Non-Fly Easiest way to catch trout in rivers

[Aleforme]

If spinners are not working, try a trout magnet under a float. You can a little split shot as needed. When all else has failed, trout magnets will many times work.

 

[Old406Kid]

My first question is, how old is your daughter?
IMO, you don't want to put her into a position of frustration by trying to have her do something beyond her abilities and ending up turning her off to the whole idea.
If she's old enough to grasp casting, start her off with a closed push button reel, get a casting plug, and practice in your yard or a park.
You can make it more fun with a target like a hula hoop. A good next step would be to find a dock or beach on a lake preferably, with perch that will follow a lure, to cast from before trying moving water. As others have said, go heavy on the food/snacks and be aware of the attention span.

 

[Pink Nighty]

As others have implied, catching trout in rivers (especially sans bait) is not the easiest path to catching success I can think of. Stillwater will provide much easier catching opportunities, with bluegill, bass and perch available in addition to trout. If the first priority is catching something, I'd skip the river for now.

 

[flybill]

If you're set on a river, then small spinners should work. When i first got my neice Hannah out we took her to a little trout farm in Woodinville and she caught some nice fish on a bamboo stick.

And coming up are a lot of ponds that are stocked for kids. There are some ponds/ lakes that have kids events.

Last, at least in my neck of there is a creek in Issaquah, at Sammamish state park that goes to the Issaquah hatchery.

 

[Nick Clayton]

Wait wait wait....am I the only one seeing what's going on here? The EURO NYMPHER is asking us for the easiest way to catch trout! Isn't that what euro nymphing is all about??? The answer is staring you in the face



In all honesty though, you seem pretty dialed in with the euro stuff. Why not take her to a trout stream you are confident in and just let her catch some fish with the technique that you already know well? Seems to me that focusing on what you know well would allow you to help her see and learn it as well, whereas with other techniques that you yourself aren't as familiar/experienced/successful with you may not be able to easily make it all work since you yourself are not as familiar with the gear and techniques.

Obviously fly casting would be difficult for a young one, but no doubt you could help with that and just let her do the parts she's comfortable with, plus,........



















Euro nymphing doesn't actually involve fly casting anyway.....


I kid I kid


I vote that you stick with what you know best. Just my two cents

 

[Zak]

I find little kids enjoy fishing off a dock in a lake with lots of little panfish, with just a stick and length of tippet to a buggy weighted nymph.

Sometimes schools of little sunnies are pulling the nymph this way and that, and you can watch it all.

 

[2MANY]

Whatever you do don't use a perriwinkle and a simple splitshot dead drift.

 

[Kilchis]

…and never ever mudball with a worm.

 

[jaredoconnor]

Wait wait wait....am I the only one seeing what's going on here? The EURO NYMPHER is asking us for the easiest way to catch trout! Isn't that what euro nymphing is all about??? The answer is staring you in the face



In all honesty though, you seem pretty dialed in with the euro stuff. Why not take her to a trout stream you are confident in and just let her catch some fish with the technique that you already know well? Seems to me that focusing on what you know well would allow you to help her see and learn it as well, whereas with other techniques that you yourself aren't as familiar/experienced/successful with you may not be able to easily make it all work since you yourself are not as familiar with the gear and techniques.

Obviously fly casting would be difficult for a young one, but no doubt you could help with that and just let her do the parts she's comfortable with, plus,........



















Euro nymphing doesn't actually involve fly casting anyway.....


I kid I kid


I vote that you stick with what you know best. Just my two cents

The problem is I need to be in the water to euro. With my daughter, I have to fish from the bank. The spots I’m taking her to, I could normally pull 3-5 fish per hole.

That’s why I’m stuck. I know there’s fish there. I don’t know how to get them on a spin rod, from the bank, or any other method really.

 

[jaredoconnor]

I find little kids enjoy fishing off a dock in a lake with lots of little panfish, with just a stick and length of tippet to a buggy weighted nymph.

Sometimes schools of little sunnies are pulling the nymph this way and that, and you can watch it all.

I don’t know anything about fishing for panfish. I’ll look into it. I was trying to approximate what I’m familiar with, but I get the feeling that’s not the right approach.

 

[Kado]

In a way, if your daughter is old enough to understand, it's even more fun for you both to learn a new thing together. My kids loved it knowing something we were doing was also new to me. I took them fishing off a small jetty in Kihei with small gear rods. We had no idea what we were doing and there were no bad ideas. Lost a lot of gear but an experience they always remember. That I had asked a local fishing nearby what we should do really stuck in their heads. They learned it doesn't hurt to ask for help as long as you ask nicely.
Also, you know your daughter better than anyone, but my kids just loved spending father/daughter time. If you're not catching fish, maybe end earlier and go for a lunch together. My daughters learned quickly that fishing isn't catching.

 

[Wetswinger]

Or, similar to Zak’s suggestion, an earthworm on a hook with a small split shot 18” up from the bait. Cast into the head of the riffle and drifted/swung down.

Keep up pressure on it so you can feel the bite and help it over the rocks. My older brother, rip, was a great brown hackle fisherman. He used a fly rod to fling it out there, taking advantage of the length and soft feel..God he could catch the fish..

 

[Northern]

If you want to stick to the river, I'd go with the bobber/casting bubble and either foam (unsinkable) fly or sinking fly or small jig on a short leader. PNW rivers are pretty grabby with free-sinking lures, and without line handling skills she'll likely get frustrated snagging up. Also, the visual aspect helps keeps kids focused, especially if they're getting strikes but not connecting
A weighted san juan worm under a casting bubble is darn close to bait without being bait

But yes - if you have a panfish or baby bass pond around, go for it! Same setup, or even your euronymph rig. They're often up shallow very close to shore or under docks. I was catching those off the dock with a line tied to a plastic sandbox shovel and corn on a bare hook, when I was 2!

 

[troutstalker]

The best place to teach a child to fish would be a lake or pond. Maybe take her to a trout farm. There are still a few around and you would catch fish for sure so she would have fun and wouldn’t get bored.

 

[flybill]

With your debit or credit card at the Sushi bar or grocery store!

 

[speedbird]

Just throwing ideas out there even though I haven't caught a trout in a river ever- How about a Woolly Bugger tied on a leader to an inline weight?