Trout fishing tips

List of great lures for trout fishing

What are the best fishing lures to catch brook trout, a fish that is sought after by at least 60% of the estimated 1 350 000 anglers in the province?

That is a question that keeps coming up, especially at this time of the year! The specialized magazine "Sentier Chasse-Pêche" wanted to resolve the issue, so they asked the ten most active journalists in Quebec specializing in hunting and fishing. Here is a summary of their responses (not necessarily in order).

* The "Bob-It" with red beads and silver or gold spoons and a worm
* The silver "Rapala" No. 7
* The "Lake Clear Wabbler"
* The "June Bud" with silver spoon
* The "Saint Maurice" spoon, copper or chrome
* The "Veltic," silver with red stripes
* The "Mepps Aglia" No. 2, red and white
* The "Mepps Cyclops"
* The "Williams" wobbler, silver
* The "Mepps Aglia," silver with a yellow brass spoon
* The "Mepps Black Fury" No. 2 or No. 3
* The "Toronto Wobbler," 2-3" long (chrome or copper)
* The "Toronto Wobbler," chrome with a fluorescent blue stripe
* The "Williams Wobbler," ribbed gold and silver finish
* The "Mepps Aglia," silver or gold finish with yellow or red dots
* The "Mepps Comet," silver or gold finish with yellow or red dots
* The "Mooselook," nickel or fluorescent red
* The "Delphin Alligator," gold with a red stripe
* The "Sutton West River," chrome and copper

Our favourite spoons? My favourite spoons include the Delphin Alligator (gold, with a red stripe on one side), the Toronto Wobbler (chromed top and copper bottom) and Sutton West River (chromed top and copper bottom).

Choosing a hook for trout fishing

I can already hear many readers doubting that I will have enough material to write an entire column on the choice of hooks for Lady Trout. However, the same questions arise every day in front of the hook display: Which size should I choose? How much line should I leave behind the lure? Is a longer hook more effective, since a longer piece of worm can be attached to it? The time has come to demystify the world of hooks to make it easier of everyone to choose.

Size of the hook

The size of the hook is in no way influenced by the size of the fish you want to catch. If it is true that a small trout cannot completely grasp a No. 2 hook, it will nonetheless find a way of passing in front of it after having bit and you will catch it by the head or elsewhere, which not ideal for release. Also, never forget that a large hook is hard to swallow and easily detected as a trap by the bigger fishes, who will very quickly spit out their meal. In all logic, a bigger trout can swallow a small hook, just like a smaller trout. Yes! I said SWALLOW, because that's what they have to do. If a fish does not swallow the bait, there is a greater chance of losing a catch during the fight. Here is a trick to know if your hook is too big: if a fish bites, but releases itself after a few strokes, you should use a smaller hook.

The fact that the fish completely swallows the bait almost entirely reduces the possibility of a release, but leaving it in the water injured because you used too big a hook is even more damageable, if you ask me. Most anglers are appalled by the idea of having to slice open their catch in the middle of their boat because their hook is too deep within the trout. There exists a miraculous gadget on the market that costs less than a dollar and that allows you to recover your hook, even if it is the trout's tail, with your eyes closed. Come and meet us to learn more about this little wonder.

Type and shape of the hook

You have many options when it comes to the selection of a fishing hook model. Kirby, Carlisle, Aberdeen, Baitholder, Egg, French. Each shape is different and is optimized for particular techniques. Egg and French models have a very short shank, so you only need a small piece of worm. They are perfect when attached to a snell, behind a spoon. They can also be used with synthetic worms or rubber egg imitations.

In the case of Kirby and Baitholder models, the shank is of moderate length, which leaves place for a bigger bait. The Baitholder also has the advantage of having tiny barbs that hold the worm in place on the hook. These models are also excellent when mounted on a snell and placed behind the lures. Moreover, they do a sort of damage control by not going as deep in the trout's mouth.
The Aberdeen and Carlisle models are very long shanks, either gold or bronze. Those who still believe in the old saying, "big worm, big trout" (and I am not one of them) are still using them on hook rigs, at the risk of leaving behind the "big trout" they are looking for after only a short battle, simply because their catch felt the piece of metal at the right time (for her at the least) and didn't swallow it. This type of hook nonetheless has its place in my tackle box, mostly for dead stick fishing, in which case, the only thing used to attract predators is the bait.

