spinners vs. jerk/twitch baits

I just got into inland trout fishing last year and I was curious what the experienced trout fisherman/women think about spinners and jerk or twich baits (rapalas, yo zuris, etc) during the early season. With the water being cold this time of year, are the fish a bit lethargic, so maybe throw something that has a pause in the retrieve? I started trout fishing last year in May and I mainly used spinners that I made and fished upstream from log jams and also dropped the spinner into deeper holes and slowly brought them up. I did pretty well, nothing huge, but I caught a lot of fish. I'm going out on Wednesday and since I've never trout fished this early in the year I just want to have an idea on what to put in my arsenal. Thanks for any help! Clint

never really tried a jerkbait, spinners always do the job for me, might have to try it tho for the bigger trout

This is my first year using jerk baits for trout. I am amazed at their effectiveness. They outfished my spinners on my first day of the year, so they have been my go to lure since. At the very least they are a good search bait. I have noticed several times that a trout will dart out and "strike" at my lure as i am getting close to pulling it out of the water. Even if i can't get that trout to hit twice, I know i have found a spot to try again next time. I have never used jigs for trout in streams, sounds like it might be worth a shot.

i used to use nothing but those baits for inland trout and caught thousands of fish, easily 20-30 fish days. nothing over 14in hardly ever. started using marabou jigs and all that changed. didnt catch nearly as many fish, but when i do hardly ever are they smaller than 14in. 3-4 between 14-20in in an average 2-3hr day. i just went wed and thursday and used nothing but jigs. i caught several each day 14-18in. i target alot of the same spots you do, but so far every fish has come out from under rocks or banks that have rocks along the tops. so the fish can hide under. 75% of the fish i caught was just about as soon as the jig hit the water and was almost under the rock or some even before. that first initial cast and first time the jigs fall is when they hit it so be ready. and pay attention to those spots and plan your casts and apporach very carefully. most fish come on that first cast so it has to count. the thing i like about these jigs is that the little trout dont really ever hit it so you dont have to worry about spooking a good hole with a nice trout in it. especially in smaller streams where thats about all you get out of a spot is one trout. i'm not saying spinners and rapala's dont work cause they do. i just have alot better quality on my jigs is all. it allows the bait to get right down to the bottom where you need it. good luck and would like to know how you do if you try these jigs. remember if your fishing smaller streams you probably wont catch as many and it might even take a little bit for you to get the real hang of jig fishing trout. i know i had to, but i'm glad i never took that jig off that day!

Early season is the best time to be out in my eyes. Im a spinner guy, i like rooster tails the best but panthers are good to. Just because the water is cold doesn't mean there not aggressive , personally i like a medium/fast steady retrieve. Was out last sun, caught 4 browns in waushara co. fished about 2 hours white/silver 1/8oz rooster was best. good luck

Normally my favorite is a Panther Martin but so far this year I have had no success with it. I went out last sunday and had the type of day you would see on TV. Fishing a river system flowing into Green Bay, I tried something different, I used a threeway dropshot style rig with a white swimbait or a Gulp minnow. I caught a 9lb 27.5" female Brown, a 20" male Brown, and lost two using that in one day. I caught the third trout using a black/white zip lure. The trout had just spawned and were very agressive I had a couple hits on a small black/silver suspending rapala also. On that one day I caught 3 nice browns, lost two trout, missed one trout at my feet, and had two fish on that I lost. The river was full of browns every hole I fished was full of them. The fishing hopefully will stay good for a couple more weeks.

I love rapalas. Best rapala for trout ever made was the jointed countdown, but that might just be me. Unfortunately, as inland sweep knows all too well, most of those lures have two sets of trebles which can equal being attached to the lure at the same time the fish is...(ouch!!!) If they ever make a lip grip with jaws that don't hurt trout, I'll go back to those lures. Until then, it's all jigs and flies for me.

The primary lure I use is a small rapala. I have not used a spinner in a long time. The wild trout seem to take perch or trout colored rapalas. I either use a float style to drift the lure into a log jam. I would be facing downstream to do this. Most all the time I fish upstream and I use a sinking rapala so the lure goes subsurface. I will go out tomorrow for my first trout since September. My last trout was a coho from a Lake Superior tributary. Trouter