The shad
The most popular soft lure for trout fishing is undoubtedly the shad. It can be used in all conditions, perfectly imitating a small fish in distress. It's all-purpose, as you can vary its descent speed by changing the weight of the lead head it's equipped with. A shad is ideal for fishing short areas, where you can only animate a lure over a few metres, or even a few dozen centimetres.
When the flow of a river is strong, there are always small counter-currents where the fish take shelter, far from the powerful current that would exhaust them. In fact, the big fish are often the first to go, chasing any competitor for shelter. Choose shads with supple material, so that the swimming action of the caudal fin does not slow down the descent too much.
The sinking minnow jerkbait
Among swimming fish, the king of big flows is undoubtedly the sinking jerkbait minnow. It's one of the few hard lures capable of sinking into the water as quickly as a soft lure. It is particularly useful for reaching areas far from shore where most anglers are unable to cast, in a calmer vein of water for example.
The erratic swimming action of the jerkbait minnow is very effective in targeting trout, and is usually animated by short pulls that make it vibrate strongly. At each pause in the animation, the sinking jerkbait minnow flutters back rapidly to the bottom, making trout very aggressive. It can be used with both trebles and singles, allowing us to adapt to current regulations or to preserve fish health.
The creature
When shad and sinking minnow jerkbaits don't get down fast enough in the area we're interested in, the creature is a very handy tool. Its slim profile, with no caudal fin, makes it easy to make contact with the bottom, especially when using conical sinker heads. The latter easily split the water and allow us to fish with a scraper despite a strong flow. The creature is particularly effective on educated fish that often see conventional lures go by.
Whether large or small, this creature will be very effective when fishing for trout that feed on invertebrates rather than other small fish. This technique can sometimes be reminiscent of vertical fishing, especially when a heavy flow forces trout to hide under the banks. This little creature is dropped in front of any obstacle that blocks the current and creates a potential shelter zone.
