Spinning for Trout

By Alex Clayton · Updated 23 October 2026

Most online advice on spinning for trout is American, or it skips the rules. That matters here, because a spinner that is legal on one English river can be banned on the next.

Spinning for trout means casting and retrieving a small revolving-blade spinner or spoon, usually on a 6 to 7ft light rod and 4 to 6lb line. It works on rivers and on stillwaters whose rules permit lures, and it covers water faster than most methods, which helps on a venue you don’t know.

The six steps below follow the order you’ll actually need them: rules, tackle, lures, reading the water, the retrieve, then landing and release. For the wider picture of lure fishing for trout alongside fly and bait, start with our trout fishing guide.

Step 1: Check Spinning Is Allowed and the Trout Season Is Open

On the Dart, trout fishing is fly only, and spinning for trout is banned throughout Dartmoor National Park. So before you tie on a lure, confirm your licence, the season and the method rules for that exact water.

Licence. In England and Wales you need a rod licence from age 13, and licences for juniors aged 13 to 16 are free. When we checked GOV.UK on 23 October 2026, a 1-day trout and coarse licence was £7.30 and a 12-month 2-rod licence was £36.80. Prices change, so check the current price on GOV.UK before you buy. Our fishing licence guide covers the options.

Season. There is no single national close season for river trout in England. The dates come from regional byelaws, and most enclosed stillwaters and canals are open for trout all year. Rainbow trout in rivers follow the same close season as brown trout. Our fishing seasons guide has the full calendar.

Region	River trout close season	Minimum size	Lure note
North West	1 Oct to 14 Mar (non-migratory trout, except fully enclosed stillwaters; sea trout 1 Oct to 31 Mar)	Brown trout 20cm	Lures allowed on rivers 15 Mar to 15 Jun
Midlands	8 Oct to 17 Mar	20cm (not rainbows)	Spinners permitted in the coarse close season; no keepnets for trout
North East	Northumbria 1 Oct to 21 Mar; Yorkshire 1 Oct to 24 Mar	Yorkshire 23cm	No foul hooking of trout (Yorkshire)
Anglian	30 Oct to 31 Mar	Check byelaw	Artificial wet or dry fly only for trout 15 Mar to 15 Jun
South East	Thames 1 Oct to 31 Mar; Southern 1 Nov to 2 Apr	Thames 25cm; Southern 23cm	Regional byelaws allow artificial fly or lure 15 Mar to 15 Jun, but GOV.UK’s national summary says fly only, so check first
South West (Wessex rivers)	16 Oct to 31 Mar	Check byelaw	See local bans below

From the Environment Agency regional byelaws on GOV.UK, checked 23 October 2026. Read the full byelaw for your river, because exceptions apply.

South West bans. Beyond the Dart and Dartmoor, spinning is not allowed on the Taw and Torridge after 31 March. Spinning for trout is banned on the Exe above Exebridge, the Lyn and the Barnstaple Yeo. On the Camel, lures must be barbless, and treble-hooked lures are banned after 30 September.

Coarse close season. From 15 March to 15 June you can still fish for trout on rivers, but the permitted methods vary by region. Anglian rivers are fly only for trout in that period.

Fishery rules. Many reservoirs and stillwater trout fisheries, and some club rivers, are fly only whatever the byelaws allow. Private waters can also set their own seasons and rules.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. For Welsh rivers, check Natural Resources Wales. In Scotland or Northern Ireland, check the relevant authority.

If the ticket doesn’t mention lures, ask the fishery before you cast one.

Step 2: Set Up a Light Spinning Rod, Reel and Line

Look for one number on the rod label: a casting weight of roughly 3 to 15g. A rod in that range casts size 1 and 2 spinners properly and still protects light line.

Rod: 6 to 7ft, rated about 3 to 15g. On overgrown small streams, around 5.5 to 6.5ft is easier to cast under branches. On big rivers and stillwaters, 7ft or a touch longer adds distance.
Reel: a 1000 to 2500 size fixed-spool, with the front drag set so a firm pull on the line takes line off the spool.
Line: 4 to 6lb mono, or light braid with a 4 to 6lb fluorocarbon leader.
Swivel: a small swivel or snap swivel above the lure, because spinners twist line.

Braid gives better feel and range, but it shows up in clear water, hence the fluorocarbon leader. Mono stretches, which cushions a sudden lunge on 4lb line and makes it the simpler choice for beginners.

Water	Rod length	Line
Small stream	5.5 to 6.5ft	4lb mono
Big river	7ft	4 to 6lb mono or braid with leader
Stillwater	7ft or slightly longer	4 to 6lb mono or braid with leader

You don’t need a dedicated trout rod. A light perch or drop-shot rod in the same casting range does the job.

Best for: anglers who want one outfit for streams, rivers and lure-friendly stillwaters. Skip if: you’re thinking of using a pike or sea spinning rod. It is too stiff to cast a size 1 spinner well and gives 4lb line little protection. For tackle by spec, see our guide to trout rods.

Step 3: Choose the Right Spinners and Spoons for UK Trout

Trout feed mostly on small prey, so a lure barely bigger than a fingernail looks more like food than a big one does. That is why the standard box is small.

Size 1 and 2 revolving-blade spinners and small spoons, in silver and gold, cover most days on UK rivers and stillwaters. As a starting point:

Clear water, bright light: silver or bright finishes.
Coloured water or low light: gold or copper.
Deep or fast water: a heavier spoon or weighted spinner to get down.
Shallow streams: the lightest lure you can cast accurately.

