Favorite Crankbaits for Trout

  • Joel Nelson
    Moderator
    Southeast MN
    Posts: 3123
    #1319628

    I was down to a local river the other day with my kids. They threw bobbers and bait for chubs, and I was hucking a Husky Jerk and a Floating Rap. I got a few to commit but never hooked up. Wondering what you guys are using for trout, and in what colors? Gold/Black has been good in the past, but most of my trout fishing in the past has been on the fly or with bait.

    Joel

    tucrs
    NW Metro
    Posts: 997
    #1175249

    Smaller old school black and silver was always a go to lure.

    Gold has worked well a few times too.

    Wonder if a Scatter Rap would work well for trout?

    Paul Heise
    River Falls, Wi
    Posts: 723
    #1175255

    I used to use the small panfish sized raps in natural colors. They are maybe an inch and a half long max. They are fairly round, about the size of a gumball with a stuby tail. Otherwise the smallest original floaters worked well too.

    sauger
    Hastings ,MN
    Posts: 2442
    #1175256

    Call Bob. He has been crushing…….

    burbob
    Hastings,MN
    Posts: 364
    #1175278

    Hey Joel. I got some trail cams to put up, sounds like we need to do a trout and scout night soon!
    That’s usually the norm with HJ’s. They will trigger alot of bites but they don’t always get hooks. On days when they are not crushing it I will usually switch to a Rapala Ultra light minnow or a Vibrax shallow running spinner. I’m usually working up stream so the shallow blade allows for a slower retrieve running with the current. Also with the HJ’s and UL minnows I fast twitch the rod tip to let the bait hold over good water longer, rather than just using a standard retrieve. My go to colors are black/silver and black/gold for HJ’s. For spinners I usually run gold or a blue/chrome. The x-rap in rainbow can be good at times too! As you know it all depends on the stream and the species you are after, for some reason Brookies seem to never miss the hooks and a brown can crush it and get none.

    Joel Nelson
    Moderator
    Southeast MN
    Posts: 3123
    #1175285

    Nice post Bobby, streams are starting to clear up, you should come down!

    Fishing bigger hard baits for trout is fairly new to me. Spinners were about all we used when I was younger, then I did nothing but fly-fish….now I’m coming back around.

    Water is moving pretty fast now, it’s a bit more challenging to steer that bait in heavier current, but there’s fish holding in the depths below that fast stuff. Will report back as I continue to get out.

    Thanks!

    Joel

    mudneck_joe
    SE MN
    Posts: 409
    #1175320

    Go Big!! I like trout pattern raps or orange if water is dirty.

    Tom Sawvell
    Inactive
    Posts: 9559
    #1175400

    Joel…Try a minnow bait like a #3 ro a #7 Rap in gold over orange. Take the original and the count down.

    I’d also bring a spinner or two along. A number 2 or 3 is about right for the average stream trout. Gold would be my first choice and without the hair on the treble. The orange tubing on the hook would be my first choice.

    Joel Nelson
    Moderator
    Southeast MN
    Posts: 3123
    #1176065

    Quote:


    Joel…Try a minnow bait like a #3 ro a #7 Rap in gold over orange. Take the original and the count down.

    I’d also bring a spinner or two along. A number 2 or 3 is about right for the average stream trout. Gold would be my first choice and without the hair on the treble. The orange tubing on the hook would be my first choice.


    Thanks Tom – took your advice to a “T” and all worked well. I don’t have much for pics, as the cell-phone self photo in the center of a stream is a bit tricky, but we did well on all of the above.

    It’s amazing to me that a trout doesn’t have to be very big to smash a #7 or #9 floating rap. Gold/Black was our best color. Rainbows and browns both seemed to like it equally. Some missed fish, but most of those fish just rolled at it, which was nice in revealing their location.

    As for spinners, I’m going to save that for another post. For the water conditions we were facing, something heavier yet not too big was the clear ticket. You were right, it was in gold!

    Joel

    Rusty21
    Posts: 50
    #1178485

    I’ve been using the finesse sinking raps gold, grey and chrome blue with a lot of success. I think the key feature to this lure is the square lip. The wider wobble leads to more hook ups when compared to yo zuri pins with a round lip. I have been using a fairly aggressive retrieve of rhythmic snaps and a constant retrieve. This approach seems to lead to more hook ups also. Not snapping the lure or a slow retrieve seems to lead to poor hook ups since the fish seem to flash at the lures with at times little interest in actually eating it (more of a territorial bite..?)

    FYI, I mainly fished during may so that may have something to do with the nature of the bite I experienced.

    steve_foss
    Ely, MN, USA
    Posts: 20
    #1185437

    I’m pretty much specifically an inland lake trout guy, and spoons typically outfish cranks on my preferred water (Burntside Lake), but when I throw on a crank, its usually an old school black/silver or black/gold jointed Rap. The new Scatter Raps are productive as well.

    Can’t forget the ever-popular clown color pattern, always a good option when going opposite of the natural look.

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