There are many anglers who spend some or all of their fishing time still fishing for trout. By ’still fishing’ I simply mean casting their line out, letting it sink, tightening the line and waiting for bites. This is ’still fishing’, and for those of us who don’t have boats, it’s a great way to catch trout out of ponds and small lakes.

The only downfall to this type of fishing (at least to me personally) is that in most cases synthetic trout bait is used and mostly stocked trout are caught. I don’t know what it is, but for me, catching trout that grow up in a tank is weird. Many times when you catch these stocked trout they have some or all of their fins rubbed off (from the tank), and to me, just seems unnatural. But, it is what it is, and when I have a hankering for catching a trout, still fishing for some of these “finless wonders” will usually fills my need.

Lets put my personal feelings aside and focus on the issue, which is still fishing for trout. When still fishing for trout, 90% of the time the bait of choice is synthetic trout bait, and for good reason. These baits work! Trout, especially stocked trout, love these synthetic trout baits, and tend to bite them readily. The key with these types of baits is that they float, and if you use one that doesn’t float, buy one that does.

The most effective rig that I’ve ever seen for still fishing synthetic trout baits is toi use a gang hook rig. What’s a gang hook rig? It’s pretty simple. Take the end of your line and slip on and egg sinker (1/4 to 3/8 ounce). Now tie on a small barrel swivel (size 10 to 12) and on the opposite end of the barrel swivel tie on a set of pre-tied gang hooks. This is a gang hook rig. Now add your favorite floating synthetic trout bait to each hook (enough to completely cover each hook). This rig is then cast out and still fished like you normally would.

Still fishing for trout, with the rig described above is amazingly effective. You see, the bait floats above any underwater debris, thus increasing your bite rates. The gang hook rig works and works well. When you get that hankering for catching a trout (no matter how many fins it has) the gang hook rig is a great way to go, when still fishing for trout.

By: Trevor Kugler