Chadd:

I’ve never cared for those deals where you get a bunch of stuff that you’re not sure you’ll use, even if you do save a few bucks. Those kits are aimed at inexperienced anglers, and they hook WAY more people than fish. If you know you’ll use everything in that kit, then sure, it’s a good deal. But I think the most useful thing there is the box and maybe the hooks, and I’ll bet you could go to the local sporting goods store and get something similar for $10.

Will that stuff catch trout? Maybe. It’s all jigging tackle, which is not ideal for trout fishing, but I don’t know how much of that stuff I’d use even for fishing crappie. Why’s everything so bright and yellow!? You might catch some trout with that kit, but I would not buy it specifically to catch trout.

Also, you’re getting dozens of pieces that will all act basically the same. There are a few different colors, but they’re all the same size. Do you fish so much that you’re going to go through that many rubber lures? Do you know enough about the fish you’re after to know when the bright yellow skirts will work and the bright pink one won’t? Is that kit really suited to your fish or waters?

Here’s the point: a very small kit with a few lures you use often and catch fish on is better than a “455-Piece Crappie Kit” filled with stuff you may never use.

A note about the salmon eggs — yeah, that’s about the going rate for those, but I wouldn’t buy any right now. It’s the wrong time of year for trout to be eating eggs. Brown trout, lakers, and brookies spawn in the late fall and early winter. Rainbow and cutthroat spawn in the late winter. You might hook a trout using eggs right now, but you’d be better off imitating the small fry that are hatching from the eggs spawned earlier in the winter.

It sounds like you’re just starting out in fishing, or you’re new to your area, or you’re new to trout fishing. That’s so great — you’ve got all this discovery and research ahead of you, and every fish you catch is going to be a huge thrill. I envy you. Here’s what you do: get some info from local people about what they fish with, where they fish, and when they fish. Ask the guy at the sporting good store, or even the customers. Consult your state Fish and Game wildlife website and your state fishing proclamation. Come back here and ask some specific questions about the area you’re going to fish. Info is as valuable or more so that jigs and lures and bait.

Take the twenty bucks you were going to spend on that crappie kit and buy a few of the lures that locals recommend to you. If you’re a little short on cash, you can get worms right out of the ground for free — just run your sprinkler a few hours before sundown. All you need then is a flashlight and quick reflexes. Grab a dozen or so and go fish. Trout will always take worms, and fishing with worms in a tin can is so old school! Beg more info off the people you see fishing. Most of them will be happy to share what they know, especially the older folks. Some will even tell you a lot more than they know! Heh heh. Ask not just about lures and bait, but find out about rigging and tackle (sinkers, floats, etc.). Use the info you gather to get a little more tackle, and every time you go out you’ll learn more and catch more fish. Soon you’ll really get to know the local waters and fish, and you’ll have a tackle box filled with only tackle you know and use — no silly bright yellow frogs or hot pink squids.

I don’t bait fish any more and again I don’t know where you are, so I can’t recommend any other baits. I mostly fly fish now and I think it’s the most challenging and the most rewarding way of fishing, especially for trout. I don’t know what your situation is, but if you can manage it, I would give fly fishing and catch-and-release a try.

Good luck to you. Catch one for me!