After a long discussion about drifting corkies,
I am beginning to have an interest in using spoons.
I've caught fish in the past using spoons, but some how the spoons didn't stick to me very well.

Any way, if you have a favorite spoon type and a technique that you want to share, I would love to learn from you.

Thank You and
Take Care.

I believe that spoons may be the all round most effective steelhead lure there is, especially when fishing big water without well defined holding areas. That said, I also believe that spoon fishing takes a long time to master. I often fish with two of the best spoon fishermen out there. They always kick my butt because I fish the metal only occasionally. What I have learned is that they retrieve only when necessary to keep the spoon fluttering, they seldom touch bottom with their spoons and they are not afraid to cast upstream.

I think the type of spoon to use depends on the water to be fished. If you have heavy flows a long b= narrow spoon like a Crocodile is good. For more typical flows it’s hard to beat the Little Cleo, B.C. Steel or Mor Tac all in 2/5 and occasionally 3/5 ounce sizes.
For really sloe water you might be better off with a teardrop shaped spoon like the Steely (sp?)

Bill Herzog wrote the bible on spoon fishing. It is in most large tackle shops.

The whole trick to spoons is to get them deep. If you're afraid of losing them you might as well not put them on. Pen-tac, Mor-tac, and Cabelas are 3 mail order sources where you can get them in bulk at a great savings.
Don't forget the Dick Nites for the slow water, or Castmasters for heavy water.

spoons??? I am going to bed but would love to share some of my experiances.

I love spoons for clearer water in the winter. Cast them out across the current, and work them back to you as slow as you can, for starters. You should be banging some rocks. Let it swing across and hang for a bit. Repeat until something pulls, then pull back.

mmmmm spoons

2/5ths little cleo's and the large size Stee-lee brand spoons ( not cheap steelee imitations)

1. switch hooks over to gami or owner siawash

2 put a split ring and a barell swivel on the nose of each spoon.. Much better than snaps in my opinion.

3 colors worth trying are chrome , gold and copper.. Other colors certainly work and work well bt thats what i carry in my box.

there are two basic methods of fishing spoons
I do both and a combo method

1. The easiest way to fish a spoon is to cast it across stream and let it swing. The key to this method is to swing the spoon as slowly across as possible. This works great for covering large expanses of featureless water.

2. this method is my favorite and works well when you have targets to cast to or target "lies" that you want to cover. This method consists of casting slightly up stream and leading it with the rod and speed of retrieve through precice locations where you know or expect a fish to be. You want to reel just fast enough to keep it off the bottim and to keep a positive feel on the spon ( no slack)
Some guys like to actually drift the spoon by not retrieveing at all. I personally don't like that thats a great way to miss a strike or lose a spoon but thats just my opinion.. The key to this method is to have spots identified where you expect a fish to be.. behind boulders against log jams or whatever structure you are expecting a fish to be in and fishing it as slowly as possible with a tight line. If the water is clear you should see your spoon flash every now and then it should however NOT be constantly spinning. You are just finessing it through the sexiest part of the run.

Combo method.. I use this when i come across a large area with lots of structure where there are so many good lies that it's hard to cover them individually.
I cast straight across stream and let a downstream Bow form in the line( but a tight one) and bring the spoon across in a large sweeping arc but slower than the straight down and across described above. You wanna keep the spoon moving so you can cover water but you wanna be slow enough to cover all the good lies..

Another thing about spoon fishing.. In using such lures you are looking for the most agressive fish in the river!! Therefore covering water fast is very important. This is not going to blue creek and standing in line for a few hours in th same spot.. every cast needs to be covering a new lie or the same lie from a divverent angle or location.. A fish that is going to take a spoon will do so on the first or second cast.. COVER WATER!!


A friend of mine will not leave a visible fish alone and it drives me crazy.. Once he fishes over a fish with a chrome spoon he feele he has to cover it with a gold and a copper spoon also to be thurough. I think it is a waste of time. An aggressive fish isn't gonna turn his nose up to a gold spoon then slam a chrome one on the next cast.. Covering lots of water if your best bet for being an effective spoon fisherman...

well there it is.. hope it all made sence..

