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Trolling is quite effective way to land good size fish on your boat. No matter if you release or keep that fish, as a fisherman you probably want more and bigger fish. And it works the same for trout as well like many other types of fish. But you always need a good trolling setup for trout to make it as successful as you expect. The best trout trolling rigs will lead you to a great fishing day.
Trolling is all about targeting the fish in such a way that trick them to bite on the lure. But they are often very sensitive and line shy and they also has sharp eyesight. Which is why the avoid going near a line they can easily see. So it becomes essential to use trolling rigs when fishing trout. A good trolling setup for trout is always a lifesaver if you run into a poor weather condition or a spot that has less fish.
3 Way trolling rig is by far the best setup for targeting all types of trout by trolling. Its is super adjustable for different depths and weather conditions. 3 way trout rig setup has high chances of bites and chances to catch fish are higher than other setups.
In this article you will get to know the best trolling rigs for trout which expert anglers use. We will also share with you the method to prepare them at home.
Best Trout Trolling Rigs
These are some of the most successful rigs anglers have been using for trolling trout. The following are among the most used trolling rigs for all types of trout in lakes and ponds.
- 3 Way Trolling Rig
- Dodger Trout Trolling Rig
- Sliding Weight Rig for Trout
- Wedding Ring Bottom Rig
- Double 3 Way Rig
Despite these being the best rig choices or trolling trout it doesn’t mean there are no more. You will see a lot of different options as you meet other anglers and explore. But those are just specific for a lake or a person because people just customize the famous trolling rigs to make them perfect for their trolling spot.
We’ve shared the method to make changes to your rig and make it the perfect choice for you below in this article.
Following are the descriptions and the methods to make each of rigs we have shared above as the best rigs.
Using Powerbait? Here are the best Powerbait Rigs for trout.
1. Three-Way Trolling Rig for Trout
Trout can be very careful of the line you are throwing for them. It doesn’t make difference if you are throwing braid, mono or fluorocarbon if they can see it they will avoid it for sure.
So using a thinner and longer leader line is a key to attract more and more trout to your bait. We recommend using no more than 6-9 pound test monofilament unless you are fishing for super large fish.
The three way is pretty simple and easy trolling rig to make. It is an effective way to target deeper trout in lakes having more than usual depth. As its name it contains a 3 way swivel that connects the main line, the weight and the hook.
This rig is pretty considered among the most effective and easy rig for trolling trout. It gets a lot of fish for many anglers using it and it has high chances of success if you target the fish precisely. Following are the 3 simple steps to make the rig.
Here are best trolling lures for trout.
Tie a 3 way swivel to your main line and a drop shot sinker to the second side of swivel by 9-15 inches length. To the third side of the swivel tie your hook separated by 18-24 inches of thinner line (preferably 6-9lbs mono). Your three way rig is ready you can troll it for trout but here are a few things to keep in mind.
Increase the weight if you want to go deeper. The speed will effect the depth of the hook, generally one can catch a lot of trout by targeting 25 to 35 feet deep during a sunny day.
2. Dodger Rig for Trout
Dodgers are widely used for many species both in freshwater and saltwater. They create good controlled action on the hook when adjusted correctly.
Dodgers create flashes, sound and attractive action which drive trout crazy and try to follow them.
Dodgers have always been handy for making setups for trout trolling. There are different ways to use them, some anglers use them in the middle of leader line. But some anglers use them at the end of main line. Using them in the middle of leader line is extra careful way to hide the line from shy fish.
here is how you can troll with dodgers.
Using dodger in a trolling rig setup for trout can be very helpful and may result in catching a ton of fish. Follow the steps bellow to set up one for you.
Use a sliding drop shot sinker at the end of the main line and thread a bead to keep the sinker from falling below the main line.
Cut two pieces of your preferable leader line, the first 6 to 10 inches and the second 12 to 18 inches. Tie the first to your main line by a barrel swivel. And attach the other end of the leader line to the do the dodger. Then the next piece of leader line to the other end of dodger and finally attach a hook at the end.
Here are some of the best baits for trout.
This is the setup of dodger trolling rig for trout. Keep your speed and depth into consideration during different temperatures of the day.
3. Sliding Weight Setup
This one is the most simple setup any angler can ever use. The rig consist of an inline weight that does not have a fixed position and can slide through the main line. One or two plastic beads that keeps the weight from falling to the end and a barrel swivel that connects the main and the leader lines. And of course at the end you have your spinner or a lure or bait, whatever works the best.
The sliding weight setup is used when angler want to keep it simplest and when the lure does the main job.
Using a spinner or a live bait is highly recommended with this setup. Because there is no other means of attraction used in this rig when you troll for trout.
Here are the best spinners for trout fishing.
4. Wedding Ring Trout Rig
Wedding rings are incredible trout killers at the bottom. This fish is well known for those bottom bites. And targeting them just above the bottom is really worth it. You can literally catch unlimited fish targeting that the bottom area. Trolling for trout at the bottom is always a very productive way.
Another reason we recommend the wedding rigs is that they are ready to use and there is no need to assemble it. But in this setup we just add a sinker to keep it near the bottom. Follow the simple steps to assemble the setup.
Cut an 18 inches piece of leader line and add drop shot weight to its one end. And add a barrel swivel to its other end. Now thread the barrel swivel to its other end and let free to slide on the main line. Add a larger barrel swivel to the end of main line so that the weight cant slide down.
Now thread attach the wedding ring to the barrel swivel. Adjust the length of wedding ring according to your speed of trolling for trout. Following is the way to adjust any famous rig as per your requirement.
Anglers do make their custom trolling rigs and full setups for their fishing trips. And there are actually a lot of great setups that are being used by anglers for different kind of waters. Even the weather conditions can impact the effectivity and durability of a rig that is trolled for trout.
If you learn the basic idea of what you want to achieve from a setup to catch a fair number of fish. Then you can pretty easily setup your own custom rigs for any different situation you face.
Make Rigs for Trolling Trout
Even the most efficient setup will need some customization according to your fishing spot. The depth of your spot, the type of water you are trolling in, the weather and the temperature. These are some of the variables that can effect the performance of a rig when trolling. So not any setup is perfect until you make changes to it according to your needs. And the customization also need a little skill that will always come handy to anglers.
So here is how you can make and customize your rig while you troll for trout.
The basic purpose of trolling is to present your lure or bait to the fish in a super natural way. That could by giving them a mild action like a swimming fish or which is the purpose of trolling. And of course the right depth is also crucial.
To start just go ahead and find the range of fish in your spot and try to target that range by your line. You can use anything from bobbers for floating to sinkers for achieving the right depth.
The second most important thing is to generate a good enough action on the lure. You can get the action by using either a lure that creates action while moving or a dodger or flasher to make massive action on the lure.
The final step is to control both the right depth and the action you are giving to the lure. This way you can both make your own trout trolling rig setups and make changes to the most famous trolling rigs. Once you find your sweet spot, it will never be hard for you to create or make changes to a trout trolling rig.
