Match the Hatch
Pick the trout you're chasing and we'll hand you the bait and the playbook — the right Kype lure, where to find them, when to go, the retrieve, the rig, and a pro tip. No guesswork.
Rainbow Trout
Rainbows are the most opportunistic trout — they'll chase a swung swimbait in a river run or crash a suspending crankbait over a lake shelf. Aggressive and widespread, they're the perfect entry point for fishing moving baits.
Where to find them
Rivers and streams (runs, riffle tails, pool heads) and stillwaters (shoals, drop-offs, inlets). Stocked rainbows spread fast — look for moving water and feeding lanes.
When to target them
Year-round, but moving baits shine in the cooler months (fall–spring) when rainbows key on baitfish. Low light is prime — dawn, dusk, and overcast days.
Technique & retrieve
Swing or slow-roll swimbaits across current so they cross feeding lanes broadside. In still water, count down to the holding depth and slow-roll through the zone. With suspending crankbaits, crank to depth then pause — rainbows often eat on the hang.
Gear & rigging
Medium-light spinning gear. 6–10 lb fluoro leader. Weighted swimbait hooks or 1/8–1/4 oz jig heads in stillwater; lighter belly-weighted hooks in rivers.
Pro Tip
Rainbows love a bait that pauses in front of them. If you're getting follows but no eats, slow way down and add longer pauses — the eat almost always comes on the dead-stick.
Red-Sided Shiner
Small, ubiquitous forage — stream and small-lake rainbows crush a shiner-profile swimbait.
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Utah Chub
Bigger reservoir rainbows key on chubs; the 4″ counts down to suspended fish.
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The Wounded Rainbow
Rainbows are cannibalistic in fall — a suspending rainbow-pattern crank hung in a pool triggers followers.
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The Shiner Crimson
Shiner-profile suspending crankbait for stillwater drop-offs where rainbows pin bait on structure.
View lureDial in your play for Rainbow Trout.
You're targeting Rainbow Trout. Set the water conditions below and we'll match the right Kype lure, rig, retrieve, and tactics — built for exactly where and when you're fishing.