Non-Fly Easiest way to catch trout in rivers

jaredoconnor

jaredoconnor

Peabrain Chub
I’m teaching my daughter how to fish, but I have limited gear fishing experience. What is the easiest way to catch trout, in a river, for both me and her?

My top priority is to catch a fish, so she can see it. After that, I want her to catch a fish herself.

I tried a small black rooster tail yesterday and hooked a fish, but it got off. I lost that lure and the fish didn’t seem interested in any of the random spinners and rooster tails that I bought.

I’ve considered tying a streamer pattern that I know works, on a 1/8oz ball jig. Not sure if that’s worth trying or not.
 
Not having to faff around with bait is one of the reasons I fly fish. 🤣

Thanks for the replies. Let me constrain my question further - what’s the easiest way to catch a trout in a river using a lure or other non-bait approach?
 
Brute said:
Get one of the clear bubble bobbers you can put a little water in for casting weight…tie on a stonefly nymph below it…
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I tried something similar to this. Tied up a heavy stonefly and used an extra large airlock. Didn’t catch anything. Will give the bubble float a try.
 
Brute said:
Or a small olive wooly buggar…you can fish this on a 4-6 lb test spinning rig and catch fish all day…
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Even with my heaviest tungsten bead and lead free wraps, I wasn’t able to cast very far. That’s why I was thinking of tying a wooly bugger on a 1/8 or 1/16oz ball jig.
 
jaredoconnor said:
Even with my heaviest tungsten bead and lead free wraps, I wasn’t able to cast very far. That’s why I was thinking of tying a wooly bugger on a 1/8 or 1/16oz ball jig.
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I meant with a bubble float…I gave one of these rigs to a buddy of mine whose young son showed interest to n fishing, but both of them never cast a fly rod…buggars and nymphs under it lobbed into the seam worked well for them
 
Zak said:
A live grasshopper on a small unweighted hook, kicking on the surface of the water with a dead drift.
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Not a ton of places to do that in Washington I don’t think.

I think dry flies at peak season are the way with newbs and trout, unless you want to troll lakes for stockers, and you nixed the boat idea so…dries on the Middle Fork in late July or early August.
 
Matt B said:
Not a ton of places to do that in Washington I don’t think.

I think dry flies at peak season are the way with newbs and trout, unless you want to troll lakes for stockers, and you nixed the boat idea so…dries on the Middle Fork in late July or early August.
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I agree with @Matt B

And I like dry flies that can be stripped in wet before casting again. So, muddler minnows and Vermont Caddis.
 
If she can cast fairly reliably, a spinner works great. My experience with a complete newb swinging treble hooks around wildly still gives me the willies. Nymphing under a bobber seems doable. A small lead head jig under a bobber should work too.
 
I think your on the right track with the roostertails. Fish it just like a wet, cast across to sink it, then swing, maybe reel some, hold on during the retrieve. The fish are easier to unhook if you put on a single hook, or clip off two of the trebble hooks and pich the last ones barb. They will then catch on to the fly presentation pretty quick later on.
 
Easiest way to start catching trout in rivers might be to find hungry bass in warm water, add a 4-weight, lots of lollipops, and a few buggers. Definitely knock the barbs down. Then cutts in small creeks. We didn’t get much independent casting done before she was 7 or 8 but a few years later I was watching more than I was fishing.

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I think you're over-thinking it a bit. There's no "magic" fly, lure, or technique. Teach your daughter what you know, and she will be prepared to catch fish. Whether she gets real enjoyment from that will depend on forces well beyond your control. Best strategy is to get her out there (bring snacks!). She will dig it or she won't, but either way, she'll be delighted for getting one-on-one time with Dad.
 
A small corkie/ bead pegged, and the smallest split shot to get it in the slot.
 
When I was a kid I would look for the smallest gold spinners/lures I could find, they worked pretty well for creek cutthroat. Also just using normal wet flies beneath a bobber could work pretty well. As hoofer suggested, other species like bass or bluegill are very easy to catch and are fun for kids to mess around with especially while they are spawning, as you can see them in the water while you cast to them.

I think generally if you are more comfortable with fly patterns/strategies, thinking of ways to adapt them so that they can be casted/fished effectively with a gear rod could be the easiest way to go. Usually, that looks like adding more weight to the line through bobbers or split shot.

Edit: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Luhr-Jen...e-1-1-8-1-12oz-Brass-Gold-Prism-Lite/17126636 these are the lures I used as a kid, I found them to work better than roostertails, and they come in smaller sizes which fit in more fish's mouths. You can clip off two hooks from the treble with wire-cutters if you want it to be easier to unhook fish and potentially less scary to have a kid swinging around.
 
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