Casting Small lures

[TigerBlood]

I’m still pretty new to trout fishing. I’m a spin cast guy. I use an ultra light rod/reel and 8# Power Pro line. I didn’t know much about lures/sizes etc. So I purchased Mepps trout kit which has 6 size #0 spinners. I use Mepps all the time for bass & pike with good success – so I know their lures work. But these things are so small/light – I can’t cast them very far and I feel like I’m spooking fish because I have to get so close to areas I think hold fish. Are these small lures made for different set ups i.e. a really long rod or something? I just don’t find them useful for current set up due to lack of distance. From reading many posts on here, it seems like guys are using much bigger/heavier lures. But it just seems like everything marketed as a “trout lure” is tiny and light. Are those lures just designed to catch fisherman instead of fish? If so, I just got hooked for about $40

[itchmesir]

stop using PP and change it up to #6 mono or fluoro.. I always have had issues casting small spinners with braided line.. and nil issue with mono/fluoro

[JIvers]

I go with a 1/8 or 1/12 oz (or larger) Mepps-type in-line spinner over the really tiny 1/24 or 1/32 oz. ones. Even tiny trout will hit a 1/8 oz Mepps most of the time. When fishing in current at the head of riffles the heavier lure will run a little deeper, too.

As you found, those tiny spinners are tougher to cast any distance, and most of the time there's no advantage to pitching a #0 Mepps over an otherwise identical #1 or #2 in terms of what the fish prefer.

It will also help to go with lighter line--I use 4 lb. test mono for trout. I use a lot of 8 lb. PowerPro for walleye, and from that experience I know it won't cast a small lure like a #0 Mepps well at all. That goes for the bigger in-line spinners as well.

So yes, the $40 you spent was not spent on ideal lures, IMO, but you'll use them up eventually. When you fish small streams in cramped quarters where you can't cast far those little #0s will work well enough.

As for rod length, the better trout streams in SE Minnesota are grown over with weeds and tree branches that keep many anglers away. Shorter is better in those situations.

[TigerBlood]

Good advice - thanks guys. I thought the Power Pro would actually be better than mono - (8# PP is supposed to have 1# diameter) - but I'll definitely give mono a try. I appreciate the replies.

[Scudly]

Power Pro is great. Try 3/8 or 1/2 oz spinners. Small spinners = small trout.

[TigerBlood]

Power Pro is great. Try 3/8 or 1/2 oz spinners. Small spinners = small trout.

For me, small spinners = no trout - lol! I'm going to try some thin mono on one rod as suggested just to potentially redeem some value on my $40. But I'll definitely try throwing some bigger lures too. I'm just surprised that most lures I found marketed "for trout" were so small/light. Thanks for reply.

[JIvers]

Good advice - thanks guys. I thought the Power Pro would actually be better than mono - (8# PP is supposed to have 1# diameter) - but I'll definitely give mono a try. I appreciate the replies.

I tried superbraids for trout fishing back in the 1990s when they became more popular/affordable/effective. That experiment ended quickly.

PowerPro is great for vertical jigging or trolling crankbaits, but light mono casts small lures like a 1/8 oz spinner far better than does a superbraid, which is just too stiff for that sort of thing.

[Scudly]

I started out fly fishing so when I dabbled with spin fishing I bought 1/32 oz (00) Panther Martins. Then Len showed me 1/4 oz (#6s). Now I only use 1/4 oz for brook trout. Go for #6 and #9 PMs or #15. My personal best 24" brown hanging on my wall caught with a #15.

[JIvers]

At some point you might want to pick up a couple silver and black and/or Brown Trout colored #3 or #5 sinking Rapalas to add to your trout arsenal.

In-line spinners are my and most other people's go-to lure with spinning gear for trout for the simple reason that they work very well. That's why I always start with a spinner, and usually stick with it. In colored or slightly dirty water, the flash and "loudness" of a spinner almost always makes it the better lure.

At times though, usually when the water is very clear, I've found that a small sinking Rapala in natural colors will out-fish the Mepps-type spinner. The Rapala has a tighter, quieter action that is quite different from a spinner, and on occasion the trout prefer it.

The downside to fishing a small Rapala is that they cost quite a bit more than a spinner, and sooner or later you will put one in a tree branch where you can't get it back.

