Hey guys, I have never fished with a spinner and after seeing so much success with them for trout on here I decided to get some and try them out. I was overwhelmed at cabelas and sportsman with the sheer variety out there, not just in brands, but the sizes and colors were a little overwhelming. I sure could use some help on which ones to try and which ones are a waste of time. Any information would be appreciated, whether on this thread or PM's.
Also, I know how to fish jigs and flies and worms, but are spinners just cast and reel affairs or do you have to impart some other movement to them too? Are they best fished deep or shallow? Just in streams or in reservoirs too? Do you tip them with bait?
Any info, tips, opinions or gossip would be great thanks.
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Spinners are pretty easy to fish. They are pretty much a cast and retrieve however sometimes a half second pause then reel again can be deadly.Depends as far as speed and depth. You have to experiment a bit. If you are hitting bottom obviously to slow. There are many good spinners, Blue fox vibra max, mepps are the two I use most often. Colors can be brass, silver, copper and a variety of painted finishes. I usually opt for size 2 but there are cases for both large and smaller. For trout flashy metal has always been best for me but again that can vary by season, lake and the fishes mood. Probably not a lot of help but I keep a good variety on hand.
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As someone who has spent most of my life fishing with spinners for trout, I may be able to provide some input.
First I will echo the previous answer in that brass, copper, and silver colored blades have been the most successful, I will add that the Mepps #2 blade in red and white has also brought me a lot of success over the years.
I would recommend buying multiple sizes of the same color/pattern, for the sheer fact that sometimes you want to throw larger/smaller spinners depending on the water.
I fish a lot of smaller streams, so I sometimes will move down to a size 1 or even a size 0 when I am targeting small brookies.
I have also had a lot of success using a simple silver colored flat-fish lure. This is especially handy on smaller streams with a lot of tree cover. You can float the flat fish down in to the spot you want to target, then pull back to get it to do it's thing.
Sometimes larger blades work better when the water is slightly murky (during run-off) as the larger blade will create a larger commotion, and the fish will be able to find it easier.
Larger blades are better in larger rivers (Provo, Weber, etc) and are often more effective in lakes, since they tend to be a bit heavier, and will sink down to the depths that the fish are hanging out at.
- just my $0.02
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Spinners are a lot like flies in that the presentation matters almost as much as the color/size. What I mean is the right lure at the wrong depth is not going to catch as many fish as the wrong lure that is put in front of some fish. Then you have speed of retrieve, with and without a pause/jerk action.
As to how to fish them. Well there is a fair bit of skill involved. Anyone can catch fish when the fish are biting but the better you are with a spinner the more you'll catch when they're biting. When they are dormant forget about it you got to know what you're doing. That's why they call it fishing and not catching.
So a few pointers. Pick one or maybe two types i.e. mepps or panther martins. Get a small and a medium but get those two sizes in three or even four colors. Then you can concentrate on fishing a given lure instead of a given type of lures. Think of it like fly fishing if you go from dry flies to streamers you're going to need a different set of skills. Once you master just how one type works best move onto another. I mean a panther martin fishes a little different than a rooster tail does.
With that said I went to all Kast Masters. Now while they are not technically spinners they are in the same class, in that they are cast and retrieve lures. I used the gold, silver, frog and rainbow in quarter ounce and eighth ounce and I had great success most days. Some days it took finding which one was going to work but to me that is half the battle.
But then I got into fly fishing and started all over learning what to fish when. Now I have a ton of those spinners that never get wet.
Good luck and go fishing as often as you can.
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I recommend spending the extra money on good ball bearing swivels. I like black personally. The smallest and lowest profile swivels you can find. Line twist is a real bummer........good luck. Fishon
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I fish a lot from my canoe on lakes using a Jake's lure. I either cast and retrieve or drag it behind me as I paddle (or better yet, as my kid paddles). I caught my first fish on this lure, and though I have tried many other lures, this seems to be the one I go to when nothing else is working. Their weight makes it east to cast far, but for this reason, they can be tricky from the shore. They will drag in teh shallows and get snagged easily.
I have tried all sorts of spinners, but there are still many I have not tried yet. In addition to the Jake's lure, I like blue fox, Mepps, rooster tails, spoons, kastmaster and panther martin. Avoid the really cheap lures. They are hit and miss in my experience. The extra buck or two is worth it.
Just pick up a few and start getting the feel for them. Experience will teach you what works best for the waters you frequent most.
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Any spinner can be baited! I do it all the time.
Spinners are AWESOME!!! For trout and someimes smalmouth bass I generally stick with blue fox gold and the silver color. Those 2 are all you really need. Size #2 for pretty much everywhere and size #1 or #0 for small streams.
Roostertail in Gold blade, green body and yellow fur tail in size 1/8th is great on warm water species like white bass, Large Mouth Bass, and, Bluegill. For green sunfish I use the smallest size.
The trout Rostertail for rivers and streams is Silver blade, gray black body, and black fur in size 1/8th.
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you can't go wrong with pather martin yellow red bottom and brass spiner. That what i use it works real well
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Everyone has their go to lures that always seem to work. For me, the two that I always catch trout on...and some bass are the Panther Martin Holographic spinner and the Thomas Buoy spoon, usually copper or brass color. the Thomaas Buoy spoon is similar to a Triple Teazer but a little more dished out with dimples.
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I likes spinners. Some folks know that. You've got good advice already. Lots of varieties to try.
Couple more to toss on the pile - Jakes spin-a-lure, Joe's Flies, Mack's Kokanee killers. I like all the standard Mepps, Roosters, Panthers, and Blue Foxes too.
You'll see a lot of lures with spots. Red on silver, white on black, black on - everything. But as you talk spinners - there's the hardwire kind, but also inline spinner blades mixed with beads/hooks, or even a wedding ring!
I got a spinner making kit - and it's been a blast.
As far as retrieve - I like to cast, count down - then draw tight, and give it a little snap to get 'er going. Once a blade is spinning, it can be slowed down. But usually need a little oomph to get 'em started.
There's lots of different sizes, styles, profiles for blades too. Each imparts their own vibrations. Hopefully good ones!
Sometimes a little stop or jerk along the way can help induce a strike.
A bit of bait, or tuft of fluff on the blade can probably help entice the followers.
Course if you wanna get quirky - you can make bottle cap spinners! (takes all kinds I know!)
i've tried many different spinners for trout but the best i've fond (at least for me) is the panther marten gold blade black body yellow spots in every size they make i have very consistently caught good fish in ever water i have fished with it and it will cache everything trout bass gills perch you name it i've even caught cats on it good luck
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Thanks you guys so much for the info. I am going to put it to good use and hopefully I will have some pictures of some tanks for you!
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