I would like to start spoon fishing and was curious what type and size spoons you guys recomend for Deschutes summer steelhead.

hammered brass and use some steel wool to dull up the finish.

Oval type in brass , copper or even a 50/50 brass and black. The weight of the spoon will be dictated by the water you are fishing! Take a spoon rod and a spoon rod only, that is the way you get good at tossing spoons! Good luck

Check out RVRFSHR spoons. There is a link to their website at the top of this page. Copper, Silver, Two tone. You can't go wrong there.
Neal

the old fashion teardrop style still work very well. i get mine at RVRBIMART and RVRWLLYWRLD!

I have a bunch of 1/4 oz steelies, but im thinking I need to get some shaped like r&b or riverfisher or cleo etc. Im definately only taking a spoon rod because if I have my drift rod i'll only spoon fish for about ten minutes then go right to drift fishing. Does using a 9 1/2 ft rod have any advantages?

Too light for the lower D IMO. "Lower D" = lower 24 miles.
Summer flows will be about 4500 CFS to 5300 CFS +/-
That's good volume for a summer river and it can get colored up if the White R. starts milking.
For Steelies, 1/2 oz
For ovals, 2/5 - 2/3 oz


9 1/2 is a good length as long as its power matches your lure weight.
Long casts on the lower D = more fish on many runs, so you want a rod that loads up properly and gives you a good launch.

Plenty of room for long rods over there, the feather flickers run 13' - 14' sticks.

If you can keep it down in his face you will hook more but he will come up after it.
Keep the spoon "thumping" and you will hook up.

I also have the big old regular sized steelies. I assume they are 1/2 oz, but thought they were too big. Good info DD, thanks again.

The steelie type spoons are good too, 1/4 oz size are not a spoon that I use much at all but they will have there time and place. I use 2/5oz bc's most of the time and 2/3oz if needed. I like longer and softer rods for spoon fishing, I like to feel the whole rod thump when I'm swinging the spoon. When spoon fishing all you want to feel is the thump, if you can't feel the thump then reel in slowly till you do feel it, if you are getting a constant pull on the rod and no thump you need to pay out line to make the spoon thump instead of spinning.

A good rod to start with would be in the 9'6"-10'6" Lenth And around 8-12 or 8-15lb range.

If your spoon is banging bottom all the time your not fishing, on the other hand if you fish a spoon too high in the water your not fishing then either. It takes some time to learn what your spoon is doing under water, but just keep tossing it and when you do get hit you will know it!!!

I agree with everything spoon man said in this thread and would add that Summer Runs in clear water readily take black spoons instead of any color that reflects a lot of light. I think this can be especially true of fish that may have seen any other gear.
This summer fish was hooked on an all black Steelie Spoon after fishing the stretch with a silver finish and a 50/50.


I have some 1/2 and 2/3 Steelies that get some water time when I want to fish shallower inside water and tailouts.. else stick with ovals for most types of water.

i asked a similar question a while back...

the response:

go buy Herzogs "Spoon Fishing for Steelhead"....

best 15 bucks ive ever spent, even if i dont fish spoons much or at all.. VERY informative... and Mr. Zog is a hell of a fisherman to boot...

Agree-

Using a line that you can see as it enters the water will really help in determining/learning what the spoon is doing in the water. I use Crystal Ivory because I can see it and love watching it thumping to the beat of a spoon. Often times I see it hang up, be it a rock or a fish, prior to feeling it.

Spoons catch steelhead? Spoon man hit it spot on. And the truth about black spoons for summers is also a solid point.

i know i fish the spoons correctly. i seem to fish rivers void of steelhead. sunday fished a very long productive run wanting a big early wild bruiser. FAILED!

ive got a quick question for you guys, when a fish hits your spoon, how do you want the hook set?
ive hardly fished spoons for steel, the one take i had, the second i felt it load up i slammed home into a solid head shake and run leading to a jump with my spoon skipping the surface.
Did i hit to early? Do you want to let the fish take it like a plug then set or do you set as soon as you can like i did?

Set it right when you feel the fish!

If you miss, stop and slowly retrieve, many times they'll chase it for a second chance.

While I love fishing spoons, be prepared to lose a good number of fish when going barbless. Just a fact of the game. If that bothers you too much, stick with your other methods and leave the spoon water to me.

It's instant. You always want to keep your rod tip in a place where there's "somewhere to go" for your hookset motion.
If you hold your tip too high there's nowhere to go.
My basic hookset from a comfortable lure working position is fairly compact. Once he's on I might stick him again if I think it's needed.


When Mr. Big goes into a headshake and worse yet a headshake combined with a leap you have to go into a defensive posture.
What he wants is a tightline highstick....that's how he often can escape and our brain, in the heat of battle, will often cooperate with Mr. Big.

So, my best response to the nasty headshaking leap is to instantly go low stick....hell, get that tip under water and let him run if he wants to.

It's a slugfest...he makes a move...you make a counter move.
The first couple of minutes you will often find yourself in this defensive posture.
Think two MiGs on your six.

1) Set the hook (be happy with the hookset)
2) Get him on the drag
3) Prepare to counter-punch

Do all of the above in 0.3 seconds.

I usually let 'em chomp it quite a bit on worms or drift gear...but hit it pretty quick on a spoon...but unless I have a very direct line to my lure, which is not often the case if you are fishing it right, I'll give it a few quick cranks on the reel and then set the hook.

At that point it's all the same...I cross their eyes. Yes, I've exploded high modulus rods on the hooksets, and I've managed to pull muscles in my back and reel in fish leaned over sideways because I couldn't stand up straight.

Once they start ripping around it's harder to keep a spoon with a barbless hook stuck in a fish than it is with many other types of gear...that's why you use high quality hooks, stick 'em hard, and keep the line tight!

Fish on...

Todd