Successful Trout Fishing In Lakes And Ponds
Fishing with Powerbait is one of the more popular strategies for trout. While there isn’t a “silver bullet” setup, knowing a few tips and a little about the science can help you catch more fish.
If you’re trying to catch trout, it’s important to understand a few facts about their anatomy. Most importantly, their excellent eyesight and sense of smell.
Trout Eyesight
Trout have monocular vision on each side of their head, giving them a wide field of view; nearly 300 degrees horizontally. This panoramic perspective helps them spot predators, prey, or obstacles from almost all directions. They also have a small blind spot directly behind and in front of their head. Their eyes are positioned to provide a degree of binocular vision (about 30-40 degrees) straight ahead, allowing great depth for precise strikes.
Unlike some fish, trout can see a broad spectrum of colors, thanks to multiple types of cone cells in their retinas. Research on rainbow trout shows they can distinguish reds, greens, blues, and even some ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths. UV vision is particularly useful for spotting prey like plankton or insects, which reflect UV light, and it may help detect food in murky water.
Trout are especially attuned to motion. Their eyes can pick up subtle vibrations or changes in water flow caused by swimming prey or approaching threats. This makes them highly reactive hunters; anglers often note that a lure’s action (twitch or wobble) is as important as its color.
Water clarity affects their sight significantly. In murky or turbulent conditions, their visual range drops, and they lean more on smell and their lateral line (a sensory system for detecting vibrations). Tip: In murky water, consider leaning more toward smell over color when experimenting.
Trout’s Sense Of Smell
Trout rely heavily on their exceptional smell. They have a pair of nares (nostril-like openings) on their snouts, allowing water to flow through continuously. Inside, olfactory receptors amplify their ability to detect and process smells. This system is always active as they swim, giving them a real-time "chemical map" of their environment.
Their sense of smell helps them find food (like insects or smaller fish), avoid danger (detecting predator pheromones), and locate mates (picking up reproductive cues). Anglers often exploit this by using scented lures or bait, as trout can zero in on even subtle artificial odors.
The trout’s olfactory capabilities are similar to their close relative, the salmon. Salmon can detect certain compounds at concentrations equivalent to a single drop of scent in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. Trout are likely in the same league, making their sense of smell thousands of times more acute than a human’s.
Choosing Bait
Now with a deeper understanding of how trout see and smell, let’s talk bait.
Color, shape, and smell are important aspects to finding the right combination for what’s working that day. You should also factor in the weather, season, location, and time of day, all of which can impact trout mood.
It also makes a difference if you’re fishing a stocked pond, or trout born in the wild. At a hatchery, trout are regularly fed corn, so sometimes the best bait to use is ….well, corn. A good old cheap can of kernel corn can work magic. Especially if the lake or pond was recently stocked. If you don’t have corn, or don’t want to haul a can around with you, a yellow corn-scented Powerbait can work just as well.
As noted, color and smell matter to trout. But a color that works one day, might not work the next, so it’s good to pack a few different kinds. Ask other anglers out on the water what they’re using. They might happily tell you, “pink is working today,” or “I’ve had luck with red” (referring to red salmon eggs). At the very least, you might learn what isn’t working.
Obviously, these combinations and variables start to add up really fast. So, here’s a quick guide to keeping it simple and getting started.
Quick Guide For Trout Fishing
Start small: a smaller hook (size 12) is ideal. Not only do trout have smaller mouths than some fish (like a bass) they’re also exceptionally observant. A small hook allows the Powerbait to float while remaining inconspicuously hidden where the trout (hopefully) doesn’t see it.
Try a Carolina Rig (it’s super easy). This setup isn’t required, of course, but it can help. A Carolina Rig holds the sinker 1-2 feet away from the hook, which allows the PowerBait to float off the floor, making it more attractive to trout. Consider using a lighter leader line (4-6 LB) that’s thinner and harder for the trout to see.
Example of a Carolina Rig:
Carolina Rig
Find the right color of Powerbait. Yellow is often a good choice, as mentioned above. Green pumpkin and hatchery brown are great choices because they mimic natural tones that work well across all bodies of water. These more earthy shades work great in summer or in clearer water conditions. If the water is murky, consider a brighter color like yellow, pink, or red.
Scent is a critical factor. Corn, garlic, and salmon egg scents are good starting points, and if one isn’t working, switch it out. Trout can be picky, and a fresh scent might entice them into biting.
If you’re using the kind of Powerbait that you scoop out and ball up, make sure to pack it tightly around the hook so that it holds together underwater.
Note: If you’re using a Carolina Rig, you should hear two “plops” in the water (one for the sinker, and one for the hook with bait). If you hear three plops in the water, your bait probably fell off during casting!
If one or two options aren’t working, consider combining different Powerbaits, mixing colors or scents to create a custom lure.
The size of the bait also matters. If you’re balling it up yourself, try for a ball about the size of a pinkie nail; big enough to float off the bottom but not so large it overwhelms the hook. Adjust slightly with the seasons: go a bit smaller in winter when trout are less active, and slightly larger in summer when they’re more aggressive.
It can be frustrating to set up shop at the lake and not get any bites. This is why experimentation and adaptability is important. If your setup isn’t working, try a new combination of bait or move to a different spot on the water. Mix and match until you crack the code for what the trout are craving at that moment, in that location.
A lot of the time, once you find out where the trout are hanging out and what they’re craving, you can start pulling them in one after the other. Just don’t get too excited, or you’ll also attract other fishermen.
Be sure to follow all local laws, regulations, and catch limits. If you’re in a public area, be a friend and pick up a couple pieces of trash, while you also strive to leave no trace. If we all contribute a little, it will make a big difference.
Go catch more trout!
Interesting Fact
Some rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), exhibit a phenomenon called anadromy, meaning they can live part of their lives in freshwater and part in saltwater. Rainbow trout are born in freshwater streams, and some migrate to the ocean to grow larger, becoming "steelhead" trout. After a few years, they return to their natal freshwater streams to spawn.