Home Forums Fishing Freshwater trout fisning lures?

Panther Martin with yellow body and red dots and orange blade has produced the most consistently for me.

That's my go to on sunny days, darker on overcast.

The OP mentions creek fishing, so I through my vote for Panther Martins.

The truth of all fishing is that the “best” artificial lure changes, all the time.
Size, color, speed and depth will change depending on local conditions at the time.
These factors can change several times a day.

I troll high mountain lakes a lot, and I am constantly changing lures.

I will usually run two rods, with a good reliable lure on one rod, and another choice based on amount of daylight and time of year.

This also affects both the depth of water I fish and depth of lure.

A few things I consider consistent.
In low light conditions like between the crack of dawn until sunlight on the water and very overcast days, I run shallow, very reflective metallic lures.
In bright sunlight and very clear water, I run lures with natural prey paintjobs.
In the early spring to early summer, I troll close to shoreline and shallow water.
I late summer and fall you will see me 50 to 150 feet away from the shoreline.

Good tips, Anaconda!

Thanks!

Virgil B.

if you can find them abu droppin spinner works fantastic.

^^^Yup, old reliable...also black body, red dots, nickel or bronze blade. And it ain't just me, these are the empty or near empty display racks at local sporting goods stores. Kokanee and trout.

More good tips!

Thanks again!

Virgil B.

I fish highcountry lakes on my backpacking trips. All I've ever used are no.2 Panther Martin's or 1/8oz Rooster Tails. Generally the Rooster Tail is my favorite.

Here's one from this summer:

B--really nice fish.

Small streams: Mepps #0 silver, 1/24 oz or 1/16 oz Roostertail (black/silver or white/silver), 1/64 trout magnet (brown, green, orange, pink) under a tiny float.

Medium streams: Mepps #1 silver, 1/16 oz Roostertail (black/silver, white/silver), 1/16 oz woollybugger jig under a float

Larger streams: Mepps #1 or #2 silver, 1/8 oz Roostertail (black/silver, white/silver), Rapala #7 black/silver, 1/16 jig w/Berkley Gulp! Minnow 1 1/2 to 2 inch under a float or casted as is.

Small and medium Lakes with depths no more than 40 feet: Same as streams depending on what’s in the lake. Bigger the fish, bigger the lure.

Large/deep lakes: Same as large streams, but also do a lot of trolling with flashers/dodgers and wedding rings and hoochies.

1/100 oz white or peach thread jig under and indicator. In the small streams around Missouri a light weight white rooster tail with a light piece of split shot about 12-16" up the line works well also. If you get some decent water I have also caught them on a rebel crawdad or a floating Rapala.

High Lakes this and a 1/8 oz Mepps with a green body is all you need to know..
Been known to pitch a 2" Rapala for big Cutts on UL spinning rod a time or two

I've used small Rooster Trails and Panther Martins with some success but silver blade #0 and #1 Mepps are the bomb in NC trout waters. Cast upstream and haul directly downstream. Start them fast and once you feel the blade spinning, slow them down a bit. You will lose a ton of them to snags but will also catch a lot of fish. Mostly stockers but the occasional native in the right streams. Since most are put and take I don't crimp the barbs but do buy single hook varieties when I find them. Used to stock up on these spinners at Walmart's around the State about this time of year on clearance. I wouldn't go into one of those stores on a dare these days. Good luck.

Much prefer to tie and drift, and/or throw jigs mostly 1/32 & 1/16oz. Will paddle troll & throw some jerkbaits on occasion too.

Use flies here, but I pinch down barbs to make it easier to release fishermen. Never done streamside surgery on my body, but I have cut or pushed hooks though or cut them off from 4 anglers over my career.

Beside the spinners like Melos, rooster tails, panther martins and phoebes, we had good luck with 1/16 oz. maribou crappie jigs.

I got smoked by a guy casting a Rapala. Took it in the back. Also took a 1/2 oz jig to the forehead. The Rapala had barbs and way more hooks. Sucked bad.

I'm constantly amazed at the number of different kinds of fish I've brought to hand on a properly fished jig.
That reel... the Shimano CI4+ is the shizz! I have two 2500's and two FK 2500's that I use for just about everything smaller than a chinook. They're spendy, but smooth as silk, light weight and have great drags.

I ran across a new (to me) knot the other day for slicing braid to a mono bumper or leader.
It's called the John Collins knot and is super easy to tie. Uses less material and the knots are very tiny.
Google it and check out a video, if interested.....

I have drug several different lures (some with GREAT success) through miles of trout waters.

Never once have I thought of using a jig.
May be one chance I will be in trout water next year and that is likely it for this go around on the planet!

Used to kill Browns and Rainbows with Panther Martins and Z-Rays. Man, it's been a long time since I've done that. This thread reminded me that it's time to change that.