	Spinner	Spoon
Action	Blade spins, giving flash and vibration	Body wobbles and flashes
Speed	Works at slow speeds in current	Needs a little more pace to wobble
Casting	Shorter range	Casts further, handles wind
Best use	Rivers, pools and runs	Stillwaters, wide rivers, windy days

A spinner is the default for running water, where the current helps turn the blade. Switch to a spoon when you need distance or a crosswind is pushing a light spinner off line.

Check the hooks on your trout spinners before you fish. Many come with trebles, and some waters require barbless lures or ban trebles, as on the Camel (Step 1). Swapping to a single barbless hook, or crushing the barbs, keeps you legal and speeds up release. Our page on barbless hooks explains the rules.

Small soft plastics and minnow plugs also catch trout where lures are allowed, and our trout lures guide covers them. For spinning, a handful of spinners and spoons is enough.

Step 4: Find Trout on Rivers and Stillwaters

Fifty casts into featureless water and not a single follow. Trout aren’t spread evenly, so put the lure where they hold.

Rivers. Trout lie facing upstream, waiting for food to come to them. Cast to:

pools and eddies
the water in front of and behind boulders
undercut banks
the tail of a run
creases, where fast water meets slow

Stillwaters (where lures are permitted). Fish points, drop-offs, inflows and weed edges, and work the margins early and late in the day. You can’t see what depth the trout are at, so count the lure down (Step 5 explains how).

Water	Where to cast	Best approach
River	Pools, eddies, boulders, undercuts, creases	Across and down, let the current work the lure
Stillwater	Points, drop-offs, inflows, weed edges	Count down to find depth, then vary the retrieve

Most UK guides rate spring and autumn as the best times for spinning for trout, and our page on autumn trout fishing covers the back end of the season. Rivers have close seasons (Step 1), while enclosed stillwaters are often open all year.

Spinning’s main advantage is speed. Give each likely spot a few casts, then move. On a river, keep low and stand back from the edge between pools, because trout in shallow, clear water spook easily. On a stillwater, walk the bank and try each feature in turn.

If your water is fly only or bans lures, try float fishing for trout or the method feeder for trout, after checking those methods are allowed too.

Step 5: Cast and Retrieve: Across and Down, Count Down, Vary the Speed

When you’re spinning for trout and nothing follows, slow down until you can only just feel the blade turning. That one change fixes more blank spells than a new lure.

On a river:

Cast across and slightly downstream.
Let the current swing the lure round in an arc.
Retrieve just fast enough to keep contact and keep the blade spinning.
Work it past pools, eddies and boulders.
Vary the speed and add short pauses.

In shallow water you can also cast upstream. Retrieve faster, because the current pushes the lure towards you and the blade stops turning if you don’t keep pace.

On a stillwater:

Count after the lure lands: for example 3 seconds on the first cast, 6 on the next, then 10.
Note the count that brings a follow or take, and repeat it.
Start with a steady retrieve. If that fails, try pauses or short bursts.

Fan your casts across the swim, left to right, before moving on, so every fish in range sees the lure.

Watch the lure all the way in. A trout that follows and turns away is telling you to slow down or change colour. Some will follow right to the rod tip, inspect the lure from a few inches away and leave, which is trout for “nice try”. When you feel a take, set the hook with a firm lift of the rod.

The verdict: across and down on rivers, count down on stillwaters, and change speed before you change lures.

Step 6: Land, Unhook and Release Trout Properly

A treble lodged in the jaw of a thrashing trout makes release slow and hard on the fish. Have the right kit ready before the take:

a knotless or rubber mesh landing net
wet hands before you touch the fish
the fish kept in or over the water while you unhook it
forceps to remove lure hooks quickly

Minimum sizes apply if you keep fish: 20cm for brown trout in the North West and Midlands, for example, and 25cm on the Thames (see the Step 1 table). Fisheries may also set catch and release rules or bag limits, so check your ticket. The Midlands byelaws ban keepnets for trout, and the Yorkshire byelaws ban foul hooking.

Spinning for trout can produce big fish on English rivers too. Angling Times reported in August 2024 that a large brown trout from the River Wensum in Norfolk was caught on a metal spinner, then netted, unhooked in the water and released.

Sea trout run many of the same rivers but have their own seasons and rules. In the North West, for example, the migratory trout close season runs from 1 October to 31 March. Read our sea trout fishing guide before targeting them.

Before your next session, swap trebles for barbless singles and put forceps in your pocket.

Frequently asked questions

Can you spin for trout in the UK?

Yes. In England you can spin for trout with a rod licence wherever the byelaws and the fishery allow lures. Some rivers ban it, including the Dart and all of Dartmoor National Park, and many stillwaters are fly only. In Wales, check Natural Resources Wales; in Scotland and Northern Ireland, check the relevant authority. See Step 1 above.

What size spinner is best for trout?

Size 1 to 2 spinners or small spoons suit most UK rivers and stillwaters. Use silver in clear water and gold in coloured water, and step up to a heavier spoon or weighted spinner in deep or fast water. See Step 3 above for the full breakdown.

When does the trout season start in England?

There is no single date. River close seasons are set by regional byelaws, for example 1 October to 14 March in the North West and 8 October to 17 March in the Midlands, while enclosed stillwaters are often open all year. Check GOV.UK for your river, and see our fishing seasons guide.