The 8” Triple Trout is probably the most universal of the Triple Trout family in that it is a bigbait, and able to get big bites, but at 8 inches long, this is a good search and destroy bait in lakes that aren’t known for big fish.  But the 2-5 pounders will attack the 8” Triple Trout, given the right circumstances.

The 8” Triple Trout is part of our ‘trout eater’ toolbox, and was featured in Southern Trout Eaters in the Ozark section, where we were documenting our first attempts at bigbait fishing in the Ozarks.  We were fishing a lake not known for double digit fish, had never fished the lake much and needed to cover water and see how the fish would react.  We ended up with multiple 15-20 pound sacks and we were able to document most of it on film and in photos.

The 8” Triple Trout is also a staple in the blue back herring assault we have been exploring for years.   Clarks Hill, Lake Lanier, Lake Murray and Lake Hartwell have all seen plenty of 8” Triple Trouts courtesy of our crew (Chris Koon, Brad&Bob Rutherford, Robert Malcom, and myself).   There is no question the 8” Triple Trout is gets bit when you get around blue back herring chasers.

Bait: The 8” Triple Trout
Rod:  G-Loomis 965 BBR
Reel:  Shimano Calcutta 400 TE
Line:  P-Line CXX Green Coplymer, 25 pound
Hooks:  Owner ST-36 Treble Hooks (1/0 front and back)
Split Rings:  Owner Hyper Wire #6s

Strengths:  The 8” Triple Trout can be fished fast or fished at a steady grind, but you can  cover water with the bait and get a feel for how the fish are reacting.  The Triple Trout excels in warm water.  Anything above 60 degrees, and especially as the water gets into the 70s and low 80s, the Triple Trout is a good call in warm water.   Since you can start and stop the bait and make it do 180 degree turns and pauses, you can create a bite with your retrieve, so its a good bait for making fish that only follow a swimbait actually eat.   The 8” Triple Trout only weighs approx 2.5 ounces and is far less a workout to fish than the 10” Triple Trout.  It’s a good ‘starter’ bait for those just getting into the Triple Trout family of swimbaits.

Ideal Conditions:  Anytime you can fish a bait with hanging trebles over submerged grass, we recommend the Triple Trout.  Anytime you are fishing a blue back herring lake, we recommend the Triple Trout fished around docks, off points, around brushpiles, off man made structure like breakwaters, rip rap, barge tie ups, etc, and certainly around laydown trees.   Lakes with that are trout fed are a no brainer for the Triple Trout, and as the water temps warm up, use the 8” Triple Trout to call up active fish and get them to eat even in the summer swelter.  You don’t need trout or blue backs to catch fish on the 8” Triple Trout, anywhere you are targeting 3-5 pound fish and know where they live, put on an 8” Triple Trout and see what happens.

Notes:  Tie directly to the bait.  Don’t use a snap to tie to.  Just tie directly to the bait and make sure you retie often.  The weight of the bait combined with big casts and repetitive casting make this a classic example of the physics of bigbait fishing we touched on in Southern Trout Eaters.  Carry spare tails, because if you get onto a good bite, there’s a chance a fish can rip or wreck your tail so don’t be unprepared.