One of the hardest things in all of fishing is to find a good spinning rod for trout. And if I sound like a snob it’s because I am. But it’s hard to talk about it around some of my other friends who are fly anglers only. They don’t know what I’m talking about because there are hundreds of good fly rods for trout.

This isn’t a story about spinning rods though. This is a story about a trout-fishing rock-and-roll chef.

But before we talk about Zack Tickler, I want to make it clear a lot of us are missing out on some of the pleasures of trout fishing because we use whatever trout rods we are stuck with. It doesn’t have to be this way. To my way of thinking the ideal trout rod is 6 to 7 feet long. No shorter. No longer. Fiberglass or graphite; it’s a medium-fast action and should be paired with a high quality reel and loaded with 4-pound test line. I have only owned one good one in 50-plus years of fishing. And I got a second one because I liked it so well. Then the company went out of business and I broke both rods. Don’t miss out on the good things in life. The perfect spinning rod is out there. I know it. If you find one, tell me about it.

Zack Tickler makes his home in Bend, but his vocation takes him out on the road with some of the great musicians of our time. Zack and his wife, Liz, are thoughtful foodies that can figure out how to make the most of local foods wherever they find them whether the venue is Brazil, Barcelona or Brussels. And the bands they tour with, who used to hire local caterers, now just fly Zack and Liz wherever they go. When he is not traveling, Tickler tries to make the most of the fishing in Central Oregon, and to that end, he began crafting small spinners tuned to target rainbows, browns and brookies in our lakes and rivers.

“I was really tired of line twist,” Tickler said, “so I took inspiration from my bass fishing lures and built an overhead style spinnerbait.”

This was the spinner that caught my eye — a bass fishing-styled spinnerbait for trout. Back in 2020, Tickler sent me a handful of spinners to try and I saw his vision. A kindred spirit.

My first fish on one of Tickler’s lures was out of Willow Creek Reservoir on a blustery March morning, and then I used them on Pine Hollow Reservoir, and most recently on Detroit Lake. My best trout on a Trout Wizard spinner was a 15-incher last year on East Lake.

Trout Wizard Lure Company started by selling lures via their Instagram page, but soon expanded to a website (troutwizardlureco.com).

To my mind, the Spell Slinger Spinner is the right choice early and late in the day to target aggressive trout. Tickler ties his spinners both as attractors and to match local food sources. Lost Galaxy, Dragonfly, Dwarven Armor, Ghost Minnow, PNW Brownster, PNW Craw and The Wraith are some of his top sellers.

There are times during the season when spoons out-fish spinners and Tickler sells both a casting spoon and a flutter spoon for pulling behind a boat. Don’t be afraid to tip the Crown of Thorns or Hammer of Doom with a piece of corn or a salmon egg. Tickler uses very sharp single hooks on all his spoons and spinners.

There are two styles of plugs in Tickler’s catalog. He calls them Mystic Minnows. The floating minnow is a classic shape hand-painted in patterns like Rainbow Trout, Smoke Shad, The Fighter and Toxic Lightning. When a sinking minnow is called for, it’s a humpback style with patterns like Yamame Unicorn, Fool’s Gold and Ancient Bones.

Tickler styles himself an ambassador for catch-and-release fishing with high quality lures built by hand, one at a time right here in the United States. Each of his lures are hand painted, turned, twisted and tied by himself. And he is quick to fill orders, except when he is rocking a frying pan backstage.

Fly-tying Corner

I can’t wait to fish this fly. This one has it all: long antennae, a trailing shuck, a curved hook to drop the body beneath the surface film, a parachute hackle to make it land soft and lower the profile, a sturdy caddis wing and a sparkle green thorax. This is a fly for July on the Deschutes and the McKenzie.

Throughout the West, the caddis fly is a mainstay of a trout’s diet. They range in color from black or brown to green and orange. And trout have to eat a lot of them to keep that chunky profile they earned during the salmonfly hatch.

This is a fly to fish from about 4 p.m. until last light. A No. 14 is a good bet on a 4X tippet. Start with a bit of gel floatant on the body and wing to keep it floating. Then, after the first fish, touch it up with a dry powder floatant.