10 Trout Fishing Forums: Fishing Reports & Discussions

Sea Trout Forum

This forum is for general discussions, where newcomers introduce themselves in an introductory thread. Aside from trout fishing discussions, you will get news, updates, and fishing reports and let members buy, sell, barter, or trade. There are 2700+ members in the forum, and each can read posts, create a topic, or reply to a question.

Website: Sea Trout Forum

Garden State Trout Forum

Garden State Trout Forum, or NJ Trout Fishing Forum, is an excellent platform for anglers to discuss trout fishing in New Jersey and more! Here, members can receive insights on saltwater fishing and warm water, discuss trout conservation projects or address other issues, hold meetings, share experiences, and chat about various fishing gear and techniques. There are 237+ members who collectively published 9220+ posts on 860 topics.

Website: Garden State Trout Forum

Lake-Link Forum - Trout Fishing

For an ultimate guide to fish trout in winter, share early season catches, discuss fishing-related information, and get lake-related reports, Lake-Link Forum is a great forum. It provides one of the most comprehensive lake and fishing information in the US. That’s not it. The platform also sells regular and fishing wear, accessories, fishing gear, and others for anglers to ensure a comfortable and productive fishing trip.

Website: Lake-Link Forum - Trout Fishing

Michigan Sportsman Forum

Started in 2000, primarily for anglers in the Michigan area, the Michigan Sportsman Forum provides a platform to discuss everything about fishing. It includes talking about fishing for trouts and steelhead at the river mouth and sharing your fly reel inventory. Also, you can discuss gear, safety, tackle, optics, tips, tricks, gunsmithing, hunting, reports, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more! It’s one of the most popular forums, with 96.6k followers and 8.9 million posts.

Website: Michigan Sportsman Forum 

Reddit >> Trout Fishing

This trout fishing forum on Reddit lets users ask questions and share their catch and stories about their fishing trips. The community is for avid anglers who actively fish and share helpful images, tricks, and tips about fishing locations. With 100,000+ members, this forum for trout fishing is among the popular Reddit communities on fishing.

Website: Reddit >> Trout Fishing

Hunting PA Forum >> Trout Fishing

Hunting PA Forum is a leading fishing community in Pennsylvania. This trout-dependent panel is for Pennsylvania hunters and anglers to converse about anything. You can ask questions about gears to use, the right time to fish, and others, discuss trout fishing and trout seasons, learn how to handle trout, discuss fishing styles, and find tutorials and guides. Also, you can ask questions about fishing in winter and fishing identities.

Website: Hunting PA Forum >> Trout Fishing

Salmon Fishing Forum

This forum is dedicated to anglers and sporting enthusiasts who share a common passion for Salmon fishing. Owned by VerticalScope, it provides technology that powers the community, and the administrators and moderators watch over the content and actively patrol for spam to ensure the members' benefit. Over the years, 17,900 members created 1,400,000+ posts covering discussions about licenses, safety, tips, tricks, reviews, rivers, accessories, and more.

Website: Salmon Fishing Forum

North Carolina Hunting and Fishing Forum

The NC trout fishing forum is a great online community where anglers can engage in meaningful discussions about fishing gear, tips and tricks, and local lakes. With 270+ members, the forum discusses topics about local areas in North Carolina and invites fellow anglers to participate in freshwater fishing.

Website: NC Hunting and Fishing Forum

Spey Pages Forums - Trout Fishing

Spey Pages Forum is a family-friendly online community where you can talk with your fellow anglers about everything related to trout fishing. From tips and techniques to the latest gear and equipment to catch, you can exchange knowledge about anything. With over 1000 posts on fishing, you’re sure to find anything useful.

Website: Spey Pages Forums - Trout Fishing

Trout Fishing Gear

Visit any offline/online retailer or tackle shop, and you’ll find a dazzling choice of trout fishing gear. It’s, however, important to start with picking the absolute essentials, which are as follows:

• Nets and Creels
• Vests and Hats
• Waders and Boots
• Baits and Lures
• Big and Small Rigs

Now you’ve got the essential gear, here’s a comprehensive list of everything you need for trout fishing:

In addition to the above, when fishing in a remote location, carry along a Jackery Portable Power Station to power an electric fishing winch, fishing reel, and other necessary appliances.

Jackery Portable Power Stations for Trout Fishing

A leading manufacturer of solar generators, solar panels, and portable power stations, Jackery fulfills the needs of every angler and provides them with green energy.

Jackery Portable Power Stations pair with Jackery SolarSaga Solar Panels to convert the DC current generated by the latter into usable AC current. These power all your fishing equipment, such as an electric reel, winch, fish finder, etc., and other small appliances, such as smartphones and lights.

Jackery Portable Power Stations are suitable for trout fishing. They provide a backup power supply to your devices to ensure they function smoothly while you hook trout and other fish.

Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station

Jackery Explorer 500 Portable Power Station has a minimal, ergonomic design that makes it easy to carry on freshwater fishing trips. Once charged, it can power most of your small fishing appliances or similar devices wherever and whenever you need them. This means you can only focus on hooking most trouts and not on charging your electric winch and reel.

Appliances Running Time:

• Electric Fishing Reel (60W): 7.3H
• Smart Speaker (10W): 44.0H
• Fish Finder (150W): 2.9H
• Tablet (40W): 11H
• Fishing Cooler (60W): 7.3H

Customer Review: “My Explorer 500 charges quickly and maintains the charge at 100%. It has been very reliable for the past couple of years.”- Stephen Alde

Jackery Explorer 300 Plus Portable Power Station

Jackery Explorer 300 Plus Portable Power Station boasts 2 PD ports and 52 protective features to emerge as a reliable choice for anglers. Its lightweight design, quick charging, and stable power output make it a handy power source for most of your mid-range fishing gear.

Appliances Running Time:

• Electric Fishing Reel (60W): 4.0H
• Electric Fishing Rod (10W): 24.4H
• Laptop (60W): 4.08H
• Fish Finder (150W): 1.6H
• Fishing Cooler (60W): 4.0H

Customer Review: “First test, I ran my 37 QT 12V fridge/freezer on Eco mode for 7 hours. At the end of the test, Jackery was still at 28%. Very happy with it for the price and capability!”- Allen Wells.

Jackery Explorer 100 Plus Portable Power Station

If you have fresh water nearby or do not have many fishing gear to power and need a more portable battery backup solution, the Jackery Explorer 100 Plus Portable Power Station is a great choice. It’s portable enough to fit your backpack but can charge three devices simultaneously. This bodes well when you travel a bit far away in remote fishing locations.

Appliances Running Time:

• Laptop (60W): 1.4H
• Tablet (40W): 2.1H
• Smartphone (20W): 4.2H
• Noise Cancelling Headphones (10W): 8.4H

Customer Review: “We do seasonal camping, and we have used the Jackery 100 outside on the campground table for charging our phones. We have charging ports inside the trailer, but the Jackery 100 allows us to charge outside.”- Marcus Wright.

Trout Fishing Seasons

There are seven species of trout native to North America, three of which, Lake Trout, Brook Trout, and Bull Trout, are members of the Char genus Salvelinus. The other four include Cutthroat Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Mexican Golden Trout. Several notable subspecies occur within these trout; for instance, Golden and Redband Trout belong to the Rainbow trout species. The Cutthroat Trout has an ever-growing subspecies with 8-9 major subspecies.

The below table represents the trout fishing season in every state:

Trout Fishing Spots

If you ask the anglers about the best fishing spot in America, each of them will answer something unique because there’s something for everyone out there.  So, to inspire your future angling trips, here’s a list of the ten best trout streams in America:

Durango, Colorado

Colorado is a trout fisherfolk’s dream, and hardly any tops Durango, located in the southwestern part of the state. The Animas River that flows through it is a gold metal water freestone river and a home to big browns, cutthroats, and rainbows. The average fish is 12-16 inches; however, 18 to 20-inch fish are more common in these areas. Other than that, Monster trout lurk often in these areas, weighing 7-10 pounds.

Carbondale, Colorado

Carbondale is one of the most popular locations in Colorado for trout fishing, surrounded by the most productive trout fisheries like Crystal River and Fryingpan River, known for healthy brown, rainbow, and cutthroat trout populations. At the same time, there’s a 30-mile stretch of gold medal trout water where trout eat midges year-round.

Bozeman, Montana

Bozeman is surrounded by some famous rivers of Montana: Gallatin, Madison, Yellowstone, and Missouri, as well as several productive spring creeks. Big brown and Rainbow are the most common bites in these rivers. If you target a Yellowstone cutthroat trout, get into a 3-hour drive to the national park.

Redding, California

Redding is a trout heaven for anglers and is close to several high-quality fisheries. Of all, the Sacramento River has an ideal temperature when fishing for trout, steelhead, and salmon. In fact, it’s the only river with four district runs of king salmon/chinook: late fall, fall run, winter run, and spring run king salmon. Then, you’ve got Fall River and McCloud River in the north, with some of the best rainbow trout.

Missoula, Montana

Missoula sits at the convergence of three famous trout rivers and is often called a trout heaven, which is why Montana gets double billing on the list. The Clark Fork River on the west features dry fly-eating, hard-fighting rainbows, west slope cutthroat, and cut bows. In the east, the Blackfoot River hooks some of the biggest brown trout alongside rainbows, westslope cutthroats, and cut bows.

Roscoe, New York

Roscoe has more fly shops than bars, and despite being a small town, it offers an opportunity to test your metal on Catskill’s famous trout streams. Both Willowemoc and Beaverkill flow through the city, and you can expect high productivity of common trout, including brown, rainbow, and cutthroats.

