[hobiecat]

Pete, can't help you with the HD's, but over the years I've found gold spinners work as well or better than any other lure I've used on the Arkansas. And, you can make your own cheap. Just mentioned it because I know you've mentioned you're going from a fly rod to a spinning rod.

 

[hobiecat]

Something else to try and a fun bait to fish is a two and a half inch sassy shad on a quarter or three eighths ounce jig head. Trout love them. It's also nice because when you lose a jig ...you lose fifty cents...not five to ten dollars and no trebles to deal with. I like the Bass Pro Shops Walleye Angler Purple Pearl Silver Fleck.

 

[hobiecat]

Pete, I'm pretty cheap when it comes to my fishing equipment. My tackle selection is minimal. And, I'm hard on my stuff. I've gone through four President reels..each lasting two to three years before developing problems. Now, I've been using Mitchell 308s for a couple of years and no problems at all. They're cheaper than a President. I also love my Berkley Lightning Rods. I use 6'6 medium power rods for just about everything. From trout, to bass, walleyes, crappies, cats and pike. I think they work great. I do have a heavier rod for swim baits, but seldom use it.

$39 bucks for a Lightning rod and $49 for a 308..IMO $88 bucks well spent.

 

[hobiecat]

And as far as line, I still use Trilene XT. I've used it for years. If I was fishing for trout exclusively, I'd rig with 6lb...being as I use the same rods for multiple species, I now run 8lb. I think six was fine overall, no problems with fish and a properly set drag, but I lose fewer jigs running the 8lb pulling off snags and haven't noticed a reduction in hits.

 

[hobiecat]

Also, fished a couple of hours with Ninja yesterday and he could tell you that the sassy shads work just fine for trout. Once again, inexpensive and fun to fish.