The advice given about usng two spools is right on the money. If you have 8 lb for bass, then you can use 8 lb for trout as well. It's when the difference is large that you need two spools....ie... 6lb for trout, 12+ lb for bass. There are many types of bait that can be used for catching trout, but the main thing to realize is that trout are cold water fish. They need cold water to live and the colder the water, the more Oxygen it contains. As a general rule, no trout can survive in water temp above 75F. They thrive in temps 50-65F, with 55-60F about the optimum temp. What does all this mean? You will find the trout in these cold waters...Fishing off the bottom always seems to produce fish, but if you're in 12 feet of water and the temp down there is 70+ degrees, the trout will be elsewhere. I have friends that bottom fish from a boat and they drop a thermometer in the water to determine where the expect the trout to be...Most small lures will work for trout as well as a variety of bait fished off the bottom. Worms, crawlers powerbait, salmon eggs etc. should all work, and my advice for this type of fishing is...use small hooks, trout like to "suck" in salmon eggs, powerbait and if using worms or night crawlers, keep them moving every few minutes. A slight movement of the bait on the bottom may make the difference in a a trout going after your bait....or not. Good Luck.