While some fish are found in highly specific regions, rainbow trout are located worldwide. Their species originated in North America's Pacific Northwest region, but are now also found in Australia, Europe, Asia, and South America. In the United States, rainbow trout fishing is extremely popular and many states sponsor fish hatcheries that release thousands of them into streams all over the country. Even though rainbow trout are freshwater fish, sometimes some rainbows will find themselves making their way into saltwater bodies of water. This type of rainbow trout is known as a steelhead.
Rainbow trout vary in length anywhere from 12 to 30 inches and they normally weigh between 2 and 5 pounds. The distinctive pink stripe that runs down the side is responsible for this type of trout's name. In addition to the pink stripe, rainbows feature dark green and silver bodies with black spots.
Fortunately, rainbows are not picky eaters so you will find that many types of lures will prove to be successful. They eat insects, crayfish, and minnows, so bait that imitates these animals will help attract them to your line. Dough bait, flies, jigs, and spinners are all examples of lures trout will bite. Night crawlers are universally known as great bait, and will work with trout fishing as well. Trout are aggressive hunters, so no matter what type of bait you employ, you will most likely experience the thrill of a feisty rainbow pulling on your line. This is one of the reasons why rainbow trout fishing is such a popular type of fishing. Not only that, once they are cleaned and cooked, they make a tasty dinner.