Rainbow Trout Fly Fishing Introduction
Fly fishermen spend most of their time pursuing trout, and particularly rainbow trout. Rainbow trout are a beautiful fish, and can be recognized by the rainbow band that runs down their sides from their head to their tail. As rainbow trout is a delicious fish to eat, and as they also provide excellent sport because of their fighting abilities, rainbow trout fishing has become very popular. Unlike other trout species, rainbow trout can also be tempted to take properly presented flies as well as streamers and nymphs, and are therefore the ideal fish for fly fishing.
Today, rainbow trout can be found in many regions in the United States, but the rainbow trout species originated west of the Rockies. They prefer cool rivers, streams and lakes where the water temperature is between 50 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit, and are found mostly in northern areas of the US. The main diet of rainbow trout includes plankton, immature and adult insects, worms, crustaceans. They sometimes even feed on small fish. Until they reach 6 to 9 inches long, rainbow trout will remain in the small streams and rivers, after which they will migrate to oceans or lakes. Here they will spend many years getting bigger before they return to the small streams to start spawning. Rainbow trout that have adapted to the saltwater environment are known as steelhead trout.
Rainbow Trout Fly Fishing Equipment
The fly rod used to catch rainbow trout varies depending on the size of trout you want to catch and the body of water you are fishing on. When fishing for medium to large rainbow trout in lakes and large rivers, use a 4 weight through to a 8 weight fly rod. Use a 1 weight up to a 4 weight fly fishing rod when fishing for small or medium size rainbow trout in small rivers and streams. A recommended rainbow trout fly fishing rod for small streams is the extremely light Sage TXL fly rod.
The fly line used for rainbow trout fly fishing is typically a floating line if dry fly fishing on the water's surface. When fishing below the water's surface using a nymph or streamer, a sinking tip fly line is used. A fly fishing reel is not essential for rainbow trout fly fishing, and some anglers prefer hand stripping the line to using a fly reel. A fly reel is often just used to recover and store fly line and backing not in immediate use. To find out more about fly fishing reels, check out the following guide to the fly reel.
Rainbow Trout Fly Fishing Flies
Two basic types of flies are used for rainbow trout fly fishing, wet flies and dry flies. Dry flies masquerade insects are used with a floating fly line which floats on top of the water. Worms, bugs, minnows, drowned insects and small fish are examples of some of the water creatures that live below the water's surface that a wet fly can imitate. A wet fly sinks below the surface of the water. Nymphs and streamers are classified as wet flies and are used normally with sinking tip fly fishing lines.
According to the region you are fishing in, the flies used for rainbow trout fly fishing will vary. It is a good idea to find out what flies, nymphs and streamers work best from local fly shops or local anglers for that particular region. A good technique when fishing for rainbow trout is to start out with dry flies on the water's surface, which causes less water disturbance. If you have no success with dry fly fishing, then start using wet flies below the water's surface.
For more information about saltwater fly fishing gear, take a look at the Feedraider.com news feed for Fly Fishing Elite.