Grayling, Michigan

Grayling is another small city on a prime stretch of the Au Sable River, where Trout Unlimited was founded. Today, the river lets anglers catch big browns by fishing or wading from canoes or drift boats. In June, when there’s a massive hatch of Hexagenia, expect an incredible fishing experience.

Mountain Home, Arkansas

Mountain Home, Arkansas, is home to the white river and draws visitors for the large brown, brook, and cutthroat trout. There are not many places better than this to catch a giant brown trout. The best part is that it fishes well through most parts of the year, and not many rivers in America have trophy potential other than the White.

Reno, Nevada

During winter, when most trout towns die down, Reno’s fly-fishing scene really explodes. That’s because a short drive gets you to Pyramid Lake, where you’ll find the biggest cutthroat trout in the world, and the best time to hook those monsters is during the coldest months of the year.

Bend, Oregon

Bend is another excellent place to be for a productive fly-fishing trip. Here flows the Deschutes River, a near-mythic trout stream, and hosts some of the best brook, rainbow, and steelhead trout. Besides, a large spring creek is on the top list of anglers due to its picky and hard-fighting native redband trout.   

Trout Fishing Tips

Trouts are plenty in most freshwater streams, but your angling trip won’t be a success if you don’t equip yourself with trout hooking basics, including knowledge about baits and behavior. The below-mentioned tips will get you a fast track to success irrespective of where you fish:

● Where To Fish

From brown and rainbow to cutthroat, there are plenty of trout species, and they can be baited in almost every freshwater stream, including rivers, creeks, lakes, and ponds. Whether stock, wild, or native, these make for a great target species, especially those learning to fish. To find the best location to fish, check the public agencies’ websites, which often publish fishing maps, or you can access trout fishing forums where people regularly post their catches.

Fishing Gear Tips

●  Use a Long Rod

What’s great about targeting trout is that it lets you use light gear. In small zones and tight quarters, which are often a bit far away, casting with a long yet ultra-light rod is much simpler. These typically have a softer tip section, which absorbs trout’s energy when fighting in current or close quarters.

● Lean on Fly Hooks

Pretty small hooks are available in the fly shops to attach trout baits like salmon eggs and mealworms. Despite their small size, many still have a thicker gauge, which makes them fairly heavier and makes a trout spooky when it doesn’t move in clear water. It’s thereby recommended that hooks designed for fly tying glide with the drift and lure trout towards it.

● Use Light Line

Pair your spinning reel with a four to six-pound monofilament line that glides with the drift and doesn’t spook out your target.  

● Baits

Although trout’s great eyesight paired with clear water lets them see anything, they aren’t picky eaters and go for almost everything. Anglers new to fishing should experiment by trying multiple live bait options such as crickets, fish eggs, minnows, and nightcrawlers. Also, you can opt for artificial baits like Fly, PowerBait, and others, which are becoming quite popular choices.

Fishing Techniques

● Fish Close First

Many anglers have a “grass is always greener” attitude, and the other side always seems a better place. This is how they often end up losing a lot when catching trout. A general rule to follow when catching trout is to fish close before going far. Even if the spot doesn’t look very juicy, hit some casts or drifts before moving onto the hot spot.

● Fish the “Junk Water” Early and Late

Trouts are associated with sharp seams, fast riffles, and swirling eddies produced by current, but there are shallow streams and rivers that lack current. Anglers often refer to these as “frog water” or “junk water.” So, prefer to hunt after dark in these, when trouts might feel safe to move.  

Trout Fishing Forum FAQs

What size portable power station do I need for fishing?

The size of a portable power station you need for fishing depends on the number of appliances you want to power simultaneously and their running time. For instance, you intend to power an electric fish finder (150W) and laptop (60W) using a Jackery Explorer 300 Plus Portable Power Station.  Then,

Working Hours = Battery Capacity in Wh * 0.85 / Wattage Consumption of the Appliances

Working Hours= 288Wh*0.85/210W = 1.1H

Note: 0.85 is multiplied to consider the power loss during charging.

What is the best bait for trout?

Trouts are always on the hunt for food, so insects are probably the best bait for them.

What is the trick to catching trout?

The trick is to get a light monofilament line that gets invisible on streams and use the right lure (dry flies or spinners) that glide to lure the trout.

What time do trout bite the best?

Early morning is generally considered the right time to fish for trout, from dawn until two hours after sunrise.

What colors attract trout the most?

Classic color pairs include red/yellow, yellow/black, and black/fluorescent.

Trout Fishing Forums For Anglers

Trout fishing forums can be an integral part of an angling trip as they help connect with fellow anglers and provide news and information about safety, fishing tips and tricks, location, fishing gear, and local lakes. Whether an expert angler or just starting out on an angling journey, research as much as possible and prepare a basic checklist to keep all the essential gear and supply kit. You must be careful about what gear and lure to choose to ensure a highly productive fishing trip. Besides, you need a reliable power supply like Jackery Portable Power Station, which is fumes-free, eco-friendly, and easily carried around.