Matching Trout Lures to Water Conditions

Let’s be honest, trout can be some of the most frustrating kind of fish to go after. Whether you’re going after brook trout in your local stream or chasing big lakers out on the Great Lakes, there are some days when it feels like it just isn’t going to happen. While this can be incredibly annoying, if you pay attention to the changes in water conditions, chances are you can pick the right lure to hook into a fish.

There are multiple factors that play into the water conditions on any given day in the body of water you’re fishing. Here are the main ones you should pay attention to:

One of the most important factors to consider is water clarity. This matters because it directly determines how far away a trout can see your lure. In clear water, trout can easily see your lures and are likely going to spend more time inspecting what you put in front of them before ever biting. On the flip side, in darker-stained water they can’t see lures from nearly as far away. In these conditions, you need to focus more on contrast, sound, and vibration to help trout know that your lure is even there.

In general, if you’re fishing clear water, you’ll want something that provides more natural colors, smaller profiles, and more subtle action. You want to mimic what they’re feeding on as much as possible. In darker water, focus much more heavily on colors that stand out more (white, black, pink, chartreuse, etc.) that also have some sort of sound or vibration creation on them.

Current speed and water level play a big role in lure selection when fishing streams and rivers.

If the water level is high or the current is fast, trout are usually going to move. They’re going to look for areas like current breaks, banks, and deeper pockets in the water to avoid the energy expense needed to be in the fast-moving water. Because of this, you’ll need to choose a lure that can actually get down to them without being swept downstream immediately.

If instead the water level is low or the current is slow, you’ll find them much more spread out in shallower water. When this happens, it’s pretty easy to spook them with lures that are unnatural-looking, because they have more time to inspect them. In these places, opt for something smaller and very natural-looking to get them interested in eating.

Finally, let’s talk about light and temperature.

On days when it’s really bright out and the temps are up, trout are probably going to seek deeper water. They’ll look for cover and shade in these areas to escape the sun and find colder water. Using lures that can get down and into these areas without getting snagged is going to be key.

If it’s a cloudy day and temperatures are lower, you might find trout up in shallower water instead. In this case, they are usually much more willing to chase after lures much more aggressively. You can switch it up to use lures that help you cover a lot of water, as the trout can be pretty spread out over shallow areas.

There are a lot of variables at play when choosing the best trout lure for any given situation, but for days when you’re fishing clear or low water, here are some go-to options.

Smaller inline spinners have been one of the most popular trout lures for decades. These have a compact profile that matches small minnows and insects that trout love to feed on. On these smaller spinners, the blade is enough to create some flash and grab the attention of fish without being too crazy and spooking fish.

In clear water, try to use a spinner that follows a more natural color profile (silver, gold, black, brown, or natural baitfish colors).

Small spoons are another highly effective trout lure to use in this situation. They provide the same subtle flash as a spinner does, but they are also designed to have a slight wobble action as they are retrieved. This wobble mimics a wounded baitfish, which looks like an easy target to a trout in the area. These spoons can also be cast much further than small spinners, which can be great when you need to get some distance between where you’re standing and where you think the fish are.

Jerkbaits are another solid option to use in clear water. These have a great design that matches the profile of baitfish in the area, and will likely be some of the most natural-looking lures in your trout tackle box. Jerkbaits can also be fished with twitches and short pauses on the retrieve, which can be absolutely deadly to trout that are a little less aggressive.

When you’re fishing stained water or high water, the lure style isn’t going to change much, but the sizes and colors within those styles definitely will.

When you’re in this type of water, inline spinners are still a fantastic lure to use, but you want to go bigger, brighter, and flashier. The larger profile paired with a bigger blade is going to help call in trout from a distance with the added vibration and flash of this lure. Colors are going to be different as well, where you’ll want to focus on bright colors like gold, copper, chartreuse, and orange. Black can work well too, as it helps provide a ton of contrast in waters that are especially stained.

Casting spoons are another type of lure that still works well for trout, but you want to go big with them. These are going to create a ton of flash in the water to help grab the attention of fish, and their additional weight helps get down to whatever depth the fish are hanging out in.

In high or stained water, using a crankbait is something that can really help you catch trout. These lures can be either lipless or diving, which helps you target any part of the water column depending on where the fish are. They still have a great baitfish profile and a wide range of bright colors, but they also commonly come with rattles in them. These rattles are key for stained water, as they’re going to let trout know there’s something in the area that they should come and check out.