Getting the most out of your trout fishing setup means matching your rod, reel and line to the types of lures you are casting and the kings of waters you will be fishing on most often.
For a beginner the huge amount of rod choices is often the most confusing as there are so many different configurations of rod power, action and length.
Both brown and rainbow trout will be most commonly caught in small rivers, streams and even in stocked lakes or small mountain lakes that have feeder streams where trout can spawn.
The majority of these fish will be 4 lbs or under so you can size your trout setup correctly when targeting these fish.
Although 4 lbs or under might seem small to a musky or lake trout angler trout particularly wild brown trout pound for pound are very spirited little fish once hooked so you can have quite a bit of fun with them, and they taste pretty good too!
Trout Fishing Setup
The best trout fishing setup is a 6'6" ultralight spinning rod with a fast action and a size 2000 spinning reel with 6 lbs monofilament.
1. Rod
The best trout rods will be roughly 6 to 7 feet in length with an ultralight power rating and a fast action.
Trout fishing is all about throwing small lures and bobbers/rigs so you need a rod that is rated for lines in the 2 to 6 lbs range.
A heavier rod will feel far to cumbersome and will loose any kind of sensitivity you may have in the rod tip.
A fast action means that the bend in the rod will start to form higher up on the rod blank towards the tip.
A slow or more moderate action will start to bend in the middle of the rod.
Moderate action rods are less sensitive than fast action rods.
A fast action has a much softer tip which gives a lot more feedback from the lure or hook and it also allows you to set the hook quicker.
They are also more suitable for casting light lures a there is a bit more of a whipping action in the rod tip.
Rod length will depend on how big a river you are fishing.
For smaller rivers and streams a 6' rod is more than enough and it will make it easier to move around especially if there are a lot of trees on the river bank.
On larger rivers you may need a longer rod. The extra length helps with casting distance but also allows you to get the rod tip up higher and pick up line quicker when you strike.
2. Reel
There are 3 different types of fishing reel used in freshwater the spinning, baitcaster, and spincast.
Spinning reels are most definitely the preferred choice when fishing for trout as a baitcaster is generally only suitable for casting lures over a certain weight.
With a small spinning reel in the 1000 to 2500 size range you can cast much lighter lures as the line will fall off of the spool much easier than on a baitcaster.
A baitcaster needs a certain amount of weight to get the spool up to speed when casting.
With a spinning reel you can throw some very light lures on small weight lines.
Most fishing setups for trout will be on a size 2000 reel.
As with buying any trout fishing setup buying a high quality reel is always a better investment in the long run.
3. Line
For trout monofilament is usually the number one choice. It's cheap pretty see through and knots easily.
It is also fairly durable so it can take quite a few bumps and scrapes off of the bottom before needing to be replaced.
Fluorocarbon is another good choice particularly if you are using small jigs and need to set the hook quickly as it has a lot less stretch than money.
Braid is not that usable in really small weights as it is so thin that it can bed down into the previous layers of line on your spool.
This bedding in can result in poor casting performance and occasionally in a snapped line. It is also very prone to wind knots.
Regardless of whether you choose mono or fluorocarbon line in the 2 to 6 lbs range will be best for small stream trout although on really large rivers you may need to go as high as 8lbs.
The best trout fishing setups will generally use monfilament as their go to line of choice.