Trout fishing in autumn: what to fish for

Choosing a place to fish for trout

The success of fishing depends on the correct choice of a section of the reservoir in which the likelihood of a bite increases. The choice of place for trout fishing in the fall is carried out according to the following criteria:

Riffles with a rocky bottom;
Svali;
Sharp depressions at the bend of the river bed;
Steep banks.

If in the first half of September there are fine sunny days, then you can catch trout in shallow water. Short rains are not a problem. During periods of prolonged autumn rains, trout biting activity noticeably decreases.

Basic subtleties of fishing

You can catch trout in October using different methods and gear. But experienced anglers say that there is nothing better for spinning or fly fishing.

Often autumn fishing is accompanied by heavy rains, which negatively affects the activity of trout. In October, this fish tries to stay in shallow water areas, but in prolonged rainy weather it goes back to the depths.

What to catch trout with

Throughout the entire period of open water, trout constantly moves around the water area of the reservoir in search of food, and in the summer heat looks for cool areas. Autumn is the best time to catch this fish. During the pre-spawning period, there is an excellent bite, and the likelihood of catching a trophy trout increases. But this does not mean that catching trout in the fall is easy and simple. It is necessary to carefully prepare trout gear and stock up on various baits.

Important! Even during periods of high trout activity, camouflage should not be neglected. Bulky gear, clothing that stands out against the natural landscape and additional noise scare away wary fish.

Trout in autumn

With the arrival of autumn and cold weather, the trout bite intensifies. Trout spawns in the fall, and before spawning its biting becomes more active, like any other fish during the breeding season. In autumn, this fish becomes less shy and much more actively grabs the bait offered to it by the fisherman. At this time, trout fishing is especially successful. It happens that fish bite one after another, completely unafraid of the fisherman who stands on the shore with a fishing rod without any camouflage.

Cooler water also has a beneficial effect on the trout bite. In summer, this fish looks for cooler places with strong currents. In the fall, all the water becomes colder, and the trout begin to feel more at ease. And if in the summer in hot weather the bite sometimes freezes, then in the fall the trout bite all day long. There is no need to hunt it at night and at dawn.

In autumn, trout migrate to spawning grounds and often travel considerable distances up the river, climbing even into the most impassable places. At this time, the trout fatten and actively feed, which has a positive effect on the bite. It is in the fall that you can count on catching a large trophy specimen.

With such an active bite, fishermen come across not only large, but also very small trout. It’s better to let them go and let them continue to grow. There will be no use from such fish anyway, but significantly reducing the number of fish in a single river can be done easily and quickly by catching them all. Moreover, in many places there is a restriction not only on the size of the specimens caught, but also on the time and place of trout fishing in the fall.

Trout tackle

The rigging of trout gear is carried out taking into account the upcoming fishing conditions. They should provide comfortable fishing when fishing from the shore or boat. You can catch trout using spinning, fly fishing and a float rod.

When preparing the tackle, it should be taken into account that a trout caught on a hook does not stop fighting until it is removed to the shore or into the boat. Therefore, durable and inconspicuous equipment in the water is used. This is achieved by installing high-quality fishing lines or cords that can withstand a tensile load of at least 5 kg.

Trout on a spinning rod

To catch trout using a spinning rod, you need to choose a rod with a test that allows you to cast all available baits. Ultralight and light models with medium action are suitable. Fluorocarbon fishing line is excellent for equipping a spinning rod for trout. This is relevant for fishing for cautious fish in clear water.

Tackle and bait

Traditional float rods, spinning rods and fly fishing gear are used as gear for catching brook trout.

Float rod

It is quite difficult to catch trout with a float rod. The fish clearly sees the fisherman who is approaching the shore, or standing on it, and moves away from the potential danger further into shelter. It will be possible to catch if the fisherman manages to get close to the shore without the fish noticing him and not getting scared. This is the only way to successfully fish with a float.

That is why they try to use a long enough rod. Such that you can make a fairly long cast, while remaining as inconspicuous as possible, and without coming close to the shore. On small forest rivers, such fishing can be difficult due to the abundance of trees and bushes, which greatly interfere with swinging a long rod. With open shores there are no such difficulties. But difficulties arise with camouflage. You can hide behind growing trees and bushes. In an open place, you already have to come up with something else.

The equipment of the fishing rod is the most common: float, hook, sinker. The rod itself is four meters or more long. Sometimes the fishing rod is equipped with a spinning reel for long-distance casting. This can help you make longer casts without going too close to the shore and spooking the fish. The thickness of the fishing line, the size of the float and the hook are selected depending on the size of the fish. Considering that brook trout are small in size, thick fishing lines and large hooks are not used.

Bait for trout fishing includes worms, caddis flies, various insect larvae, and other similar animal baits. Sometimes you can even use very small fish as live bait.

Fly fishing

Fly fishing is used to catch trout more often in the summer and in places where there is room to maneuver the fly fishing gear. At the beginning of autumn you can still fly fish. As the weather gets colder, fishing with this method becomes no longer relevant, since insects also disappear with the colder weather. Baits use both artificial and live insects. Preferably those that live in the area and are habitual for feeding trout. When it's calm and sunny, fly fishermen try to fish mostly with dry flies. In windy and damp weather, on the contrary, in wet weather.

