bit of practice will save you a few lost lures (although no matter how good you get you still lose lures :grumpy:) and might catch you extra fish.
 
I don't really think that you should have backlashed on a spinning setup. Although, my dad had me on them since i was about 4 so i've been fishing almost 19 years now with spinning, within the last 6 years i got into baitcasting reels, but that's a different story. What i do is (reel left handed) i hold the rod in my right hand with the reel between my pointer and middle finger. Pinch the line with my index finger, flip the bail. Cast (overhead or side, whatever you need to do) and as the bait or whatever is going to hit the water, let it hit and watch it. when the line stops coming off the spool, flip the bail back over with your hand and make sure that the loop of line won't get spun over when you reel in. you can either give it a little tug and reel or just move the rod tip backwards a little and reel in to take out the slack. pretty simple! I run 10lb spiderwire mono on my spinning reel to make sure i'm covered for all types of fishing, and 12 lb on my baitcaster. Good luck! Buy some different sized rapalas. They work wonders!
 
All good suggestions. I use an ultralight reel on a light 5 ft ugly stik rod with 4lb test. A small box with spinners, split shot, small hooks, stringer and a leatherman wave complete the outfit. You can do without the stringer, though. I've used a stick, or just snapped their neck and put themin a bread bag until you can stop and clean them.

Wes
 
Simple spinning outfit is the easiest basic equipment to catch trout. Spinners are the way to go and fish them just above the bottom casting up streams and retrieving toward you. Use small spinners, but they are harder to cast very far.

I practice catch and release.
 
If you're after dinner, Live bait caught streamside if possible. If you're out having fun, learn to fish spinners, jigs, etc. I have an old Eagle Claw pack rod and spinning reel setup that's perfect for hiking trips.

as has been said already: KNOW THE LOCAL FISHING LAWS!!! Trout fishing is odd in many places. Some streams or lakes are catch-and-release, or artificial only. Some don't allow treble hooks, some regulate hook size. Some are closed in certain stretches during certain times. Time spent at the local bait shop is invaluable!

I like to drift a worm, maggot, cricket, slug, centipede, whatever I found under a rock. Put just enough weight on to keep it bouncing along the bottom. Drift behind logs or rocks and the edges of eddies and you'll have a pan full in no time.

J-
 
When I turn on my irrigation ditches in the spring, can often get some nice trout merely by flipping them out of the water with a hoe or shovel. Got four nice 12 to 14 inchers just a couple of weeks ago.
 
If you are wanting to fish opportunistically while backpacking I highly suggest a breakdown rod with a closed face reel. I keep a breakdown rod and a close faced Zebco in my hiking pack (Pygmy Falcon II). I keep a small box of spinners in my bag with many of the above mentioned styles. I also keep some crappy jigs as also mentioned. Dont forget to pack extra hooks and pinch on weights (can never have too many of either). I also keep a few metal washers in my bag so when I am all done I remove the hook and weight from the line, reel it in and tie a sinker to the line so the line doesnt reel in. Works great, sure you lose a little bit of line each time you do this but you do the same when you break off so I count it as a neccessary expenditure.

So far I have caught many trout, bass etc in small streams using a basic setup with a collapsable rod and 6lb tess. I also recommend you keep a plastic bag with you to put your catch in. This keeps mess out of the rest of your bag, you could also use a stringer if you plan to eat them immediatley but if you plan to continue hiking or bring the fish home and you have a long ways to go, its much easier to just put the fish in the plastic bag.

If I can think of anything else that hasnt been posted I'll update.
 
For trout streams
A jar of power bait,A jar of Salmon eggs, and search the area for wingless grass hoppers.
Light line small hook allow bait to free float the current around the bank cuts,rock pools etc.
 
I use Panther Martin lures (1/16 or even 1/32 oz.) salmon eggs, worms and especially GRASSHOPPERS when creek fishing with a spinning outfit. You can buy a 4 piece rod (like an Eagle Claw) that will fit in your pack for around $15. A serviceable open-faced spinning reel is maybe $15-$20. You can get by with a closed face spin casting reel and rod combo that will total around $15 - $20. All of the telescoping rods that I've seen have been of terrible quality. I also prefer 4 pound line for fishing small lures. You'll also need a few bobbers, a few hooks (maybe size 12 -- without leaders) and a bag of tiny split shot sinkers. I like to take a small pair of needle-nosed pliers for removing hooks (from the fish) and other chores. HAVE FUN!!!
 
