PowerBait is a scented, floating dough that exists for one specific scenario: stocked rainbow trout in lakes and ponds. Stockers are conditioned to pellet food at the hatchery; the dough's flavor and floating buoyancy hits both triggers.
The standard rig:
- A 1/2 to 1 oz egg sinker on the main line, sliding free.
- A small barrel swivel below it.
- 18-36 inch fluorocarbon leader.
- A size 14-18 treble hook.
Mold a marble-sized ball of dough onto the treble — cover the hook completely. Cast, let it sink until tight, then reel in slack until the rod tip just bows. The dough floats your hook off bottom; the leader length determines how high.
Open the bail or set a slack indicator. Stockers eat without urgency; let them take it before you tighten. Be honest: this is not how you'll catch a wild trout. Stockers, though, count.