Unconventional Trout Techniques

[hoglaw]

With some pretty unconventional water in Ark/MO, I figured someone would have to have tried some unconventional trout techniques along the way. I remember Trav always touted himself as a guy who pursued big browns with bass tackle on Tanny.

My specific question is what types of heavier lures have folks used to target trout on the White and our other tailwaters? It's no secret that big jerkbaits in big water produce big fish. But what about crawdad cranks like a wiggle wart? Not a little rebel craw, but an 8' deep rock grinding reaction bait? What about tubes or other bottom bouncing plastics? With the ability to drift over miles and miles of chunk rock and gravel, surely someone has tried getting after them with a wart before, or some other power-fishing type lure covering lots of ground for big fish.

[tjulianc]

I caught a rainbow on a skirted jig/craw combo while fishing for smallmouth. I've also caught one on a craw crank, a live target 2 1/8", but I know people target browns with warts, cause I've seen them, but haven't had success with it myself. The Rapala DT series will also work.

Also seen rainbows caught on 5" senkos.

[Gavin]

I'm sure that they will eat a Wart....Steelhead & Salmon anglers use them alot, but they like colors that you would not choose for bass...Depends on the species though..You cannot find a lure too big for a brown trout, but they like drab or natural colors. Rainbows seem to prefer smaller flash and flouresence. By small...I mean less than 3" long.

[rps]

The largest brown I ever had on the line hit a number 7 crawdad color shad rap and took it away from me. I had the fish close to the boat twice, and it was a legitimate mid to high teens with a definite hook jaw. I have landed, weighed, and released a 9 and an 11, and that fish was much larger.

[Mitch f]

I have caught trout at Taney on crankbaits, but never a WW. I guess it's the hesitation in the jerkbait cadence that really causes the strike.

[duckydoty]

I have caught rainbows in Alaska on K-16 Kwickfish, Mag Warts and #5 Tee Spoons while trolling for Kings. The K-16's are some big hardware.

[mic]

He!!, I've caught five inch wild rainbows in the Ozarks on the inch and half Rapala minows. I'm sure they would work for browns.

[laker67]

You are right Mic, the browns love those five inch rainbows.

[hoglaw]

Last time I was over at the White, we fished the catch and release area that is downstream from the norfork about 5 or 6 miles (not really sure on the distance) and we really got into the smallmouth. No big ones, but we caught five or six very fat fish in the 12-14" range on husky jerks. So while I assume that fishing warts upstream of the warm water influences would be an all or nothing big fish kind of deal, I have to think that doing it downstream could get us into some bonus smallmouth too.

[mic]

You are right Mic, the browns love those five inch rainbows.

You ho-able.