>>1488623"Match the hatch," is the old adage that goes with all forms of bait fishing. In fly fishing terms that means selecting a fly that mimics what insect is currently hatching that the fish are actively consuming. For other forms of fishing it means matching whatever the fish are currently eating. It can be a perfect imitation lure (like a swimbait) or something that merely resembles a wide range of things and relies on fish instinct (like a rooster tail or other spinner).
FYI, "blade bait," is also called a, "plug," in the US, at least for the hard body ones.
>should use it for trout fishing?With the paragraph above, consider what the trout are eating and what plugs mimic. Most freshwater plugs mimic baitfish or crayfish (and insects to lesser extent with micro plugs) while saltwater ones mimic baitfish, crabs, cephalopods, and other weird things. If the trout species you are targeting eats something a plug will mimic then use that.
Where I live in the states, there's no saltwater fishing. The trout fishing here consists mainly of artificial fish eggs. This is mostly due to the fact all waterways are heavily fished and the government stocks them with trout from fisheries. Those trout are used to eating pellet fish food and the artificial eggs mimic both something they eat naturally and what they are normally eating. In the more wild areas we use artificial flies and to lesser extent baitfish mimicking plugs and spinners; depending on trout species.
>what did you guys catch with blade baits?I mostly only use plugs for catching black bass. We have pike and musky here, but they are so tightly regulated that I don't like fishing for them. I prefer to eat what I catch. Most of the water ways are strewn with overhanging trees so losing lures to them is pretty common for most people. I usually get 3-5 lures out of trees, on every trip, like some treasure hunt.
I use square-bill plugs in areas where there are lots of underwater snags (pic.)
