Best Trout Spoons

Spoons are one of the best trout lures of all time. They mimic other fish, which is something that all trout feed on.

Spoons are a great lure for all types of fishing including shore fishing, trolling, and even vertical jigging, which makes them very versatile and something that every trout angler should have in their tackle box.

Choosing the best trout spoon can be difficult when you’re unfamiliar with what colors and sizes trout are most attracted to. Below we’ll go over some of the top brands, colors, patterns, and sizes that are sure to catch even the pickiest trout.

Acme Kastmaster

The Kastmaster is one of the most famous trout lures of all time. And for good reason. They’re durable, being made from solid brass, which means they’ll last basically forever. You’ll have to replace the treble hook at some point, but you’ll have this spoon forever unless you lose it. You can also cast them farther then most other spoons, and they just flat out work well.

Great for casting, trolling, and vertical jigging – this spoon can do it all.

Available in a variety of colors, we recommend chrome and gold to start with, as those colors typically work best for trout. Other great colors include copper, chrome/neon blue and chrome/neon green.

We recommend choosing sizes 1/8 oz, 1/4 oz, or 3/8 oz. If you’re targeting bigger trout, you might want to consider going with a 1/2 oz or 3/4 oz.

Blue Fox Strobe Tear Drop Spoon

The Blue Fox Strobe Tear Drop Spoon is our go-to tear drop spoon for trout. It’s made from heavy stamped brass and is perfect for trout, but also works great for other species like pike, bass and walleye. This spoon is best for casting or trolling.

Aside from being a great, high quality lure, it’s also less expensive than the competing Dardevle tear drop spoons.

We recommend 1/4 oz or 3/8 oz size spoon in hammered silver, hammered brass, or red/white.

Acme Little Cleo Spoon

The Little Cleo is another great tear drop spoon that comes in a wide variety of sizes and colors. It’s made by Acme so you know you’re getting a high quality lure that will last forever. This spoon is great for trolling or casting.

We recommend the Little Cleo if you’re looking for a tear drop spoon that comes in less common colors/patterns. Sizes 1/4 or or 1/3 oz will be ideal for trout. And colors like copper, nickel, gold, and hammered nickel will work best.

It’s great for trout but also works well for a variety of species including bass, salmon, pike, etc.

Luhr Jensen Krocodile Spoon

The Krocodile spoon is one of the most versatile spoons on the market, and they work great for trout. They are available in a wide variety of sizes and colors, and can be casted, trolled or jigged vertically. They have a narrow profile, so they can be trolled at faster speeds than most spoons, making them ideal for covering large areas of water.

Krocodile spoons are very versatile and can catch just about any fish, from freshwater to salt water.

The only drawback to this spoon is it’s a bit pricey. But there are other similar spoons you can find from off-brands, if you do a quick search on Amazon.

Eppinger Original Dardevle Spoon

The Dardevle spoon is one of the most famous tear drop trout spoons of all time. It’s high quality, and should last a lifetime. Available in a wide selection of sizes and colors/patterns, this spoon is best for casting or trolling.

We recommend size 1/4 oz in hammered nickel, red/white, or nickel. Try one of their other unique patterns when one of the classic colors doesn’t work.

How to Choose the Best Trout Spoon

There are a lot of different spoons on the market to choose from. There are spoons in just about any color/color combination and pattern you can imagine. They also come in different sizes and styles. Below we’ll cover when to use specific colors, sizes as well as styles.

As a general rule of thumb, matching the hatch is usually the best way to catch trout. Look in the water to see the size and color of any baitfish or forage that are present. Trying to imitate that will likely yield the best results, as it’s what the trout are already feeding on and are looking for.

Tip: If you keep trout to eat, check their stomach contents to see what they’re eating, so you have an idea of what color or size of spoon to use for next time/

Which Color of Spoon is Best for Trout?

Choosing the right color will mainly depend on water clarity and weather. Although, the body of water you’re fishing can play a role as baitfish species and forage will vary from lake to lake.

For stained or muddy water, or fishing in low light conditions, darker colors like black, brown, blue or green tend to work better and are more visible to trout than bright colors.

For clear water and sunny weather, any sort of chrome or metallic colors like gold and silver will work best.

For clear water and cloudy weather, white, red, orange, and other natural colors tend to work best.

Which Spoon Size is Best for Trout?

Choosing an optimal spoon size can be a bit difficult, as trout tend to be very picky, and the right spoon size can very greatly. Spoons in the 1/8 oz to 3/8 oz range tend to be best for most trout.

We recommend having a variety of different spoon sizes in your tacklebox and switching sizes if you’re not getting bites. Again, matching the hatch plays a huge role, so check if you can see what size of baitfish are present in the lake you’re fishing.

Which Style of Spoon is Best for Trout?

Spoons typically come in three styles, teardrop, thick and narrow, and thin and narrow.

Teardrop spoons, like the Dardevle, create a lot of action in the water and have a more dramatic flutter. They are great for drawing attention. These spoons weigh less and their exaggerated fluttering motion will make them sink slower.

Thick and narrow spoons, like Kastmasters, are great for casting long distances, making them great for fishing from shore. They also sink fast with little flutter, so they’re a great option for fishing deeper in the water column. Spoons like Kastmasters are perfect for casting but they also work well for trolling and vertical jigging.

Thin and narrow spoons, like Krocodiles, are great not only for trout, but many other species like salmon, bass, walleye, and even salt water fish. They’re great for trolling, casting, and jigging. We recommend having these in your tacklebox as a great all around lure for multiple species.

How to Fish for Trout with a Spoon

There are three main ways to fish with a spoon: casting, trolling, and vertical jigging.

Casting and retrieving is the most common way spoons are fished. Use a consistent retrieve and try different speeds until you find what’s working. You can also incorporate slight pauses when retrieving, which can sometimes trigger strikes, as it makes the spoon imitate a wounded bait fish.

Trolling spoons is a great way to find fish fast. Spoons like the Kastmaster and Krokodile can be trolled at faster speeds, and are great for fishing new bodies of water where you’re unsure where the fish typically are.

Vertical jigging can be done from a boat, docks, or ice. Use a consistent up and down motion with your rod, varying the speed and range of motion until you find what works best. Vertical jigging can be tough when fishing for trout, as they often take it on the drop, meaning you always have to be ready to pull up hard to set the hook. If you’re jigging and notice sudden slack in the line when there should be little or none, it means the fish has the spoon in its mouth. Don’t wait until you feel tension, just set the hook.

Summary

To sum it up, the best trout spoon can vary widely depending on available baitfish and forage, time of day, weather, water color, etc., but in general, a spoon between 1/8 oz and 3/8 oz tend to be the best sizes, and classic colors like chrome, silver, nickel, gold and brass tend to work best the majority of the time.

We recommend stocking up on a variety of different types of spoons and having a good selection of different sizes, colors, and patterns.