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Rooster Tail is a specific lure family from Yakima Bait (also sold under the Worden’s name — same company, same lure), built around a hackle-tail treble and a spinning blade. It’s a great trout spinner, but it’s one of several inline-spinner designs anglers rotate through depending on water clarity, current speed, and how spooky the fish are that day. Here are the real Rooster Tail variants plus the genuine competitor spinners worth having in the same box.
| # | Product | Price | Where to buy |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yakima Bait / Worden’s Original Rooster Tail | $3.50-$5 | Amazon |
| 2 | Yakima Bait Hammered Blade Rooster Tail | $4-$5.50 | Amazon · eBay |
| 3 | Mepps Aglia | $5-$8 | Amazon · eBay |
| 4 | Mepps Aglia Flashabou | $5-$8 | Amazon · eBay |
| 5 | Blue Fox Classic Vibrax | $6-$9 | Amazon · eBay |
| 6 | Blue Fox Super Vibrax | $6-$14 | Amazon · eBay |
| 7 | Panther Martin Original/Classic Deluxe | $4-$7 | Amazon · eBay |
| 8 | Joe’s Flies Short Striker Classic Spinner | $5-$8 | Amazon · eBay |
| 9 | Strike King Bitsy Spin | $4-$6 | Amazon · eBay |
| 10 | Acme Phoebe | $3-$6 | Amazon · eBay |
The picks, in detail
Yakima Bait / Worden’s Original Rooster Tail
The original — a weighted spinner body dressed with a soft hackle tail that pulses even on a slow retrieve, in sizes from 1/32 oz up to 1 oz so it covers everything from small mountain creeks to bigger rivers.
- 10 sizes, 1/32 oz to 1 oz
- Genuine silver, brass, or copper blades
- Soft hackle tail dressing on the treble
- Over 100 color patterns
- The 1/6, 1/8 and 1/4 oz sizes are the proven workhorse trout sizes
- Huge color selection for matching water clarity
- Cheap enough to lose a few without flinching
- Standard blades can look plain in gin-clear water without a hammered or UV finish
Yakima Bait Hammered Blade Rooster Tail
Same body and hackle tail as the Original, but the blade is textured (hammered) to throw more erratic flash — useful on overcast days or slightly stained water where a plain blade doesn’t stand out.
- 1/16-1/4 oz sizes
- Hammered copper or silver blade finish
- Same hackle-tail dressing as the Original
- More flash per turn of the blade than a smooth finish
- Good low-light or stained-water upgrade over the standard blade
- Marginal difference over the Original in clear, bright conditions
Mepps Aglia
The original French spinner design and Rooster Tail’s oldest rival — a wide Aglia blade on a weighted shaft with a clicking bead that adds vibration; casts well even in wind.
- Classic Aglia blade shape
- Clicking bead for extra vibration
- Sizes from #00 to #5
- Dressed and undressed treble options
- Spins easily even at very slow retrieve speeds
- Long production history with consistent quality
- No hackle tail on the base model (dressed versions cost more)
Mepps Aglia Flashabou
An Aglia dressed with a Flashabou tail instead of bucktail — adds visual flash behind the blade for extra attraction in murky or fast water.
- Aglia blade with Flashabou synthetic tail dressing
- Same clicking-bead body as the standard Aglia
- Extra flash trail behind the blade
- Good in faster or slightly off-color water
- Similar price to the standard Aglia for a cosmetic tail difference
Blue Fox Classic Vibrax
A two-part free-spinning body design that reduces line twist, with an offset blade that produces a low-frequency ‘thump’ instead of a high flash — runs a bit deeper than a Rooster Tail of the same weight.
- Free-spinning gear body reduces line twist
- Offset blade for low-frequency vibration
- Multiple weight and color options
- Runs deeper for a given weight, good for holding water
- Line-twist reduction is a genuine mechanical advantage
- Bulkier profile than a Rooster Tail in the same weight class
Blue Fox Super Vibrax
The larger-bodied step up from the Classic Vibrax, for bigger water or when you need to cast farther and still get the blade spinning.
- Larger body and blade than Classic Vibrax
- Long-casting profile
- Sizes up to 5/8 oz+
- Casts long distances while still tracking true
- Covers more water per cast in rivers
- Oversized for small-stream trout compared to the Classic
Panther Martin Original/Classic Deluxe
Uses a ‘double reverse’ concave/convex blade mounted directly on the shaft so it spins at a consistent angle even on upstream casts — sinks a bit faster and gives more subtle flash than a Mepps.
- Double-reverse concave/convex blade
- Blade mounted directly on shaft (no clevis)
- Sizes down to very small trout weights
- Sinks quickly, good for getting down in faster runs
- Consistent spin even on tricky upstream casts
- Less flash than a Mepps in slow, clear pools
Joe’s Flies Short Striker Classic Spinner
A spinner-fly hybrid with a hand-tied fly body behind the blade instead of a bare hook — made in Bridgeport, WV since 1961, and built specifically to hook trout that short-strike a standard spinner tail.
- Hand-tied fly body behind a premium spinner blade
- Designed to catch short-striking fish
- Multiple fly patterns and blade sizes
- Solves the short-strike problem other spinners have on cautious trout
- Long-running, trout-specific product line
- More expensive than a mass-produced spinner
Strike King Bitsy Spin
A compact finesse spinner with an ultra-soft hackle tail that holds its shape in the water — developed with pro-angler input for pressured fish that shy away from a bigger profile.
- Compact, finesse-sized profile
- Ultra-soft hackle tail
- Small treble for light-line presentations
- Good on heavily-fished water where trout are line- and lure-shy
- Soft tail holds shape better than cheaper hackle
- Small size limits it to light spinning tackle
Acme Phoebe
Not a spinner but the wobbling spoon anglers reach for in the same trout box — a thin, lightweight spoon that flutters on the fall and gives a totally different action when the spinner bite goes quiet.
- Thin, lightweight wobbling spoon
- Multiple finishes including hammered and glow
- Sizes from 1/12 oz up
- Different flutter-and-fall action complements a spinner rotation
- Casts well into wind due to its flat profile
- Not a spinner — no blade rotation or vibration
Buying tips
- Match blade size to water clarity and speed: smaller, plainer blades (silver/brass) for clear, slow pools; hammered or UV finishes for stained water or overcast days.
- Slow the retrieve down until the blade just barely spins — trout often hit a Rooster Tail-style spinner on the fall or on the slowest retrieve that keeps the blade turning.
- Carry a couple of spoon options (like the Phoebe) alongside your spinners — when trout stop responding to blade flash, a fluttering fall-action lure can still trigger a strike.
As an Amazon Associate and eBay Partner, toptenpick.com earns from qualifying purchases. Prices and availability are subject to change.