No lure has established itself more firmly in the ranks of anglers who troll for trout than the fabled Mack’s Lure Wedding Ring spinner.

It would be interesting to know how many hundreds of thousands of trout they’ve put in the boat.  We do know that tens of thousands of these wondrous little baits have been sold since we put them on the market more than three decades ago.

Few lures have caught more trout than a Mack's Lure Wedding Ring spinner.  They might get you a beauty like the one I've netted here.

There’s no question that Wedding Rings have been used the most by trollers.  They’re a favorite for trollers who go after trout as well those good eating little landlocked salmon called kokanee.  But while trolling is where most Wedding Rings are utilized, there’s no reason in the world why you can’t use them for other approaches to angling such as casting from the shore or from a boat.

Take a look at the different style Wedding Rings displayed in your favorite sporting good store. Eyeball the package they come in and you’ll find that these lures are attached to a leader.

These Wedding Ring setups are available in a variety of leader lengths and tests.  For example, if you choose you can get a Wedding Ring with a Size 10 single hook.  You’ll find that this sparkling little lure comes attached to 48-inches of leader.

That 48-inch leader length may be fine if you’re trolling, but it’s much longer than what you’ll want or need if you’re planning to simply use it as a casting lure.  Let water conditions be your guide when you determine the appropriate leader length.

There are no hard and fast rules as to the exact leader length.  We know some darn good fishermen who rarely use less than 18-inches.  Some of these anglers simply cut their leaders down to the desired length, and then tie a loop in the end of it.

These same experts always tie a snap swivel to the end of their main line.  It’s a simple matter to hang the loop they’ve tied at the end of the Wedding Ring’s leader into the snap on their main line and get to fishing.

I take a slightly different approach.  Instead of tying a loop at the end of my leader, I attach the leader end to a small barrel swivel.  I clip the snap at the end of my main line into the barrel swivel.  I find this set up tends to tangle less than when I’ve tied a loop in the leader’s end.

Being able to purchase your Weddings Rings all set up and ready to fish provides a number of advantages.  First off it saves you time. You don’t have to do any lure rigging, it’s been done for you.

Another advantage is that there’s no metal involved.  Your Wedding Ring is built right on the leader.  You’ll see what that means as soon as you make your first cast.  Being as light as it is, your lure has more action.  Your sinker is well out in front of the lure.  You’ll find that your Wedding Ring tends to stay up better during the retrieve.

As I’ve mentioned, Wedding Rings are available with different hook sizes as well as different test leaders.  One of the easiest and best ways to find out exactly what’s available is to get a copy of the current Mack’s Lure catalog.  You’ll find it’s of great assistance in making exactly the selection you want.

The current Mack’s Lure catalog is available at no charge.  Simply send your request to Mack’s Lure, 2514 Easy Street, Wenatchee, WA 9801.  Catalogs can also be ordered by calling 1 800 525-8737.  If you have computer access you’ll find it provides another excellent source of reference.   

There's no reason in the world why you can't cast a Wedding Ring with your spinning outfit.  Just cut the leader down to the length you want, attach the appropriate size weight and you're in business.

The original Wedding Ring Classic is too light to throw without using a sinker.  Many newcomers to the art of stream angling have a tendency to overlook the importance of sinker size.  If you’re stream fishing, you’ll want your Wedding Ring to drift downstream with the current as naturally as possible.

That won’t happen if the weight you’re using is too heavy.  Use too much weight and your lure will simply flop to bottom.  You’ll be forever yanking it up to try to get it moving downstream again.

It’s just as big a mistake to use a sinker that’s too light.  Do that and your lure is more than likely going to work its way downstream too far above the area where the fish are holding.

There are a number of ways to go about easing the task of sinker selection.  I’ll share some thoughts in that regard in my next column.

-To Be Continued-