What to use for native stream trout?

[kevin07]

I fished a new trout stream today. I caught 2 little tout one was a small brown the other was a small rainbow. I was using a blue fox spinner, i know there are a lot more trout and i thought i would catch more than id did. Any tips or lure suggestions? Also i believe most of the trout are only a year old or so because they are all around 6 inches.

[RobbyZ5001]

Well first of all neither of those trout are native to Pennsylvania. I fish in Centre County where Spring Creek is located. It is one of the best "native" catch and release streams on the East Coast. I would say fly would be the best most natural approach, but they will take what any other trout would take such as spinners and trout magnets.

[Gatorbassman]

Mepps spinner with the little red straw on the hook and a copper #0 blade. It's the best trout spinner I have ever heard of or used.

[Calcutta]

Ive used the blue fox and the mepps spinner but, If you can use a fly rod use a gold bead head nymph. Ive had luck with them over any thing else!

[rippin_lips]

Flies would be the best. I don't know about PA but down in NC nymphs like beaded prince nymphs or hares ears work well. Other than that mepps would be your best bet.  Maybe try one of these if you don't fly fish:

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0011718116810a&type=product&cmCat=SEARCH_all&returnPage=search-results1.jsp&Ntk=Products&QueryText=mepps+fly&sort=all&Go.y=0&_D%3AhasJS=+&N=0&Nty=1&hasJS=true&Go.x=0&_DARGS=%2Fcabelas%2Fen%2Fcommon%2Fsearch%2Fsearch-box.jsp.form23&_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1

[kevin07]

Well first of all neither of those trout are native to Pennsylvania. I fish in Centre County where Spring Creek is located. It is one of the best "native" catch and release streams on the East Coast. I would say fly would be the best most natural approach, but they will take what any other trout would take such as spinners and trout magnets.

Yeah after i posted it i realised that it was a wild trout steam not native. Went out today and tried a couple of thing and i caught a nice brown on a trout magnet. I will have to go out and buy some flies to try haven't used the fly rod in a wile hope im not to rusty. thanks for the suggestions.

[J Francho]

Depends on the water temperature.  I find spinners mostly ineffective below 45°.  I won't say they don't ever work, but the fishes metabolism is just too low.  I mainly use float rigs.  If the flow is too high for even a huge 14g float, then I'll switch to a bottom bounce rig.  For bait, spawn sacks, Berkley Trout Worms, Mini Foo jigs, 8 and 10mm trout beads, and the occasional wooly bugger or ESL fly.  Yes, flies fish well under a float.  On a warmer, sunny winter day, stonefly are a good pattern.

[ww2farmer]

I have a trout stream that literaly runs through my back yard, I have always caught them on a piece of Berkley power bait trout dough on a #10 hook with a split shot about 18" up the line. There is zero fishing pressure there, so I don't know how relevent my expeirance is.

[J Francho]

Trout dough works too.  I thought I included it on my list.  One interesting tidbit:  I normally use a small sized ball of dough - 5 to 8mm, but this past spring I couldn't get bit by anything during the height of the spring steel run.  Fish were in the riffles and on the move to spawning grounds - not actively feeding.  i switched to mixing two or three colors to make a marble size offering.  Needless to say, I had 25 fish on the bank that day, and hooked countless others.  this was the small, but legal (21" min. here) one I took home for dinner that night:

[Pitchinkid]

Native Brookes around here will hit a turd wrapped in more turd. Not the most picky fish in my opinion. Though a ninja lisence or being chuck norris helps. There are very aware of anything approaching the stream. I like any bright colored wooly burger or clowser minnow. Just helps me see the fly better. But yellow is my favorite. When i fish with a spinning rod i like bass pro bitsy tubes, 1 1/2'.and a royal coachman joes flie.

[daviscw]

Im surprised nobody has mentioned corn!

[kevin07]

Thanks for the advice everyone, looks like I have a bunch of things to try next time I head out.

[silvercliff_46]

I like the fly rod too, but for small creeks and at certain times live bait can be the answer too.  Besides worms and crawlers, you can try hoppers, crickets, minnows, leaches, wax worms, canned corn kernels, cheese, bread dough.  

HMmmm! canned corn, cheese, bread, trout.  Sounds like shore lunch. 8-)

[done]

I hit the mountain streams in NC all the time. We have a lot more luck with Live bait, Crickets seem to work real nicely.

[NYfishwow]

If i was fishig were you live in NC then i would use something like worms, but your inline spinners are good idea, i didn't use mepps, but two years ago i used them for gar in river. It didn't work!

[DawsonH]

If you do not have a fly rod you can try using a clear slip bobber on an ultra-light with "two" bobber stops to cast flys. Just put one up for how deep you want it and the other about a foot from the fly so that when you cast the hook eye doesn't get caught up in the slip bobber. Works on the stocker trout they put in here during the winter time. You will need to base your colors on whatever you see them eating.