Micro Jigs for Fall Trout

Trout fishing really picks up as the cooler days of autumn overtake the warmer days of summer. Streams and lakes start cooling down, with rainbow, brown, brook and cutthroat trout feeding heavily in preparation for the winter. While many anglers use spinners, spoons, or the more traditional dry and wet flies for trout angling, many are discovering the effectiveness of microjigs for trout, especially during fall. It's definitely a tactic every good angler should know, so grab your favorite ultralight fishing rod and catch some autumn fish with these trout tips.

Purchase the 1/64^th ounce micro jigs from online retailers like Bass Pro Shops, Cabela's, and other sporting goods websites. Alternatively, check out your local tackle shops for such products. It can be harder to find the smaller jigs, especially at bulk stores like Wal-Mart, so I usually just buy mine online from fishing and tackle websites.
Buy tiny plastic tube lures ("skirts") or micro grubs and nymph imitations to place on the micro jigheads. While many companies make micro plastics, I sometimes will buy bulk packs of crappie plastic tubes and just trim them down to one inch or less for dressing the micro jigs. Berkely makes a sweet line of nymph plastics, perfect for micro jig fishing (although they may need a little bit of trimming as well). Get several different colors, allowing you to "match the hatch" on whatever body of water you may be fishing on at the time.

Ultralight rods and reels are often fairly easy to find, just make sure you have one with a quality drag system. The drag is your ultimate tool to equalize the playing field between you and a big fish, but it is worthless if it tends to stick or jerk. I like 2-4lb test for my ultralight fishing, although I have scaled up to 6lb test on occasion. You'll need such light line to deal with the tiny jigs, otherwise you'll barely be able to cast even 5 ft away.

Target overhangs, riprap shores with nearby fast water, deep pools, and log cover for fall trout. Water levels should be slowly rising from the low summer levels and fish will often be found in the shallows, eagerly feeding on insects, worms, and bait fish. Cast out, let your lure settle, then tighten up the line and slowly retrieve the microjig. Try occasional pauses and twitches, punctuated by sharp bursts of "swimming" the jig. Bites from trout often feel like little tugs and nibbles, although the larger trout will often blast the jig and take off swimming into cover. Don't be frustrated if you lose a lot of jigs to snags both in and outside of the water-it's basically part of micro jigging and happens to everyone. Instead, focus on the beauty of fall and trout, paying attention to those little taps and jumps of your line that tell you a fish is on. Tight lines!