Top 5 Bank Fishing Lures You Need When Targeting Trout

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Top 5 Bank Fishing Lures You Need When Targeting Trout

Bank fishing can be fun and relaxing. It’s a perfect environment for beginners and seasoned anglers alike and requires little skill to catch fish. Although, when it comes to targeting trout, there are some lures that exceed others and should be mastered. After you’ve chosen your tackle and rod, and searched the internet for “trout fishing near me,”   then it’s time to consider what lures to throw. The following are tried and true contenders and should be part of your tackle-box year-round when targeting trout from shore;

Orginal Rooster Tail

Rooster Tail for Trout Fishing
Jason Kaefer

The Original Rooster Tail is the lure that gets them when others don’t. This flash of silver and/or gold creates the illusion of a fleeing bait fish. Better yet, you can swim this lure slow to fast depending on the mood of the trout.

When fishing the Rooster Tail, try to:

  • Cast out and allow the lure to sink.
  • Close your bail and give your rod tip a fast-twitch to get the blades moving.
  • Retrieve at a steady speed, alternating between fast and slow on each cast.
  • Play with different depths. For example, Try letting your rooster-tail fall to the bottom and retrieve up.

When I fish reservoirs and lakes, I prefer a slow retrieve to cover the top of the water column. When I say slow, I mean slow enough to entice any lethargic trout. Then I’ll increase my speed until I decide to move down the shore. At this point, I’ll burn it back, almost like a topwater lure, creating disruption. It’s important to remember that trout are notorious followers. So, don’t throw in the towel on a location just yet. Continue putting your lure out there and watch for trout somewhere behind your lure.

Kast Masters

The Kast Master is a legend. These lures imitate baitfish and provide a wider range of versatility than most spoons. For example, it can be fished deep and shallow, fast and slow, jigged, and straight retrieved around grass, fallen trees, brush piles, and grassy humps. However, the greatest attribute is the casting distance.

How I like to fish it;

  • Cast out and let it fall to the optimal depth.
  • Retrieve straight.
  • Jig it off the bottom ( Allow the lure to flutter on the drop)

Lakes that are packed with stocked rainbow trout, especially those with deep drop-offs, are perfect for deep-sinking this steel killer. The lure’s weight allows you to reach any depth in seconds. As far as imitation goes, Kast Masters have a tight wobble action that strongly resembles a small fish.

Kast Master Colors

My favorite lure colors are silver and gold. These two seem to get bit the most. For added attraction, Kast Masters also come with a white tail feather which accentuates the tight wobble action of the lure.

Trout Magnets

Trout Magnets are a perfect choice of lure to match the natural forage of the season. Fish are wired to respond to larva and other small grubs that have washed into their territory from shore, and they’ll be keyed in on them during some seasons.

Furthermore, fishing from shore will give you the advantage of being both close to natural cover and the source of food -trees. Mealworms will typically drop from low branches in the Summer; a perfect habitat to work a bobber set-up under.  Additionally, shoreline vegetation, low-hanging trees, and undercut banks all provide good places for trout to shelter from the sun and to ambush prey and are within perfect casting distance while fishing from shore.

Here are a few helpful pointers to keep in mind when fishing Trout Magnets:

  • Use a fixed or sliding bobber with a stop and adjust to the appropriate depth.
  • Allow your Magnet to fall slowly, appearing natural in the water column.
  • Slowly raise your rod tip allowing the Trout Magnet to rise and fall.

Each time you raise your rod tip and let the Trout Magnet fall, it gives off the appearance of a drowned insect and likely will get a strike on the pause. Each Trout Magnet has a bug-like, two-pronged tail that gives off vibration as it falls through the water. Hence, the more movement the better!

Other worms to consider;

  • Micro Worms
  • Big Daddy Mini Grubs
  • Live Meal Worms
  • Live Nightcrawlers

Trout Magnets are best thrown on a light trout fishing line, my favorite being 4-6lb monofilament since the weight of your magnet rarely exceeds 1/64 oz.

Rapala Original Floating Minnow

Rapala Original Minnow for Trout Fishing
Jason Kaefer

The Rapala Original Floating Minnow is great for fishing shallow banks. Common problems anglers will encounter are obstructions and snags. For this situation, the Original Floating Minnow is a go-to for its ability to float above cover yet remain in the strike zone.

I like to slow-roll the F05 Silver Rapala over brush piles and grass with a pause and twitch, allowing each pause to bring the lure back to the surface. This presents the appearance of a wounded minnow to the trout.

The diving depth for these Rapalas is 3-5 ft, which is plenty of room to dance this lure and entice a bite! Additionally, the Original Floating Minnow can be fished anywhere, including ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, and reservoirs. It can be trolled, straight retrieved, or fished as a jerk bait. The versatility is what makes this lure a go-to.

Here are some helpful tips for fishing the Rapala Original Floating Minnow:

  • Strait retrieve
  • Twitch, twitch pause
  • Strait retrieves with intermittent twitch.
  • If no bites, slow down.

Advantages On Shore

One reason I love fishing from shore is that it holds tons of bait fish. Shallow water cover is the perfect habitat for small fish, which in turn attracts large predator fish. For this reason, I’ll fish a minnow lure as close to shoreline grass as possible and play with different retrieval speeds.

Also, it is important to consider wind.

Locating what shoreline receives the most wind is important because this is where bait fish will eventually end up. Watch for waves against the bank and position yourself there with the intention of casting your minnow lure up and down the bank.

Marabou Jig

Marabou Jig Fishing can be versatile and effective. This feathered lure can be used to catch trout in rivers, streams, and still water, and works best around rocky bottoms, and presents a strong silhouette and pulsating action when drifted. As a result, it imitates a wounded bait fish and can be bounced off the bottom, straight retrieved, or twitched for additional movement. But the unique aspect of this jig is its ability to work at the bottom.

Try slow crawling your jig along the bottom. This allows anglers to get to those trout that seem stuck to the bottom.

How to Fish the Maribou Jig for Trout:

  • Cast it out and let it fall to a motionless position at the bottom. Give brief pops by raising your rod tip and repeat.
  • Dead stick with small crawling motion.
  • Straight retrieve.
  • Drift motionless downstream.

Bank Fishing: Where to Fish A Maribou Jig

As trout begin to spawn in the Spring, and with no river or stream to pull back to, they’ll stage up on gravel beds in shallow water along the banks of lakes and reservoirs. However, it can be difficult to entice a bite, as trout are focused solely on reproduction. For example, many anglers have reported watching a trout spawn and ignore every attempt at passing a lure beside them.

This is when a jig might just come in handy.  In the event that a trout may have already seen a dozen lures that day, having a jig that can remain within the strike zone and present a threat to a trout’s nest, and imitate a natural prey item, is a tactic every angler should have at the ready.

Marabou Jig Colors

When it comes to fishing the Maribou Jig, I’ve always been a huge fan of the color black for its ability to silhouette in darker water. However, some other effective colors are pink, white, red, and chartreuse.

Final Thoughts

If you’re new to bank fishing for trout, these lures and tactics will produce some bites. If you’ve already found public fishing near you, the next step is to get out there and apply what you’ve learned. Trout are some of the most exhilarating and beautiful species to catch. Having a solid understanding of how to fish the above lures around the shorelines of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds in effect will greatly increase your catch rate. Give them a try!

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