Trout Spinners: Blade Patterns, How to Fish Them and More

There is a reason that trout spinners are among the most popular trout lures of all time: they catch fish.

Spinners throw flash and vibration that are irresistible to ornery both wild and stocked trout, which will even catch suspicious, finicky fish in clear water conditions.

But there is also a great deal of variety in trout spinners. Here are the basic blade patterns along with their relative virtues, as well as how to fish these trout fishing lures effectively.

Trout Spinner Blade Patterns

The main determinant of the speed at which a trout spinner can be effectively worked, as well as how deep or shallow it will usually run, is the spinner blade pattern.

The narrowest, thinnest blades are called willow leaf blades. These are long, thin blades and have a pointed tip, similar to a willow leaf, hence the name. Willow leaf spinners tend to sink rapidly and must be worked at a relatively higher speed to keep the blade turning. This makes them effective in deep water. They can, however, be difficult to keep turning at slow speeds. Rooster Tails, one of the most popular types of trout spinners, of all time, uses a spinner blade pattern that is similar to a willow leaf, although their blades do not have pointed edges like a true willow leaf blade.

Indiana blades are slightly shorter and wider than willow blades, and they have a rounded off trailing edge rather than a pointed one. This makes them more effective at slightly slower retrieves than willow leaf blades; the wider profile also throws a bit more vibration.

Colorado blades are shorter and deeper than Indiana blades; this is the style of spinner blade used by Thomas spinners. Because they are short and deep, they produce maximum vibration, which can be highly effective on trout. Moreover, because of the blade profile, they turn reliably at low speed, which can make them effective even in very shallow water, as even at low speed they will ride high in the water column.

Another popular spinner blade pattern is known as a French blade. This is the style of blade used by Mepp’s Aglia and Black Fury spinners, which have been popular with trout fishermen for decades. It is a little bit longer than a Colorado blade and has a depression in the face of the blade. Like Colorado blades, however, French blades produce a lot of vibration and turn reliably, even at slow speeds.

In addition to these main types of blades, there are some other specialty types, such as tomahawk blades, so-named because the blade looks somewhat similar to an ax head. They are however much less common than the blade patterns mentioned above.

Clevis or No Clevis?

The majority of in-line trout spinners feature a part known as a clevis which is used to secure the blade or blades to the central wire shaft. The clevis enables smooth rotation but it is another part that can be bent or damaged, and when that occurs, the spinner will not turn reliably.

Some trout spinners, such as our Buggy Spinner and the majority of Panther Martin spinners, feature an in-line blade that attaches directly to the wire shaft, without the need for a clevis. Because of the tighter profile, these trout spinners produce a faster, higher-frequency vibration than most spinners that attach via a clevis.

How to Fish Trout Spinners

There are numerous effective ways to fish a trout spinner, but we will cover some of the more common techniques here.

One of the most effective and basic techniques is to cast the spinner upstream and retrieve it downstream at a rate just slightly faster than the current. Ideally, you want to retrieve the lure at a rate just fast enough that the blade turns. This is a very natural presentation as trout will position themselves facing upstream to take advantage of any prey that is caught by the current and carried downstream.

Another effective technique is to cast the lure across the stream, slightly upcurrent, allowing it to swing out and around with the current so that you are more or less retrieving just across the current. Again, retrieve the spinner just quickly enough that the blade turns.

While trout spinners are typically given a straight retrieve, another potentially effective technique is a stop and go cadence, in which the spinner is retrieved, then paused, allowing the blade to flutter and the lure to drop, before being retrieved again. This can be particularly effective on wary fish, which will follow the lure hesitantly. When this technique produces, often the strike will come on the drop.

Spinners can also be retrieved against the current, but this generally produces an unnatural presentation and the resistance of the water will cause the spinner to run very high, even when retrieved at low speeds. Only use an against the current presentation when other techniques are failing to draw strikes.

As for lure presentation, anywhere you can find structure, you are liable to find fish. Cast to deep pools, bends in the stream, submerged rocks or logs, and work the spinner around them; there are often big trout holding near structure like this.

One last note, when the water temperature drops to 40F, most trout quit chasing fast moving minnows but they react to steady moving spinners.

Tight Lines!

While no single technique will work 100% of the time, the only time you will definitely not catch fish is when you’re not on the water. Take some of this information and put it into practice the next time you get out there.