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Using the right bait can make all the different for Brown Trout, the choice of bait/lure selection can be a bit overwhelming so we have put together this helpful guide that covers the essentials to help you find the best bait for Brown Trout in rivers and steams.
Last update on 2023-12-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
First we want to talk about the 5 main baits to use and we have also covered our 8 favorite lures for Brown Trout that we felt deserve a mention.
Contents
What Baits For Brown Trout River Fishing?
The 5 main and best baits to be using for Brown Trout are; (if you are looking for general Trout bait info then this article is worth checking out).
1. Powerbait
When it comes to brown trout river fishing, one of the best things to use hands down is powerbait.
Powerbait can come in many forms, sizes, shapes, and colors, but none of those things are the defining features.
Powerbaits use scent and flavor to attract fish, and in this case they work really well for brown trout.
Related: The 5 best powerbaits to use for stocked trout.
2. Spinners
Brown trout seem to be highly attracted to baits and lures which cause a lot of pulsations and water movement.
Therefore, using a spinner or spinning spoon bait will work well for trout. These things come in various colors and sizes, so you can choose the one that works best for you situation.
3. Plastic Worms & Grubs
Brown trout are pretty voracious eaters and they love to eat worms and grubs. This means that you can use plastic worms and grubs to catch them.
Keep in mind to use various colors, and it never hurts when these things have scents and flavors to them.
4. Fish Egg Baits
Another food which brown trout love to eat is fish eggs, specially salmon eggs. Something about the color and scent really lures them in.
Using a salmon egg shaped bait, or a hook with salmon eggs will work well here. As long as they look and smell like salmon eggs, you should be fine.
5. Minnow Baitfish Lures
Brown trout also love to eat minnows and other such small fish. Using a fairly buoyant minnow or baitfish lure, one that is really reflective, should be able to attract a good number of brown trout.
8 Best Lures & Baits For Brown Trout
Here we have what we think are the 8 of the potential best brown trout lures;
1. Yakima Bait Wordens
This is a fairly durable spinner that should last for quite some 
time to come, as it is made of fairly tough materials.
Moreover, this thing comes with a special tail which creates pulsations when it moves through the water to get the attention of fish.
The spinner itself displaces water, causes movement, and creates an eye catching flash that should also attract fish. It’s a bright, colorful, and highly contrasting spinner spoon that should do the trick.
What is nice here is that the Yakima comes in a special version just for brown trout, as well as about 50 other varieties that can be used for trout and countless other fish too.
You can check the current price on Amazon here
2. Rapala Original Floater
Here we have another decent lure to use for brown trout fishing in rivers, the Rapala Original Floater.
As you might be able to tell by the 
name of it, this thing is designed to be buoyant and to float. This does make it a good option for river fishing because currents should not drag it down to the bottom.
It should in all reality stay on top or near the water’s surface, which is a great way to fish for brown trout. Not only is the balsa wood construction of this thing very buoyant and great for river fishing, but it is also quite durable.
Balsa wood is highly resilient, it does not crack easy, and it won’t corrode either. The Rapala Original Floater comes with triple treble hooks for increased hook setting and retrieval abilities.
Hooks with 3 points are nice, and when you have 3 hooks each with 3 points, the chances of landing a fish are pretty good.
Finally, this thing looks like minnow, which trout like to eat, plus it comes in a few different color combinations, all of which are bright, shiny, and highly contrasting.
You can check the current price on Amazon here
3. PowerBait Natural Glitter Trout Bait
PowerBait Natural Glitter Trout Bait is indeed a very unique option to go with for brown trout fishing.
For one, as you can probably tell 
by the name, this stuff is bright and shiny, and is meant to glitter in the water to reflect light and really catch the eyes of nearby fish.
Keep in mind that this is not actually a lure, but special bait that you need to put on a hook, or can also be attached to a lure, such as the ones we have looked at above. These things come in green, red, yellow, orange, and all kinds of fluorescent colors.
Even better is that PowerBait Natural Glitter Trout Bait also has varying flavors, all of which trout will be attracted to, ones like salmon egg, garlic, and a few others too.
Yes, you will need another lure, or just a hook at the very least, but this stuff does do a great job at attracting brown trout with light reflection and scent.
You can check the current price on Amazon here
4. Blue Fox Classic
Yet another good option to go with for brown trout fishing, the Blue Fox Classic lure is what we like to call a rattling spoon lure.
This is 
actually a fairly new type of lure and it is very innovative. First of all, it come with a really bright blue body that is very reflective and shines in the light to catch the eyes of fish.
Keep in mind that here you can also select from yellow, silver, and purple options, beside the classic blue option.
Even better is that the Blue Fox Classic also comes with a spoon, a spoon that is also very bright and shiny to reflect light, a spoon that spins around in place for even more light reflection.
