Rainbow Trout

[stan]

What do you all find is a good surface speed for Rainbow Trout ?

What are some of the most popular color spoons ?

What are some of the most popular artificial baits ?

[Gray Fox]

Not sure on the surface speed, but a copper/orange crush stinger works well. Also the copper NBK and the last two years I have taken quite a few on silver prism dodgers with powder blue flies.

[Yankee Troller]

When they are up high in the spring off the bar they seem to want it faster than the cohos. (2.7ish-3.0) Short cores with a range of lures can work great. Some of my favorites are:

Stinger Copper Confusion

Dreamweaver SS Orange Slurpee

Double Crush Orange in both silver and gold

Dreamweaver SS Glow Froggy

00 Orange Dodger w/ small blue or green fly

[Pike Hunter]

Ditto to YT as he knows his stuff.

Spoons:

Black and silver Evil Eyes. This spoon has consistenly brought big steelhead to my boat.

NK Green Dolphin

Stickbait:

Orange J-12 rapala

[Gill-T]

Stan, our fish AVERAGE 7 lbs so take our suggestions and downsize a little. If you are looking to stock up in the off season look at the Stinger Scorpion or Stinger size, Dreamweaver SS, and the smaller Northern Kings, Northport Nailers and Evil eyes (Eppinger). Anything with orange on it will work. Below 40' red becomes gray, so I like orange glow past 40'. Chartreuse would be a second color of prefrence. 2.8 mph is a good average steelhead speed, depending on the spoon used. Slower 2-2.5 with evil eyes, SS, Michigan Stingers and faster for heavier Northern Kings, and NP Nailers. I have fished similar lakes to you when I lived in Colorado, and I know the Kokanee and trout would love the orange 6" spin doctor or orange dodger with a small coho/peanut fly.