There’s no point in pairing an expensive spinning reel with a sub-par rod. If you are looking to cast light lures with extreme accuracy then choosing the best spinning rod for trout fishing is crucial.
Trout are known to spook easy, making sure you have a reliable ultralight setup is paramount to getting more strikes.
Choosing the right trout rod isn’t that hard once you know a few of the basic characteristics to look out for.
What to look for when choosing a spinning rod for trout fishing?
An rod that is rated for line in the 2 to 6 lbs range is generally the best option. For length depending on your venue and the size of fish you are targeting anywhere from 5-1/2 feet to 7-1/2 feet.
Action should be fast and power should be light/ultralight. You can read a full buying guide below here
You can also purchase a set up as one of the many combo’s available. A combo is a great option fr someone who is just tarting out. You can see a full list of combo’s here
- Ugly Stik Elite
- St Croix Triumph
- Fenwick Eagle Spinning
- G Loomis Trout Series
- Abu Garica Venerate
- Berkley Trout Dough Series
Our top rated trout spinning rod is the Ugly Stik Elite. It manages to combine smooth casting performance, crisp sensitivity and exceptional value.
Despite being at one of the lowest price points of any of the the rods in this list it is still a terrific rod that is massively popular.
Saying that, there are some exceptional high quality rods out there as alternatives to the Ugly Stik.
Manufacturers like St Croix, G Loomis and Abu Garcia have built massive trust among fishermen for their brands and that trust is usually hard earned.
Best Spinning Rods for Trout
1. Ugly Stik Elite
The Ugly Stik Elite spinning rod is one of the best trout fishing rod series available today.
Ugly Stik have managed to create an even better trout rod than the much loved original GX2 series of rods.
This upgraded version has proven itself time and time again as one of the best value trout poles available.
With the Elite series of rod blanks Ugly Stik have incorporated 35% more graphite with it’s Ugly Tech manufacturing design/process.
This increased graphite level has resulted in a lighter, more precise blank that has even better sensitive than the original.
The Ugly Tuff guides used on the Elite do not have any inserts. The removal of guide inserts has not only helped reduce the weight of the inserts on the blank but can reduce line wear.
The one piece designed guides are shaped into one smooth piece that allows line to run through them with minimal friction resulting in longer casts and greater precision.
The range is available in either one or two piece variations and a number of different length, power and action ratings.
The best light spinning rod for trout fishing especially if you are on budget, the best trout rod’s don’t always have to be the most expensive!
The perfect rod for throwing light lures or bait on a variety of different water types.
Features
- Clear Tip technology
- Ugly Tuff 1-piece line guides
- Next generation Elite series
- Superb value
2. St Croix Triumph
The St Croix Triumph spinning rods for trout fishing range are built on St Croix’s premium SCII graphite. The range has a variety of actions and powers that can satisfy pretty much any fisherman.
Each rod comes with a quality cork grip handle and hard aluminum oxide line guides.
The reel seat is from Fuji and the rods boast a five year warranty from St Croix. Of the range for lightweight spinning a 6’6″ length rod with either an ultralight/fast or a light/fast power and speed.
You also have the option to purchase as a two piece rod so it may be suitable to store in the back of your truck for after work.
Features
- SCII graphite
- Tuned action & fast taper
- Aluminum Oxide guides
- Fuji DPS reel seat
- 5 year warranty
3. Fewick Eagle Spinning
Fenwick are the original innovators in the graphite rod building world.
Their Eagle range of spinning rods is an exceptionally well balanced spinning rod with some great casting characteristics.
Burled cork handles and stainless steel guides with chromium plated SS304 inserts which are roughly half the weight of the equivalent aluminum oxide guides.
These rods offer a very high quality build pedigree for a very affordable price.
These go all the way down to a 5’6″ model so you have the ability to fish some pretty small streams or ponds/lakes. They also offer an ultralight model 8 foot in length which is fairly rare and only really applicable if you need to cast very light lures a long distance.
Features
- SCII graphite
- Tuned action & fast taper
- Aluminum Oxide guides
- Fuji DPS reel seat
- 5 year warranty
4. G. Loomis Trout Series
The G. Loomis Trout Series spinning rods are specifically designed with trout fishing on light tackle in mind.
They use G. Loomis’s proprietary “fiber blend” that gives a very crisp yet light feel to the rods and still enough power when it is needed.
They are available in either a one or two piece blank, so you can travel with one provide you have a suitable rod tube to protect it. Of course it is the one piece rod that will be the real performer in terms of casting performance and sensitivity.
A little more expensive than some of the other rods here so not really suitable for a beginner.
Features
- Fiber blend blank
- Available in one and two piece blanks
- Limited lifetime warranty
Trout Spinning Rod Buying Guide
There are a number of important factors to consider when choosing the best spinning rod for trout. Our trout spinning rod recommendations for the most part are between 5’6″ – 7′ with a fast action.
Length
The length of the rod you choose for the most part should be determined by the size of the water in which you intend to fish at most regularly.
A longer rod all things being equal will usually cast further than a shorter rod. This is due to the fact that it acts as a longer lever.
The longer fishing pole will require more energy to load the rod blank. However, once that energy is stored in the blank it will create a higher tip speed once released( i.e straighten up towards where you are casting)
A seven foot road is rarely suitable for a small stream or river. It will make things awkward for casting and for catching as you will have to maneuver the rod throughout any surrounding trees.
If you are looking to fish small streams and rivers then ideally no more than a 6’6″ rod is required preferably 6 foot or under.
Power
You should be choosing a light to ultralight power rating.
The rating is printed on the rod blank near the handle and it should also include the correct fishing line weight rage that the trout fishing pole is best suited to.
Rod power and action are often used incorrectly and a lot of anglers will use the two interchangeably.
Rod power describes how strong the rod blank is or in other words how heavy a line and lure that it is rated for.
The best spinning rods for trout will have an ultralight power rating.
These poles should be rated for line in the 4 to 6 lbs range.
However if you are fishing in very large rivers you might need a rod with a bit more back bone so a light power rod might be more suitable.
Action
Rod action describes where in the rod that the natural bend will start to form when the rod blank is loaded under pressure.
A moderate action rod will start to bend further down the rod length in the middle one third.
Whereas a fast action rod will start to bend higher up in the top one third of the blank.
Fast actions have better sensitivity especially when you are using small lures and single hook bait rigs.
For better tip sensitivity and more accurate casting with light lures a fast action rod is preferred. A slow to medium action rod is generally used for large crankbait fishing and is not suitable for light trout rods.
Construction
For the most part the best trout spinning rods are built from Graphite. However, there are some blended rods around. Some will be blended with fiberglass to help with durability and sensitivity.
Whether you choose a foam or cork handle is really up to you and which one you prefer as it has little to no effect on the casting performance of the rod.
Because they are built from lighter Graphite and not fiberglass these fishing poles can be a little bit easier to break.
An older fiberglass rod are pretty durable and can handle a bit more abuse than the modern ones.
So look after you trout fishing pole if you want to ensure years of use out of it.
The slightest bit of weight on trout rods can cause them to snap if they are left on the ground.