5 Trout Lures You Need in Your Tackle Box

Spin fishermen have been tossing lures successfully for trout almost since Dame Juliana Berners wrote her fishing book in 1496. New trout lures hit the market every year; some prove themselves to be fish-catchers.

Here are five of the best that should be in every lure box.

By David Paul Williams

❶ Worden's Rooster Tail

Rooster tails have been catching trout everywhere it's used for over half a century. The willow blade has undergone multiple color and finish changes over the years. Anglers can choose from 135 finishes in 10 different weights. Trout favor the lighter weights. It's best to select a blade color that works best with the food most abundant in your waters. Use dark blades to imitate aquatic insects and leeches. Go light if the fish are hitting forage fish.

❷ Rapala's Original Floater

This lure can be fished using the cast-and-retrieve method or trolled when the fish are widely scattered. Our favorite color is rainbow trout in size 7. When trolled or cast, vary the retrieval speed to better imitate an injured or disoriented minnow. Fish will often hit during a slight pause.

❸ Yakima Bait Company's Flat Fish

The Flat Fish is a trolling lure par excellence. It can be weighted to run deep in slow-trolling speeds, or run on a long line without weight so it kicks and wiggles right on the surface. Go small with F4 in a frog or gold finish.

❹ Eppinger's Original Dardevle

The iconic spoon in red and white stripes with a nickle back is another time-honored fish catcher. Trout favor model 616T.

❺ Woolly Bugger

Who says flies only work for fly-fishermen? Tie on an olive Woolly Bugger, add a split-shot or two, and every fisherman now has a deadly lure. Woolly Buggers imitate a variety of fish foods, such as leeches, large aquatic insects like dragonfly.