Spoons rock! and ditto to what the others said.

best all around tip for the novice is to fish them just like you drift fish. ticking the bottom occasionally on a just tight line. braids are good and I use a single siwash. But be ready, they can take on the intial drop, during the drift or as it swings and holds at the bottom of the drift. Neat thing about them is they are highly versatile, very effective for steelies, they are easy to fish and they lend them selves well to alot of advanced techniques as you grow with them. Heck they're just alot of fun. Only downside is that like spinners they can get expensive. Oh well, sometimes you just gotta pay to play.

you won't catch me without 'em.

I like flat brass Wob-L-Lures w/siwash hook for winters and ko woblers or cleos w/ minor modification for summers (ko's already have this modification, sort of). Size or lack thereof is more important for summers, I feel.


I believe the abiity to give or retrieve line to hold the lure on the bottom is imperative. And if I get a strike w/ the spoon I break out the drift rig ASAP!

Thanks guys.
What's your opinion about the smooth body vs. the hammered body?
Also how do you fish a deep (20+ft) and swift hole?
And hook size to spoon size?

Thank You and
Take Care.

I like the 1/4 ounce hammerd silver plated steely spoon for most the waters I fish. I use a 1/0 siwash hook with the point always Facing inwards (towards the cup). Never tie directly to the spoon or the split ring, I use a size 10 ball bearing swivel with a crosslock snap attached to the split ring on the spoon. the chrome blue or chrome green steely spoons are good for retieving through the breaks on the edge of frog water. For the most part except for what I just mentioned drifting the spoon works best for me. I cast about 11 o-clock depending on depth and reel slack at 12 o-clock if needed and let it drift to 3 o-clock on cut banks 2 o-clock on gradual banks. I havent tried spoons in 20+ ft holes so I dont know about that but faster water I fish basically the same except use a heavier spoon. I have heard of jigging spoons through deep holes from canyon walls and how that can be effective for summeruns but havent tried it yet.

This is a great thread on spoon fishing for steelheads. I fully agree that the most ideal situation is in relatively clear/low flow situation. When there is more color/flow, I move to spinners.

I used to love to build my own spinners and spoons, but the prices have gone through the roof. I think it would cost more to put together a PenTac or MorTac spoon/spinner than to go buy a Blue Fox Vibrax or Lil Cleo.

The only drawback to casting spoons or spinners all day is the line-twist. I was wondering if someone's found a remedy for this. I've tried quality ball-bearing swivels and supposedly "No Line Twist" spinning reels to no avail. The baitcasting reels are definitely better at line-twist dilemma, but the spinning reel is still more versatile to cast different weights.

Spoon fishing became my go to method probably fifteen years ago after finally having success for summer runs on the Skoke.Over those years I have learned they work and work good.They are a simple technice to fish,little involved as far as terminal tackle.

I too stick with the basic color for winter and summer fish.silver and gold are my goto colors.I do have to say that I have caught winter and summer fish on some oddball spoons.I really do not believe that it matters as much as people think.

You get something shiny down into the fishes world and it will react.I have seen many a fish both steelhead and salmon turn down a lure that was too high in the water column but slam it when the presentation was down in the bottom two feet.I am not a fan of bottom bouncing.I will do it if vis is down to two feet.Three feet in my opinion is where spoons start to realy work.Other wise feeling the action of the lure is too important.It takes expieriance but you can tell how deep how fast your presentation is working,unseen, with the action of the lure.

I wil reiterate rob Allens thoughts on covering water.A steelhead is going to bite or not bite.Cover the water and move on untill you find one that is interested.If you want to stay switch to a diferant method.You are wasting time hammering a run with spoons for steelhead.

This is where a long rod and kevlar braid lines realy help.The long rod gives you more controll over your lures depth and speed as it crosses the varring currents you encounter every cast.The no strech lines give you absolute feel of the side to side action of the lure.Notice I said side to side.I do not subscribe necesarily to the as slow as you can drift of the spoon thought train.I do work hard for a consistant side to side action of the lure.You do not want the spoon to spin.Its going to hapen but your realy fishing when the spoon is swinnging side to side down in the lower two feet of the water collumn.Now,when you loose feel of the side to side action,one of several have happened.The lure has caught a leaf or some sort of debri,the lure is not seeing enough current to work{need to reel} or a fish has just swAllowed your spoon and it is time to do battle!