[hookncook]

1/8 and 3/8 pk spoons are my go to for trout. I use the broken patterns: firetiger glow, firetiger, and pearl chartreuse. I also take the nickle and copper plated and put black fingernail polish and clear glitter to break the patterns up.

I also use the 1/4 oz PK Flutter Fish.

Last in my arsenal, is the #4 Panther Martin colors yellow with the black dots, and black with the yellow dots in gold and silver blades.

[TigerBlood]

EyeHunter - good info, thanks! I have tried small rapalas. But I think I need to get a bigger reel to use them effectively. My current set up is ultralight rod w/ultralight reel. I normally work my way up stream and I found I really had to crank fast on my tiny reel to get proper action (keeping up with current). But I can see how it would be effective with the correct set up. I might have to get new gear. I have a fenwick ultralight which I love for panfish, but I've found the trout really shake and I lose almost everyone that bites me. I'm assuming a softer rod is preferable to cushion the shakes?

[hookncook]

I use a 7 foot medium action spin cast rod. gotta have some backbone for them fighters.

[TigerBlood]

Good info HooknCook. I thought about a longer rod, but most the streams I've been to are pretty small/tight. The shorter rod seems to work ok for that, but I'm still learning. Trout seem to fight differently than other fish. They really shake and they've been getting off on me! My thought was that I might not have enough cushion to absorb the fight. But like you said, you need backbone to move fish out of stumps/rocks etc. too. Suffice it to say, I still have a lot to learn when it comes to catching trout.

[Scudly]

I used to think backbone needed. I prefer a ultralight 6' these days. 10 lb Power Pro and set the drag fairly light. You are right browns do a lot of head shakes. Also they are often barely hooked so I don't try and horse them in. Let the drag do the work. The ultralight absorbs the shock. Only thing I'll say is 3/8 oz works great but I like a stiffer rod for 1/2 oz or anything bigger.

[TigerBlood]

Thanks Scudly. The light bulb just went on in my head after reading your post. I do have my drag set pretty tight. I thought that would be better to pull the fish away from that stump/log/rock etc. But you are correct - they are often barely hooked and shake off when I'm pulling. Loosening the drag makes sense and I'll give it a try. Thanks.

[Driftless]

I use 4s and 6s for brookies. I typically don't target them because they are so stupid.

Browns are much harder to catch and I almost exclusively throw size 9 panthers for browns.

The reason for 9s is two fold. The 9s are easier to unhook from the trout and the 9s astually scare the little trout away.

I only use power pro these days.

I have a medium action fenwick rod with a shimano 2500 on it.

Rapalas get expensive really fast.

[JIvers]

EyeHunter - good info, thanks! I have tried small rapalas. But I think I need to get a bigger reel to use them effectively. My current set up is ultralight rod w/ultralight reel. I normally work my way up stream and I found I really had to crank fast on my tiny reel to get proper action (keeping up with current). But I can see how it would be effective with the correct set up. I might have to get new gear. I have a fenwick ultralight which I love for panfish, but I've found the trout really shake and I lose almost everyone that bites me. I'm assuming a softer rod is preferable to cushion the shakes?

Yup, loosen up on the drag. Switching to mono with its built-in give-and-take will probably help with the hook-setting issue too, as the zero stretch of PowerPro isn't always a good thing. I'd try switching to mono before getting a new rod, if you don't already have one purchased and ready to go.

You might then want to try a rod with more give to it to find out if that works for you. I have found most ultralight rods to be a little soft, not a little stiff, for my taste in trout fishing, although I don't like super-fast action ultralight rods, either. I just bought a two-piece UL this spring that was relegated to ice-fishing duty because it lacked backbone.

I have an old 5' Berkeley rod that is just right for me. I dread the day when it gets slammed in a truck door, because then I'll probably have to drop some $$$ on a more expensive replacement that suits me as well as my $40 relic from the early 1990s.

Just out of curiosity, what is the gear ratio on the spinning reel you're using?

[Scudly]

Tiger blood I used to think exactly like you. I used to muscle them out an used a medium action G Loomis probably best suited for big pike and lost more fish. If you know a certain area has a hang up like log jam you can adjust your drag initially to get fish away then loosen when you can afford to. Also I've learned to stay out of the water as much as possible. If the fish does get hung up in a cut bank then ease into the water and slowly approach. Otherwise a fast approach where hung up the fish is going to freak out and twist and turn with a better chance of throwing the hook.

