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Casting Spinners for Trout

153K views 77 replies 64 participants last post by  baltz526 
#1 ·
Trout are attracted to spinners due to their size, color, flash, and vibration. While the above factors play a role in attracting hungry trout, spinner vibration is credited as the key to spinner appeal. And although some companies tout theirs as the only one producing sonic vibration; in reality, all spinners generate underwater noise created by the blade spinning around the metal shaft as our spinner moves through the water.

Of course, spinners come in a variety of different blade shapes, which affect their sonic vibration, pulling resistance and retrieve speed. For example, a narrow blade shape will perform at faster retrieve speeds while producing minimum drag - meaning they can be more easily pulled through the water. Wide blade shapes generate more cranking resistance (drag), especially when pulled fast, but will maintain high action and blade vibration at the slowest of retrieve speeds.

According to the tackle buyers I interviewed (Fred Meyer, Bi-Mart and Fisherman Marine & Outdoor) the Rooster Tail is the most popular trout spinner. This lures popularity is due to its versatility. For example, the fact that its semi-narrow blade will perform when pulled both fast and slow means you can quickly cover an area when searching for concentrations of trout but then slow down your retrieve speed to more thoroughly work fish over.

Strikes are easily identified but can, at times, be subtle as trout will sometimes just stop the blade and/or forward movement of your spinner. In either case, it's important to set the hook hard when noticing any change in spinner action. Sharp hooks; so sharp the fish can't let go, are important for consistent hookups.

Spinners come in a variety of different colors, which can have a huge influence on your success. What color works best will likely depend on the amount of available light (which can vary depending on time of day or whether it's sunny or overcast), water clarity and the type of natural forage that's available. For example, if minnows are abundant there is a good chance that silver (Shad), gold (Chub), white, blue or green & silver, Rainbow Trout or Brown Trout finish will produce best, especially when worked in an erratic fashion.

When aquatic insects are the main forage, and especially when combined with clear water and bright sunlight, spinner body colors like black (Leech), brown (Salmon Fly), green (Frog), yellow (Bumble Bee), dark red, with (perhaps) a (bug0 print stamped on the body may produce best. During times when the light is low or water turbid; try a fluorescent red, orange, pink, white, yellow, chartreuse, fluorescent green or copper finish. What I do is follow these basic guidelines and let the fish tell me what color they like.

In lakes, most anglers searching for trout cast and retrieve spinners while working their way along the shoreline or from a drifting boat. What I've found is that trout are likely to be found cruising near the surface when water temperatures are cool, early in the morning, on overcast days, or evening time periods. Trout are more likely to be found near bottom (or at some level above it) during the middle of the day when the sun is bright or at times during hot summer when the surface water temperature is warm.

To determine the depth they're running, and be able to return to it, may require you to practice what's known as the (count-down) method. In preparation for learning the (count-down) technique, realize that most weighted spinners will sink at a rate of one foot per second. Here's how: cast out, and allow your spinner to fall freely to the bottom, counting one-one thousand, two-one thousand etc. until it hits bottom.

Now that you know the bottom depth based on counting you can begin your retrieve, on the next cast, just before your lure hits bottom, which may help you avoid hang ups. Using this simple procedure will allow you to search for fish at different depths and reliably return to the fish-producing level on subsequent casts.

In addition, working your lure near bottom may require you to step up to a larger/heavier spinner size. For example, small spinner sizes (up to 1/6 oz.) will likely produce best when fish are near the surface, say in the top ten feet of water; but you'll need to step up to a larger spinner size (say � to 3/8 oz.) when fish are lurking deep in the water column.

While tipping is a common practice employed among bass and walleye anglers, the trick is often overlooked by those chasing trout. With spinners, what works is to tip the hook of your spinner with a short section pinched from a scent-filled worm - like the 3-inch PowerBait Trout Worm. And while different colors can work, in clear water what often adds to success is to hang a half to one-inch section of a dark red worm from your hook, just let it hang straight back behind your spinner.

Best,
Buzz Ramsey



 
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#40 ·
Hey Buzz, thanks for the tip on the Thomas boyant spoon. I trolled it and couldn't keep the rainbows off of it!






Trout are attracted to spinners due to their size, color, flash, and vibration. While the above factors play a role in attracting hungry trout, spinner vibration is credited as the key to spinner appeal. And although some companies tout theirs as the only one producing sonic vibration; in reality, all spinners generate underwater noise created by the blade spinning around the metal shaft as our spinner moves through the water.

Of course, spinners come in a variety of different blade shapes, which affect their sonic vibration, pulling resistance and retrieve speed. For example, a narrow blade shape will perform at faster retrieve speeds while producing minimum drag - meaning they can be more easily pulled through the water. Wide blade shapes generate more cranking resistance (drag), especially when pulled fast, but will maintain high action and blade vibration at the slowest of retrieve speeds.

