Spoons! Am I the Only One

[Dragfreedrift]

I am an avid spoontosser. Last year at this time I had multiple fish days using spoons. My favorites are the BC Steels...in 2/5 oz.

You dont really have to stick to any hard an fast rules about presentation.....I've caught fish swinging them most often, but do take fish sometimes by tossing them directly upstream from my position.

Think "low and slow"....ie, fish them near the bottom and make sure you are getting that special wobbling action....dont let them spin!

Color is not as critical as presentation!!!

My favorite thing to do is to wake up at 8:00 am on a Saturday, arrive at the river at 9:00 when all the boaters and bankies have moved out and then get a steelhead to hammer a spoon!!


HC

[ 03-15-2004, 01:10 PM: Message edited by: half canuck ]

[FishOrDie]

I am a spoontosser, I admit it!
I like little cleos but the one that I have caught more fish on is a red and white diver-flag style steelie.
I don't know why but it seems like I stir up the hole with drift gear, tick the fish off with a float and jig setup, tie on a red/white steelie and actually catch something.
I haven't really tried silver and gold but I will add them to my hardware and see what comes of it, the steelies seem to work.

Just my experience


FOD

[All Wet]

I use hardware a lot. Spinners and spoons. I think it ticks off the males especially because I mostly catch them. I too have tried bobber and jig, prawns then hardware before getting a strike on fish I was casting to. I keep a tight line and reel just enough to not hang up. Usually the take is just a stop and when I lift my rod I feel like I hooked a big rubber band until the fish wakes up. Different things work best at different times. I am still trying to figure it all out.

[SteelieSlammer]

One of my most memorable steelhead strikes was off a blue Steelie Spoon. The water was gin clear and i could see my spoon flutter down the river when this 12-15 lb summer came out of some white water cover and destroyed it. Seeing a steelhead hit it that agressive was awesome!!

[spinner fisher]

My experience with spoons has been very limited until I went fishing with a friend who showed me how simple it can be. Spoons are a great producer.

[spinner53]

As mi alias implies I toss them french blades, will have a casting set up for spoons this next trip down the Nestucca. It'll be on a reel with a Flipping switch, now that i know what it's for I'll can extend a drift and or keep my offering down deep in faster water. I'll be tossing Politically correct little Cleo's , can't afford to lose any of the originals .... :blush:
Of course The noodle rod will have a # 2 brass blade spinner for tailouts and shallower runs.

[jr]

Am i the only one using spoons? if not where are you guys ? whats you favorate colors and spots to use them? in what conditions ? i would like to hear more people to talk about them sence i know they work well.

[ 03-15-2004, 12:05 PM: Message edited by: Pete ]

[skahorse]

I use them almost exclusively for summer run steelhead. Just your standard gold and silver. Ovals and teardrops. I replace all trebles with siwash hooks... The smolt in the Wilson love spoons that are half there size, and you terminally injure too many of them with trebles.

I fish them most all conditions, but mainly when there is a swift current. I stick to Jigs in the slow moving pools. Reel only to keep tension on the line, and at the end of the swing while retrieving. Just lettin' it bounce on the bottom. Sharpen the hooks often, bouncing on the bottom dulls them quickly...

Thats about it... I like spoon fishing more than just about anything else. You can cover alot of ground quickly. Herzog has a good book out there for those looking for more information.

--Skahorse

[Willow Drifter]

I love spoons. Give me a 1/2 oz. pink and chrome pixee and I can catch anything. :grin:

[Drakeblake]

Ok now how do you guys cast them? Up stream, at a 45, straight out, or at a 45 downstream and swing them? Thanks

-blake

[Twitchs_Tackle]

Hey willow, show him the pics of your collection :grin:

[ColdSteel]

I just started using spoons about a month agao and I love them. Still waiting for that hard slaming take that I always here about though. All 3 of the fish I have hooked grabed the spoon and kept coming up river. Makes for a difficult hookset but it sure is fun fighting them with nothing between you and the hook

My favorite spoon is a 1/2oz. gold teardrop, since thats what I have hooked fish on. I like to buy spoons in gold, silver, nickel, copper and bronze. If I want some color I just add some tape to them.

I too recomend Herzogs book, without it I'ld have been lost.

[rola76]

Spoons are also my top summer run lure...followed by plugging and then corky/yarn combos.

As for style, I stick primarily with "oval" style spoons such as Little Cleos. As for colors, gold is the number one choice, both in clear and stained water. Combos such as orange/gold, maroon/gold, and blue/gold also work well in all conditions.

I cast about 45 degrees upstream and basically drift fish them. A lot of guys don't fish them when they're directly "below" you, but I've caught numerous fish on the retrieve when the spoon is straight down river from me.

[corkyking]

Cool Spoons!

[dogrobber]

jr.

A Simon w/ Green reflective tape, buff the stainless w rubbing compound. Anchor in the big "C" put out downrigger and HOLD ON. I've caught lots of fall nooks last two years and now am attempting springers.

[Spinhead]

I, too, love the way steelhead completely SMASH a spoon. It seems they like to do it when you're at the very end of the drift through, you're just letting it wob, wob, wob as you're looking around, appreciating the glorious day, maybe checking out the deer on the hillside , the otters goofing on the opposite bank, then, when they know you're not paying the full measure of attention, WHAM, that sudden, vicious hit,and the desperate runs before you get 'em in. Like AllWet, I catch mostly bucks on the spoon.

[Corkie Monster]

I'm a spoon tosser as well. I mainly like the Teardrop style (silver plated or 24k gold plated) to fish the tail outs. Will use an oval for deep pools. The way I was instructed to fish them is to cast directly across from you or a little down river and just free spool/mend your line while it's on the swing to create the flutter action from the drop. I always keep my thumb on the spool to feel any slams or pickups while I'm free spooling. I've had some success. I buy my spoons in bulk to save alot of $$ and put Si-wash hooks on all of them.

CM

[ 03-16-2004, 08:46 PM: Message edited by: Corkie Monster ]

[jr]

Blue steelies in the summer when nobuddies catching a thing and you come and take your limit of hard slaming steelies talk about a work out
and every one in the hole is giving you the look! can't wait.


A steeelie taking a spoon is like get in my buddys 900hp car strap in ,shut up , and hold on breathe later. :shocked:

[sparkleboy]

A friend of mine hooked 3 and landed 2 winters on a blue steelie this last weekend...

I LOVE them in the summer time.
Have caught them on bronze, gold, silver, black, KO wobblers (silver/blue, silver/green) blue, and my personal favorite, green.
They work. You put it anywhere near a steelhead, and you'll get SLAMMED. It's such a hard strike...very fun!

[jr]

green for hens/ blue for studs out of eegs /green out for fun /blue

[OwyheeKIller]

Sandy river kings and silvers love Kastmaster spoons, so do rainbows and browns in Idaho. Most strikes are on the blue/chrome ones. You can cast them farther than any other spoons too.