While fishing in northern Colorado last week, I took trout by flyfishing, ultralight spinning, and even with baitcasting gear—the very same rod and reel I use in bass fishing. During the 1930s and ‘40s, before spinning gear became widely available, guys chucking hardware with baitcast reels were a common sight on major trout rivers.
So I tried it just for the heck of things, and it worked great. This 4-inch Rebel minnow plug was hammered time after time by chunky rainbows that apparently thought it looked a lot more appealing than the tiny olive mayflies they were feeding on.
Then I switched rods and started throwing a soft-plastic crappie jig on a 1/8-ounce leadhead with 4-pound monofilament. This brightly colored brown trout couldn’t resist it.
Okay, then I went back to flyfishing as the more “accepted” method of fishing in this case. That was fun, too. But was I wrong to use my baitcaster in the first place?
By the way, my Reel Giveaway Contest is still ongoing. Don't forget to drop an entry.
John Merwin lives in Vermont, where, when he's not tying flies, building lures, or digging up worms with his backhoe, he writes the monthly Fishing Column for Field & Stream magazine.