How I cast depends entirely on the run I am fishing and the water speed versus the size{drag}of my presentation .I would start with your basic quarter cast.How far upstream of twelve you cast depends on how much time it is going to take your lure to sink down to where you want to start your presentation.You want to keep as straight a line,as you can between your rod tip and the lure presentation.This is again where the long rod gives you an advantage.I like to have my rod tip up high at the begining of my present ation.I can always reel to atain lure action [And set at a strike]But having my rod tip high gives me as straight a line as possible and alows me to drop the rod to slow the action of the lure down as it swings across the drift.This is where a casting reel works better than a spinning reel.you can release line and still have confidence that you can set at a strike and keep a straight line going.

Nothing beats confidence.I have put people that hav enever caught a fish into steelhead by setting them up with something shiny on a river with fresh ready to do battle fish.

I hope this helps,sorry it is so long but spoon fishing is the way of my heart I could go on forever.

If you ever want to do some hiking tossing spoons let me know. I will bi fishing my favorite waters from now until feb and there is plenty of room.

great post ltl cleo. Something immediately came to my mind after reading your post. How effective do you think it would be to side drift spoons? Seems like you could cover a lot of territory fast and hit those aggressive fish that corkie/eggs might miss. Just curious...

we have a lure maker up here that makes a great selection of steelhead spoons that you guys see very little of. The company is called Gibbs tackle. They have spoons called "Kitamat", "Koho"," K-3"," K-4 ", "Ultra lure" and "Ironhead". There is a great range of sizes and finishes like gold,copper,sterling silver,chrome,nickel and lots of different painted finishes. The problem you guys have is there are no tackle shops down your way carrying a selection of these products.

The other problem with them is they are expensive! I guess I shouldn't make a blanket statement like that. But I stopped in the River Sportsman in C.R. a couple of years ago and saw some very nice looking Gibbs spoons. But as I recall they were about $7.00 CND. Is that right or has my memory failed me again?

MikeC,
I am not realy familiar with side drifting,having never done it.I am thinking you are working the sticks or manipulating an electric while drifting with the current?

It kind of reminds me of something the zog once said that rang so true.It went something like this.Walking down the river while working a spoon is a waste of time.Set your feet,work the spoon and then move on down the run.There is such a fine line sometimes imparting the right action on your spoon that you are to distracted walking to properly work your presentation.I know from experiance for this to be true.So I am picturing trying to maintain the proper drift of the boat and trying to impart the desired action of the spoon at the same time?Tricky at best.

Mayby a thin bladed spoon and a small amount of weight?A leader length that in essence has you drift fishing a spoon?I have seen many a spin in glo that would exite a fish similiar to a spoon?Like I said I have never side deifted before so.....

You can't be afraid to try something new though

I have heard of the gibbs spoon but never seen or fished one.I love the ltlcleos because of there functionality and there cost effectiveness.I can be set up with a lure for probably 3.50 with modifications.That is as cheap as I can go and still have a quality finish.The b.c steels are probably the best I have seen as far as finish goes.I am going to order some from cabellas and fish some this winter.

How do you guys feel about shock tippets on your supper braids?The first time I saw this was a trip with mooch. I used to be a firm believer of the fish being line shy untill I started fishing some bright yellow fusion.I found no diferrance in hook ups with or with out a leader or blacking it out with a marker pen.Now keep in mind I am talking in green water not summer flows.

LC,

I use a mono tippet off 15-20 lb Ultragreen or Chamelian with 30# Power Pro yellow when drifting spoons. I don't want to leave braid in the river so I go with the mono leader. Brad West wrote a good article in STS titled "In praise of braid". Good article on spoon fishing for big fish.

good poinr.. equipment.. I like a medium action CASTING rod. I find that they deal with line twist much better than spinning rods. a good way to go is casting rod set up with a spoon and a spinning rod with a jig for the change up.. if you like using a spinning rod I learned a tip from some Hawg hunters in my bass fishing days. There is a product called "Reel magic" it is great stuff spray your spool after you have put new line on and it deals effectively with line twist and keeps line from retainint memory. seems silly but it does work..

