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Many people just limit fishing trout to rivers and streams. However there are great opportunities of catching a lot of big trout in the lakes as well. Even the traditional fly fishing methods are applicable in lakes and has great success most of the times. To get the maximum potential from your angling methods you in lakes you will have to use good and matching gear. The substances you are using are the most important thing while fishing for trout in lakes. So in this article we will go deep into the best bait for trout in lakes.
Using live bait usually has great impact using for any fish but bait for trout in lakes is by far the best way to catch the fish.
Keeping your fishing method in mind there can be a ton of options of what to use. And with no doubt there are many lures and foods that works when used in lakes. However its an important task to collect the exact setup which will be perfect for a lake.
There are several types of trout in the US that can both live in freshwater lakes and rivers. Which is why for each species the recommendation of baits could be different a little. Also the way anglers catch fish can also make difference to the lures. For example the one you are using for trolling might not be that effective for jigging or casting from shoreline.
Here is our list of best trout bait for lakes, and which method to go for fishing. We will also discuss each species favorite things separately.
Best Trout Bait for Lakes
Almost all of the popular species of trout in the united states have the habitat to spend their lives in freshwater. Depending on the area they will either adopt the a smaller river or creek environment or prefer to live in a larger lake or pond. Having lots of water and bigger variety of food and space to live trout are always happy to live in lakes as well.
Here are the best rods for trout.
The most popular freshwater species like lake trout, rainbow , brook, brown and steelhead. All of these can live in lakes but the fish that is mostly found in lakes than rivers or saltwater habitat are lake and rainbows.
Generally the natural food for a fish is the best bait anglers can find ever. Because it matches their habitat, the color the smell and every thing is the same as the fish desires. When anglers use live bait for trout in lakes then they are very unlikely to resist. And the best part is that you can even catch their bait in the same lake where you are fishing.
But the availability of live bait is never guaranteed, you may easily find lots of it. Or you might not even find for a single hook. So they aren’t very reliant in terms of availability. That is when power bait comes in, they are similar to dough having different colors for different fish and similar smell added.
So power baits are also critical to use, we have also covered the best artificial baits like crankbaits etc.
Here are the best baits for trout in lakes.
Live Baits for Trout in Lakes
The following is the list of live baits that you can find easily. As the habitat and food of all types of the fish is very similar, these baits can be used for all types of trout in lakes.
If you want a setup only for trolling, these are the best trolling baits and lures for trout.
- Grasshoppers
- Shrimp
- Worms
- Shiners
- Minnows
- Crayfish
- Nightcrawlers
1. Grasshoppers
Trout are great predators eating whatever they find smaller than their size. Especially in shape flies and insects, dragonflies, crickets and grasshoppers. These are among the most favorite food for it so they can be used as baits for trout in lakes.
Grasshoppers are the nearest to the habitat of a lake where there are weeds and greenery. You can easily find them near lake in bushes and any type of greenery and use them as live bait in the same lake. Once you find some grasshoppers you are going to be very lucky catching decent size trout in the lake due to the amazing bait you are using.
Finding it can be a little time consuming but it is fun though. Just consider it a type of fishing or a part of your fishing trip, you will enjoy it. Grasshopper is good both for jigging and casting from shore. But you can also use it for trolling which is not recommended.
2. Shrimp
Not only trout, shrimp is a crazy food for any type of freshwater fish. It is easy to catch with help of a small fishing net. A single small net is responsible for your fishing bait for years. Of course the shrimp which is the among the best bait for trout in lakes.
Shrimp is widely used as live bait for many freshwater species like this species. It is amazing bait for trout in lakes. It can be found in saltwater as well. Luckily you can also find it online and it will last a long time.
3. Worms Bait for Trout in lakes
Casting worm bait is very popular especially for smaller trout in lakes. If you want to target larger fish you will have to cast a lot of them and you will lose some of the bait. However it is still an effective way to use worms as your best trout baits for lakes.
4. Shiners
If you want to troll for species like lake trout then this is the thing to go. This is the bait for all lakes containing and you can use it for any way of fishing. It is even better while trolling.
5. Minnows
These are very similar to shiners in shape, size and also they way it works. It is an incredible bait to use in lake for trolling. Minnow bait is also popular for other species.
6. Crayfish
Just like shrimp crayfish is just another great trout bait for lakes. It works fine when you cast it from the shore or use it as jigging bait. The fish are just in love with crayfish when anglers present it in the right way. Cray fish are also easy to find and catch and really pays back the effort. Once you use it as you best bait for trout in lakes.
7. Night Crawlers
Night crawlers are larger than worms and unlike worms these can also attract good size fish. However the shape is still similar and so is its work.
These are the easiest to find and the nearest too. You can even find it in your lawn or around your walk way. They are mixed in the soil and comes out to feed when dark. Night crawlers are very common trout bait used in lakes.
These were the best live trout baits usually anglers use them in lakes. Following we have discussed the best power baits to use in larger ponds and reservoirs.
Best Power Trout baits to use in lakes
As we have already said that power baits are just a great alternative for live baits. These works as good but the only problem is its shape which is not matching with the actual prey of the fish. But still they work great in lakes where there is fish.
Some of the best trout power baits for lakes are following.
- Corn: Starting with corn is just worth it even if it isn’t a real power bait. It is also a type of food for trout. I have found lots of corn in their stomach most of times when I catch them. You can cast them from shore and let them stay stationary. This is also a great natural trout bait for lakes.
- Berkley floating bait: It is a special one for made for the species and is known as floating because it remain off the bottom. And it is the favorite way for trout to bite.
- Salmon Eggs: Salmon eggs are a great example of an effective bait for trout in lakes. It is so effective that the fish never resist to attack. Like the other discussed this is also used in lakes, effective for most of the species.
Final words
There are a lot of other baits and lures that anglers are using for trout. The reason this list become long is we had to cover all the species of trout. However this is a great setup if you want to fish for trout in a lake. Having this setup you will never feel the need for any other lure as covers all the species and types of baits comprehensively.
Here are the best tips you can follow while fishing trout in a lake.