We call this a rattling spoon because the spoon bangs against the main housing, causing a rattling sound to attract fish. The treble hook which is included here is not too bad either.
You can check the current price on Amazon here
5. Berkley Gulp Fat Floating Trout Worm
This is pretty much just your classic worm bait. Of course, this is not a real worm, but a soft worm that is designed to mimic the real 
thing.
To use this Berkley Gulp Fat Floating Trout Worm, you will need a good hook that has the ability to hold onto plastic baits without dropping them. With that being said, this does seem to be one of the better options for brown trout fishing.
For one, it comes with a variety of colors such as grey, pink, yellow, green, and a couple other colors, so you can use the one that is right for the season and light conditions. This is a short and fat worm which trout seem to be highly attracted to.
Moreover, the Berkley Gulp Fat Floating Trout Worms also come complete with scent that will attract fish, and are even advertised as having much better scent dispersion than regular plastic baits. You can use it for floaters and sinkers alike.
You can check the current price on Amazon here
6. Panther Martin Spinner
This is another fan favorite to go with in terms of brown trout lures. This is another spinning spoon that is good both for light reflection 
and noise.
First off, the whole thing comes in a variety of colors, which is true both for the housing and the reflective spinner spoon.
Here you can choose from colors such as black and yellow, pink/green/silver, blue & silver, orange & yellow, and a number of other options.
No matter what the color combination, the Panther Martin Spinner is designed to be very bright, reflective, and contrasting for maximum visual effect.
Of course, besides the main body, this thing also comes with a spoon, a spoon that is highly reflective and puts out light pulses as it spins in the water.
Of course, spinning in the water is also useful because it creates pulsations and water movement to attract fish.
On a side note, we like the machined brass body here, because it is quite durable. Also, keep in mind that this thing is designed to sink fast, so don’t use it in really shallow rivers.
You can check the current price on Amazon here
7. Mepp’s Aglia Spinner
The Mepp’s Aglia Spinner is known as the original French spinner and has also been labeled as the number one fishing lure by several 
entities. It does live up to its name no doubt, as it does have some really good features.
The spoon on this thing is designed to spin at high speeds, which has 2 main benefits. For one, the spoon on the Mepp’s Aglia Spinner is designed to be very bright and reflective.
As it spins in the water, it will reflect the sun and hopefully catch the eyes of all fish nearby. Second, as the spinner spins, it creates water pulses and movement in the water which alerts fish to its presence. Keep in mind that this lure comes in over 30 different color combinations.
Besides that, the Mepp’s Aglia Spinner also comes with a very bright, reflective, and highly contrasting body, one made of super durable materials. Moreover, the extra sharp treble hook included here should have no problems hooking a fish.
You can check the current price on Amazon here
8. Berkley PowerBait Fresh Water Fishing Bait
The Berkley PowerBait comes complete with a scent and flavor that has been specially perfected over the past 25 years just for trout fishing, and to lure other fish as well.
Whatever the case may be, this thing has great scent dispersion that makes its way through the water and does a fantastic job at luring in fish.
Here you can select from a number of different shapes, mainly insects, worms, lizards, frogs, and bait fish, plus you can select from various colors and sizes too.
The amount of variety that the Berkley PowerBait Fresh Water Fishing Bait features is simply insane and should easily allow you to find one that works for brown trout.
They may not look too special, but the scent and flavor they come with is the main point.
You can check the current price on Amazon here
Tips For Brown Trout River Fishing
Let’s talk about some essential tips that you need to follow for brown trout river fishing to help maximize your chances of success.
How To Catch Brown Trout;
- Brown river trout like to hang out near structures such as rock piles, driftwood, brush, and other underwater plants, so when fishing for these guys, cast your line and aim the lure close to structures such as these.
- Brown trout are not huge fans of being out in the open, especially on sunny days. Your best chances at catching a brown trout will be at dawn, dusk, in the shade, or on overcast days.
- Some of the favorite foods of brown trout include minnows, crawfish, and earthworms, as well as other grubs. Larger brown trout will also eat frogs, lizards, birds, and water snakes. More or less, if said animal is present where there are brown trout, they will be eaten, and can therefore be used as bait.
- If you are fishing in larger river, chances are that the brown trout will reside in deeper water holes where the current is not so fast. Also, deeper water holes are not as bright in terms of sunlight, which brown trout also like.
- Using spinners, spoons, anything bright, and even baits or lures with scents and flavors should work pretty well.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are indeed many different brown trout baits and lures that you can use for brown trout fishing.
When it comes down to it, these fish really are not that picky, they love to eat, and as long as you have something shiny, colorful, and something that moves, you should be fine, but of course, a scent never hurts either.
Photo Credits: photo 1: Tom Hart @ Flickr CC, photo 2: Latham Jenkins @ Flickr CC.