Also I line 10 lb mono for casting rods and 8lb for spinning rods . I have heard the talk of braids and all that but i am resisnant to change and a firm believer in " if it ain't broken don't fix it."

the cheapest on some spoons i can go is free...since i find quite a few, more spinners than spoons.. never use em tho..

Funny how most of the spoons you find have trebles attatched... SIngles are the way to go br far

Iron Head,
Come by Sportco, talk to the General himself!!! Over the years I've only dabbled with spoon fishing. Only up until 3 years ago I've became a little more proficient with them. I like using spinners more, but as the General Zog would say at least its metal!!! Have fun, try something new, you might enjoy it!!!
Winterun.
notice the avatar!!!

I generally prefer longer rods for their line control and distance-casting ability, but for casting spinners and spoons all day long, I've found that a shorter rod is much more comfortable and even more accurate. During the past Coho season, I used a one-piece 6'6" casting rod and it was a blast.

I also feel that color/finish matters little in most situations, so instead of buying the gold or other pricey finishes, I use fluorescent tapes on the spinners and spoons. My favorite color is green and blue, perhaps because those colors are more visible in deeper depths than red and orange.

Guys thanks for all of your positive replies.
You are honest true fisherman.

I am now set for the challenge and want to get intimate with the spoons this year.

I am ready to load up with some spoons and have 2 manufacturers set in mind.
They are MorTac and PenTac.

Which of these do you prefer?
I have not seen these spoons yet so I don't know the physical differences b/w them.
If you are familiear with them, please describe for me the types of actions/performances of these two brands.
I am not bias against the other brands, I just simply not hearing too much about them.

Also, on the MorTac site they stated that you can sandwiche two spoons together to achieve additional mass and actions.
Have you ever done this?

Thanks

Go with the one that's hangin' off the maw in Winterruns avatar. Sweet Little Cleo!
Just like Mr. Allen says, don't fix it if it ain't broke. But then if you're really broke do what Berkely says and find anything shiny and cheap. They all work just fine.

Rob,
Switch to braids for spinners and spoons you won't regret it.

wolverine,
Good points on the braids. There has been alot of good material and discussions previously posted on this topic for those that want to check it out.
I use a tippet for alot of reasons not least of which I don't like breaking off braids like you mention. But another is because mono is more abrasion resitant and is easier to cut and tie knots with at the terminal end. Also because I discovered the tippet can be used as an excellant indicator of the depth my lure is working. This is an advanced tip that heavy metal dudes can definately appreciate. I do not use it to disguise my leader as some guys like to wax on about. I've found that fish that bang metal aren't usually the shy types.

Iron Head,
Best thing you can do is fish with someone, like litlcleo, who really knows what they're doin'. You can really learn alot in a very short time. It's a beautiful thing. It certainly hepped me.

Ironhead,
I am going to sugest that you get what you think looks "fishy" out of the three ltlcleo,pentac,or mortac.

Its a confidence thing!If you are not confident in what you are fishing then chances are that you will not catch anything.

I recomend Bill herzogs writings HIGHLY! His book on spoonfishing became A writing of inspiration as a kid.Alot of the true art of spoon fishing for steelhead is time spent swinging bent metal over and over again.Being stubborn and lucky enough to both learn and witness the interaction of our spoons and the fish.You are not going to sit down and learn how to spoon fish in a week end from that book.Use his basics and you will, years down the road, find your self shaking your head.The man is one of the few that has actully been able to capture years of experiance and put into words.Thankfully to understand that captured experiance takes experiance itself.

How do you guys connect the two?It seems in some of Brads other writings he brings up a tie master tool or some such critter?Do any of you use one?

Float fans love braid because it floats.This same con,I believe can be a boon to a sppon chuckar.I always feel,especialy on the longer presentations that the line actually holds the sppon up in the water collumn,because of its bouyancy.Anybody else feel this way?

