I want to fish spoons more this year and went and picked up some half-fast spoons. What are some of you guys and gals favorite brands of spoons, size,color ect.?
I have fished spoons but never had the confidence needed to really fish them alot.This year I have decided is the year. TM

'Sup, Timber. I like the Mortac spoons a lot, but I also do well on your standard teardrop spoons like the Stee-lee's and such. Use Mortacs faster/deeper flows and swoop tailouts and soft current edges with the Stee-lee's. Silver plate rocks in dirtier water as well as freezing ass cold water that runs clear. I do really well on gold plate in the Mortac too in just about every condition. I learned a lot about swingin' metal last year with the Mighty Zog. You also have to leave a "mini belly" in your line when you let the spoon swing so it get's working properly. I'm sure that Bill will chime in here soon enough and give you a better understanding.

How about additional weight with spoons? I do alot of spinner fishing, and almost always use some lead about 24" up the leader to help counter act the lifting tendency in faster water. Ive rigged spoons similar and have had limited success, but someone once told me not to use it as it interfers with the spoons action. ANy truth to this?
Thanks
RL

I love the ltlcleos but am going to switch to the mortac's when my supply of cleo's goes down.Cost and availability are the reason.Rather order bulk online than a bunch of retail bubble packs with the wrong hooks anyways.

I hate trebble hooks.I lose fish but snag up more with them.Hell it is hard to cast a treble without it getting wraped up in the line.Then when it does finally hook a fish it gets a little piece of meat instead of the corner of the jaw,or you pin its mouth shut and get half the fight!

Gold and silver are my mainstays probably 90% of my fishing,but i do use half and half with other colors i.e silver and blue...

When you get comfortable with spoons you can effectivly fish a hole from top to bottem in a few minutes and pretty well know if there is a fish in there that is in the mood to cooperate.A very effective means of covering water.

I use a 10'6'' spinning rod and really believe that the long rod is crucial to effectivly fishing spoons.Alot of the same reasons that the jig fishermen use them,basicly it boils down added controll with more line out of the water.I think the reel is more of a preferance.I also use super braids alot.gives you a better feel of the action,doesn't spin up,you get more of your snags free,lasts a whole season,and gives you an edge on a horny twenty pounder!

I have added weight upstream of my spoons on a few acasions and it does kill the performance of the spoon.It kills the action and puts you out of touch with the action of the spoon,makes it feel like a solid pull instead of a side to side throb.That feel is crucial to knowing what your'e spoon is doing.After hooking up a few times you learn what kind of action you want to feel.That action also gives you control on the depth of the spoon during the swing,slower deeper in the run and faster higher up in the run.

I recomend that you stick with only a couple of styles at first,then you are only learning the action of one style at a time.Oval and tear drop are my favorite.

I think you would be hard pressed to find a better means of hunting down Ike,especialy if you are bank bound and are able and willing to hike a couple of miles,also a great way to start somebody off!
GOOD LUCK,If you stick with them I am sure you will be rewarded!

I've only been into steelheading for a year and 2 of my 6 landed fish came on a spoon. The first one was a summer run on a gold/hammered spoon with a red/orange stripe. He was hanging out near the head of a riffle behind some kings.
The second one (a chromer) was on Christmas eve in the tailout of a very long run. I was using a silver/hammered (love hammered spoons) spoon (one of those ones from fred meyer - Rainbow brand I think).

I've been fishing for trout for years and spoons are one of my favorite lures. I also had a lot of kings hit them while trout fishing. I like the kind that are more of a long teardrop - think of a slightly stretched steel-lee.

I do try added lead once in a while, but I think it makes me reel it in too fast to avoid hang-ups. In fast water, I cast a little upstream, reel in the slack, and begin putting pressure on it as soon as I feel the first tick. Then I keep just enough pressure on it to tick the bottom (or the bigger rocks) about every 10 to 20 ft. As it gets down below me, I slow it down even more, and throw in a little jigging (quickly dropping the tip) on the swing and as I bring it in on a slow retrieve. Like swinging a steelhead fly, try to let is hang down stream for a few seconds (after the swing), just fluttering, and maybe a few small jigging motions, before you bring it in.
Another thing, it's tempting to cast to the best water first. Try hard to focus on the water closest to you then work your way out.

Good luck!

I used to fish spoons, exclusively. It seemed like they caught more bucks, often dark, than chromer hens. Maybe, it was just coincedence. I used a lot of different finishes, but don't ever recall catching anything on flourescent or clown colored spoons. In a painted spoon, the red and white daredevil pattern was a good one. The daredevil shape was a better producer than the half-fast shape. I never used extra weight with a spoon.

One good way to fish small streams and low water is to wade above slots, log jams, and undercut banks, and just freespool the spoon into the hole. There's not a better takedown then when you're feeling the spoon fluttering, you're watching the rod tip pulsate perfectly, you're nearly hypnotized, and SLAM-MO!!! FISH ON

[ 01-12-2002: Message edited by: CedarR ]

Timberman I'm honestly not trying to kiss bill's ass, but you should get his spoon fishing book. I caught a fish on a spoon a week or two ago. It was on a blue fox gold/orange stripe 1/2oz spoon. On my first cast in the tailout it just started to throb when an 8lb chromer hen nailed it. My friend had never fished for steelhead in his life and caught 2 on his first trip. They were caught on a red/white daredevil spoon; the cheap $1.37 ones. I've only been out fishing a couple of times so far this year, but I've been fishing a spoon quite a bit. You might want to try a jigging technique. I've fish over dollies with a normal swing technique and wasn't getting any fish until I started jigging. That's how my friend got his 2 fish. And of course after he catches 2 fish on a spoon I'm going, "no, no this shrimp is the way to go," and I went home without catching a steelie. I did catch a silver that was at least 16lbs, but that was after switching to a spoon.

Forgot to mention that my favorite spoon is a silver or gold little cleo. Like ltlcleo mentioned above they are expensive, but I just like them. Wish there was a cheap imitation little cleo.....

~ Dr Pepper

Like a moth to a flame, who could stay away from this topic?

Timber man, you are going to open a whole new door to steelheading, one that many others have yet to try and open...pity.

Try silver or gold plated #2 Mor Tacs for cold flows/limited visibility, and brass or copper for clearer, warmer water.

And practice, practice, practice! Leave the corkies and lead at home. This will make you a better spooner. There is no other technique as difficult or concentration intensive. But the rewards...the biggest steelhead eat them.

Finally, remember what my uncle told me so many years ago- "Spoons are a technique you can do effectively in five minutes, but it will take you a lifetime to master."

Bill, when we going?
You should stop up to Narrows some Monday night and hang out....

Bill, remember several years ago when you were guiding on the Skagit and this client showed up at Rockport with all his own steelhead gear and you got to fish all day and not babysit? Did you run out of squid tenticals yet? I had a great day, Thanks again. Still guiding?

I found this tip page for spoons. I fishless with spoons, but these tips might help.

web page

Advise well taken!! Thanks guys

Tossed spoons all day yesterday and this morning for a few hours!! John Koenig gave me some helpfull hints yesterday and it helped tons!!

Thanks again TM