It’s rare when I don’t pack some Velveeta when I go trout fishing. Why? It’s one of my weapons of choice against Mr. Trout. There have been times when Velveeta has outfished everything else in my tackle box. 
I was introduced to Velveeta by my bigtime fisherman uncle who took me decades ago to Corona Lake. I setup my rig for bait and was digging through my tackle box for bait when he told me, “Put that shit away. Use this”. He grinned and handed me a chunk of Velveeta. WTF? I know what I’m doing. End of story, we had limit in a couple of hours. I was like fricken eh! fricken Velveeta eh! fricken limit eh!
My fishing buddies used to laugh at me when I used Velveeta. But, I’ve caught my share of trout at SARL and in the Sierras on it. No laughing anymore. They just watch and I love it when I hook up and say, “Fricken Velveeta!”.
The key to using Velveeta is to keep as cold as possible. As a matter of fact I throw in the freezer in the morning while I get ready and pack it on top of frozen water bottles in the ice chest.
You want to use a generous piece (more chuckles from Ced and Big D) about half the size of a chicken McNugget. Shape it round, then insert a size 18 (16 for larger trout) treble head first into the cheese. Then grab your leader a foot up from the hook and tug it until the hook is barely through the cheese. Barely, because during the cast the hook will move up further towards the middle of the cheese ball. Gently squeeze the cheese ball to seal where the leader cut into the side of the cheese ball. Now, cast it smoothly in a high arch (like a worm) to prevent the cheese from flying off. I keep my leader 20″ – 24″ in length.
You’ll notice that Velveeta turns white in the water and sort of looks like a natural cluster of salmon eggs (turns white in water). It also milks like salmon egg sacks do. I believe there’s an instinctive click in the trout’s brain that says, “Caviar!”. Hope you have good luck with Velveeta and when you hook up – don’t forget to say to your fishing buddies, “Fricken Velveeta!”.
fishing thoughts 
Used it in trout stocked pond in Montana= worked great!!!
Yeah, it’s always a great bait weapon to keep on hand. Plus it lasts forever.
i went fishing with my friend for trout with trout magnets to see if we could catch some…..these guys came across from us and caught 23 trout off of velveeta cheese….wtf we caught 1 small brown……use velveeta trust me it is the best bait for rainbow trout
Thanks! Yeah, makes a great chum too. lol.
thanks man you rele helped me out
how do you keep it from falling off your trouble hook
You have to keep the Velvetta cold. I keep mine in the fridge before I go out and in a zip locked bag in the ice chest. Once velvetta gets warm, it’s impossible to use.
If you want to be sneaky, make little velvetta pellets and throw them around where you are casting. I’ve noticed in clear lakes the trout swim in circles around the area versus just passing thru. Good luck!
try yellow power bait it works rele well
Yellow is good. My favorite for Power Bait is Lemon Twist.
wht best for trout?
Ya ! to the Velvetta. My dad would roll it out thin and sprinkle just a little garlic powder, ten make small round balls and freeze. Work Great!
I buy cheese hooks for the kids. Its a trebble hook with a spring around it. The cheese stays on forever!!
I remember using those hooks with springs when I was a kid too!
Kraft American slices work just as well.
I met a gentleman who makes his own bait from Velveeta, marshmallows and garlic and something else. I live on a lake that has just catfish and trout! I have tried your recipe to make the bait but every time I cast it out into the water it comes off the hook. What do I add to it to make it harder?
The old gentleman just kicks our butt in catching both species, he claims, and there is no reason not to believe him, that it is the only bait that works well on both species.
Can you help me with this problem. I use treble hooks right now, but our fish and game may make us go to double hooks.
That’s awesome you live on a fishing lake! If you’re using Velvetta, then it’s important to keep it very cool so it stays firm. Also, I break off a piece rather than mold it since the heat from your fingers will make Velvetta soft. Then I put the eye (where you tie the leader) of the hook thru the bait and pull the leader to bring the hook into the bait. This keeps the Velvetta chunk more naturally solid. This works with single hooks as well as treble.
If the bait is falling off when casting I would use a bigger chunk and cast in a high gentle arc to keep the bait from falling off when casting. Good Luck!
Just a quarter inch of Velveeta on a size 12 or 14 hook brings many trout in a little time
Good tip on the size of Velveeta. I usually put a big chunk, but I’ll try using a smaller size as you suggested when I head up to the eastern sierras in a few weeks.
When I was a kid, we used to buy a fishing cheese called Targhee Cheese Bait, “Brings in the Lunkers!” It was great. Had a slightly thicker consistency than Velveeta and we would limit out every time we went fishing in the Sierras creeks/streams (Convict, Rock Creek, McGee Creek, etc).
The company that produced Targhee stopped producing it and now we use Velveeta now. One tip I have is to mix a little bread crumb into the Velveeta. I will help act as a binder and keep the cheese on the hook while your working the streams. I make two batches. One with bread crumbs and garlic powder and one with bread crumbs and no garlic powder.
It is great because, unlike Powerbait (which I love too), it doesn’t float. When you are working a stream you want the bait to move middle to bottom of the stream with the current. You will see the fish come out underneath the banks and hit it. You do not get that type of action with the Powerbait floating at the top of the water.
Just my two-cents one what works for me.
Small addition to my comment – After I bait the hook, I dip it into the water for about 30 seconds before I start using it.
Great tips on using Velvetta! It makes sense to use as a sinking bait in those eastern sierra streams to move along the bottom where the trout are waiting for a meal. If the water is ice cold, I also dip mine to make the cheese harder so it won’t easily fly off the hook when casting.
Add a litter garlic powder when making the cheez balls
That’s a great suggestion
I’m in my 70’s now. Been using Velvetta since I was 8 or 9. We were taught to bring cotton balls fishing and to mix the Velvetta with some of a cotton ball (an appropriate sized piece not the whole thing) to keep the Velvetta on the hook. Works wonders. I’ve pulled two catfish at a time in at Almanor and have used to trout in various lakes also.
thank you. I’m gonna have to try this with the cotton balls.
I used to use the small trout hook, and cut pieces of old panty hose. You cut the pantyhose in 2 inch squares put a small dab off velveeta in the middle , tie the cross corners. When you tie the second knot, pre lightly to get the cheese to press through the pantry house. cut off the excess pantyhose and refrigerate. Make you a couple of dozen small balls. When you break them out on the bank,bury the small hook completely into the dough ball. You will never miss a fish, and you will catch multiple fish on the same piece of bait.
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