I have not seen much published on casting techniques for trout. Plenty of stuff out there on bass – you can read about flipping, drop shotting, tube zipping and any number of other techniques. Working trout is inherently different given the tight holes you find yourself in – especially on the narrow streams here in Virginia. For years, I used my standard casting techniques as I fished these narrow pockets. The traditional spin cast is to reel the lure up to the rod tip; leaving a few inches of slack and then gently throw it using an underarm, sidearm or overhand motion depending on the amount of space you have and your vertical position relative to the targeted pool.
All that changed on my last trip. We were working the Hughes River and had to work around significant amounts of deadfall to reach the really sheltered pools. In addition, this was not a really wide stream up at the northern end where I was working, so accuracy in short bursts was absolutely required. By accident, I discovered what I think will be a new trout killer technique—the trout flick.
On one cast, I misjudged the retrieve and ended up with the Panther Martin lure tight against the rod tip. I was excited about the spot I was in and did not take the time to undo the bail and let out a few inches of line. Instead, I flicked it at the target. I was amazed at how straight and true the lure flew – it was like it made a beeline to the target. Wow! Here was a way to throw under logs fallen across the stream and into the sheltered nooks formed by overhanging rocks. I worked that cast all afternoon – when you need a short throw to a small target it seems to be the way to go.
I also discovered that this works best with a longer rod – a reasonably stiff one – not one of those short, really wobbly rods that get sold as “ultra light” Find a rod that was designed for a lure that weighs between 1/16 and 1/4 oz and it should work pretty well.
Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore