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Trout in all types of water has good eyesight and are line shy. But as trout living in are usually smaller than the same species living in a lake or other large water body. That’s why they are even sharp sighted and careful of the line a fisherman is throwing. To be successful in a small waterbody anglers really need to be picky about the line and rig they are using otherwise the fish may try to escape your line every single time. In this article we will discuss the top river trout fishing rig and best line for trout to use in river.
Fishing regularly in a big lake might be the dream for some fishermen. While others might like more to fish in a smaller river, a stream or even creeks.
In fact fishing for it in a river has other benefits too. Like one can easily locate trout in smaller streams and rivers comparing to larger waterbodies. Also as the rivers are many miles long they are easy to access from many places.
In short if you are fishing trout in a stream or a river for any reason you wan to be careful of the line and the rig. Using an attractive rig that presents your lure in a good way is they key. So make sure the fish can not see the line and also the rig is presenting the bait in a good way.
Here are the most commonly used river trout rigs that are the best for rivers.
River Trout Fishing Rigs
Trout rigs that are effective in rivers are both smaller and thinner. They tend to have smaller diameter to avoid scaring the fish from the area. While still remain strong enough to bear the weight of a hard fighting trout. One thing really important is that the smaller the fish in a river is the smaller the diameter of line should be.
Same way with the rig, if trout are smaller in a river. Then sinkers, swivels and hooks should also be small enough so that the fish can’t see it. This way the fish living in the river will carelessly bite on the lure.
You can always make changes to the rig you are using in river for trout. For example if you feel that the lure or bait on your rig is not effective enough you can change it. But make sure the size of the lure matches the size of fish there.
Here are some of the top trout fishing rigs for rivers.
- Carolina Rig for River Trout
- Split Shot Rig
- Spinner River Trout Fishing Rig
- Bobber Rig for Rivers
- Trout Jig Rig
Depending upon the water condition and the weather most of experienced anglers will choose to use one of these trout rigs for river. These cover almost all types of water and weather conditions, choosing the right one for right condition is key.
Here is the detail for each of these rigs, how to make them and when to use them.
1. Carolina Rig for River Trout
This rig is one of the most famous rigs for all types of fish. It comes very handy for trout too, mostly for jigging and lakes. But it is the most effective for trout in rivers, when fishing in the right conditions you will miss no fish.
Using it with live bait might not be as effective as with plastic lures. It becomes a lot more effective with a nice little lure having enough action when dragged. The Carolina rig is specially famous for rivers and streams.
Here are some of the best lines for trout.
Unlike the deep water ones this rig perform better in water having medium flow and little pockets. Where the fish can hide. Carolina is one of the most effective river trout fishing rigs ever.
The only thing that needs to change is the lure size. And it really depends on your spot and the size of fish in it. If the spot has giant fish just like a lake or a reservoir would have. Then you want to use the regular size lures with your river trout fishing rig but if the fish is smaller in size then you would have to use smaller size lure.
To tie it just thread a sliding weight to your main line and then add a bead to stop the weight from falling. Tie 12 to 24 feet of leader line with your main line by a barrel swivel. And prefer using a plastic lure that has good action to attract the fish.
Here are country’s top rivers that you can go fishing.
2. Split Shot River Rig
Split shot weight rig is very famous for its magical performance in the smaller waterbodies. For those who want a little different thing to try this is the most effective one. The split shot rig works great in streams and rivers.
It is very similar to the Carolina rig and it is also used in rivers. The only difference is that the sliding sinker is replaced by multiple split shots. Depending up on what weight you want you can go for up to 3 slip shot sinkers in this river rig for trout.
If you are trolling, then here are the best rigs for you.
Also the bead will not be included in this setup as the split shots will not fall below towards the swivel. Again a floating lure is the best what you can use in the split shot trout fishing rigs for river.
3. Spinner River Trout Fishing Rig
As spinners are among the most successful type of attractors for many type of fish. They work pretty well for trout too. And it is not very hard to find out what spinner works and what not. Almost all of the spinners are so famous that nearly all anglers have used them.
And most importantly these spinners are even more effective in flowing water as they need motion. So using spinners in trout fishing rigs for rivers is one of the most effective ways to target the fish.
Here are some of the top spinners for trout.
Similar to the split shot rig you can also tie the spinner rig for rivers. But unlike the split shot this one will consist of only 1 or 2 sinkers maximum. Its because of the weight of the spinner, which will also try to sink it to the bottom.
Spinner rig is very famous especially in streams, creeks and rivers. If casted in faster flowing section of the river. It will generate action without a drag.
4. Bobber Rig for Trout Fishing in River
Bobber rigs are well known for their ability to provide the bait at exact depth. If you have an estimate of depth of trout in a river and its easy to locate them you can use.
Here are some of the best baits for trout.
There is no restriction of using a specific lure or bait in river with this rig. fish will love to present their favorite bait in the best depth. As a depth controlled rig this is also best performing rig for trout fishing in a river.
Thread a fixed bubble bobber on your main line and add 1 or 2 split shot sinkers few inches down the bobber. Add a barrel swivel at the end of main line and add a 18 to 36 inches leader line as per your depth requirement.
If you are using powerbaits then here is the list of best powerbaits for trout.
5. Rig With Jig or Jig head
Similar to the Carolina rig the Jig eye rig is also crucial for trout fishing in a river. This rig can be accompanied with a hair jig or bait on a jig head. This is also a great rig to add to your river trout setup.
Final Thoughts
These are the best performing setups that any angler can make and start to use. If it is not working for some reason feel free to make changes to it as you need it.
The changes can be of any type, from lure or bait to bobber or sinker. You can change anything in them, the length of leader line is usually making huge impact so make sure your leader line is of the right length. As river trout angler you must give a try to these top trout fishing rigs for river.
