Mepps Spinners Aren't Just Good for Trout Fishing

Mepps Aglia Spinners have been a favorite lure for trout anglers since their invention. These simple in-line spinners have a great success rate in catching trout. Check out any trout angler's tackle box, and you're sure to find a couple of these spinners in it.

While in-line spinners aren't typically used by bass anglers, one guy discovered that Aglia spinners have helped him catch more white bass than the traditional spinner baits usually favored by bass anglers.

Judging by the Mepss Lure Selection guide, this comes as no surprise to them. They suggest several different Aglia spinners for white bass anglers.

So why are in-line spinners (like the Aglia) often overlooked by bass anglers? Probably because they're famous for getting stuck on weeds and rocks and anglers are always losing them. Unfortunately for anglers, large fish often hide in those same weeds and rocks (especially bass) and so if you want to catch them, you'll have to contend with the frustrations of getting your spinner stuck (and possibly losing it).

One of the attitude problems that many anglers tend to adopt is a "spare the spinner" mindset. Out of fear of losing $3-$6 lures, they tend to avoid rocky, weedy areas when fishing. While this can be more cost effective for the angler, the downside is that you're sacrificing opportunities to catch more and larger fish.

One way to combat this mindset is to make your own spinners. You can buy the parts in bulk and assemble your spinners which in turn can greatly reduce the cost of each spinner. And when they cost less, you don't mind losing them as much.

So the moral to story is don't be afraid to think outside the box (as this one bass angler did) and don't worry so much about losing those spinners (especially when the opportunity exist to catch more and larger fish).

Fishing Report for New Mexico

Wondering how the fishing has been in New Mexico? A new fishing report for the week of July 16 has just been published.

Trout fishing has been good to fair on the Canjilon lakes. Anglers have been using worms, salmon eggs and spinners. Same is true for the Chama River, although trout anglers have also been using grasshoppers with success there.

Anglers at Eagle Nest lake have been catching good size rainbow trout from the bank using worms, power bait and spinners.

You can read for the full fishing report by clicking here.

Fishing Report for Southwest Colorado

Trout anglers are doing well in Southwest Colorado. Beaver Creek Reservoir is full and anglers are catching brown and rainbow trout on salmon eggs and powerbait.

Folks at Big Meadows Reservoir have been catching brook trout on flies, lures and other baits.

Read the full fishing report by clicking here.

Trout Fishing Good in Great Falls, Montana

According to fishing report released today, anglers are having great success trout fishing in Great Falls, Montana.

Anglers are catching brook trout on night crawlers and gold spoons. Folks trolling cowbells tipped with night crawlers are also have great success.

To read the full fishing report, click here.

What Lure Works Best for Trout Fishing?

One of the questions I get asked a lot is, "What lure works best for trout fishing?" Of course there are different variations of this question, such as "What lure works best in lakes?", etc.

While the question is simple enough, the answer is not. There are too many different variables involved in fishing to say that one lure works best. In fact, one of the biggest frustrations in trout fishing is that one lure may work great one day and not all the next. Why? There are a lot of possible reasons for this.

Several variables affect trout fishing including:

• Water temperature
• Water clarity
• Water color
• Weather conditions (sunny, cloudy, windy, rain, ice, snow, etc.)
• Season (spring, fall, winter, summer)
• Available food sources
• Pressure from other anglers

These are only a few of the variables which affect trout fishing. And of course, each of the variables mentioned above not only affect trout, but also your lure selection. The reason why is too complicated to explain in a blog post, but are addressed in the Trout Fishing Tips eBook.
But in short, the variables mentioned above affect how your lure looks underwater to trout. These variables also influence trout activity and feeding habits.

Trout are sluggish in very cold water and therefore might need a bit more flash to entice them into striking. And yet too much flash, might scare them off.

Water color and clarity can affect a trout's ability to see your lure. A bright red lure in your tackle box will appear black in blue water. That's because red is filtered out in blue water. The deeper the lure is fished, the blacker it will appear under water. This is just one example of how water color and clarity can affect how trout see your lure under water.

Advanced anglers have observed that dark colored lures tend to work well on overcast days, murky water and when fishing at night. Likewise, nickel and silver lures tend to work better on bright sunny days.

These are some of the reasons that a lure may work well one day and not the next. There's just too many variables involved in fishing.

The real key to successful trout fishing is to understand trout: their physical needs as well as how their environment affects them. This understanding will help you in turn better understand how different lures, baits, and fishing tactics affect your ability to catch trout.

Advanced anglers will pay attention to all of these factors and take note of what lure, bait or fishing tactic worked given a certain set of conditions. Often times, they will keep track of these details in a fishing log or fishing software program. After a while, they'll start to notice trends which will help them make better lure selections, etc.

So while there's no real answer to the question, "What lure works best for trout fishing?", hopefully the information above will help you understand some of the variables affecting your lure selection.