Its been a productive couple of days fishing above and below Shasta Dam for rainbow trout and German Browns.  I fished Keswick Reservoir a few days ago and found consistant rainbow trout bites trolling plugs up and down stream.  The trout seemed to favor the gold plugs and got quite a few bites on a frog pattern plug as well.  Today I fished with Stan Kulak of Trinidad Tackle on Shasta Lake.  Stan Kulak, Mike Fisher, and I were targeting big German Browns trolling Optimizer spoons and the early bite produced four solid hook ups, two of which made it to the side of the boat.  Top line trolling with side planers is a very effective method, but it can be tough to get good hook sets with lines at 90 degree angles.  The Optimizer spoons are a legit big fish killer and for those of you out there who like to catch the big ones, you'll want to stock up on them before you head out on your next fishing trip.  I'll be writing a more in depth tips and techniques segment on how to fish the Optimizer Spoons for www.myoutdoorbuddy.com in the near future.  In the meantime, contact stan@trinidadtackle.com for any questions you might have about how to fish them.