I don’t know how many of you go stream trout fishing, but you must definitely know that trout are among the spookiest fish out there. If the water is crystal clear and if they just get a glimpse of you, then, you might not be able to catch those trout.

I consider trout fishing the ultimate frontier, either stream trout or lake trout, both satisfy me the same . You’re out there battling the elements, walking upstream, downstream, boating on an empty lake. It’s perfect! Especially if you consider that trout are pretty finiky at times it makes it even more challenging.

Stream fishing for trout is very demanding, both on your ability to focus, on your eyes, and on your ability to stay upright on those slippery rocks, and of course precise casts near boulders or other larger or smaller structures.

If you truly want to catch good sized trout you’ll need to be all over the place, with dead accurate casts, and most likely you’ll want to be camouflaged as best as you can. I’m not saying you dress up like a marine. Keep it simple!

There are 2 types of trout streams: the murkier type and the crystal clear water type. The second one is where you need to be hiding all the time. When streams are murkier, I’ve had trout come up to my ankles after spinners or cranks. I think that never happened in very clear water streams, where sometimes I wondered why I wasn’t catching any in spots that most definitely held trout.

Most of the times I go spinner fishing upstream rather than downstream just because it helps me blend in better and catch more trout. I forgot to mention that almost all trout are oriented upstream, meaning you will always be behind them, where they have a narrower field of view.

Camouflage tips:

1. Use the boulders in your advantage. Consider they are there for a reason: for you to hide behind them. You can stick your head above them, but as soon as you show your entire body you will most likely spook those trout, diminishing your chance of catching any fish in that area. This is available for every other structure there is in the water, like fallen trees for example.

2. Use small water falls in your advantage. I’d better say level differences in the stream bed. You can stay hidden behind them, and trout won’t be that spooked even if you get closer, because the angle you are visible from (for trout) is too sharp, so they will see less of you.

3. Stick close to the shore, trying to have bush or something the same color as your clothes behind you. In this manner you will mix with the background. This is the best way to approach small ponds that form along these trout streams. I will always take the shallower side of the river, knowing that larger trout prefer deeper water and are always on the move. This way you can definitely catch more trout than if you’d go through the center of the stream (small pond), and you’ll always have both sides approachable.

4. Use man made structures to your advantage. For example hide behind bridge legs/pylons, and cast under them bridges. When you approach a bridge, you definitely know it has deeper water under it. In these cases I prefer to step outside of the water and walk to the bridge on shore. I can get behind those legs/pylons without trout even noticing me.

Keep these in mind and they won’t know what hit them.

About Andrei

Professional angler, rodbuilder, lurebuilder, if it's about fishing you name it, he does it. He hates "relaxing", and takes each day as a challange. Whenever he's got a spare moment he's either fishing, cycling, hiking or training his ass at the gym. He's fishing for more than 20 years now. Strictly on artifficial baits from the age of 7, he's always on the look out for the newest stuff and techniques out there.

View all posts by Andrei →