For salmonids - spinner vs. spoon vs. crankbait?

streamscream · Aug 17, 2014

Hello, i've been in pursuit of trout/steelies in the Willamette in Eugene for past few weeks and actually this is my first attempt to catch a wild salmonid.

I've used size #0 or #1 spinners, but they tend to sink faster that i'd like in shallow water when i'm retrieving them slow and get snagged very often.
Do you think an extremely light spoon such as a Dick-Nite or a tiny crankbait would be more effective?
I'm also considering drift fishing with a bobber and small plastic worms.

I really hate snags because they make me feel like i'm throwing garbage into the water...

grampa ron · Aug 17, 2014

As far as I know the Salmon fishing is over on Willamette system. If there are any they would be in the deep fast water.

streamscream · Aug 17, 2014

Any trout/steelie would do for me

In fact i doubt i can haul in a proper sized salmon with my ultralight tackle.

DrTheopolis · Aug 17, 2014

streamscream said:
In fact i doubt i can haul in a proper sized salmon with my ultralight tackle.

Sure you can. Just takes finesse.

Probably not the best choice of gear, bet it certainly can be done.

There's plenty of knowledgeable Eugene area anglers here who can give you much better advice than me, but see if you can't get out to a trib (the MacKenzie comes to mind).

Welcome.

eugene1 · Aug 17, 2014

Match the hatch, or just simply match your lures to the conditions.

Good luck,

SmallStreams · Aug 22, 2014

If you're working shallow riffles/rapids, I've had good luck hanging in the current or swinging across the current with Luhr Jensen Krokodiles. They don't seem to snag quite as easily as spinners do.

If you're working pools, stick with the spinners. There isn't usually enough current to make spoons/wobblers effective.

Third option is to upsize your spinners. Larger spinner = heavier blade, so it will spin more slowly with the same retrieval rate. Personally, I don't use anything smaller than #2.

Bobber & drift fishing works, but I'm more talented with hardware, so tend to start there and use the bobber/drift techniques when I'm not getting results.

streamscream · Aug 22, 2014

SmallStreams said:
If you're working shallow riffles/rapids, I've had good luck hanging in the current or swinging across the current with Luhr Jensen Krokodiles. They don't seem to snag quite as easily as spinners do.

If you're working pools, stick with the spinners. There isn't usually enough current to make spoons/wobblers effective.

Third option is to upsize your spinners. Larger spinner = heavier blade, so it will spin more slowly with the same retrieval rate. Personally, I don't use anything smaller than #2.

Bobber & drift fishing works, but I'm more talented with hardware, so tend to start there and use the bobber/drift techniques when I'm not getting results.

You mean a spinner with heavier blade would actually get less snags?

For salmonids - spinner vs. spoon vs. crankbait?

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