Mepps for trout

[thewalleyeguy]

I was wondering if there are any special techniques for using mepps while trout fishing. I just wanna know.

[Jim W]

No real special technique. However, I have found having the right size and color scheme for your stream or river can help.

Also, retrieving is key. A spinner whether it is a mepps, rooster tail or other, it's blade needs to be working at all times.

The spinner should be able to "swim/spin" naturally while being pulled across current..with a steady retrieve.

I have found the 1/6 oz rooster tail to be a pefect balance for pulling across steady current. It also has a balanced spinner allowing full flash. This for medium to large streams.

Just a couple ideas off hand.

Keep the rods bendin'!!!

Jim W

[ironman]

I love spinnin' for trout. Grab my ultra light and go. I like to work upstream and cast to fishy looking areas. Cast beyond your target and udjust your retrieve speed so your spinner intersects your target area. You dont want to plop the lure right in front of the fish it will spook. Fishing small or snag infested areas will really challenge your accuracy.

Dont just use Mepps..try some panther martins as well...they run alittle deeper and can be retrieve faster without planing out. The are my starting spinner and my go-to when others arn't working.

I'm doing more fly fishing these days..but if thats not working I always carry my spinning gear with me. Cant wait for spring.

[Quickstrike]

I don't fish spinners much any more although they can be very productive. Another tip for fishing small streams or rivers with a lot of snags such as beaver dams and down trees is to "stall" your spinner into these locations and let the current do the work. This method lets you get your lure to fish that you normally could not target with a fly rod. I like to cast from upstream and let my spinner drift under or into the structure and then lift the rod tip a little to cause your spinner to rise and begin to fight against the current. I have caught a lot of big trout this way on small streams where dams and wood piles are the only places these larger trout can find to hide. Landing fish in these locations can be tricky, but you'll figure it out. good luck.

[mitch]

Another brand of spinner that worked for me last summer is Blue Fox. I used the deep spinners. They really helped you get the lure down into the deep holes.

[Quickstrike]

When buying spinners I also look for ones with split rings so i can change out the treble hook for a single. I may miss a few more fish, but those trebles can really tear up a trout's mouth and gills even with a pliars, especially the smaller ones.

[igotem]

I agree with QS on the treble hooks. If you don't change them to a single hook, it's best to pinch the barbs down. Trout usually hammer those spinners pretty good and invariably will have all three hooks inside their mouth. Pretty tough to unhook them with the barbs, but they come off easy without them. You'll probably loose a few more fish but hey, just catch another one.

[outdoor ran]

Quick, good tip on the split rings. Also handy for when you need to take off the trebles for the rivers that don't allow them.

[ironman]

That is the one down side to panther martins, not only can you not switch out to a single in case you have too, but with those light wire trebles...they get bent easy and once they're shot..the whole lure is pretty much done for. I always pinch my barbs down and I havn't really noticed any reduced catch rate. The key is to keep a tight line.

[Quickstrike]

on panther martins I believe that you can use a wire cutter to remove the bad hook and put a split ring in it's place. It's a tight fit but it works if you can find a ring small enough.

Very good advise on pinching the barbs down guys, I also fish barbless and haven't noticed a huge difference in landing %.

[DEADhead]

Quote:

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I also fish barbless and haven't noticed a huge difference in landing %.

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Same here. The other nice thing about fishing barbless is that a lot of times you don't even have to handle a fish to release them, just let some slack in the line and often times the fish will spit the hook. This is especially handy when fishing for trout in a two-story lake and hooking into another species you weren't targetting.

[ironman]

No barbs also limits the time spent and cuss words cussed when your hooks get tangled up in the net. I hate that. Less time messing around more time fishin.

[DEADhead]

or when the hook gets snagged on your clothes, especially the new breed of stretch fleece that has spandex in it. That'll leave a mark!

[DARK30]

I suppose I should start crimping the barbs more often. I have however gotten away from the treble hooks for trout fishing. I've seen them really messed up from all three or more hooks in a small trout. I've always used a dark colored jig/twister tail but have abandoned the rapala whenever possible. It seems a larger 1/8 oz jig with a 3" Mr.Twister tail works real well in the larger streams...I've always gone with the smaller version which still can really put the whoop on um though.

A friend of mine does real well with tinsel jigs. He fishes them with more of a jigging action and keeps things more finesse. I prefer a more steady and faster retrieve with the plastics.

Opener draws near!

[DEADhead]

Dark,

I wonder if you might know a couple of my friends that live in BP? They're both on the Fire dept., Tim Murphy, and Brian Siekmann

[DARK30]

The name Tim Murphy sounds familiar but no. Maybe I'd recognize these guys though. Do they fish the river at all?

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