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So quit with the chuck-it-and-chance-it already. Instead, take a hard look at the five basic categories of trout lures. Each has its own brand of subtlety and technique. Each has a prime time and place. And each can help you take more trout more often.



1.
Spoons

There are thick spoons. There are thin
spoons. Never the twain shall meet, at
least in trout fishing.



Thick spoons run deep and as such are
best for reaching down to early-season
trout in fast water. Examples include
the Little Cleo and the Krocodile (shown
at left), both available in a variety
of sizes down to 1/8 ounce or less. These
and similar spoons are comparatively thick
in proportion to their overall surface
area; they cast like rockets and are great
lures for covering lots of water in a
hurry.


Use
the smallest available sizes on small
to midsize streams. Go up to 3/8- or even
1/2-ounce models on really big water.
Basic colors are silver or gold, often
with colored stripes or spots added. You
can also customize your own spoons (see
"Doctor Your Lures" sidebar).


Cast
up and across in deep, fast water, but
don't use a steady retrieve. The art of
trout fishing with spoons is in reeling
just fast enough to keep a tight line
while pumping the rod tip to give a darting,
tumbling action to the lure. A steady
retrieve will catch some fish, but an
erratic retrieve will catch more. Thinner
spoons -- meaning less thick in proportion
to their surface area; standard Dardevles
are a good example -- don't fish as deeply.
They work better later in the spring when
the water is shallower, a little warmer,
and trout are more aggressive.



2. In-Line Spinners

Deep-running is the key. Heavy-bodied,
in-line spinners include the likes of
Mepps, Pantherartin (shown below), Blue
Fox Vibrax, Roostertails, and C.P. Swings.
Each brand has its partisans, and there
are some differences among them, but fundamentally
they run deep -- and in the cold waters
of spring, that's where the trout are.




First, use these lures in sizes suited
to the water you're fishing. I routinely
throw tiny 1/32-ounce Panther Martins
with gossamer 2-pound-test nylon in tiny
creeks when chasing high-country brook
trout, for example. Midsize streams can
take midsize (1/16- to 1/8-ounce) spinners.
For really heavy water and serious fish,
like the brushpile browns along Montana's
big Jefferson River, you'll want to go
heavier with line and lure -- meaning
8-pound-test and a 1/4-ounce spinner.




Fish in-line spinners either upstream
or up and across in deep, fast water.
The object is to reel just fast enough
to keep the spinner blade rotating as
the spinner sinks and travels back toward
you along the bottom. Too slow a retrieve
means you'll hang up on the bottom; too
fast means the lure will ride too high
in the water and you won't catch anything.




3. Minnow Plugs

Okay, here it is right up front. Rapalas
are the kings of minnow plugs, and that
means they're the kings of trout plugs,
too. But there are some other very good
minnow plugs that are worth a shot. Regular
Rebels, both jointed and solid, work well
on trout, as does Rebel's excellent new
Ghost Minnow. Small Storm ThunderSticks
are great for trout, and the interesting
-- and expensive -- new Pin's Minnow from
Yo-Zuri (shown above) comes in nifty colors
with a weighting system to prevent tumbling
during a cast.

The smallest of these plugs -- at 2 to
3 inches long -- are fine for small to
midsize waters. Don't go above about 5
inches long on the top end, even on big
rivers. That's because these are imitative
lures, and the size you're fishing should
match the prevalent baitfish, most of
which are relatively small.



Use sinking (so-called countdown) versions
in the early spring to get deep. A twitching,
stuttering retrieve usually works best
when casting upstream. Sometimes, though,
a major-league brown trout will come explosively
to a minnow plug that's cranked through
a run just as fast as you can reel. Floating
versions come into play by late spring.
Fairly fast, twitching retrieves are key;
try to work the lure along the edges of
cut banks, logjams, and other structure
that's prime cover for the biggest browns.




4. Flatfish

Flatfish are unique, which is why they're
the only brand-name heading in our five
lure categories. This lure drives trout
-- especially rainbows -- absolutely nuts.




Fish the so-called fly-rod sizes (F4 at
11/2 inches, and F5 at 13/4 inches) in
both large and small waters. (Larger Flatfish
have the potential for larger trout but
will lower your overall score.) My most
The smallest of these plugs -- at 2 to
3 inches long -- are fine for small to
midsize waters. Don't go above about 5
inches long on the top end, even on big
rivers. That's because these are imitative
lures, and the size you're fishing should
match the prevalent baitfish, most of
which are relatively small.



Use sinking (so-called countdown) versions
in the early spring to get deep. A twitching,
stuttering retrieve usually works best
when casting upstream. Sometimes, though,
a major-league brown trout will come explosively
to a minnow plug that's cranked through
a run just as fast as you can reel. Floating
versions come into play by late spring.
Fairly fast, twitching retrieves are key;
try to work the lure along the edges of
cut banks, logjams, and other structure
that's prime cover for the biggest browns.




4. Flatfish

Flatfish are unique, which is why they're
the only brand-name heading in our five
lure categories. This lure drives trout
-- especially rainbows -- absolutely nuts.




Fish the so-called fly-rod sizes (F4 at
11/2 inches, and F5 at 13/4 inches) in
both large and small waters. (Larger Flatfish
have the potential for larger trout but
will lower your overall score.) My most