ABSAROKEE, Mont. — It was one of those gusty spring days when the wind blew my fly line 10 feet downstream from where I was aiming. It was frustrating, exhausting and I wasn’t catching any fish.
A more dedicated fly angler would have worked around the problem by changing lines, rods or fishi
ng holes, but I’m fairly impatient. So I strung up the packable spinning rod I’d brought along and began casting spinners into the green-tinged liquid of the Stillwater River.
At first, my switch made no difference in my success. Then my fishing buddy and I moved about 10 miles downstream to below where the Rosebud River joins the Stillwater. After only a few casts into a broad riffle, I had a brown trout tugging at the end of my line. From then on, the fishing picked up and my mood brightened despite the relentless wind.
No respect
Spin fishing may be the Rodney Dangerfield of angling, it gets no respect. There are no magazines dedicated to spin fishing, nor are there any shops specifically targeted at spin fishermen.
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But for anglers, it’s an active alternative to bait fishing and employs some of the same attention to presentation and casting as fly angling. On mountain lakes, spin fishing is a great way to cover a lot of water, and it’s more fun that watching a fly or strike indicator bob on the waves when the fish aren’t biting.
What’s more, most children can quickly learn the technique with a relatively inexpensive rod and reel setup and a $30 selection of spinners. I wore out many a Zebco rod and reel combo in my youth. Or haunt garage sales or pawn shops to find cheap used gear. Kids like spin fishing because they are constantly doing something, and if not, it’s easy to convert to a bobber and worm or fly setup.
The gear
As a spin anglers’ skills progress, they can step up to an open-faced spinning reel and purchase a higher-priced rod.
I own a lightweight, two-piece spinning rod tuned for 1/8-ounce lures, mainly because I’m not catching fish over 1 to 2 pounds. It has lots of action and casts smaller lures well for fishing small streams, rivers and lakes.
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When I’m backpacking, a simple break-down, Eagle Claw Pack-It rod works great. I prefer the break-down style to the telescoping rods. They retail for around $20. Daiwa also makes a nice backpacking rod with reel for under $50.
I use the same reel for both my rods — an open-faced one that has a fold-down crank, which makes it easier to fit into my backpack. It’s a bit large for backpacking, but I’m too cheap to buy a smaller one just for those trips. You should be able to purchase a decent reel for $50 or less. All together, a nice setup can cost about $100.
For line, I like SpiderWire. It’s strong, thin and sensitive, but there are plenty of other options.
Terminal tackle
When it comes to lure selection, I’m a traditionalist. Panther Martin Regulars are my go-to lures. The regular silver and silver/black always seem to produce.
Another one I’ve had good success with is the Blue Fox Classic Vibrax. I’ve caught a lot of fish on the plain gold and the golden shiner seems to work well.
The Mepps Aglia Black Fury spinner is another good choice, although my luck with Mepps always seems to be more spotty.
For spoons, I’ve always been a Thomas Cyclone fan. One summer I think I caught all of my fish in Canyon Ferry using a copper-colored Thomas Cyclone. The hammered brass and silver Canduit from Thomas is also simple but effective. Everyone should also have a red and white Dardevle in their tackle box.
No lure selection would be complete without a couple of Rapalas. They are good for taking predatory fish like brown trout. I like the originals in gold, silver and brown trout, but the jointed ones are also a good choice and provide a lot more action.
You can easily switch between lures by tying a brass swivel onto your fishing line. If lures aren’t working, it’s simple to change over to a dry fly and a bobber on lakes, or to a bobber and bait.
Casting call
Most of the time when river fishing from the bank, I’m casting directly across the stream and my target is water just downstream, like a hole behind a boulder. The fish hang out in the seams between fast and slow water. I’ll vary my retrieve depending on where there are boulders or holes. Generally, I reel fairly slow at first, letting the current carry the lure like a wounded minnow in its last throes.
If I cast upstream, I generally reel faster, since the lure will quickly sink and it’s easier to snag the bottom. When I’m rafting and rowing, I’ll sometimes cast out and let the lure troll along behind, or I balance the oars under my knees and hammer the banks. The biggest trout I ever caught was late on a hot afternoon while floating through a shallow on the Big Hole River. I never would have suspected a large brown trout was hanging out there if I hadn’t caught that one.
On lakes, I’ll vary my retrieve and move my rod tip to switch the lure’s direction. Sometimes, the fish will hit if you stop reeling. Sometimes they will hit when you speed up the retrieve. To fish deeper, let the lure sink after you cast. If you catch a fish, you can repeat the same depth by counting “one one-thousand, two one-thousand, etc,” after the lure hits the water.
Success is best
For me, fishing is all about whatever works. I’m a utilitarian. If fly fishing isn’t producing, I have no problem switching over to spinners. If spinners aren’t working, I’ll tie a bobber and dry fly on to fish lakes or small streams. In a pinch, I’ll catch a live grasshopper and thread it onto a bare hook.
One could argue that the angler who hops from technique to technique never learns the intricacies of any one style – the old “jack of all trades, master of none” refrain. That may be true, but I’m more the “whatever works” kind of blue collar sportsmen. I enjoy using the different methods. And sometimes when I’m backpacking or camping and plan on fish fillets for dinner, I’ll do whatever it takes to catch a trout.
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