From the
folks at Cape Cod Outdoors. The best, area specific, outdoor site.From the
folks at Cape Cod Outdoors. The best, area specific, outdoor site.Spoons or tin, named for their shape and composition
back then and now, are one of the four legs of any solid spin fishing collection.
That would be: jigs, spoons (spinners), plugs and most recently, plastics.
Spoons were probably the first "artificials" used in fishing.
The flash of light off colored metal and the erratic action of the spoon
shape combine into a multisensory attractor to fish. Yet their simplicity
of design and versatility make them easy to fabricate and nearly foolproof
to use. They are essential to any fisherman's arsenal. The spinner is, if
you think about it, an evolved spoon; giving us yet another invaluable tool.
The beauty of a spoon is its ability to fish anywhere in the water column.
The same spoon, chosen to match the water conditions, can be retrieved as:
a surface lure on top of the water film, a top water lure running only a
few feet deep, a mid-depth lure, or right on the bottom.
Take something as versatile as the red and white daredevil spoon of mid
twentieth century freshwater popularity. As a kid in Wisconsin, one summer
I fished daredevils almost exclusively as an experiment. Granted, I used
them as small as half an inch and as big as four inches but I caught everything
there was to catch that summer on just daredevils fished high and low, fast
and slow, deep and shallow. I caught: perch, pickerel, walleye, northern
pike and (small) muskies. I also caught: bullheads, flatheads and channel
cats; lake trout, sunfish and even "buffalo" which are freshwater
drum. Not bad on something that looks more like a barber pole than anything
else.
More to the point around here, spoons function to imitate the myriads of
shiny, silvery baitfish that are the middle of the local food chain. Being
stainless steel or tin they are nearly impervious to saltwater damage. Another
big plus.
Going to the tackle shop to pick out a saltwater spoon is like shopping
for soda in the supermarket. Lots of makers, lots of choices, lots of sizes
and colors. For the same reason as soda too. Spoons are cheap to make and
so a higher profit item. (I know one very effective spoon that cost less
to manufacture than the packaging!)
The choice of one spoon over another has to be decided by some design detail
that gives a spoon an edge. Lets look at some examples.
Going to toss that spoon a half mile off the beach? Then you need weight
AND reduced wind resistance. Otherwise, all two and a half ounce spoons
would fly the same. Generally, the narrower the profile, the further the
cast.
Retrieving fast for bonito or blues? Then you should choose a slender spoon.
A wide one will spin at high speeds rather than vibrate.
Are you looking for a lot of action at slow speed for stripers in the shallows?
Thin metal spoons wobble at slower speeds due to reduced inertia vs. cross
section through the water. For example, there is a spoon manufactured in
5/8 oz. and ¾ oz. with the same dimensions overall EXCEPT metal thickness.
Which do you think gives a greater wobble at slower retrieve rates? Right,
the 5/8 oz. Acme, Fiord.
What about matching the hatch, so to speak? Are you trying to imitate a
sand eel? If so, then beyond choosing a narrow dimension spoon, the next
choice is the color. Green, green, green. Some days it may not matter if
it's green or blue or mauve. Other days it only matters to the fish. Around
here, the Deadly Dick in green is king.
But what about those herring fry? Well, blue is the ticket then. And what
about the shape? You'll want something shorter and vertical in presentation
rather than horizontal. Add a thick metal body for that casting distance
you need to reach breaking fish without spooking them and you find yourself
staring at a 1 ½ oz. Luhr-Jensen Crippled Herring.
Lots of loose grass around? Pick a spoon with a single hook rather than
trebles or change 'em out yourself. Or maybe better yet, pick a spoon that
will run the surface film with the hook up and out of the way of the grass
altogether. Did someone say, Tony Accetta Pet spoon? (Or in freshwater,
the weedless Johnson Silver Spoon of spoon and pork rind fame.)
You get the idea. It pays to try to match the spoon to the forage, water
type and casting conditions.
Every spoon made and hanging on your dealer's wall will catch fish. If you
do your part about matching the forage fish for shape and color, the water
conditions for depth and structure, and learn to retrieve each spoon at
its own best speed for the best action then the spoon will work for you.
The rest is finding out where and how deep the fish are. Certainly beyond
the scope of this column but not beyond the search capabilities of a good
spoon.
Did I mention: trailers, feathers and hair? Maybe this IS rocket science!
In short, yes, as long as they don't reduce action. White is good and sometimes
blue or red are better.
Keep it simple when you can but just remember, fish don't think. Match the
pattern they are hitting and you'll be taking the pesky things off your
tin all day long.
Check the fishing reports for up to the minute info and ask at the local tackle shops.
Hiring a charter guide to find blues is always a cinch. This year you might even find a record.
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