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Hi – I’m new here and think this is a great group doing great things….and this is a GREAT question! I really enjoyed reading others top choices. Firstly, I think people can have equally good results on the same water at the same time using completely different lure patterns. I say this because I’ve witnessed it with fishing partners in the past, so I guess it comes down to technique and the speed/style of retrieve. Personally, I pretty much use spoons in gold finishes 95% of the time, but sometimes will use plugs too; especially Rapala minnows. I usually use gold finish spoons and Rainbow trout finished plugs. If there is a known crayfish or other baitfish population, I’ll try to match the general coloring with a plug.
While I list trolling spoons, I never troll and these are used for slower shallow stretches of water usually in inlet, outlet or connecting stream situations, lake shallows at dusk, or very cold water where you really need to slow down the retrieve for lethargic fish. 90% of the time, I use a gold finsh 1/4 ounce Little Cleo with excellent results. If the water in very very clear and bright sunlight, I notice they dont seem to go for the Cleo as much as they like the very detailed Rapala rainbow trout or the Excel spoon. I’ve consitently taken trout 16-20 inches in very very clear water in bright sun (Rubicon River California) on the Excel spoon in the rainbow trout finish. I think no matter what tackle you use, if you figure out a way to really work the lure to imitate what its intended to imitate, you’ll do just as well as any lure or fly pattern out there. Of course there are those days that nothing will work. If thats the case then, just work on your cast and maybe you’ll get a nice surprise while enjoying the beauty of the backcountry!1. Acme Little Cleo – Gold 1/4 oz.
2. Rapala original floating minnow -F9 size- Rainbow trout finish
3. Seps Pro Secret spoon – Gold finish(1/16 oz)
4.”Excel” trout spoon (like a needlefish with a detailed eye and finish) rainbow trout finish / Nickel (apx 1/10 oz)
5. Thomas Colorado Spoon Gold / Nickel 1/10 oz.
I just got back from a trip and did pretty well at Hardscrabble Lakes in the rain. I think someone mentioned when its changing it sends them down. I heard when the weather is changing, the barometric pressure is changing and fish have to make adjustments to the pressure difference so they are not as prone to feeding. Interestingly, the two days before was no rain but heavy fog and the bite was O.k. Then when the rain was actually coming down the bite got really good! It seemed with every cast my last hour at Lower Hardscrabble in the cold rain while I was soaking wet, each fish was bigger than the last…the northeast edge of that lake seemed to be where the largest fish were as it also had the steepest drop shelf and the inlet from upper hardscrabble….in general though, most of the fish seemed to be on the smaller side making me wonder about the available food sources….too bad its always a situation where you are soaking wet and cold, or being mobbed by mosquitoes and out of DEET when the bite is really on!
