I had that same thought about using the lure for brown trout when I saw the bait. After seeing it in the water, I would not be inclined to use it for trolling. The action is very strange, you have to see it to understand it.

You might pick one up if you like casting for browns. When you jerk the lure it moves with erratic action and I could see browns getting in to that. I'm not a brown trout expert or anything, but when I've caught them on lures in the past it's always been on a very fast, erratic retrieve.