Dave
the price will depend on size and model. Yes some of the largest spoons will be $7.00cnd. Most likely Riversportsman had the large saltwater trolling spoons at that price. If you were to try Berry's bait (richmond) or Hub's sports (abbostford) you may find the steelhead type spoons at better pricing.

The easiest and best way because of the disparity in the lines is to use two uniknots that will slide down the lines to meet each other. These are very strong knots and you can tie them in the dark if you have to. They also allow the line to go through the guides easily at the knot. Forget the surgeon, the nail and all the other fly knots! They are a pain.

The bouyancy thing is a VERY subtle but effective tool in the arsenal of advanced tips. For me it depends on the water. I relate to it like a flyfisher does and use the braid sort of like the floating line, adjusting my mono leader like one would for nymph fishing. Longer mono for deep and low thru big water and and shorter for boulder gardens and deep slow pools. The upright attitude imparts more wobble during a dead drift in fast current or working really deep slow pools. Another way to say it is longer tippet on boat water and shorter tippet on canyon water.

OK, I just ordered a boat load of them.
Smooth bodied BCs and hammered bodied MorTacs and the powered coats.

I am convinced and will be spooning this whole year and hopefully be good enough to used them for life.

Thanks for all of your help.
I am in debt to you all and will post results and new findings.

Thanks again.

LC: The twisted surgeons knot is very strong but a pain to tie. Uni knots work fine. The only thing else that I do is put a dab of a flexable head cement on the knot. It helps lock it and lets it slide thru the guides a little easier.
I like braid better for the long casts as it doesn't stretch as much as straight mono. You get a better hookset, and have more control.

Because braid doesn't stretch you may have to relax on your hookset a little, as soon as the line straightens out you are tight to the fish. Braid is an amazing line, when out fishing for halibut (with darts) you can tell if the bottom is gravel or mud and can feel a bite like the fish was only 10 feet down.

Iron Head,

Regards to doubling up on spoons to increase the mass, yes it's possible, but I would just buy the 2/3 oz. spoons instead of the 2/5 oz. Doubling up with the 2/3 oz. spoons would be too much. You'll be hanging up all the time. Another issue is the cost.

I bought dozens just before Pen-Tac first went out of business, and I think the prices were about half of what they're now. The thing I find with the B.C. spoons is that the finish is not very durable, so they get a lot of scratches and get dull just from the movements inside the tackle box.

Too late Nymph.
I ordered all 2/3s.
Maybe on my next purchase I will have enough experience to define a variety of sizes.
Thanks for the heads up on the BC finish because I only purchased 10 of them.

Oh, I did talked with the General and he is all on BC spoons.

What about home made spoons, tools, and materials needed to create spoons?
Do you have any references for these components?
I just thinking ahead because I love to create my own rigs.

Thanks

I have had a lot of success with the 2/5 oz Mortac silver hammered. I have always pulled multiple summer steelies out of the lower deschutes with these spoons. When all the rivers ban bait, this will be my goto set-up. Just my 02 cents.

Well!

Certainly does my heart good to see all this spoon talk...perhaps I should try this technique a few times this winter. Perhaps I'll order a few of those BC Steels, now that Pen Tac is back on line.

Heavy metal rules, dude!

What GZ said, welcome.

I picked up a TBS from the discount bin at Sportco(YES! Another one of my exciting treasure discoveries), but I don't know how to rig it. Since I know that there are few if any out there, I have been hesitant to fish it on the bottom for fear that I would lose it without hope of ever getting it back. I don't have Herzog's Spoon book and was hoping that somebody who does have could perhaps tell me how the TBS is supposed to be rigged.
Much Appreciated

GZ-

If you had to choose between the 2/5 oz and the 2/3 oz, which would you carry? Or which do you find yourself using more often?

I've settled on the silver and 50/50 already. Just need a size to start with.

I heard there was a new spoon out manufactured by A.M. Tackle ( Ass Monkey) Tackle. Have any of you seen it or fished it yet?
Peace Superfly