Need a problem set straight

[Ploe]

I was at Sportsman's warehouse today and wanted to try a topwater plug. I found a decent one for $6.00. It was only 2" long and my dad said it was too big for trout. I offered too buy the plug with my own money and he still said no. Is 2" really too big for trout? I doubt it, but please post back.
[signature]

[IrishFloatTube]

It depends ....

If I am fishing a stream and fishing for minnow feeding trout I might think 1 1/2 " is about medium, and 2" is substantial (but not too big in a big river).
I would be happy with the little 1 1/2" plug to be a flashy silver or gold. The 2" plug being more visible, unless water is very coloured, I would prefer it to have a natural minnow or trout or perch type finish.

On the other hand if I am trolling in a big lake for 5 pounders then a 5" minnow stickbait is no problem for those trout to lunch on.
[signature]

[line_dangler]

As a fisher you need to be very open minded about what fish may eat. Just consider a trout's diet. What do they eat? Flies, worms, plankton, crayfish, snails, small fish, and sometimes mice and birds. Two inches is really not that big of a lure when you take for example, crayfish or another small water animal.

Give alot of lures a try. You will learn better and quicker that way. Your $6 dollar invenstment will pay off.[]
[signature]

[bkidder]

As has been stated, it depends... Consider what they are feeding on, where you're fishing, etc. I've seen times when big bait meant bigger fish, and other times when my baits seemed to just be too big. But, I've caught 10 inch trout on 6 inch baits... so, you never know. I'd say give it a try. 2" is not that big.
[signature]

[fretfishman]

I've always maintained the opinion that trout like smaller presentations - even the big ones. I support that theory with my own experience, having caught 25" 3+lb rainbows and browns on single salmon eggs and 1/16th oz. or less inline spinners. I'm not saying they won't take bigger baits, but it definitely depends on at least a few factors. those would be time of year and, more importantly, temperature change througout the year on your given lake. for example, the more consistent the temperature and conditions are throughout the year - the longer the "strike zone" maintains itself and trout are much more open to lure presentation and size.

having said all that - I've only ever caught a trout on a topwater bait once. the bait was a heddon tiny torpedo and it's about an inch long with tiny propellers. the trout was what I would call a "stocker" or "implant". your typical sized trout that everyone catches on just about anything. that, to me, says it was a fluke and it wasn't really a good catch anyway. interesting to see a trout take a topwater besides a fly, yes, but not that impressive. I'm not saying trout don't feed on topwater besides flies, but I've never had any real success with topwater baits for trout and it makes sense why when you look at typical trout forage. flies and other insects, very small crayfish, small freshwater snails, etc. I have had luck "burning" an inline spinner to where it's almost a topwater. it's basically creating a small wake near the surface, but is riding about 1-3 inches below the surface. that's as close as I've come to an efficient topwater bite for trout outside of fly fishing or using a float/fly on a spinning rig.

I can tell from all your posts that you're genuinely interested in learning about it all and that's awesome! don't be too proud to listen to your father's advice - he's been around the block and most likely knows what he's talking about. I learned a lot from my dad - rest his soul. at the same time don't be afraid to teach him a thing or two that he may not know. fishing today is a brave new world and each time we think we can't come up with anything new in lure or presentation someone always comes up with something great. []
[signature]