Funded by MAFWA Multistate Conservation Grant #F25AP00104-00
Each winter, Texas Parks and Wildlife stocks rainbow trout in bodies of water all across the state. I personally am not a fan of the cold so I often find it harder to get outdoors during the winter. Having said that, each year I truly look forward to the trout being stocked because they are so energetic and are fun to target! Here in Texas, bass and other native species can be targeted year-round, but in the frigid weather can slow down the bite. Trout, on the other hand, thrive in these colder water temperatures and make every second out in the cold worth it. While rainbow trout aren’t native to Texas, many Texas anglers have grown to love this species because of this stocking program.
My parents were planning to visit me for the Holidays shortly after one of the first trout stocking of the year. I figured it was a great time to go make some memories. Neither of my parents have ever been fishing. My mom’s father was a bit of a fisherman in his youth, but didn’t have the opportunity to ever take my mom. My dad grew up in the outdoors and played many sports, but fishing was never something he tried. While it’s a bummer they’ve had to wait this long to try fishing, I was absolutely thrilled to be the one to take them for the first time.
Trout Gear and Lures
Before I tell you how their first fishing trip went, I want to share what gear we used during our outing in case anyone is in my parents shoes and trying to fish for trout for the first time.
There are a lot of good lure options for trout out there. I’ve seen people use inline spinners, corn, worms, crickets, dough bait, small spoons, and soft plastic grubs. I’ve used a lot of these options with great success! But today at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center, the staff recommended we try either corn or a soft plastic lure that resembled a fish egg. We got the soft plastic rigged up on a hook and then added some split shot weights about a foot above the hook. The soft plastic is light weight and will float, so the weights help with casting as well as getting the lure further down in the water column to where the trout are living.
To fish with the soft plastic lure, I’d cast out toward the middle of the lake and let the weight sink down to the bottom. I’d let the lure sit for a little bit, then slowly reel for a moment and then let the lure sit again. I’m sure if the fish were fired up you could cast and reel back in without the pauses, but this day the fish were wanting something a little slower.
To fish with corn, the rig consisted of corn, a hook, a small weight, and a bobber. We put a few pieces of corn on a hook, a weight just above the hook, and then a bobber about 2 feet above the weight.
Mom and Dad’s First Time Fishing
I’ve fished for trout at many local ponds around the state, but have never fished for them at the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center. I figured it would be a great place to take them because of all of the amenities. The Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center (TFFC) has an expansive tackle loaner program so we didn’t need to go out and buy my parents rods. I simply packed up the lures I own and took them to rig up on the loaner rods. Just as a heads up to anyone planning on doing the same, TFFC only allows single, barbless hooks on lures at their ponds!
To start, I showed my parents how to cast using a spin cast reel. I’m not the best with them either, so it was a bit of an adventure getting the kinks worked out. We picked a spot on one of the three lakes available and had some casting practice. They both picked up on it in time and so we moved on to actually trying to catch a trout. It took several spot changes but eventually I found two trout back to back and so I called my parents over to cast in that same zone.
My mom hooked into a couple trout, and dad caught a couple too! They both enjoyed the serenity of spending time at the lake and the excitement of feeling the trout tug on the line. All it took is one trip to get them to understand why all I do is fish!
If you’re hoping to go catch some trout at any of the many stocked lakes here in Texas, a regular freshwater fishing license is all you need! And if you decide to check out the TFFC, no license is required to fish their ponds (but there is an admission fee and a separate harvesting fee if you decide to take some trout home).
I was so happy to have my family come visit for so many reasons, but I can’t express how much it meant to me to spend the morning at the lake fishing with them. This was an awesome memory that I’m so happy we got the chance to make together. The staff at TFFC were all so kind and helpful during our visit and I have a feeling the next time my parents visit we just may have to swing back by.
