Rec and Sports

Some Thoughts On Trophy Trout Fishing Lures From The Masters

When you look in your tackle box, you are probably greeted by two extremes: trout fishing lures which are battle scarred and faded from frequent use and others which still look as shiny as ever – come to think of it, have you even tried those out yet? Trying to decide which lure will give you the best shot at landing a prize trophy fish can be as baffling as predicting the winning lottery numbers. If you plan on reeling in some trophy trout this season, you’re going to have to get to know your fishing lures very well indeed.

“Personally, I wish I could catch them all with a topwater, but the most important consideration is always how deep the water is wherever you happen to be fishing,” reports Mike Wexielman, a trout fishing expert with the credentials – a wall of prize winning catches to back up the value of his advice.

Mike prefers to keep things simple with his first choice of fishing lures. “If I’m fishing deep waters, I use subsurface tackle. However, if I’m out wading in some shallows, I start off with a topwater lure.”

Mike Wexielman also suggests that anglers step down when faced with trout who seem disinterested. When he sees this happen, he makes the switch from topwaters to slow sinkers – and if needed, to soft plastic fishing lures. Wexielman has done very well using this approach, adding “If you see swirls going on underneath your lure, then you have to change up your speed; the little changes can make a huge difference.”

Subsurface lures with slow presentations have long been the standby for big specks during cold months. However, when the slow-sinker and topwater bite turns sour, Mike starts “finessing.” The darting presentation of a soft plastic may be the entree to a very big feast.

“Sometimes people forget how much good can come of plastic fishing lures. Sometimes, a plain old red and white paddle tail minnow can get some great big specks interested,” says Wexielman. He’s an angler who goes his own way and despite the advice you may find in fishing reports, tells us that the single biggest trout he has even seen caught was brought in with tails. Mike says if he has one piece of fishing advice it’s this: never fear switching to a jig; it can work out to be the best thing you’ve done all day.

Captain Cody Maddox, a fishing guide based in Galveston says that before picking out a lure for big trout, he studies the water. “I start by checking out the baitfish; I want to know what kind is there and how they’re behaving.” Maddox factors in both the structures in the area and water clarity when choosing.

Great minds think alike when it comes to fishing lures it seems: Maddox shares Wexielman’s enthusiasm for topwaters. “If it’s not working for me, I just switch to a slow sinker like a Corky Fatboy.” Maddox favors soft plastics when he works deep waters with shell pads and rocks in order to stay in the strike zone.

“For me, topwaters and slow sinkers have always been the best for catching big trout, but the biggest speck I’ve ever caught personally was using a bass assassin tail, of all things,” says Maddox.

Maddox isn’t afraid to experiment with different lures, even adding to them by painting on gills, coloring tails and even adding bucktails. For Maddox and others who pursue trophy quality trout, it’s all part of the fun.

The message here is that just as in life itself, you can’t be entirely sure of anything in trout fishing. You can pick out the right fishing lures, read up on all the fishing reports, but success may be waiting for you where you least expect it – and so might a record breaking speck.