No doubt, sedentary "bait and wait" tactics can work. Live baits, salmon eggs, pastes and pressed products, corn kernels or leftovers -- just about anything dangling under a slip bobber can potentially catch a trout on any given day.

But for anglers who want a more proactive experience -- without the wholesale shift in tackle philosophy that is fly fishing -- nothing beats spinners and spoons.

The technology is deceptively simple: a convex blade spins around a shaft threaded with beads, tubes, feathers or fur, trailed by a treble hook. Or the wobbling of a convex spoon causes flash and turbulence, triggering a strike.

The nuances, however, are virtually infinite, making spinner and spoon fishing as complex and sophisticated as the angler wants it to be. Lure weight, blade size, color, line weight, rod action, reel dynamics, speed and style of retrieve -- each paired with water conditions, weather and even the brightness of the sky -- come into play when fishing with metallic hardware.

The key advantage to spinning for trout is that it can be effective year-round in all special regulation waters except Catch and Release Fly Fishing Only. In lakes and ponds, spinners and spoons can fool the fish from near the surface to just off the bottom. In cold rivers and big creeks, they can lure trout from the riffles to the deepest pools. Spinners can be deadly in the pockets and pools of tiny brooks. In some cases, an ultralight outfit and spinner can span distances that are out of reach for most fly casters, and can effectively mimic wounded minnows in currentless pools that can be difficult to fish with fly line.

Versatile spinners and spoons can be the right bait at the right time for crappies and other panfish, trout, bass and even pike-family predators. The first consideration is choosing the right lure weight.

"It's the bible of fishing," said Ambrose Boni, fishing manager at the Gander Mountain store in Washington, Pa. "If you do it long enough and start taking stock in what you're doing, lure size becomes one of the main decisions you make."

One-eighth ounce is the baseline for trout fishing with spinners and spoons. Larger quarter-ounce lures may be necessary in high, cloudy water, and provide weight when lake trolling for trout. Lures of a sixteenth ounce and lighter make great panfish bait, and while they can lure trout they can be difficult to cast with all but the tiniest ultralight outfits.

The eternal Mepps -- a near-perfect minnow imitation in brass, fur and feathers -- is "always good," said Jim Bohrer, owner of Moraine Fishing and Camping Center in Prospect. There has been little improvement over the classic Daredevil spoon. The shiny stainless steel Panther Martin and versatile Rooster Tail spinners sell the best, he said.

In Washington, Boni moves a lot of Vibex, Rooster Tails and Joe's Flies.

"For trout, the majority of spinner fishermen go for No. 8 Joe's Flies with the silver blade," he said. "They're trying to match the hatch [with the emerger imitation]. Chartreuse and white are the main colors, also black and dark browns.'

Rooster Tails, he said, sell best in neutral colors with silver blades.

"Silver blades, as opposed to gold blades, are better because of the flash they make on overcast days," said Boni. "On bright, sunny days, switch to gold blades."

As in all angling, spinner and spoon fishing works best when you think like a fish. Trout will ambush healthy minnows, but they're generally reluctant to chase after healthy ones. The trick is to work it like a sick or wounded bait fish. In still and slow water, lift the rod tip, crank the reel, let it drop and repeat. In current, throw upstream and across, jerking while reeling to give it an erratic, vulnerable appeal. Swim the lure slower and deeper in cold water, higher and faster when the water temperature warms.

Some fly tiers, lured by the sparkley flash, incorporate spinner blades into their adapted designs, creating patterns that better reflect a vital glint of sunlight in high, silty and overcast conditions.

The Fish and Boat Commission claims treble hooks do no more damage to mouths and throats than single hooks in catch-and-release situations. But some conscientious spinner anglers who fish for trout year-round in special regulations sections clip two hooks from their treble rigs, or at least crimp a couple of barbs.

"In Delayed Harvest areas that are going to hold trout all year, particularly when you're releasing them, I have an issue with using three hooks that aren't barbless," Boni said. "But if you're fishing on opening day where the stocked fish are going to die anyway, to me it doesn't matter."