[TigerBlood]

Great advice from all - much appreciated. EyeHunter, I use a fenwick UL rod with the second smallest phluger reel. It's pretty light weight...probably too much so based on the replies. Like I said, I'm still pretty new to this. I saw the lures being advertised as "trout" i.e. the #0 mepps and assumed I needed an UL set up. I'm going to bulk it up and see what happens. Thanks again to all.

[JIvers]

With a Fenwick rod you should have plenty of backbone, so mono might be a better pairing with it. PowerPro does not stretch, and as has been discussed a little give, whether in the line or the rod, is a good thing when trout fishing.

I have a Pflueger 6725 I use for trout fishing, so I'm guessing you either have that, or the equivalent in a different model line of Pfluegers. (I thought about a 6720, but it looked and felt like a toy to me.) I asked because you mentioned having to really burn it up when retrieving, and I wondered if you had something with a really low gear ratio. I myself have no complaints about the size or speed of the 6725.

A 5' rod, smaller reel, and mono work best for me, but as you can see from this thread different people have different tastes in tackle. Since you're just getting in to this it'll take a little time to find the set-up that works for you--these are just suggestions on what to try to point you in the right direction. It took me some trial and error to arrive at the gear combo I have now, but I like it.

[TigerBlood]

Eyehunter - you made me run out to the truck to check :-). I just have the 4520 Pfueger. It's tiny and probably one of their lower end/cheaper models. I tried throwing a rapala upstream last night but the tiny reel made it tough to keep up with the current. I did actually have a bite on it - but it got off of course - ha!

This has been an eye opener for me. No wonder I'm not catching many fish! Most of what I see advertised as "trout stuff" is tiny i.e. flies, small mepps etc. That's why I assumed a tiny UL set up would be needed. But I'm learning otherwise from you guys and will definitely beef up my gear. Xmas may have to come early i.e. before the end of trout season this year :-)

[Scudly]

You want something like a 6:1 gear ratio. The smaller reels don't cut it when fishing your way upstream. I remember reeling like mad. Before you dump your Power Pro buy some 1/4 and 3/8 oz PMs or equivalent. With the extra weight you should have no problem casting farther. A whippy 6' rod will send a PM flying! I remember having to add split shot to 1/32 (00) PMs when I started. Those have all been given away to kids at campgrounds. With a 3/8 oz spinner not only can you cast far they drop like a rock and stay down deeper where the trout are more likely to be. Good luck.

[TigerBlood]

Thanks Scudly. I might try rigging one rod with mono to salvage my initial spinner investments. I thought about maybe using a swivel/snap to add a little weight? Anyone use swivel snaps? Normally I do not - but I'm just thinking it would add weight and reduce line twist in this situation. Why do they even make those tiny spinners?

For my other rod, I'm going to gear up with heavier stuff as many have advised. I like being able to cast farther and, as mentioned, the weight will help me run deeper into pools.

[JIvers]

The Pflueger 67 series, and the newer 69 series (67 or 69 being the first two numbers in the model name followed by a 20, 25, or 30, and so on to tell you how large it is) are very nice reels. I have five 67s in various sizes, and one new 6930, and I consider the $60 or so I spent on each well worth it. I got lucky and picked up the now-discontinued 6725 on a baragin rack for $29.99 last winter.

The lower-end Pflueger ultralights that retail for around $30, IMO, are not even good for catching bluegills through the ice, much less open water fishing. I bought a couple a few years ago and quickly demoted them to backup duty. I won't buy any more cheaper Pfluegers. A new reel is probably the way to go, whatever make and size you favor.

[TigerBlood]

I agree with your assessment EyeHunter! I think I picked them up at the Wallymart. I have the president model on my Walleye rods and loved them. So, I saw the UL on sale and thought "huh - these might work good for a UL trout set up". They actually work ok for tiny spinners/slower current. But I definitely need more pick up speed for rapalas and faster current. And they are not even close to the quality of the better models. Sigh. I guess I'll be doing my part to support the tackle industry! Live and learn.