Best Trout Lures and Baits

The best trout bait for most anglers is the short list Oregon’s fish and wildlife department gives beginners: a handful of 1/16 oz spinners, a jar of PowerBait or PowerEggs, size 8 bait hooks, #5 split shot, a couple of red and white bobbers, and worms (ODFW). Below, seven lures and baits are compared from their makers’ own pages, then how to fish them in lakes and in rivers. Check the rules for your water first: some trout streams allow only artificial lures or flies.

Trout Lures and Baits Compared

Lure or bait	Type	Sizes and details, as the maker lists them	Where it fits	Links
Worden’s Original Rooster Tail	Inline spinner	1/16, 1/8, 1/6 and 1/4 oz; the 1/16 oz is 2 in long with a #12 treble; hackle tail; silver, brass, copper or painted blades; also sold with a single hook	Lakes and rivers; ODFW’s starter list begins with 1/16 oz spinners	See on Amazon · Maker’s page
Acme Kastmaster	Casting spoon	1/32, 1/24 and 1/12 oz for 2-4 lb line (trout, panfish, ice fishing); 1/8 and 1/4 oz for ultralight and light spinning; 3/8 and 1/2 oz for large trout; Acme calls it a distance caster that runs without line twist	Water you need to reach with a long cast	See on Amazon · Maker’s page
Rebel Tracdown Ghost Minnow TD47	Slow-sinking minnow	2 1/2 in, 1/8 oz; #10 barbless trebles	Rebel names clear-running streams and rivers	See on Amazon · Maker’s page
Trout Magnet (Leland Lures)	Micro jig	1/64 oz jig heads with an extra-long size 8 hook; the hook and body fall horizontally rather than head-first; kits hold bodies, heads and E-Z Trout floats; made in the USA	Under a small float, which the kits include	See on Amazon · Maker’s page
Berkley PowerBait Trout Bait	Moldable dough	1.75 oz jar; three colors swirled in one jar; PowerBait scent; easy to shape on the hook	Lakes and ponds, under a bobber or off the bottom (ODFW)	See on Amazon · Maker’s page
Berkley PowerBait Power Eggs Floating Magnum	Floating egg imitation	Floating eggs in PowerBait or PowerBait-with-garlic scent	A bottom rig in lakes, where the bait floats up off the bottom	See on Amazon · Maker’s page
Berkley Gulp! Floating Trout Worm	Scented soft worm	2.5 in, 20 in a pack; floats; Gulp! scent	In place of a live worm, still or drifted	See on Amazon · Maker’s page

How we put this together. Three lures that you retrieve or swing (a spinner, a spoon and a minnow), one jig, and three baits that you set and wait with, compared on what each maker states on its own product page, checked on 26 October 2026. We have not fished them side by side, and which one trout take on a given day is not something a product page can show. Mepps, Panther Martin, Rapala and Thomas are missing because their sites answered with a bot check, so their specs could not be read. There are no prices here: the Amazon link searches for the exact product, and we may earn a commission if you buy through it.

The lures cover the two jobs ODFW describes: a spinner or spoon that you cast and retrieve, and bait that waits under a bobber or just off the bottom. The Rooster Tail and the Kastmaster both come in a run of weights, and the light end of each is the trout size. The two floating Berkley baits suit ODFW’s bottom-fishing method: the weight sinks, and the bait floats up off the bottom.

Live and Natural Baits

Worms are on ODFW’s starter list: it suggests a piece of worm under a bobber in lakes, and a drifted worm in rivers. Our bait profiles cover how to hook and fish the common trout baits: nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, mealworms and waxworms, and dough baits in general. Before you use any of them, check the rules for the water: bait is restricted on some trout lakes and streams, and ODFW tells anglers to read the regulations for bait restrictions on each lake, river or stream.

Trout Jigs

A trout jig is a light head on a small hook with a soft body, fished under a float or on its own. The Trout Magnet in the table is one: Leland Lures sells 1/64 oz heads designed to balance its bodies, and the kits come with floats. For more on fishing small jigs, see the micro jig and hair jig profiles; a slip bobber rig lets you set the depth precisely.

Trout Lures and Baits for Lakes and Ponds

ODFW names three easy ways to fish trout in still water (ODFW):

• Bait under a bobber. A piece of worm or a little PowerBait on a bait hook, a small weight just above the hook, and a bobber 1 1/2 to 3 feet above it. Good when fish are cruising near the surface, or to keep the bait above a weed bed.
• Bait off the bottom. No bobber; the weight goes about 1 1/2 feet above the baited hook. The weight sinks, and a floating bait hovers about 1 1/2 feet above the bottom. This is where the floating dough and eggs come in.
• A spinner, spoon or fly. Cast over likely water, let it sink, then retrieve. Vary how long you let it sink and how fast you reel until you find what catches fish.

Trout Lures and Baits for Rivers and Streams

In moving water the current, not your retrieve, moves the lure. ODFW suggests casting a spinner or spoon slightly upriver, reeling in the slack, and holding as much line off the water as you can so it drifts naturally; once it has swung straight downriver, start a moderate retrieve. The second method is drifting a worm or an artificial bait such as PowerBait with enough split shot to get within a few inches of the bottom; a bobber helps you see where it is drifting. Where a river slows into a deep, quiet pool, the lake methods above work too.

Most trout in rivers and streams are wild fish, ODFW notes, and some anglers release them. If you plan to, its tips start with barbless hooks; the Rebel minnow in the table comes with barbless trebles. Our catch-and-release guide covers the rest.

Rules to Check First

Read the regulations for the exact lake, river or stream before you pick a bait. ODFW points anglers to its regulations for daily bag limits, bait restrictions and other rules, and in a handful of Oregon rivers and lakes catch-and-release is required. Other states set their own rules, including waters limited to artificial lures and flies; if a scented soft bait or an egg imitation is on your list for such water, check how your state defines an artificial lure.

Questions About Trout Lures and Baits

What is the best bait for trout? There is no single best one. For most anglers, a jar of PowerBait or PowerEggs, worms and a few 1/16 oz spinners, the short list ODFW gives beginners, covers both lakes and streams.

What is the best lure for trout in a river? A small spinner or spoon, cast slightly upriver and swung across the current, is the first method ODFW describes for moving water. The Rooster Tail and Kastmaster in the table are both sold in light sizes for this.

What is the best bait for trout in a lake? Bait under a bobber or bait floated just off the bottom. Floating dough or eggs suit the bottom method, because the bait rises above the weight.

Are lures or bait better for trout? Each has its job; the trade-offs are in live bait vs. lures. Where the rules allow only artificial lures, the choice is made for you.

For a first trip, see trout fishing for beginners, and our profiles of rainbow, brown and brook trout for where each lives and what it eats.

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Recommended Gear on Amazon

• Size 8 bait hooks - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
• Split shot assortment - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.
• Trout bobbers - browse current options and reviews on Amazon.

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