It’s Trout Season Eve and and all through the Valley eager anglers are getting baits handy.
Tackle shops in Harmar and Tarentum, the only two in the Alle-Kiski Valley south of Kittanning, say they have a short list of the best things to entice a trout to bite for Saturday’s opening of trout season
Lee Murray, owner of Lock 3 Bait & Tackle in Harmar, says the fish haven’t gotten any smarter.
He’s not sure about the anglers.
But he knows that live bait is the best way to fill a stringer of trout, even if the preferred baits have changed over the years.
And so do the folks at Allegheny Angler in Tarentum, which recently re-opened after a fire closed the longtime bait store late last year.
So, it’s probably not a coincidence that both shops have the same top-selling live baits for trout.
It seems the creepy-crawlies are what make trout hungry. Just remember that if you’re taking the kids fishing and you’re the designated hook-baiter.
Here’s what you need, ranked from most to least popular:
- Waxworms
- Chilean butterworms
- Mealworms
- Maggots
- Minnows
What? No nightcrawlers? Well, those will work, too, but you’ll have to break them in half since trout have relatively small mouths.
And make sure you leave enough time when you visit your bait shop. Clerks at both stores are swamped with customers in the lead up to Saturday’s opener.