According to the tackle buyers I interviewed (Fred Meyer, Bi-Mart and Fisherman Marine & Outdoor) the Rooster Tail is the most popular trout spinner. This lures popularity is due to its versatility. For example, the fact that its semi-narrow blade will perform when pulled both fast and slow means you can quickly cover an area when searching for concentrations of trout but then slow down your retrieve speed to more thoroughly work fish over.

Strikes are easily identified but can, at times, be subtle as trout will sometimes just stop the blade and/or forward movement of your spinner. In either case, it�s important to set the hook hard when noticing any change in spinner action. Sharp hooks; so sharp the fish can�t let go, are important for consistent hookups.

Spinners come in a variety of different colors, which can have a huge influence on your success. What color works best will likely depend on the amount of available light (which can vary depending on time of day or whether it�s sunny or overcast), water clarity and the type of natural forage that�s available. For example, if minnows are abundant there is a good chance that silver (Shad), gold (Chub), white, blue or green & silver, Rainbow Trout or Brown Trout finish will produce best � especially when worked in an erratic fashion.

When aquatic insects are the main forage, and especially when combined with clear water and bright sunlight, spinner body colors like black (Leech), brown (Salmon Fly), green (Frog), yellow (Bumble Bee), dark red, with (perhaps) a �bug� print stamped on the body may produce best. During times when the light is low or water turbid; try a fluorescent red, orange, pink, white, yellow, chartreuse, fluorescent green or copper finish. What I do is follow these basic guidelines and let the fish tell me what color they like.

In lakes, most anglers searching for trout cast and retrieve spinners while working their way along the shoreline or from a drifting boat. What I�ve found is that trout are likely to be found cruising near the surface when water temperatures are cool, early in the morning, on overcast days, or evening time periods. Trout are more likely to be found near bottom (or at some level above it) during the middle of the day when the sun is bright or at times during hot summer when the surface water temperature is warm.

To determine the depth they�re running, and be able to return to it, may require you to practice what�s known as the �count-down� method. In preparation for learning the �count-down� technique, realize that most weighted spinners will sink at a rate of one foot per second. Here�s how: cast out, and allow your spinner to fall freely to the bottom, counting one-one thousand, two-one thousand etc. until it hits bottom.

Now that you know the bottom depth based on counting you can begin your retrieve, on the next cast, just before your lure hits bottom, which may help you avoid hang ups. Using this simple procedure will allow you to search for fish at different depths and reliably return to the fish-producing level on subsequent casts.

In addition, working your lure near bottom may require you to step up to a larger/heavier spinner size. For example, small spinner sizes (up to 1/6 oz.) will likely produce best when fish are near the surface, say in the top ten feet of water; but you�ll need to step up to a larger spinner size (say � to 3/8 oz.) when fish are lurking deep in the water column.

While tipping is a common practice employed among bass and walleye anglers, the trick is often overlooked by those chasing trout. With spinners, what works is to tip the hook of your spinner with a short section pinched from a scent-filled worm - like the 3-inch PowerBait Trout Worm. And while different colors can work, in clear water what often adds to success is to hang a half to one-inch section of a dark red worm from your hook � just let it hang straight back behind your spinner.

Best,
Buzz Ramsey



 
#43 ·
I haven't had much luck with the rooster tails. But panther martins have always been a solid choice, especially for river fishing.

Now my favorite lure is the Thomas Buoyant spoon. Because of it's simple spoon design, I have able to cast 100+ feet on almost every cast. This is especially helpful when fishing from shore on lake when you are trying to get the deeper water. I have also found that casting at diagonals and alongside shore is much more effective than casting straight out, especially in the clearer lakes where the fish are more likely to be spooked.

I have caught brook trout, rainbow, and Bull trout with this one lure, on both sides of the cascades, in rivers and lakes with the majority from shore. The way the lure spins, it represents an injured or slow moving crawdad or fish, with jerking and stopping at random intervals while reeling in being very effective.

I landed a nice 20 inch bull trout in Odell Lake last July, but they are endangered there, so I had to release it. A friend of mine had a much larger fish on (also at Odell Lake) with the Thomas Buoyant spoon, we had it almost all the way to shore, when it snapped the 8lb test line. I'm not sure if it was a bull trout, rainbow, or lake trout, but it was a big fish that looked almost like a salmon.

That being said the original gold spoon with black and red speckles has been the most successful for me. Have also caught quite a few on the silver spoon with the same speckle pattern as the original gold.
 
#46 ·
Panter martins. I like the solid silver, gold or rainbow pattern. Thomas bouyant in gold/red and black. it has worked for me from cascades to Sierras. but you have to retrieve it slowly.
Rooster tails, I just let my daughter play with them and dont care if she looses them as they are useless.....ok maybe not the all white one. but all the others just useless.
 
