If you are into trout fishing, and who isn’t, then chances are you know that there are all kinds of baits and lures that you can use. If you’re like me you have your favorites, Of course, there are many different types of live baits to use, and they practically run the gamut. (I know, Powerbait... Were getting there…) Options such as worms will always be an odds-on favorite simply because they are not only extremely popular with the fish, but they are also popular with the fishermen as well.
Simply put, worms are not that difficult to obtain. You literally can dig them up in your backyard if you need to! However, besides worms, many trout fishermen also love to go with waxworms, which are the larvae of bee moths. Trout will go for this simply because it is a nice change from the ordinary worm treat they are accustomed to. Of course, you also can go with crickets and grasshoppers, too.
Of course, if natural baits aren’t your thing when you are out on the lake fishing for that trout, there are also plenty of made-up lures that you can go for as well. Of course, there are a couple good rules of thumb you should follow when it comes to lures. First of all, the best lures will imitate live bait. Second, the best lures are usually the ones with a flashy design and have plenty of action as well. However, the lures that are truly in a league all to themselves would be those that have the ability to remain still in the water.
What If There Was Another Way?
Of course, talking about all of the different baits and lures that are available on the market today for trout still doesn’t address the elephant in the room for the novice trout fisherman: surely there is another way to fish for trout than just these two options, right? Well, the good news is that yes, there is another way, and in some respects it can be compared to the best of both worlds. Let me introduce you to Powerbait, and let me just say that this little concoction is about one of the best ways to catch trout that is on the market today. (I bet four out of five trout Ive caught at night was on Powerbait)
What is Powerbait?
Powerbait is a unique bait that consists of a multi-colored concoction that also has a strong smell and can easily float in the water. Although it appears to be a playdough-like substance and it seems to be a very odd concoction indeed, it is surprisingly effective at catching fish.
Thus, it is very popular for catching trout. One of the main advantages of Powerbait is that it is made with a combination of PVC and an oil-based resin. Are you still turned off by the strong smell that Powerbait puts off? Well, you shouldn’t be, because while the smell might be off-putting to you, it is pure heaven to a trout and that is part of the reason why there are so many anglers who swear by this Powerbait.
The strong odors can often come in a variety of options, such as cod liver oil, tinned fish, fish eggs, worms, fish guts, insects, fish attractants, and many other smells as well. Moreover, you actually WANT the Powerbait to be smelly, because it will have a better chance of attracting the trout. To borrow an oft-used phrase: The smellier the better.
The Other Question You Might Have…
Interestingly enough, there is yet another, twin elephant in this room as well, and it can be best summed up in these questions: Can you use Powerbait at night? If so, how would you go about doing it? What would you have to keep in mind? Finding answers to these questions isn’t as difficult as you might think.
Powerbait: A Great Night Time Bait!
As you can tell from the title above, the great majority of this blog entry is going to be devoted to the benefits of using Powerbait at night. First of all, one of the main reasons why Powerbait is a good thing to use when fishing for trout at night is because it has a lot of bright colors and some have glitter.
Moreover, even though Powerbati is best for fishing for stocked Rainbows, it will often even be appealing to wild trout on regular streams or rivers. Part of the reason for Powerbait being so successful even at night would have to be because it appeals to all of the characteristics of the trout. Here are some things to keep in mind:
Color is important.
When you are night fishing for trout, it is important that you have the right color scheme. In most cases, the Powerbait you can buy will come in a variety of different colors to help you in this endeavor.
For example, the manufacturer of Powerbait is known as Berkley, and they have a wide array of colors that you can choose from. First of all, they have the main colors of black and blue, which are solid darker colors that will often mesh well with the night fishing environment. However, interestingly enough they also have many different colors that you may have not even heard of.
Colors such as Blue Pumpkin, California, Green Pumpkin (in varieties such as blue and red green), June Bug, Okochobee Craw, Pearl White Silver Fleck, Perfection and many, many others are available for you to try out. Of course, many trout night fishermen will tell you to go with the tried-and-true colors, and there is some credence to this.
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However, there are some nights where the trout just aren’t biting, and there is nothing wrong with trying out a new color. You just never know what the trout might be seeing, and you just never know how the night shadows might play on the Powerbait color that you are trying out. You never know; it just might be the perfect ticket for landing that elusive trout on your next night time junket!
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The Science Behind Powerbait Color (Or, Just What Is It That a Fish Sees, Anyway?)
Of course, the other wrinkle to all of this is this rhetorical question: just why is Powerbait color important anyway? Again, part of the reason why we want a variety of colors is because we want to mimic what the trout will see in their natural environment anyway. If we exploit their natural prey, we will usually be in good shape.
