Although many anglers attempt to catch rainbow trout in lakes which have been “stocked” by their local conservation agency, catching stocked “rainbows” in a lake has never really seemed like trout fishing to me. Of course catching rainbow trout in a lake that has been stocked is obviously “fishing”, but to me catching trout is all about river fishing. Trout and rivers go hand in hand to me and there’s nothing more refreshing and spirit restoring than standing in the moving current of a small to medium sized river fishing for these beautiful fish.

I have been engaging in this type of fishing for more than twenty years and in that time have learned some extremely effective river fishing tips to use when attempting to catch rainbow trout in this manner. Many people think that when you talk about rainbow trout and river fishing it automatically means that you are also talking about fly fishing, but nothing could be farther from the truth. Spin fishermen fish for trout in rivers as well and all of the tips being outlined in this article are for people who like to fish in rivers for rainbow trout while using traditional spinning gear.

1. Keep it Light – Although I spin fish and these tips all relate to spin fishing, it is vitally important when fishing for rainbow trout in rivers that your rod, reel, and fishing line are as light as possible. This means using an ultra light action rod and reel and spooling your reel with either four or six pound test fishing line. You want to keep your gear and most importantly your fishing line as light as possible when you are river fishing for rainbow trout.
2. Drift Fishing is a Must – You want to become familiar with the term “drift fishing” if you want to consistently catch rainbows is river fishing scenarios. “Drift fishing” simply means that your let your bait or lure drift with the current of the river that you are fishing. In the case of drift fishing a bait such as a live worm (an excellent bait to use when river fishing for rainbow trout by the way) you want your offering to bounce along the bottom of the river as it drifts. When drift fishing a lure, less weight is used so that the lure doesn’t become “snagged” on the bottom of the river during the retrieve, but the bottom line is that when river fishing for “rainbows”, drift fishing is the technique to employ.
3. Focus On Deeper Water – As far as river fishing tips and rainbow trout are concerned, this simple tip is one of the best. In most instances you want to focus your fishing efforts on runs and pools that contain fairly deep water compared to the rest of the river. Rainbows (especially the rainbow trout which are larger than average) will hold in areas of deeper water within the river. Focus your drift fishing efforts on deeper runs and pools and you will experience more success.

When it comes to fishing for rainbow trout in a river fishing situation, these simple yet extremely effective river fishing tips will help anyone experience more success on their next excursion in search of rainbow trout. Add one or all of them to your river fishing arsenal today.