#48 ·
roostertails worthless...... ha! tell that to the thousands of trout i have caught on them. and the all white is my least favorite. black/silver brown/gold is all you need. sure you have to get the blade started but that has never been that big of a deal. my only issue is that they are really light and can be hard to keep in the right water colum in rivers. that is why i started using pm's, and have come to really like they way they fish. i use panther martins more than roosertails nowdays but i always will have a few ready for deployment
 
#50 ·
Roostertails work WAY better in rivers. The current helps get the blade spinning. Really though, I think all they need to do is change the clevis. I have a stash of old roostertails with a different style clevis on them that spin way better than the new ones.
 
#51 ·
PMs seem to spin "best," and are very effective on trout.

IF you can get RTs to spin right, they can be effective too.
One good thing about RMs is they have a huge selection to choose from.
However, they seem to need a faster retrieve and that usually isn't a good thing.
SLOOOOW is important when going after trout, and trout don't have alot of patience.:wink:
 
#54 ·
yesterday (3/15/13)
made a trip out to a local pond with my buddy (ifisherkid) to toss some spinners and catch some fish. we was tossing a silver blue fox and i was running a black and yellow panther martin,silver panther martin and othr colors and then a few rooster tails. we ended up releasing a dozen+ cookie cutters and kept the biggest and bleeders. Water Fish Salmon-like fish Tail Ray-finned fish


today (3/16/13)
we slept in until 8 am today and on the way to the pond we stopped by sports authority for more weights and leader line. turns out all fishing gear is 50% off so i stocked up on powerpro for on $7 haha like taking candy from a baby...
anywho back to the story, we left the store around 9am and headed to the pond to C&R some fish. fisrt cast out and ifk landed this puppy Fish Grass Tail Ray-finned fish Terrestrial plant
so i rigged up my rod and flipped some spinners and landed this guy Vertebrate Fish Water Fin Ray-finned fish

around noon we were working this area and boom we had a double up
so we had to snag a pic. Smile Water Gesture Grass Hat


today we caught over 20 trout and kept 4 for the smoker.
 
#56 ·
it was so funny when we asked other people fishing how many fish and what they were using and most had 1 fish and on glitter powerbait lol.
and they ask us and we say woolly buggers haha (inside joke everybody) and they ask if spinners work and we shrug lol:flowered:
 
#57 ·
Rooster Tails have been my most productive spinners for trout. They're now my wife's favorite too. I remember throwing a glow-in-the-dark Rooster Tail in pea soup fog before sunrise on opening day years ago in southern California. Sure enough, it resulted in one of the first trout off the lake that morning.
 
#58 ·
Growing up my grandpa and I always tossed the roostertail's first. They were our go to lure. Still use them often. Although last year I had a killer day throwing a green and chrome kastmaster. Was the most fun I had trout fishing in years.

Sent from my SCH-I535 using Tapatalk 2
 
#60 ·
Ive fished most brands and styles of spinners over the years, but ive had my best success with Panther Martin, Blue Fox Vibrax's, and Sonic Rooster Tails. Im more confident with these 3 lures, so i tend to fish them and buy them more often than other brands/types. PM's in particular are compact for there weight, and they cast better than many other spinners. in many conditions, longer casts result in more water covered, and more water covered often results in more fish tempted/caught. by the same token, in really shallow water and small streams, the light weight and slow sinking rate of smaller Rooster Tails can keep you from snagging bottom structure, while the PM's may run too deep. the other spinner that ive done well with the last 10-12 years has been an italian made lure called Caliber, it has a hollow body that allows you to twist the body open and add scent, or rattles or bb's for weight/sound. i bought these dirt cheap when i was working as a tackle buyer for a bait and tackle shop in the SF Bay Area, im not sure who carries them anymore, but i bought at least 100 of them, and since they were so cheap, i fish them confidently cause a lost lure isnt a $3 hit to my wallet.....
 
#65 ·
Going to try Black/Gold PM and Some roster tails recommended here on lacamas. The last few days I was only catching about 3" trout trolling a red wedding ring. Found a hole for these small ones on the lake consistent for last 2 days every line out had a small one in just a few min but the water was only about 5' deep. I was seeing fish in the 18-20' area by the creek "I Need to learn how to work the fish finder functions" but nothing taking my offerings. Will report back in a few days with findings!
 
#75 ·
You know, ive never had any luck with spinners, but maybe i havemt done them right with rooster tails and trout. Im not a big trout fisherman, but i will say, i did have good luck with a hand tied j8g that was yellow amd brown on a small mountaim stream between roseburg and the coast which was suprising.
 
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