Methods for fishing a river using a spinning outfit

[MikeFishes]

What are some good methods for fishing a river using a spinning outfit? I've used some dick-nite spoons and wedding rings. What else can I use? Targeting trout.

Most rivers on the west side of the state have non-buoyant lure restrictions, so nothing with trebble hooks. What else is there? I guess I could try a Blue Fox spinner and switch out the trebble for a single hook swash.

Would you use a wet-fly on a river? How would you rig it?

[Drewp]

You can do pretty well with a clear bobber and fly set up. Rig it with as long a leader as you can stand to cast with, and keep your eye on the prize. Dry flies make it easier to detect strikes cuz you can see them, but if you watch your float, you'll be able get 'em on a wet fly set up.

[MikeFishes]

You can do pretty well with a clear bobber and fly set up. Rig it with as long a leader as you can stand to cast with, and keep your eye on the prize. Dry flies make it easier to detect strikes cuz you can see them, but if you watch your float, you'll be able get 'em on a wet fly set up.

Cool, I'll give it a try next time I'm out there. Any other suggestions?

[CraigVM62]

The sky is the limit for small lures that trout will be attracted to. I have found them to be attracted to anything shinny. I liked the heavier spoons and lures like the Castmaster. Their weight did not require I add any weights to get the casting distance I wanted. It was common to find that larger trout would have small fish in their stomachs. When targeting 16 inch and larger trout, I even had success with smaller "fake fish" lures like Rapala's.

This was from years of fishing on Colorado, Utah and Idaho rivers. Since I have moved to WA, I have only fished for Salmon and Steelhead on the rivers. I can't say I am up on the restrictions for trout on the rivers.
I used to have good luck drifting any natural bait that trout are used to seeing. This includes worms, grubs, hellgrammites, grasshoppers... Salmon eggs were alway productive, even on rivers with no natural salmon runs.
By drifting them from a bobber, you can determine the level the bait will drift and easier to know if you have a strike. Bounceing off the bottom made it hard to know just what was a strike vs. gear bounceing off rocks and such. Much less snags also as you can imagine.

Good Luck

[panfisher]

i like to use the panthermartin spinners for trout fishing, i just clip the extra two hooks off if i have to fish with a single hook. or you can buy the single hook to change out the three prong.either has worked for me. what i have been using alot lately are small jigs that are tied with a flashy material. you can fish this the same as a weighted fly, cast and retreive by itself works best for me, has the look of a minnow. this also works well on the lakes. <')//<

[MikeFishes]

i like to use the panthermartin spinners for trout fishing, i just clip the extra two hooks off if i have to fish with a single hook. or you can buy the single hook to change out the three prong.either has worked for me. what i have been using alot lately are small jigs that are tied with a flashy material. you can fish this the same as a weighted fly, cast and retreive by itself works best for me, has the look of a minnow. this also works well on the lakes. <')//<

Do you have a picture of the jig you are talking about? I can't really get a picture in my head. All I can think of is the jigs like a marabou jig. I'd guess something like it but shiny.

What would be the best way to fish a jig on a river?

[gpc]

Im pretty new to river fishing as well. But Iv been up to the flaming geyser area not too long ago. The green has rainbows and cutts as well as steelhead and other salmon species. Being this was my first river fishing in a while I targeted the trout every time I went. I just brought my regular trout tackle. I used blue foxes the most. The brighter colors seemed to work best. I also used rooster tails and they did pretty well. The other thing that seemed to work pretty well was krocodiles. Along with kastmasters. I didnt catch anything big, but I was just happy to catch something

[MikeFishes]

You can do pretty well with a clear bobber and fly set up. Rig it with as long a leader as you can stand to cast with, and keep your eye on the prize. Dry flies make it easier to detect strikes cuz you can see them, but if you watch your float, you'll be able get 'em on a wet fly set up.

I went back this morning and tried the wet fly with a clear bobber. Got two hits... on the bobber not the fly. On well. I did catch two Northern Pikeminnows, the first one was pretty big. Probably about 14" long. Put up a real good fight at first. I didn't kill it and take it home cause I was on my way into work. Maybe next time.

[ruthven78]

I've used my fly rod on the bank of the Pend Orielle River with limited success....fact the best trout I've caught in that river was off a fly rod using a #6 brown woolly worm (with red butt). My only problem was that since the pend orielle flows south to north (which for me would be flowing right to left) and I cast right handed, there was little I could do to cast upriver without getting snagged during the backcast. Were I was going the bank was rather high and steep. Im not that good roll casting either. Another thing I would do is try to find good eddies and cast downstream so that during my retrieve I would be coming in with the eddy. Course the only thing I caught this way was perch, squaw, and the occasional tinch.

The only decent trout I caught on that river was when I waded out about mid-thigh high just upriver from the Metaline boat launch....it was a long time ago but I believe it was about 14 inches....gave one heck of a fight too. If you can find a way to get on the side of a millfoil weed bed, the side opposite from shore, and cast lengthwise down the weed bed, should do ok for perch & bass. Caught a few large mouthbass off a black woolly bugger this way.

[panfisher]

mickey sorry i didn't get back with you on your question about the use of a jig for fishing rivers. i've done alright with jigs on the natches, yakima, and alot of the smaller tribs and creeks they are easy to crimp or file the barb if needed. i use an all tinsil jig to one that is marabou with some tinsil mixed in the size is 1/64 to 1/100th oz jigs and i found that its a matter of matching the food base. minnows, nymphs, etc, i've done great on the the lakes and ponds for trout also using a crystal colored 1/80 jig with a casting bobber to get the jig out there, keeping it moving with a lite jigging motion. i like using a long pole to cast farther, i 've done o.k. using a flyrod with a spinning reel 2-4lb line will bring in big fish with a longer pole, i,ve been planning on asking about a picture site for our tackle box's and tackle riggings that we like to use. a picture says a thousand words as they say.

[Derrick-k]

perry winkle wet fly worked well for me.