As any true fisherman will tell you, there's really nothing as rewarding as spending your leisure time engaged in trout fishing. There are some basic trout species that are available throughout the United States. These are Brown, Brook, Bull, Cutthroat and Rainbow trout. The methods of fishing trout are more or less similar for all the above mentioned species, although there maybe few differences in size, colors and overall disposition of the fish from different groups.

Here are a few trout fishing tips to help you rise above troubled waters and catch more trout, especially when fishing in rivers or streams:

1. Presentation: Fishing trout is quite literally a battle of wits between man and fish. Trout are an intelligent species of fish and in order to hook one, it's important to present your choice of bait in the most natural way possible. Especially when fishing trout with live bait. This is why the use of gang hooks is recommended so that your bait appears natural without making the fish suspicious.

2. Smell: Trout usually posses a very strong sense of smell and they usually "sniff" bait before biting. But if the fish sense any unnatural odor coming from the bait, lure, line or hook; they will be reluctant to bite 9 times out of 10. For instance, if you've just had a smoke, your hands will smell similar to an ashtray and this scent will get onto the bait when you touch it immediately thereafter. This will often drive trout away, which is why it's important to rub your hands with dirt or weeds from time to time to get rid of any unwanted unnatural smells.

3. Fishing Gear: Trout fishing usually calls for super light fishing gear and bait unless you intend to go fishing the huge Great Lakes visiting Brown Trout where you will definitely require much heavier gear. In most cases though, a 5 foot ultra light fishing rod coupled with ultra light reel spooled with four will do just fine. With regards to the hook, a size 10 hook should do swimmingly and as for the lure, smaller lures are recommended as well. If you want to use spinners or spoons, it's important to use those that are no heavier than one ounce and if your choice of bait is minnow-type plugs, then you should ensure they don't exceed 4 inches in length.

4. Clothing: When fishing trout in river or stream situations, it is recommended to avoid wearing clothing with plain white or loud colors. This is because wearing such bright colors like orange or white will make you stick out like a sore thumb against the background making it easy for the fish to spot you in daylight. So, it would be wise to wear drab colors such as grey or brown in order to blend in with the surroundings as far as possible. This will make it harder for the trout to identify you and increase your chances of getting more bites.

So, the next time you go trout fishing, keep these tips in mind and you can be assured of getting a far greater number of bites than you usually do.