During the ensuing years, I’ve fly fished for salmon in Alaska, sailfish in Costa Rica, tarpon in Puerto Rico and peacock bass in Hawaii, as well as dozens of other fresh and saltwater species throughout the United States.
In Maine, I’ve trolled tandem streamers after ice out on regional lakes, tossed out wet and dry flies along local brooks, worked an Atlantic salmon fly through a pool on mid-Maine rivers and floated deer hair poppers for bass with regular success and great enjoyment. Sometimes however flies just aren’t the best option.
For certain water conditions; off-color streams and deep holes when heavy winds hinder fly casting and to cover and explore more water faster when you just don’t know where the fish are holding up, lures and a spinning rod work wonders. As a general category, a lot of artificial baits fall under the title of lures — hard and soft plastic baits, wooden, painted baits, spinners, spoons, dodgers, crankbaits, jerkbaits, poppers and many more. But for the purpose of brook trout fishing on Aroostook County ponds and streams, I’m referring to small- to medium-size shaped pieces of metal.
When my grandfather bought lures over a century ago, patterns and styles were very limited and copper, gold and silver were the predominant choices. A few a of those lures are just as popular and every bit as dependable for catching trout today — a silver super duper, a red and white Dardevle still made by Eppinger and an Al’s goldfish, for example. If you can’t catch brookies on this trio day in and day out, there are no fish on hand or they have lockjaw!
One of my most memorable trout fishing trips took place when I about 12 years old, just before I was overcome with fly fishing, and centered around a 1-1/2 inch, gold Al’s Goldfish lure. There was a small waterway across the border in Centreville, New Brunswick call Reed’s Pond, about a 20-minute drive from our home in Robinson. Spring farm roads were so muddy that the farmer, a friend and customer at our family market in Mars Hill, would haul us and our old wooden boat on a rock sledge from the farm yard to the six-acre pond a mile into the woods and fields.
No fancy outboard motor for us, Dad used a set of oars to propel us about. I piled into the front of the boat with my faithful spinning rod while Dad rigged his fly rod while standing on the lopsided, rickety old dock. My seven-foot Shakespeare rod was fiberglass and nearly as stiff as a broomstick but the 300 Mitchell reel was sturdy as a truck winch. Before Dad even got aboard, I’d cast toward the cattail lined shoreline and managed to get the treble hooks of my goldfish hung up solidly.
As Dad paddled the boat toward the reeds I kept reefing and yanking hoping to dislodge my lure. Suddenly the line gave and a huge surge and splash revealed that I was actually hooked to a very unhappy trout — well over two pounds and the largest of my young angling career. I landed that memorable monster, and we actually caught over 20 big brookies that outing, all over a pound and mine were all on the venerable goldfish lure.
My spinning rods and reels have improved over the years and I favor lightweight outfits to more enjoy the tug-of-war of even 8-10 inch trout. In fact I upgraded just last month after a fishing partner’s misstep during a spring outing turned my two-piece rod into a three-piece outfit. After some research, I settled on a graphite 5 Fenwick 6 foot, 9 inch Elite Tech River Runner. This is a two-piece, light power, fast-action stick that casts like a dream and still has some backbone for the fight. There are plenty of top rate spinning rods but my very first fly rod was a Fenwick, and I still have it and use it after all those years. Perhaps I’m biased, but any rod that stands up to heavy use for that long speaks volumes for durability and quality of the company’s products.
After prolonged deliberation, I selected an Abu Garcia REVOSTX 10 spinning reel, and loaded it with six-pound Berkley Nanofil line to complete my outfit. This rig will toss a small lure a country mile, but is light enough to really enjoy the fish fight, yet with drag and backbone to handle a trophy trout. While this combo can certainly be used effectively to fish a weighted worm rig or spinner and bait, its real niche is 1/16 to half-ounce panfish lures.
For Crown of Maine Lakes and streams, along with the small casting lures I’ve already mentioned, your tackle box arsenal should include a size 5 or 6 Sutton in silver or copper/silver, Mooselook wobbler, or thinfish in pounded copper, and an original or smelt colored Weeping Willow. Fairly new to the lure market is a wide selection of sparkling and vividly marked DB smelt baits. These are proving deadly when cast or trolled for salmon and trout. My last recommendation would be a gold or silver Phoebe, very similar to an Al’s goldfish but with a different motion through the water.
Regardless of your preferred fishing style, metal lures have a very real and productive spot in everyone’s repertoire. Lures will catch trout anytime, especially when water conditions make flies unproductive. Buy yourself a lightweight spinning rod rig if you don’t already have one and purchase a half dozen lures. It will improve your casting options, your action and your fun. Now that’s the real lure of fishing.
