Use Flash to Catch More Trout

Spoons and in-line spinners are among the most popular lures to cast for trout for good reason. Trout eat them, and they work well at times when subtle offerings that “match the hatch” are less effective. Spoons and spinners are similar in the sense that they offer flash to attract the trout’s attention and trigger strikes. However, they differ in profile and overall appeal.

Flashy lures tend to be extra valuable during spring trout fishing for a couple of reasons. First, spring brings the highest flows of the year to many trout streams and with that a bit of extra color in the water. That pushes trout into reaction mode and puts a premium on higher visibility and the added vibration sent out by wobbling spoons and spinning blades.

In addition, water temperatures tend to be optimal for trout this time of year, which means more activity and consequently greater need for food. When fish are feeding actively, they are more apt to react to bolder offerings.

Spoons and inline spinners both reflect light and send out flash as they move through the water, and this is a primary attractant. The major difference is that with a spoon, the entire lure wobbles and sends out flash and vibration, while a spinner has a blade that spins and flashes, but it also has body and often a tail, which normally run somewhat straight and have little to no flash.

The result of these differences is that spoons tend to emit more flash and show a bigger, bolder profile than spinners. Consequently, spoons commonly excel in large rivers or large deep pools of rivers and for higher flows while spinners tend to work best for fishing shoals and pocket water and for smaller streams. Those are clearly generalizations, and the opposite can be true, but the overall differences are worth keeping in mind.

The other side of the aggressiveness coin is that spinners tend to be better suited for faster presentations while spoons lend themselves better to fluttering through the water column and letting the current do much of the delivery work.

Interestingly, one of the finest spoons available for casting in trout streams – the Lindy Quiver Spoon – was designed for ice fishing and mostly gets used for fishing through the ice. The Quiver Spoon and the Rattl’n Quiver Spoon, which has the same shape and action but also features a rattle, are made from lightweight material and have flat sides and a slight twist. The result is an erratic wobble and a slow, fluttering fall that’s perfect in a trout stream. A couple of colors are fully metallic. Most are painted on the top and metallic on the bottom, so they offer both color and flash.

From a spinner standpoint, it’s tough to top a classic Rooster Tail, with its straight body and pulsating hackle tail. The 1/24- and 1/16-ounce Rooster Tail sizes are especially well suited for common trout fishing applications. The 1/8-ounce size allows for longer casts and handles current a little better and is sometime a good fit, especially for larger rivers. Even the 1/4-ounce can come into play for tailwater flows and large rivers with deep pools.

One of the best things about a spoon or spinner is that you don’t have to do anything fancy to catch fish. If you cast to past where trout should be holding and reel back at a pace that keeps the lure down from the surface but not dragging bottom, you’re apt to catch fish. That said, a few considerations about how these baits are distinctive and how to contend with different depths and current conditions can make outings substantially more productive.

As already noted, in-line spinners generally lend themselves to mostly horizontal presentations and are outstanding for working through shoal habitat or over gravel bars and for calling up fish from deeper run. Casting upstream or angled upstream and across generally works best, as casting baits downstream and retrieving back upstream tends to raise spinners too much in the current.

While a steady retrieve is often best, experiment with wrist snaps that make the action more erratic, with slower presentations that allow the current to do more of the work, and with lifts and drops that are controlled more by the rod than the reel.

With a lightweight spoon, allowing the current to do the bulk of the work is more the default than an alternative technique. Cast upstream into a current line, let the spoon flutter in the current, and use the rod and semi-tight line to keep the spoon from dragging bottom. Reel just enough to take up slack and maintain the right line tightness.

For big pools and other slower-moving water, allow the spoon to flutter down to near the bottom after casting and then work it with lifts on the rod tip and drops. Watch the line closely every time the spoon flutters down, as that is when many strikes will occur.

Of course, you’ll want to experiment with faster reeling and more horizontal presentations, especially in shallower water. Each flashy lure type has its strength, but either can excel playing the other one’s game!

Bobby Garland Head Turn’R Jigheads allow you to deliver an element of flash with a small soft plastic lure, which adds significant variety in terms of profile, bait movement and available colors for an offering with flashing spinners. The Head Turn’R is a unique jig/spinner, with twin willow blades that run parallel to the bait on both sides. The blades turn with slightest bait movement, whether you are reeling or the bait is rising or falling in the water column.

As the Bobby Garland Crappie Baits brand name says, these heads were developed primarily for catching crappie, and the same is true about the baits that are sized best to pair with these heads. Trout don’t know that and don’t care, though, and to overlook these for stream trout is to miss an outstanding opportunity.

The Head Turn’R comes in 1/8-, 1/16- and 1/32-ounce sizes. All have applications, but the 1/32-ounce version, which has a No. 6 hook, fits the broadest range of stream fishing applications.

The best bait to match with the Head Turn’R really depends on presentations. If I’m casting and reeling and keeping the bait moving horizontally, I like something with a baitfish profile and a kicking tail like a Slab Hunt’R or a Stroll’R. If I’m letting the bait drift and using lifts and drops to add action and engage the blade, I prefer something more subtle, like a Mayfly or a Baby Shad. Significantly for many trout fishing applications, the 1/32-ounce version is small enough to match with Bobby Garland’s Itty Bit Series.

Looking beyond spoons and spinning blades, several hard baits that appeal to trout are available in metallic colors that also flash light as they come through the water.  Some of these baits offer easier depth control, and they provide different profiles and actions than spoons or spinners.

Rebel Minnows, which are float/divers and Tracdown Minnows, which are slow sinkers, both come in flashy colors and provide excellent “minnow bait” options. The Rebel Raider, which is a small, darting, twitch-style lure, and the Rebel Teeny Wee-Craw both have metallic flash color options.

Tasmanian Devil lures, which are mostly used for trolling but work nicely for casting in streams because of their big wobble and all the vibration they send out, are spoon-like in their action but constructed from hard plastic. The Silver Bullet color provides an outstanding option for adding flash.

5 Great Flashy Hard Bait Colors

• Rebel Minnow F50, Silver/Blue
• Rebel Tracdown Minnow TD50, Slick Gold Minnow
• Rebel Raider, Silver Flash/Black Back
• Rebel Teeny Wee-Craw, Chrome/Black Back
• Tasmanian Devil, Silver Bullet