up in western nc, i've had a lot of luck catching some stocker rainbows on smaller jerkbaits.  they will absolutely crush them too.

the smaller water native trout are really spooky though.  they're more easily caught on a panther martin spinner or live crickets.  the natives do a lot more walking on the water than the stockers do too, makes for a lot of fun and a lot of frustration when they get off!

My pb was a 26" and it was around 5-7 pounds. It was a huge fish. i will try to post a pic later.

<---- my PB. On a 3" kwikfish.

How was the fight? What kind of setup were you using? I've never caught one like that, do they still jump and shoot around like the little guys?

How was the fight? What kind of setup were you using? I've never caught one like that, do they still jump and shoot around like the little guys?

Water was super cold so it pulled but not as hard as big trout I have caught in the spring. It jumped once and took some drag but I was able to net it in about a minute. 6'6" Light Action Field And Stream Tec-Lite with a Sienna 1000 spooled with 6lb fluoro.