Fly anglers think about drift; spinning anglers think about retrieve angle. The same lies hold fish — but how you cover them is different. Where a fly drifts down through a seam, a spinner pulls across or up through it.
Two questions before you cast:
- What's the fish facing? All flowing-water fish face into the current. Cast so the lure swims up in front of the fish (the most natural angle), then pull it past from below (escaping-baitfish profile).
- What's the depth and speed? Match spinner weight (see Choosing a Spinner) to depth, and match retrieve speed to current. Fast water + heavy lure + slow retrieve = lure swims at depth; slow water + light lure + fast retrieve = lure stays near the surface.
Where to throw:
- Pool tails — cast across the tail, retrieve up through the slack water on the far side. Big trout hold here in the morning.
- Seams below riffles — cast at the seam, retrieve along it. Fish stack on this transition.
- Bank lies — cast tight to undercut banks and structure. Even a few feet off changes everything.
- Mid-pool boulders — cast above the boulder so the lure swings past it on the retrieve.
A spinner catches fish in water where dead-drifted flies fail because the active retrieve covers more area faster.