Larry from Bend said:
I use Panther Martin lures (1/16 or even 1/32 oz.) salmon eggs, worms and especially GRASSHOPPERS when creek fishing with a spinning outfit. You can buy a 4 piece rod (like an Eagle Claw) that will fit in your pack for around $15. A serviceable open-faced spinning reel is maybe $15-$20. You can get by with a closed face spin casting reel and rod combo that will total around $15 - $20. All of the telescoping rods that I've seen have been of terrible quality. I also prefer 4 pound line for fishing small lures. You'll also need a few bobbers, a few hooks (maybe size 12 -- without leaders) and a bag of tiny split shot sinkers. I like to take a small pair of needle-nosed pliers for removing hooks (from the fish) and other chores. HAVE FUN!!!
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I love those tiny panther martins. A 1/16 orange blade with yellow body/red spot's have been deadly for me. Good off a casting bobber too with a 4 ft leader.
The best casting bobbers are the ones with the surgical tubing running through the middle. Run your line through and twist the top to kink the tubing. Does not mark the line and is adjustable, can fill with water for more casting weight as well.
 
The Panther Martin is a good spinner. It spins very easily which gives you more retrieve options. Closed face reels are easier to learn to cast with and you are less likely to get tangled up. But open faced reels case further and are better overall after you learn to cast and so forth. I prefer the Shimano Stradic reels, but they are a fairly costly. Worth every penny to me however.
 
...i have never had even a nibble using a panther martin in the eastern sierras; now roostertails, those get hit bigtime, as well as mepps (especially the comet mino)...
 
This discussion brings back memories. More than thirty years ago, as a high school kid, I was working at a church camp in Oregon's Coast Range. After I finished washing pots and pans, I had freedom to explore a tiny stream filled with native cutthroats. I slipped on a rock and fell on all my gear breaking rods, reels (and nearly my neck!). Feeling despair, I told my story to my supervisor who scoffingly said, "You don't need a rod and reel! Take some line, a small hook, a sapling and use grasshoppers!" (It was legal at the time. Don't know about now).

I discovered that there were small but ravenous "cuts" hiding behind every rock in the stream. There's nothing like true native fish in a buttered skillet!

PC
 
I spin cast for trout for many years in Wyoming and Colorado, and caught many many trout in creeks, streams, lakes, and beaver ponds. The best lure, and easy to use by far is a spinner called the Panther Martin. My best colors were yellow with red spots/gold shiny blade on sunny days, black with green spots/black blade on cloudy days, the red yellow spots/black blade was a good one too. For bait, the red salmon eggs called "Balls O Fire", made by Pautzke is the best for stream fishing or quiet eddy's in rivers. You will catch trout of all types with these baits and lures.

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Read this little blurb on their website.

http://www.panthermartin.com/guide/StreamTrout.aspx

Good Luck
 
Spincasters are the easiest to learn . I dont like them however. They are generally clunky, the string gets kinked a little and they start hanging up.

Spinning reels are the way to go for trout. They are smooth ,simple to use, "THEY DO NOT BACKLASH". Baitcasters backlash.

Getting the line on without twist is very important.Putting line on a spinning reel and spincaster can be difficult to get it on twist free. After I respool them , I walk all the string off in a straight line in the grass , then put tension on the line between my thumb and finger , and reel it in. This should get rid of any line twist. Sometimes I do it twice.[
 
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pilote said:
...i have never had even a nibble using a panther martin in the eastern sierras; now roostertails, those get hit bigtime, as well as mepps (especially the comet mino)...
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Surprises me about your experience with Panther Martins Pilote, I've had great luck catching Rainbow, Brown, Cutthroats, and Brookies using them.

I believe the biggest impact on catching trout are moon phases and changing weather patterns. Very habitual and instinctive fish. I lived on a good river in Wyoming for 7 years, and found trout to be very systematic. When they are really biting, hungry trout will strike on about anything. Other times you swear there were no trout in the water. Good fly fisherman always do the best for sure.
 
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