Spring Browns

[piratesholly]

I'm looking to add to my fishing arsenal and I'm new to the Brown game. Can anyone suggest color, sizes, brands of stick and spoon baits.. THANKS!!!

[Albert16]

Theres a lot to it, I always run a half spoon and stick bait pattern and switch it up from there, I always run a purple clown spoon and a gold pitch if there's green or dark water brighter and more flashy spoons and clear water or gin water run more natural and clear spoons

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[dmd113]

Many shallow diving stick baits take fish . I run Bay Rat stick baits in My secret, Goby, BT Candy, High school & Yankee troller colors. Small spoons in multiple colors but uv mixed veggie is my favorite.  Go light line with fluoro leader. Get pattern spread wide running off planer boards for a quiet stealthy presentation. Good Luck!

Edited January 7, 2017 by dmd113

[AnglingAddict]

For spring fishing shallow sticks off of boards and spoons of boards or riggers is what most run.  For sticks you will want a mix of bright sticks for dingy water, and naturals for clear water.  Consider the following models:

Bayrats

Rapala J9s and J11s

Rapala F7, F9, F11s

Smithwicks

Storm Jr. Thundersticks and Regular sized thundersticks

Challengers

 

Really any stickbait can produce.

 

As far as spoons go, same deal bright spoons for dingy water (spoons with a white back also work well in dirty water) and naturals for clear water applications.   Regular sized stingers, DW Super Slims, Smaller warrior spoons, and others will work.  Color choices are endless. 

 

Good luck with the spring browns. 

[dmd113]

[Xxx]

Thanks for the pics. dmd113. 

[Egoody]

Hi, 

A question on the shallow running sticks. do you run the with mono or flouro and let the bill take them down to the running depth or do you run them with lead core or a sinker to get them down to the depth you want?

Thanks and Boat Safe

Egoody

[BAZOOKAJOE]

I run heavier than most with 20 lbs big game as a mainline to a micro swivel to a 7 ft leader of 15 lbs floro.  No leadcore or sinkers.  With spoons I pinch a medium sized lead split shot 50 ft in front of the spoon.   

 

A black/gold F7 rapala.  Jr thunderstick in fire tiger, mad flash fire tiger and chrome/black/orange.  Those are my most consistent producers.  

Edited February 24, 2017 by BAZOOKAJOE

[hookedupf7]

Have you guys had any luck on the small scorpion stingers or all on the larger ones?

[bondouley]

Have you guys had any luck on the small scorpion stingers or all on the larger ones?

I love the scorpion sized spoons for Brown's. I always ran one on one rigger and a small red eye on the other.

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[horsehunter]

On 2/23/2017 at 8:46 PM, BAZOOKAJOE said:

.  With spoons I pinch a medium sized lead split shot 50 ft in front of the spoon.   

 

 

So what happens when you have a fish on and wind up to the split shot with another 50 feet of line out?

[King Slammin]

So what happens when you have a fish on and wind up to the split shot with another 50 feet of line out?

Take the split shot off. Just like taking boards off with a fish on.


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[Landshark]

We have always put the splitshot less than a rods length to the lure therefore you dont have to worry about taking it off and risk losing a fish.   

Edited March 20, 2017 by Landshark

[Sk8man]

Split shot 3-6 ft up from the lure (depending on water clarity and what you are running)....also helps keep the grass and debris off the lure itself. Fifty ft back it is really not doing you any good keeping the lure down either and just  something else to deal with on the way in.

Edited March 20, 2017 by Sk8man

[Xxx]

I absolutely love the scorpion size spoons for Browns!! If you watch some of Bill Saiff's video's on brown trout, you will see he is a Michigan spoon lover also, he used the medium size spoons, with a lot of luck!! To me I think he runs the medium size to eliminate the cookie cutter size trout for his clients. That's my take only!! Where I love to run spoons in the 2-3/8 inch HYBRID Lures and Michigan spoons run neck and neck for Browns. By all means don't forget about your stick baits, from older Rebels jointed, to the Smithwicks to Rapalas or your favorite buy 3 get one free bins. If you run a good stealth program you will be successful!! I personally think that being the stealthier boat will win the most Browns!!

[John Kelley]

On 2/23/2017 at 8:46 PM, BAZOOKAJOE said:

I run heavier than most with 20 lbs big game as a mainline to a micro swivel to a 7 ft leader of 15 lbs floro.  No leadcore or sinkers.  With spoons I pinch a medium sized lead split shot 50 ft in front of the spoon.   

 

A black/gold F7 rapala.  Jr thunderstick in fire tiger, mad flash fire tiger and chrome/black/orange.  Those are my most consistent producers.  

Those sound like Captain Bill Saiffe tactics, right there!

[BAZOOKAJOE]

Yes sir!  

8 hours ago, John Kelley said:

Those sound like Captain Bill Saiffe tactics, right there!

 

The "weight rods" work!  If you run the split shot too close to the spoon it kills the flutter action.  And you are more likely to snag the bottom when your board stalls.  

[Missdemeanor]

The small dive bombs work great too... Easy to take off your mono

 

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[Landshark]

Yeah I don't see the flutter changing.

Capt. Michael Weaver. Pure Fishing Ambassador

[Sk8man]

I run the split shot 3 or 4 ft from floating sticks (often jointed because they seem to tolerate speed change better) and 6 ft from spoons without problem. I don't run split shot when right up near the shoreline though

Edited March 21, 2017 by Sk8man

[bondouley]

Yeah I don't see the flutter changing.

Capt. Michael Weaver. Pure Fishing Ambassador

Flutter is not affected by the split shot. I run them 6 to 8 feet in front of the spoon down the chute and you can see the movement in the rod tip from the spoon. I will also run the split shot 50 to 60 foot in front of the spoon off the boards on my closest rod to the boat.

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[insufishent]

Really surprised nobody mentioned running evil eyes and old honey bee spoons they are hard to beat spring fishing for brown trout along with a single hook you can literally bounce them off rocks and they hardly ever snag bottom.

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[Kevin J Legg]

I also don't use split shot when in shallow but do use them 5-6 feet in front of spoons and sticks in deeper water. Need to be careful letting spoons out or on turns if in shallow as they may snag.


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[RebelSportsman]

Does anybody ever run mag lips or kwik fish for brown trout?

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[bondouley]

Does anybody ever run mag lips or kwik fish for brown trout?

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We don't run them for Brown's but we catch a lot of Brown's on them in the fall while we are fishing for kings

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