One of the best fly-fishing patterns works its magic for spin-fishermen too. Mepps Spin Fly, with a Chenille/Woolly Worm
style body, is a sure bet for trout and panfish. With a
single hook (instead of a treble), it's virtually snagless. Size: 1/12 oz. (Mepps Size 0). Colors:(001)White, (003)Black, (004)Yellow, (008)Green, (068)Brown, (072)Black/Orange.
These little spin flies are as close to fly fishing that you can get with casting equipment. They are light enough to flip and drift with a current. A good trout lure and will also work on panfish.
It's hard to use enough punctuation here - Let me just say that I have fished for all my memory. I'm 41 - that's at least 35+years. My dad was in europe after WWII. He got turned onto inline spinnersthere - Mepps was what we used from my childhood. I've gone from literal cane poles and snoopy rods to the point I now own baitcasters that cost over $200 each on graphite rods that add even more C-notes.
I literally have spin fly's in my emergency "go bag". I have used them on a fly rod (a little clunky, but ok on a 6-7 wt) and the most fun I've ever had - take a little Zebco 11 series, 4#test, 4.5ft rod, a couple spin fly's, and take off walking/wading thru your favorite stream. Smallies, trout, countless bream...best day so far was 83 for me alone, and my son and I can usually grab a dozen each in a couple hours with these. It's almost some kinda guarantee. They are almost totally snagless, and they come out easy if you do get some hang up.
Best fish on this tiny lure? a size 0 spin fly, me in my kayak, that tiny little rod/reel described above (we own 8 of these little set ups) and a nice late summer day on a fairly well fished public lake. I landed a 7lb largmouth on this tiny single hook lure! (yep, on the 4lb line) I suppose being a big fly fisher I've learned how to fight fish on lite line pretty well...but it was still a 'heart stopper' when I saw it for the first time. not sure I breathed again until I slid the net under it. My kayak actually moved a lot during the fight! nice ride! the lure has been retired, next to a framed photo of the bass, but it was fine and I bet it would catch a bunch more if needed!
Species we've caught so far on the spin fly's - countless sunfish of all types, crappie, smallies and largmouths, stripers, wipers, catfish, and tons of trout. We even had a surprise, a big pike hit a spin fly once, of course we saw it attack, it was close to the boats, but snapped the line quickly without a wire leader (we weren't fishing for pike)
ok - if you read all this - do yourself a favor - buy a couple, you'll have a blast catching fish.