Spinning

You can always catch trout with a spinning rod. Even small specimens I grab the spoon with pleasure. And autumn is a particularly favorable time for trout fishing with a spinning rod.

The fishing rod I use is short, up to 2.5 m long, light, and with a small dough. A longer rod will be difficult to maneuver among coastal bushes and trees. And with a rod of even average test it will be difficult to cast with light lures.

A spinning reel is equipped with a thin fishing line or braid. However, braided line is often not recommended for trout fishing. Braid is more visible in the water than vein line. And the braided line practically does not stretch. When biting, the trout will more often feel resistance and quickly spit out the spoon.

A variety of small-sized spinners are used as bait. A spinner with a heavy core and a light blade is considered a very good spinner. Very light spinners are usually not used because the current carries them to the surface and prevents them from drowning.

Fishing with spoons is more difficult and is rarely used. They make it more difficult to achieve the desired game to attract trout. Among the spinners, the small castmaster spinners are very good. And they have quite enough weight. And the game is quite attractive to trout.

Small wobblers take the deserved first place among baits. Measuring 3-5 centimeters in size and weighing several grams, such baits work very well when fishing for trout in almost any weather. Wobblers can be used both floating and sinking. It makes sense to use sinking wobblers at fairly large depths and where there are strong currents and whirlpools. Floating baits work better in shallow areas. In addition, floating wobblers are very convenient to float downstream over fairly long distances.

Trout lures

Artificial baits for trout are characterized by high catchability. They are used for spinning and fly fishing, and silicone worms and water insect simulators are suitable for fishing with a float rod. Popular lures for trout:

Wobblers. Universal bait for spinning. For trout, models with a length of 3-6 cm are selected. You can always choose a wobbler with the required buoyancy. The use of different types of wiring usually provokes trout to bite;
Rotating spinners. These are excellent baits for catching trout with a spinning rod during periods of high activity. Models with a petal length of 3-4 cm and a width of up to 1.5 cm are suitable. The color of the bait is selected according to the principle: the clearer the water in the reservoir, the darker the bait;
Oscillating spinners. To make the bait more attractive, woolen threads are tied in its tail part. Trout bite well on this type of spinner, equipped with a plastic “tail fin”;
Twisters and vibrotails. When fishing in the bottom layer of water, jig fishing is applicable. Active trout bite on various silicone baits, the game of which reminds it of the behavior of natural prey;
Silicone worms and other aquatic insects. These lures are great for catching trout using a float rod. Used independently or with live bait;
Silicone fish. This bait deserves to be distinguished from the list of other silicone baits. Its similarity with the small inhabitants of the reservoir often provokes large trout weighing more than 1 kg to bite;
Artificial flies. Excellent lures for fly fishing for trout. They are also used for spinning fishing. Fly fishing allows you to catch brown trout in the desired horizon of the reservoir.

Baits for trout in the fall on a platform

A variety of baits are used on paid ponds:

Where it is allowed to fish with unloaded silicone baits, trout fishing can be very effective, but traditionally it is caught with oscillating and rotating spoons - small-sized spoons and spinners.

The principle “a large predator requires a large bait” does not work in this case. When choosing a turntable, follow the following rules:

The size of the bait varies from No. 00 to No. 4.
The weight is chosen depending on the spinning test, but not more than 10 g. The optimal weight for fishing on a paid pond is 6 g.
The muddier the water, the larger and brighter the bait, so in the fall, No. 3 and No. 4 are mainly used.
Spinner baits attract trout with their “glow,” so the requirements for color and combination of shades are not as stringent as when selecting spinners. However, brightly colored spinners can provide a better bite, especially in cloudy fall weather.

In the fall, on the platform in October and November, our experts recommend the following spinner baits for trout:

Mepps Aglia;
Blue Fox;
Warden's Rooster Tail;
Daiwa Silver Creek Spinner R;
Aelita (perch models).

Daiwa Skinny Spoon 1,2;
Forest Miu Native 2.8;
Coatac Diacut Iwana.

It is much easier to catch trout in ponds with spinners than with micro-jigs. If a stream of water helps a fisherman during a current, then he must perfectly master the intricacies of wiring. It is easier to “start” a spinner than to provide the correct animation to a light, oscillating spoon.

Since in Japan, a country that is a recognized leader in the production of fishing tackle, it is customary to release caught trout, lures for it are equipped with barbless single hooks. In our country, the practice of “kiss and let go” is not welcomed at every paysite, so the spinners are equipped with ordinary ones, with a beard.

Trout baits

As bait for trout, various larvae, worms and insects are used, swarming near the shore and above the surface of the water. As bait, in addition to the traditional worm, bloodworms and maggots, the following are used:

Caddisfly larvae;
Grasshoppers;
Beetles;
Flies;
Shrimp, peeled;
Caterpillars;
Midges.

Trout bite well on pieces of fresh fish, crab sticks and red caviar. To increase the likelihood of a bite, you can additionally attach various vegetable fishing baits to the hook. Cooked corn for fishing is especially attractive.

At any time of the year, brown trout are excellently caught using live bait. It is important to place the live bait correctly so that with its mobility it attracts the attention of a large omnivorous predator.

It should be noted that trout fishing in the fall will be successful if you properly equip the gear and choose a promising place for fishing. The more diverse the arsenal of lures and baits, the greater the chances of exciting fishing.