Trout Lures and Spinners

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

The best trout lure in your box is useless on a water where spinning is banned, and plenty of UK trout water is fly only. So the first question is not which lure. It is whether lures are allowed at all.

Where they are, the kit is short. For most UK trout fishing, the trout lures that earn their place are a small inline spinner, a light spoon and a 4 to 8cm minnow plug, plus a soft plastic on a light jig head for slow days.

This page covers which lure to use and when, how water clarity decides size and colour, the hook and spinning rules that catch people out, and two set-ups to copy. For other species, see our wider guide to fishing lures.

Inline Spinners: The Best Trout Spinners to Start With

Retrieve just fast enough to keep the blade turning and you are already fishing a spinner properly. That is why a small inline spinner is the most forgiving first trout lure: the blade does the work, not you.

The rotating blade gives off flash and vibration, it fishes well across and down in current, and it covers a lot of water in a short session.

Size is where most beginners go wrong. UK lure anglers commonly use:

#0 to #2 for streams and small rivers
#2 to #4 for reservoirs and larger rivers

Treat those as a starting point, not a law.

On a river, cast across or slightly upstream and retrieve as the current swings the spinner round. On a stillwater, let it sink a few seconds longer on each cast before you start winding, so you search a new depth every time.

The drawback with all spinners for fishing is line twist, because the revolving blade turns your line with it. Tie a small swivel a short way above the lure, and on a trolled spinner use an anti-kink swivel.

Most shop-bought trout spinners also come with treble hooks, which matters on some waters. The hook section below covers the rules.

Best for: faster rivers and covering ground. Skip if: the water is fly only or choked with weed. For the full method, read our step-by-step spinning for trout guide.

Spoons for Trout: Distance on Stillwaters and Big Rivers

A plain bent strip of metal is one of the furthest-casting trout lures you can buy, and on a big reservoir that range matters. A spoon packs its weight into a compact shape, so it flies.

It does not spin. It wobbles, flutters and sinks quickly, reaching trout holding deep in a river pool or off a stillwater drop-off.

Weights commonly used for UK trout run from 3 to 12g. As a starting guide:

3 to 5g for streams and small rivers
Around 7g for stocked stillwaters
Up to 12g for wide water, deep pools or a strong wind

Let it sink on a count, then try a steady retrieve or a stop-start one. Pauses let the spoon flutter down, and takes often come on the drop.

Gold and silver both have a place, and the colour section below explains when. Spoons can also twist line on a fast retrieve, so keep the swivel on.

Quick comparison: pick a spoon for distance and depth, and a spinner for current and shallow runs. Between them, those two are the best lures for trout on most open water.

Minnow Plugs and Soft Plastics: When Trout Want It Slower

A trout follows your spinner right to your feet, then turns away. That is the cue to slow down with a lure that can pause and hang in the water.

Minnow plugs

Minnow plugs of 4 to 8cm suit most UK trout water, with slim jerkbaits of 5 to 9cm on bigger lakes and rivers. Choose a floating model for shallow runs and a sinking one for deeper water.

Fish them twitch and pause. Cast to cover, twitch the rod tip two or three times, then stop and let the plug rise or hang. Takes often come during that stop.

The downsides: most plugs come fitted with trebles, and they cost more than spinners.

Soft plastics on jig heads

A 2 to 4in paddle tail or small grub on a 1 to 5g micro jig head gives you a slow presentation close to the bottom. UK lure guides commonly pair these with jig hooks in sizes 4 to 8.

The big plus is a single hook, and they suit cold days and deep pools. The minus: they need feel and a light touch, so they are harder for beginners than a spinner.

If trout are following and not taking, swap to a floating minnow and fish it twitch and pause before you change spots. If lures still fail, compare the options in our guide to the best bait for trout.

Choosing Trout Lure Size and Colour by Water Clarity

Ask two questions when you arrive: how clear is the water, and how bright is the sky? The answers narrow your choice to two or three lures before you make a cast.

UK lure guidance offers a rule of thumb. It is angling experience rather than science, but a sound start:

Clear water: natural silver and brown patterns
Coloured water or low light: chartreuse, orange and fire-tiger style patterns
Blades and spoons: gold in low light, silver in bright sun

Size follows the water, and UK lure anglers advise fishing smaller lures first. Use the smallest spinners and 3 to 5g spoons on streams and small rivers, then go one size up on stillwaters and bigger rivers.

Conditions	Colour to try first	Size to start with
Clear water, bright sun	Natural silver or brown, silver blade	Smallest that casts far enough
Clear water, dull sky	Natural patterns, gold blade	Small, one up on big water
Coloured or after rain	Chartreuse, orange or fire tiger	One size up
Dusk or low light	Gold blade or spoon, bright pattern	Normal size for the water

Note the lure, size and colour that caught in which conditions. After a season, you will have your own version of this table.

The verdict: carry one natural lure, one bright one and one gold one, each in two sizes. That covers most UK days.

Single Hooks vs Trebles on Trout Lures: What the Rules Say

Nothing in the national rules bans the trebles fitted to most shop-bought spinners. Some rivers do, though, and some only from a set date.

