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Spinning for sea trout by Paul Dunstan

Spinning for sea trout can be a very effective method and the ability to fish a spinner, spoon or plug well will add to the angler’s armoury.

When compared to fly fishing, spinning has often been described as ‘mechanical’ and if all one did was to cast and retrieve, cast and retrieve then it would be a dull and repetitive activity. However, in the right conditions and with some thought spinning can provide exciting sport.

So, what are the right conditions? Obviously, there are times when the river conditions makes fishing the fly a poor choice. When the river is up and brown following a flood and a large fly can’t be seen six inches under the surface then usually it’s spinner time!

How would I tackle these conditions? In ‘big’ water I favour a spinning rod of around 10 feet that will cast a lure of between 10 and 60gms. This is sturdy rod that will hopefully enable me to control a large fish in fast water and the length is useful for avoiding bank-side vegetation and obstructions. Married to the rod is a fixed spool reel, something like a Shimano Baitrunner or Okuma Toledo TD40 that will hold around 150 yards of 10 to 12lb breaking strain mono.

Having said 10 to 12lb mono, these days I favour the use of braid. Braids are made by braiding or weaving fibres of a man-made material like Spectra or Micro-Dyneema into a strand of line. This makes a very strong, tough line that is very abrasion resistant. This line is so strong that you have trouble breaking it when you get hung up. Braids have a small diameter (30lb BS Spiderwire has a diameter similar to 8lb BS mono!), are very limp and don't have any memory. With a reel properly loaded with braid it’s possible to cast a light lure a very long way. They have very little stretch so it is possible to pull a lure away from a fish. You must have the reel drag set so hooks don’t pull out if a fish makes a strong run, particularly when it’s on a short line close to the bank. Knotting and cutting braids can be difficult. Braid scissors are necessity because normal scissors or clippers won’t work well. More about knots later.

    
I am Very Grateful to Paul Dunstan for writing this article, he is an accomplished angler, not only with Spinners, but also with the fly.
 
On the business end we need a lure that’s appropriate to the river conditions and in a big water I favour a big lure. My personal favourite would be a Rapala Countdown as large as 11cm. This may seem large but if you consider what a sea trout feeds on at sea and the size of the fish we’re after then it’s not too big. It’s a constant source of amazement to me how many small fish both sea trout and brownies will accept such large lures. As the water level begins to drop then so does the lure size, perhaps down to 9 or 7cm. My favourite Rapalas are Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Black & Silver and something like Fire Tiger for shock tactics! Alternatively a large Flying C. The important feature is that it can be kept at the fishing depth and not swept to the surface in fast, high water.
Putting it all together, I first of all add around 10 feet of mono as a leader to the end of the braid using a Double Grinner or Uni knot.
This is an excellent knot for joining lines of different diameter / material but for extra security I like add a drop of super glue after the two knots are snugged up against each other.
This length of mono acts to separate the lure from the more visible braid and does add a small amount of shock absorption to the set up.
In the event of snagging your lure with this set up take great care when pulling for a break. Don’t pull through the rod but wrap the line around your arm, turn your back to the river and walk away until you pull free.
Double Grinner or Uni Knot
      

Attaching the Rapala

To attach the Rapala it’s worth learning to tie the Rapala knot that creates an open loop and doesn’t limit or reduce the swimming action of the lure.

If you choose to fish a Flying C or any other lure that revolves or wobbles such as a Toby then you need to incorporate a swivel a couple of feet up the leader to minimise the effects of line twist, although line twist is almost a thing of the past if you use braid as a main line.

Having got it all together and faced with a river running high what should our tactics be? The first thing to consider is that sea trout will probably be holding up in lies that would not contain fish in normal water levels, they may be lying in spots where we would normally stand to fish! I like to look for areas where the fish can hold station out of the main current and it’s important to remember that fish are likely to lie and take the lure very close to the bank. I also like to cast up and across stream to give the Rapala or Flying C time to get down and stay down at a fishing depth. Flying Cs need to be ‘kicked’ into action to start the blade spinning if fished in this way. This way the lure tracks down and across the river and swings around attractively as it lifts from the fishing depth at the end of the retrieve.