I like to spin fish and fly fish. Each has its advantages and I generally choose the most efficient method to catch trout in a given waterbody. Many people turn from spin fishing to fly fishing and never go back. I have no idea why. They say it’s something about a feeling you get. Personally, I prefer the feeling of a trout tugging at the end of my line. I’ve never gone away from spin fishing, because it’s incredibly versatile and simply a better choice in a number of situations. The following outlines some of the circumstances where I put down the fly rod and gear up for trout.
Low Numbers of Big Fish
Essentially all of Alberta’s rivers that have dominant populations of bull trout (e.g., North Saskatchewan and Athabasca) are best fished using spinning gear. The fish are spread out in large pools and you need to cover a lot of water fast if you want to get into good numbers of trout. I find the best lures are Krocodile spoons and Rapalas. Hit deep slow pools with as many casts as possible into unfished water to maximize your success. Expect to catch some large bulls, with some pushing ten pounds.
Remote, moderate sized streams
Trout in remote waters are less educated and more likely to behave aggressively. Spinning gear is inherently a less subtle approach, but this makes no difference when trout haven’t seen a lot of hooks. My preference for these waters are smaller (6-10) X-rap Rapalas and tube jigs. They are the most efficient and subtle of lures, so you still have a great opportunity at trout that are reluctant to bite. Put on some miles to do best, using the X-rap as the main searching lure and switching to tube jigs in deep holes and log jams for a slow and subtle approach.