Best Spinners for Trout in 2023

Spinners are one of the best lures for trout along with spoons. Take a look in any anglers tacklebox and you’ll be surprised not to see at least a few spinners.

Spinners are great all around lures for a variety of fish. They work great because they emit vibrations, which trout can sense. The spinner blade also gives off flash, further attracting trout.

Below we’ll go over the best colors, sizes and brand of spinners, as well as how and when to fish them.

Panther Martin Deluxe Spinner

Panther Martin spinners are one of the most commonly used trout lures of all time. The Panther Martin Deluxe Spinner has a bullet shaped brass body with a convex/concave blade that sends out vibrations that trout can’t resist.

The Panther Martin Deluxe Spinner with a silver blade and silver body is a great choice for fishing clear water on a sunny day. The shiny silver color reflects the light well in these conditions and will attract trout from greater distances than most other colors.

Panther Martin spinners are known for their heavier sizes, making this a great option for those looking for a bigger spinner that can be casted far or fished in fast moving water.

It comes in sizes ranging from the lightweight 1/32 oz, which is perfect for small rivers and streams, to the heavy 1/2 oz, which is for casting far distances and fishing deeper in the water column. A good middle of the road spinner size that’s great for multiple trout fishing applications is the 3/8 oz and 1/8 oz.

Original Rooster Tail Spinner

Rooster Tails are one of the most popular spinners out there and have been catching fish for over 60 years. The hackle tail provides unique action that other spinners don’t have, giving it a more lifelike appearance further enticing trout to bite. The blades on Rooster Tail spinners are very high quality and are made from genuine silver, brass and copper.

The Original Rooster Tail spinner comes in four different sizes: 1/16 oz, 1/8 oz, 1/6 oz and 1/4 oz, so it can be used in anything from streams to big lakes.

One of the great things about Rooster Tails is the variety of colors available. They have over 100 different colors/color schemes to choose from. This gives you the option to get very specific and lets you better match the hatch.

Blue Fox Classic Vibrax Spinner

The Classic Vibrax spinner from Blue Fox is another excellent spinner for trout. This spinner is unique in that it has a patented 2 part body with gear like exterior under a bell. The main part of the body rubs against the bell giving off unique vibrations that other spinners don’t have. This unique design also eliminates line twist.

The Classic Vibrax spinner comes with high quality and extremely sharp VMC hooks, ensuring you get solid hook ups.

This spinner ranges in sizes from the tiny 7/64 oz, which is perfect for small streams, all the way up to the 5/8 oz, which is great for fishing deep or fast moving waters and casting far.

It comes in over 30 great color choices. Their black on black spinner is an excellent choice for fishing heavily stained or muddy waters.

Mepps Aglia Plain

The Mepps Aglia Plain is another great spinner for catching trout. First invented by Andre Meulnart in 1938, Mepps are considered to be pioneers of the inline spinner.

The Mepps Aglia Plain spinner is a great option, along with the other spinners mentioned above. It comes in a variety of sizes ranging from 1/12 oz to 1/2 oz and comes in a wide selection of colors.

Mepps makes a wide variety of spinner styles that can catch basically any fish out there. We recommend the Mepps Aglia Plain spinner for its simplicity and the fact that it just flat out works.

The 1/8 oz spinner in classic colors like gold or silver are great choices for almost all sizes of trout. Consider going up to a 1/6 oz or 1/4 oz if you’re targeting large trout.

Best Color Spinner for Trout

The best color of spinner will vary day-to-day. There are several factors that influence trout feeding behavior and what colors they will hit. The clarity of the water, time of day, and weather all play big roles in which color is going to work best.

When fishing in muddy water, heavily stained water, or low light conditions, dark colors tend to work better. Black, blue, green or brown are all great colors to use in these situations.

In high visibility water, red or orange, as well as natural colors that match available forage are going to be your best bet.

For sunny weather, flashy colors like chrome and silver are going to work great at giving off flash, which are going to attract the most attention to your spinner.

For cloudy weather, gold and brass, white, red, chartreuse, and natural or darker colors will work best.

Best Size Spinner for Trout

The best size spinner for trout will depend on the water you’re fishing and the size of trout you’re targeting.

For fast moving deep water, consider a heavier size spinner such as 1/8 oz, 1/6 oz, or 1/4 oz. This will help your spinner get down faster to where it needs to be.

Size is also dependent on how far you need to cast. Fishing a small river or stream? 1/8 oz or less will usually be adequate. Fishing a lake where you need to cast far to reach the fish or need to get it down deep? You’ll probably want to use a heavier spinner like a 1/8 oz or bigger.

Another important factor when choosing the right size is how large the trout are that you’re targeting. Generally speaking, small trout hit small lures while big trout hit big lures. If there are a variety of sizes of trout where you’re fishing and you just want to catch a lot of fish, a smaller spinner is probably going to be your best option. If you only care about catching trophy trout, go with a big spinner 1/4 oz or larger.

How to Fish Spinners for Trout

Where to cast?

Spinners can be casted upstream, downstream and across. However, trout almost always face upstream and feed on insects and other forage that is flowing down the river, so casting upstream can make your spinner appear more natural to trout and will also get it seen by more fish.

Another reason to cast upstream is to keep your spinner below the surface of the water. Casting downstream and retrieving against the current will typically pull your spinner up to the surface, resulting in your lure skipping across the surface – not good for catching fish.

Look for deep pools or pockets where trout tend to hang out, or cast near structure like logs, large rocks/boulders.

Retrieval speed

Once you’ve casted your spinner, retrieval speed will largely depend on how fast the water is flowing. Faster moving water will require a faster retrieve to ensure the blades on the spinner are moving. For slow moving water or still water, play around with your retrieval speed until you find what’s working.

Gear

Rod: An ultralight or light powered fast action rod around 6-7 feet is best for fishing with spinners. Go ultralight if you’re using smaller spinners as this will let you cast farther.

Reel: reel size is not as important, but a 1000 to 3000 size spinning reel will go great with a light or ultralight setup.

Line: For your line, go with 2-6 lb. monofilament, unless you’re after trophy trout, then consider going heavier. A 2-4 foot length of fluorocarbon leader will help ensure line sensitive trout don’t see it. For more information about line, check out our article going over the best types of fishing line for trout.

Last but not least, a swivel is important to use when fishing with spinners to get rid of any line twist. The swivel also lets you quickly switch out lures until you find what size or color is working.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are spinners?

The spinners we’re talking about in this article are known as inline spinners. To put it simply, an inline spinner is a lure with a blade attached to a center wire that can freely spin. Spinners have a weighted body also attached to the center wire with hooks, either treble or single, just below the body.

Why do trout bite spinners?

The blade of the spinner throws of flash, imitating baitfish, which are a primary part of a trout’s diet.

What spinners are good for trout?

Any of the inline spinners mentioned above in this article are good for trout. Common brands include Mepps, Blue Fox, Worden’s, and Panther Martin.

What color of spinner is best for trout?

Gold and silver colored spinners work great to catch trout under most conditions. For low light or muddy water, consider a dark color like black, blue, green, or brown.