Hook rigs and length of the snell

The last thing to determine is the length of the monofilament to be placed between the lure and the bait. The factor that has the most influence on snell length is the water temperature. As I mentioned in a previous column entitled "Preferred temperatures" (in the past columns section), the fish is a cold-blooded animal that is highly affected by changes in water temperature. As mentioned in that previous column, the temperature at which Lady Trout's metabolism is the highest is between 52 and 58 degrees Farenheit. So, it is within that temperature range that the trout will be the fastest to hit your lure and that is why the bait should be placed closer to the lure. How many times have we heard anglers heading out early in the season when the water is still cold, saying that the trout "didn't bite well" and that they had trouble fishing them out? What if these energetic and curious trouts were simply attracted by the spoon and reacted by fleeing from this metal object without looking back to where the worm was?

Hook rigs with monofilament lengths ranging from 6 to 36 inches are available on the market. Since it is easier to cut a line than to add one, I prefer models with a very long snell. They provide complete versatility. In cold water, I cut the monofilament to six or eight inches, and the warmer the water, the longer I leave. In addition, for those of you who do not have a thermometer to measure the water temperature, hook rigs with very long snells allow you to mount two hooks. To do so, you can keep the long snell and add a second hook close to the lure. It goes without saying that this set-up can easily get tangled, but after four or five catches, you will know what the trouts prefer at the moment on your water body. Once you have noticed a pattern where the trouts bite the bait, you can simply remove the least productive hook.

As you now realize, the universe of fishing hooks—which is often wrongly believed to be limited—is in fact infinite. I hope that this detailed presentation will guide you in your selection next time you will find yourself in front of a hook display. Should you have any further questions, do not hesitate to come visit me at the fishing department!

Trout fishing without worms

Did you know that there are lures available on the market that allow you to tease trouts without using worms? And I am not talking about using a fly rod, but rather a lightweight casting rod. That's right. Certain lures are so efficient that using them with a bait is not necessary, it's even useless! Among others, my favourite is the Mepps Xtra Deep in formats Nos. 0 and 1. In fact, all small spinners of the Mepps company are excellent. It is simply a matter of selecting the model that best suits the depth to be reached.

If you are planning on using this fishing strategy, a few golden rules should be observed. Here are the three most important ones:

1- Never use a swivel
2- Never, never use a swivel
3- Never, never, never use a swivel

I can imagine some of you being worried about the infamous twisting of your line, but don't worry! Mepps lures smaller than size No. 1 can be classified as ultra-light, which means that they are designed to be used with a resistance inferior to 4 lbs. Thus, when used with a more "common" strength line, i.e. from 6 lbs to 8 lbs, they will not cause any damage to the monofilament. Why don't we use a swivel? Simply because such delicate and light lures can easily be affected by the addition of hardware, which can lead to the suppression of their action. Moreover, these small lures imitating tiny minnows or nymphs kind of look like a Christmas tree when they are attached to a piece of metal that is as big as the lure itself.

The basic retrieval technique for the Xtra Deep or any other small spinner is simple. Cast your lure, then retrieve your line at a constant speed, the end of your rod tilted toward the water. The ideal speed is the slowest one at which the spoon pallet rotates, which is quite fast in the case of XDeep. Note that this is the basic retrieval technique, and that once you have mastered this technique, you will be able to improvise. If you wish to gain casting distance (and retrieval depth since the spoon only goes 3-4 ft. deep), add a small split sinker, approximately 2 ft. above the lure. Never forget that the further a sinker is placed from a lure, the less it interferes with its action.

Another possibility

The Williams company has placed back on the market a lure that was manufactured over ten years ago, which also allows you to tease trouts without using a worm. The Pee Wee Wabler (No. 10, one inch) is so light that you can even use it with a fly rod. With a light or ultra-light casting rod, the Pee Wee can be used with a small sinker or simply by itself (I prefer using it without a swivel, except when trolling). My favourite approach when casting this lure is to let the lure drop while keeping some tension on the line and then to retrieve for two to four reel turns before letting it "dance" as it sinks again, and so on. During retrieval, the Pee Wee rises to the surface with a sudden move that is very typical of Williams wablers. However, 90% of hits come during the sinking of the small lure and that is why I recommend keeping some tension on the line after having stopped retrieving, to leave the spoon do its job. I tested the Pee Wee for the first time last week and it was with great success! I was actually left speechless. This tiny spoon caused a hit at every other cast, on average!

Once you will be more familiar with worm-free trout fishing and want to discover other "magic" tricks like this one, a whole new world of lures will be open up to you. Do not hesitate to come and meet me to know more!