Catch a trophy brown trout by slow trolling a Trix Worm shallow. A big brown came at Icehouse Reservoir in only 5 feet of water at 2.2 mph while the crew was targeting rainbows. Rig the worm on the kit hook with two bobber stops and an action disc, or use the loose hook version, where the hook dangles alongside the worm instead of pinned through it. That rig turns short strikes into landed fish, which matters most on lethargic, recently iced out browns.
What is the best lure for trophy brown trout?
A slow trolled Trix Worm. At Icehouse Reservoir, Les landed a big brown in only 5 feet of water at 2.2 mph on a Trix Worm while targeting rainbows. Browns will eat the worm as a bonus fish, so a soft plastic worm run slow and shallow is a proven trophy brown presentation.
How do you rig a Trix Worm for trout?
Tie on a hook, then add two bobber stops in front of it. Slide a Trigger Disc down from the other end and leave about an inch and a half of space between the disc and the hook. Les uses the hook that comes in the Trix Worm kit. That is the standard rig.
How do you fix short strikes on a Trix Worm?
Change to the loose hook rig. Thread the worm just over the bend of the hook, then pull the hook all the way through so it slides up and dangles alongside the worm, connected only by the line running through the worm head. Les switched to this after short strikes at Collins, and it turned those short strikes into fish in the boat.
How deep and how fast for brown trout on a worm?
Shallow and slow. Les caught his trophy Icehouse brown at just 5 feet deep at 2.2 mph on a Trix Worm. He was not even targeting browns, which shows big browns will move shallow and eat a slow worm, especially on high country lakes soon after ice out.
Does the loose hook rig hurt the worm action?
No. Les says running the hook loose does not hurt the action and may even help it, since the hook shank is no longer threaded through the body of the worm. The worm still wiggles, and the free hook is right there for a light biting fish to find.
Where and when do you find big browns?
Early season right after ice out. Les scouted Icehouse Reservoir on a whim when the lake had been frozen just weeks earlier and still showed closed. Fish can be shallow and lethargic then, so the loose hook Trix Worm rig converts more of those soft bites into landed browns.
Watch the technique
Catching trophy brown trout FAQ
Leave about an inch and a half between the action disc and the hook on the standard rig. On the loose hook version, set a bobber stop about 2 inches ahead of the worm and drop the wiggle disc down.
Slow. Les was running 2.2 mph when the big Icehouse brown ate his Trix Worm. A steady slow troll keeps the worm working in the strike zone.
Only 5 feet deep, in a lake that had been frozen just a few weeks earlier. Big browns will hold shallow in the early season.
The hook hangs free beside the worm instead of being pinned through it. That lets short striking fish get the hook, which turns short strikes into landed fish far more often.
Yes. Les was targeting rainbows when the trophy brown came out of nowhere and ate the same Trix Worm rig. The presentation catches both.
The hook that comes in the Trix Worm kit, rigged with two bobber stops in front and the action disc slid down from the other end.
Early season right after ice out, when fish can be shallow and lethargic. That is when the softer loose hook Trix Worm rig really shines.
No. The line still runs through the head of the worm, so the hook stays right alongside it, it is just not pinned into the plastic. The worm keeps its action and the hook is free to bite.