However, there is also no way to avoid a science lesson here, either. We have to understand, at least in part, what it is that a fish might see in order to pick the best color. I don’t know if you noticed in the Berkley paragraph, but a lot of the examples that were listed were darker colors. Well, there’s a method to this madness.
You see, when you cast your Powerbait out into the water on your next night fishing junket, one of the reason why darker colors are preferred has a lot to do with the depth of the water and the fact that the further down you go, the less natural light will be present. Although it doesn’t seem to make much sense to use darker colors for your Powerbait, part of the reason for this is because your trout make a tremendous use of the silhouette that your bait will put off in the darkness.
Considering that this is the time that many trout species come out to feed anyway, it definitely makes sense to make your Powerbait as appealing as possible to them.
Of course, you have to remember that the color of your Powerbait is almost always going to look different in the depths of the water than it will be when you cast it out on the air.
You have to take into account the characteristics of the already-limited light in the water. You also have to take into account that we as human beings can usually only see such colors as what are already present within the visible spectrum. However, fish can often see colors that we humans cannot.
Whenever you are looking at a prospective Powerbait to add to your bait collection, you always need to think about what it might look like to a fish. Moreover, in that same vein, there are many Powerbait colors that are highly preferred among anglers. Consider the following:
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Chartreuse is one of the most preferred colors for trout anglers doing their sport at night.
Chartreuse is a good color scheme to use simply because it will work well almost under any light combination. It also happens to bemy favorite and don’t forget to get it with glitter. Moreover, some night anglers swear by it because chartreuse will work well in deep waters where it will naturally gets very dark.
Of course, all we have to do here is just put two and two together, and we quickly realize that chartreuse would also work well for all of your night fishing endeavors as well. Of course, if this is your first time even hearing about the color scheme we all know and love called “Chartreuse”, don’t feel bad. The best way to describe this color is that it is yellowish green, and kind of resembles a lemon-like color. Or you could describe it as Neon Green lol.
Besides night time fishing, many anglers swear by this Powerbait color when the water they’re fishing in is either muddy or stained.
Rainbow Powerbait was also a favorite among trout night anglers.
There are a lot of anglers who like the Rainbow option of Powerbait. Part of the reason for this is because this color does well when you are night fishing for trout in a stocked situation. However, the Rainbow color does have its disadvantages.
For one thing, many anglers have reported that Rainbow Powerbait doesn’t seem to do as well in a more natural, non-stocked environment. Moreover, if you are looking to catch adult trout, you might want to consider going with a different Powerbait; the younger trout seem to respond better to the Rainbow option over the adults.
Pink Powerbait was yet another favorite.
Finally, many night anglers also preferred pink for their Powerbait choice. Apparently, this is through word-of-mouth, simply because a lot of night trout anglers have tried the pink version just through the trial-and-error process and been able to catch a lot of trout.
Powerbait: Like Everything Else in Life, There Is No “Magic Bullet”
When it comes to trying to catch some trout at night with your Powerbait, there is no question that there are all kinds of colors that you could try. Although some anglers report success with black because of that “silhouette” effect, still some other anglers love that chartreuse or rainbow color.
The problem with night fishing with Powerbait is that you are liable to get ten different opinions if you ask ten different anglers. However, if there is one thing they can agree on, it would be the fact that if anything at all will attract the fish to the Powerbait, it would be that strong smell that the stuff puts out!
Thus, there is no question that trout will be attracted to this stuff, and it doesn’t matter whether it’s night or day either. So, if you are night fishing for trout and just aren’t having any luck, besides blaming the Powerbait, here are some other things you can try:
Add some artificial stuff to it.
If you are night fishing, then you are definitely dealing with low light conditions. Thus, one of the things you need to do would be to consider adding some artificial items to your Powerbait.
This isn’t just to entertain that inner decorative touch of yours, but it is actually to reflect more polarized light and potentially give you better luck at attracting those night time trout. See if adding some tinsel or glitter to your Powerbait doesn’t help you out.
Is it possible that you aren’t being patient?
Yeah, yeah, I know, this is going to step on some toes, but fishing with Powerbait can be a bit of a longer process. You not only have to keep a lower profile, but you also have to cast out the Powerbait and let it sit for a decent amount of time.
This is because the strong fish-attracting smell needs time to permeate throughout the water. Of course, the same regular fishing rules apply as well. Make sure you don’t do anything that might spook the trout.
Don’t be afraid to try other areas of the lake.
The other possibility is that you just aren’t in the right part of the lake or waterway. There is nothing wrong with trying another part of it and see if you have more luck.
Either way, there is a strong possibility that you will catch night time trout by using Powerbait. As always, you get out what you put in. Don’t be afraid to research new techniques, and don’t be afraid to learn from others.
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