3 simple, non-traditional—and very effective—tactics for spring trout

#3  BLADE BAITS

The most challenging trout bite you’re likely to face as a spin angler is when you find the fish actively feeding on or just under the surface, slurping up hordes of emerging mayflies, caddisflies and midges. The trout become so fixed on the abundant insects that they seemingly turn a blind eye to everything else. Since I relish this bite so much, I almost always bring along a fly rod rigged with floating line, ready to cast an emerger or dry fly. You don’t need to be a fly angler, however, to catch these feeding trout, especially when the water’s surface is littered with the thin, skin-like cases of insects that have hatched, usually the previous afternoon and evening.

Giant mayflies, or hexagenia limbata, are the darlings I love to see, as they are sweet, plump and juicy trout candy. Where I live, the prime hatches occur in late June and early July, with clouds of giant mayflies—many anglers call them shadflies or fish flies—swarming lakeside light standards on even-numbered years. That’s when as many as 120 nymphs per square metre will emerge from the soft lake bottom.

In those cases, I look for mud- and clay-bottomed areas of the lake in front of weedy bays, coves and shoals, where I’ll prospect during the morning and midday hours with a small #3 or #4 brown- or copper-coloured Mepps or Blue Fox in-line spinner. I like to cast it in and around shoreline cover, especially where I see the intermittent surface activity of trout sipping in flies. For the bulk of the heavy midday lifting, however, I rely on a blade bait.

PRESENTATION

My go-to blade bait is the ¼-ounce Acme V-Rod with the Big Muddy or Goby One colour scheme. I simply search for a good-looking, soft-bottomed area, then cast the compact lure as far as I can using a 6’ 10” to 7½-foot, medium- or medium-light spinning rod spooled with six-pound monofilament, fluorocarbon or microdyneema super-line.

The key here is to let the blade bait fall all the way to the mud bottom, regardless of the depth. Once the lure is on bottom, engage the bail and retrieve it, maintaining the speed at which you first felt it begin to vibrate. Don’t hop, pop or jerk the lure. Instead, keep it wobbling side-to-side as though it were the first emerging giant mayfly of the day, swimming slowly but frantically to the surface. Other than that, just don’t forget to hold on for dear life.

Fishing editor Gord Pyzer is always thinking outside of the tacklebox.

BONUS TACTIC: WAY OF THE WORM

Trout-fishing purists may turn up their noses at the idea of using “garden hackle.” But if you’re flexible and enjoy catching trout, especially as you leisurely paddle a canoe or kayak around a serene lake, try trolling a nightcrawler (above) skewered to #4 or #6 Tru-Turn hook (below).

For this slow-death set-up, leave a longish tag when you tie on the hook. That way, when you thread on a nightcrawler all the way up to cover the hook eye, the tag end will lock it in place. You also want to clip the worm so only an inch remains trailing behind the hook as you troll the rig behind a light 3/4- to one-ounce finesse bottom bouncer, three-way rig or Slinky weight.

Now as you slowly paddle along the lakeshore, the worm will rotate in a tight corkscrewing pattern. It will also look, smell and taste like an emerging mayfly struggling to get to the surface to fly away. Only in this case, there’s little chance it’s going make it.