Tackle Tactics » Tips-Techniques » Adrian-Webbs-Trout-Tips » Two Hours Well Spent
Two Hours Well Spent
By Adrian (meppstas) Webb
Adrian takes the new TT Spintrix inline spinner final release samples for a spin, prior to their official launch late September 2023. You can check out the range at tackletactics.com.au.
With the weather being the best it has been for quite some time, I headed off for a spin session in my favourite little tannin stream. I was keen to see if I could catch and release a few more trout on the new TT Spintrix inline spinners. I did have a short spin session a few days ago with them, but the conditions weren't all that good, so the trip was very short. The good thing was that I did manage to catch a small brown trout on the brown TT Spintrix spinner.
When I arrived at the stream, I could see it was a little lower in level today, which was good to see. However, the water temperature was a cold five degrees. With it still being winter, I never expect to catch all that many trout early in the season, due to the air and water temps being so low. Mid-September onwards it is usually a little better fishing for trout in the rivers and streams.
It was 2:10 pm when I finally hit the water and started the spin session off using a #1 TT Spintrix in Brown Trout colour. The first two stretches of river didn't show any signs of trout in them, which surprised me a little as those two runs usually fish well most times. As I stated earlier though, the water is still very cold and still running a little on the high side. The good thing so far was the fact that by flattening the spinner blade it was rotating beautifully and I could feel the drag of the blade rotating on the retrieve back downstream in the fast-flowing waters.
A little further upstream I flicked the spinner into a small flatwater, near the lefthand side of the stream and two turns of the reel handle was all it took for a nice legal-size brown to take the Spintrix spinner. That brown was full of fight too, as it made several leaps from the water. Thankfully it made it into the landing net just in time. Once it was in the net, out popped the lure. A little further upstream I had a solid hit and miss from another trout. It was time I tried another of the new TT Spintrix spinners and this time I went with the Fire Tiger coloured spinner.
I fished with the Fire Tiger for around fifteen minutes, without having a touch from trout, possibly because there may not have been any trout in the area fished, so another change was made. This time I went for the #1 Spintrix in Orange Cicada colour. The first thirty metres of water there wasn't a sign of a trout either and things were looking a little grim. I was thinking about making another change of lure but decided to give it another few minutes of spin time.
Giving the spinner and myself that extra few minutes worked, as I went on to catch and release a nice brown from two strikes. So, the Orange Cicada is one that I now know works on the trout. Seeing as it worked on the trout, I decided to go back to the Brown Trout bladed spinner and give it another twenty minutes in the tannin waters. It worked well and I went on to catch and release two more trout from three strikes, which was a good result.
It was time to try another inline spinner and this time I chose the Black Red Dots colour, a black blade with red dots. Like the other TT Spintrix inline spinners, the first thing I did was to flatten the spinner blade to get a good rotation with it when retrieving back with the flow. I wasn't all that sure if the choice of colour was a good one, with the water being a dark tannin colour, but then again, it's the vibration of the spinner blade that the trout will pick up before seeing the spinner blade. The red dots really stood out in the water but sadly there weren't any signs of a trout to be had.
The sun was getting lower, the wind had picked up and it was 4:15 pm. The air was very cold now, so I went back to the Brown Trout coloured Spintrix lure to fish one more stretch of water before I was going to call it a day. Going back to the Brown spinner worked again and on the fourth cast and retrieve I had my fifth hook up for the afternoon. Better still it was also the best trout of the session. It pulled hard and made several leaps from the river before I had it in close enough to ease it into the net. Once landed, after taking a couple of photos of the trout it was released back into the stream for another day. That lovely trout weighed in at 510g too and was in top condition. It was a great way to end the spin session, in what was very cold conditions. My feet were numb from the cold too.
As for the few new TT Spintrix spinners, well I feel that they're a nice quality product with a good variety of colours, that I'm sure will do well in the rivers/streams that I fish. I am also looking forward to giving them a good workout in the larger rivers that I fish on a regular basis, once they drop to a safe wading height and the water temps pick up. I only have the smallest models, size 1, which are well suited to the rivers I fish here in Tasmania. There are sixteen colours to choose from and three sizes available #1, #2 & #3, dropping late September 2023, so I'm also quite confident that they will do well in the rivers/lakes across mainland Australia.
Adrian (meppstas)
Equipment Used Today:
Okuma Celilo Finesse Spin Rod - CE-S-662UL-1 6’6” Ultra-Light 2-6lb
Okuma ITX Carbon Spin Reel - ITX-1000
Platypus Pulse Mono - Premium Nylon Monofilament Line
Platypus Stealth FC Fluorocarbon Leader
TT Spintrix Inline Spinners – Size 1