The freshwater tackle rules on GOV.UK for England and Wales set no trout-specific rule on lures, trebles or barbs. Those limits come from local fishing byelaws. Examples from the South West and North West byelaws:

River Camel: lures must use barbless trebles under 8mm gape or barbless singles under 13mm gape, and no trebles after 30 September.
Cumbrian Derwent (salmon and sea trout): barbless hooks, with trebles no larger than 7mm gape.
North West migratory trout after 31 August: multi-hook lures limited to 8mm gape and 30g total weight, with some rivers exempt.

The Derwent and North West rules cover salmon and migratory trout, not every brown trout stream. They still show how fast a lure from the packet can break the rules.

Single hooks make sense anyway: they unhook faster, suit catch and release, and are legal where some trebles are not. Swap a treble for a single with split-ring pliers, or flatten the barbs where barbless is required.

If you fish rivers in more than one region, convert your trout lures to small barbless singles, which meet every hook rule listed above. Check the byelaws for your river before you go.

Where You Can and Can’t Spin for Trout in England

Turn up on a Dartmoor stream with a box of spinners and you have wasted a trip, because spinning for trout is banned there.

Licence. You need a rod licence to fish for trout in England (except the River Tweed), Wales and the Border Esk, including private waters. Under 13s need none, and 13 to 16 year olds need a free junior licence. You also need landowner or fishery permission (GOV.UK). See our rod licence rules.

Close season and lure rules are set by region:

Region	Trout close season (rivers)	Lure-relevant rule
North West	Non-migratory trout 1 Oct to 14 Mar (not fully enclosed stillwaters)	Brown trout minimum 20cm
Midlands	Brown and rainbow trout 8 Oct to 17 Mar	15 Mar to 15 Jun: fly only for trout (artificial or natural), no float or bait
Anglian	Brown and rainbow trout 30 Oct to 31 Mar (plus unenclosed stillwaters for browns)	Coarse close season: artificial wet or dry fly only for trout
South West	Devon and Cornwall 1 Oct to 14 Mar; Wessex rivers 16 Oct to 31 Mar	No trout spinning on Dartmoor National Park Devon waters; Dart fly only for trout; Taw and Torridge no spinning after 31 Mar

So in the Midlands and Anglian regions, spinners are out for trout during the coarse close season, even when trout are in season.

Enclosed stillwaters often have no close season for rainbows (Anglian) or brown trout (South West), so the fishery’s own rules decide. Chew Valley Lake’s activities page mentions no fly-only rule, but its permit terms still need checking. Check with the fishery before you travel.

Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own systems, and Welsh byelaws differ from England’s. Check with the district salmon fishery board or fishery (Scotland), DAERA or the relevant loughs agency (Northern Ireland), or Natural Resources Wales.

Rules change, so read your regional byelaws on GOV.UK each season and confirm your trout close season dates. On fly-only water, pack trout flies instead.

Two Trout Lure Set-Ups You Can Copy: River and Stillwater

Copy this table and you can walk into a tackle shop knowing exactly what you need.

Part	Small river or stream (wild browns)	Stocked stillwater
Rod	6ft6 to 7ft, ultra-light to light	7ft, light
Reel	1000 size	1000 to 2000 size
Main line	4 to 6lb mono or 0.05 to 0.06mm braid	0.06 to 0.08mm braid
Leader	4 to 5lb fluorocarbon, about 50cm	6lb fluorocarbon, about 60cm
Lures to carry	#0 to #1 spinner, 3 to 5g spoon, 4 to 5cm plug	#2 spinner, 7g gold spoon, 6cm floating minnow

Rods of 6ft6 to 7ft6 rated roughly 5 to 15g suit most trout lure work. Tie the leader to the swivel or lure with an improved clinch knot.

You do not need a dedicated trout rod. A light perch or LRF-style lure rod in that casting range does the same job, so check what you already own before a tackle shop sells you something heavier.

The verdict: if you can only afford one, build the stillwater set-up. Its 7ft rod and 1000 to 2000 reel will also cover a small river, and a stocked water gives you more chances to learn the lures.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best lure for trout in the UK?

A small inline spinner is the best all-round trout lure in the UK, with a #0 to #2 blade on rivers. Add a spoon for distance on stillwaters and a floating minnow for fish that follow but won't take. Check the water's rules first, because some trout waters ban lures (see the lure sections above).

Do I need a licence to spin for trout?

Yes. You need a rod licence to fish for trout in England (except the River Tweed), Wales and the Border Esk, plus permission from the landowner or fishery. Under 13s need no licence, and 13 to 16 year olds need a free junior licence. In Scotland and Northern Ireland, check with the local fishery or authority.

Can you use spinners on fly-only waters?

No. Fly-only water bans spinners and all other lures. The River Dart is fly only for trout, and spinning for trout is banned on Dartmoor National Park Devon waters. The Anglian and Midlands regions also allow only fly for trout during the coarse close season. See Where You Can and Can't Spin for Trout in England above.

Are treble hooks allowed for trout?

Usually, yes. England and Wales have no national treble ban for trout, but some rivers restrict them. The River Camel, for example, bans trebles on lures after 30 September and limits hook gape. Check the local byelaws for your river. Small barbless singles meet the strictest hook rules covered above.

What size spinner is best for trout?

A #0 to #2 spinner suits trout in streams and small rivers, and #2 to #4 suits reservoirs and bigger rivers. That is a common UK starting point rather than a fixed rule, so go smaller if in doubt.