While few bright spots have emerged from the COVID-19 pandemic, one of them has been a surge in angling interest, an outdoor activity deemed relatively safe by health officials.

While the situation likely coaxed back former anglers whose interest had lapsed, it undoubtedly ushered in folks completely new to the sport. Lacking experience and direction, chances are such rookies did much more fishing than catching.

For someone new to the sport, trout angling included, things can be quite intimidating. From tackle selection, how to use such, what types of water to fish, the task can be overwhelming.

Whether you're a relative newcomer to trout fishing, or just shaking off the rust prior to another spring on the streams, chances are you'll benefit from some insight regarding early spring bait and lure selections for trout.

Though there exists a plethora of artificial options comprised of fur, feather, metal, plastic, and combinations thereof, live bait continues to excel at taking stream trout.This is doubly true during the early season when streams often run high and off color, when finicky trout are more likely to respond to the real thing. Red worms, mealworms, waxworms, nightcrawlers and minnows are all common live bait options.Typically, live bait is fished with a spinning rod, most often open-faced spinning, but close-faced spincasting will work. All the “worm” options can be fished on a simple rig consisting of a bait hook and whatever split shot is needed to keep it near the bottom.Match the hook to the size of the bait. Red worms, mealworms and waxworms are all small, making a size 10 Octopus-style bait hook appropriate. With a red worm I like to hook it once through the collar, then one more time toward the tail. This way, it can wiggle naturally in the water.Since waxworms and mealworms are smaller, it's OK to stack two or three on the hook. Nightcrawlers can be a bit big for the average stocked trout, but if you pinch off its head, the size is right. Rig it like the redworm but on a larger hook, size 8.All these live bait choices should be fished in a cross-stream manner that allows the rig to drift naturally with the current. BB-sized split shot pinched a foot to 18 inches above the hook provides the weight needed to cast the offering and to keep it down where the trout are most of the time, near the bottom.There should be enough weight so that it ticks bottom occasionally on the drift, but not so much that it's consistently snagged. Removable split shot features ears that make removing it convenient, so you add or remove shots as needed as you fish various depth/current areas.Trout bites on worms typically consist of a series of light taps, ones that feel livelier than the shot ticking bottom. Give the trout just a moment to ensure it's eaten the bait and then set the hook.Minnows, such as small to medium-sized fathead or shiner minnows, are typically threaded. The typical thread rig will start off with a small swivel on the terminal end of the line. Then a two-foot piece of monofilament is folded in half, its two ends tied to the other end of the swivel creating a one-foot loop.The loop is hooked to a special threading needle that's run down the mouth of the minnow and out its vent. The loop is then run through the eye of a size 8 or 10 double or treble hook and attached to the hook via a girth hitch. Once secure, the loop line is pulled back up through the minnow, so the hook rests against its underside.Threaded minnows can be more of a chore to rig than worms, but they can be deadly. Whereas the worm offerings are drifted naturally, the minnow rig is more active. It's also cast cross-current, but then retrieved slowly to give the bait a swimming action that few trout can resist. Minnow rigs should also be weighted with split shot to keep the offering down in the water column.A final word of caution relating to live bait: Be sure its use is legal on the waters you intend to fish. Since live bait has greater potential to deep hook fish, it is prohibited in some waters, particularly on ones that require the releasing of fish.

Spinners, spoons, even small minnow-imitating crankbaits all can excel in the taking of stream trout. Years ago, I felt the use of such was more appropriate later in the spring once the water warmed and the trout more active. But having taken many trout during the winter months on spinners I no longer do so.Classic examples of spinners include the Mepps Aglia, Worden Rooster Tail and Panther Martin. Sizes in the 1/16 to ¹⁄₈ounce range (commonly classified in the size 0 to size 2 but many makers) are right for most situations, depending on depth and current. Spinners can be line twisters, so consider using a small swivel-snap to attach the lure which will minimize this.Small spoons like Acme's ounce Sidewinder are great trout lures and largely overlooked. The same can be said for small minnowbaits like Rapala's X-Rap in size 4 and 6.Like the threaded minnow, spinning hardware is fished with cross current casts that swim the bait back to the angler as the lure swims along. The flash and vibration produced by lures of this type often inspire a reaction strike from trout, as opposed to the feeding strike of live bait.

Inclusion of fly fishing in a story geared toward basic early season trout fishing might not seem appropriate, but it is. Especially when considering easy-to-fish patterns such as Woolly Buggers and soft hackle wet flies.Both can be fished essentially like redworms, that is cast cross current and allowed to drift naturally downstream. A mend in the line — where you flip the floating fly line upstream, so it doesn't get ahead of the fly and drag it along — is often needed to keep the fly moving naturally.Many takes occur when “swinging” Woolly Buggers and soft hackles comes at the end of the drift, during which time the fly stops drifting and slowly rises toward the surface, a movement that often triggers strikes, ones you won't miss.Jeff Knapp is an outdoors columnist for the Butler Eagle