Spoons: The Undisputed Champions of Shoulder Season Fishing

When it comes to fishing, I'm a firm believer that keeping things simple is the best approach. I love testing new gear, and that's a critical part of running my business, but longtime readers may have noticed the huge gap between the time I wrote my last how-to blog post and the time I published this one. The fact is that I've had most of my fishing success on just a handful of lures and colors.

My average day on the water usually involves rotating between two or three types of lures. I might alternate between two weights and two colors per lure style. I often fish for months at a time without trying something new and noteworthy. Consequently, I don't always have a new or eye-opening fishing tip write about on the blog.

By now, you might be thinking that I'm about to rewrite an old post and highlight the same old lures. While I do want to plug my guide to metal fishing lures from last season, that's not what this is about. As I watch the mid-April snow coating my front yard, I'm reminded once again that I'm smack dab in the middle of shoulder season in central MA. That means that it's the perfect time to slow things down and break out one of my favorite lures—the trusty spoon.

From a design perspective, spoons are about as unexciting a lure as there ever was. Shapes range from a flat chunk of metal to a flat chunk of metal pressed into a slightly curved shape. Some spoons have graphics and some are literally polished metal. Aside from the odd weed guard or dressed trebel, there's not much setting one apart from the next. Therein lies the beauty.

"Feel the rhythm with your hands. Steal the rhythm while you can."
- (Soundgarden)

The more I recommend lures for beginners and intermediate anglers, the more I find myself leaning on spoons as a do-everything workhorse of a lure. Sure, there's a slight learning curve to fishing spoons without snagging, but you're unlikely to find another lure that can cover as much of the water column without adding sinkers, bobbers, or any other terminal tackle. Altering your retrieve speed and the length of your pauses will allow you to hit all but the topmost surface action.

For anglers looking to save space and money, spoons are a no-brainer. Of course a good casting spoon packs tons of casting distance into a very small form factor, but there's more to it. A slow retrieve allows you to almost tickle the lakebed the way that you might fish a jig during colder months. Speed things up a bit, and you'll hit the intermediate depths that you might hit with a jerkbait. Limit your pauses, and you've got a blade that fishes very similarly to a spinner.

Speaking of spinners, it's no secret that my confidence lure is a Bluefox Classic Vibrax. Spoons are never going to take the place of spinners in my tackle trays, but I will rarely fish one without also trying the other. In my experience, spinners excel at top-to-midwater fishing. The smaller sizes are the undisputed champions when it comes to small panfish and trout bites. However, they blow out in the slightest bit of current. Ever try to reel a size 0 spinner downstream after a heavy Spring rain? Try the same with a spoon, and it may well change your life.

Another scenario where I'll start with a spoon is when I'm fishing from the bank in the springtime. As fish are moving out of their winter grounds, it can be a major challenge to pinpoint where they'll be. One approach to locating the fish you can't see is to hit a deeper hole that tapers into shallower water. If you can get there with a jig, you'll crawl uphill from the deepest point. If your casts just aren't going the distance, one option is to increase the weight of your jig. Can your rod handle it? Can you handle carrying the extra weight in and out of your fishing spot? This is where a spoon is invaluable. Kastmasters and Little Cleos, especially, can deliver all the flash of a natural baitfish pattern with enough casting distance to put you in the strikezone.

When won't I use a spoon?

Fishing in deep cover is a non-starter. Spoons are the snaggiest lures in my tackle trays bar none. Couple that with the fact that I'm often fishing them on 6 lb. monofilament, and I don't usually have the power to rip through vegetation or rattle my way off of submerged logs.

Fishing with younger anglers or complete beginners is also a risky proposition. Spoons are a great tool for learning about retrieval speeds and more active fishing, but your inexperienced fishing buddies might spend more time catching brush piles than fish. If you're interested in starting them on spoons, look for a weedless option.

Low-light and low-visibility conditions are also a crapshoot as spoons are concerned. Without much noise or vibration to draw fish in, spoons rely a lot on flash or colorful patterns. If your spoon bite shuts off when the skies are overcast or the water is turbid, you might see better success with something that has a rattle or a noisier blade.

What other gear pairs well with a spoon?

Pliers or forceps are must-haves for fishing spoons. They'll help you bend a hook back into shape if you get a nasty snag, but more importantly they'll make a world of difference for catch-and-release anglers. If you're fishing in waters with pickerel or pike, your spoon will be a prime target. Do not mess around when it comes to handling these fish. A good tool to unhook them is vital.

I like to fish spoons seasonally, particularly during colder months. This means I'm often targetting trout, pickerel, and perch, all of which will readily hit spinners. Typically, I'm fishing spoons up to 3/8 oz. and spinners up to a size 2 blade around the same time. Both have great flash, don't make a ton of noise, and are small enough to fit into a single tackle tray.

There's a fair amount of overlap in the way I fish spoons vs. soft plastics, but I also like to keep some Ned heads or ballhead jigs on-hand during the colder months. These offer me the ability to cycle through tons of different plastics without having to tie on a different hook or lure. Grubs are especially versatile, with the movement to attract larger predators and a small size that won't easily spook panfish or trout.

When do I switch to something else?

I'd be lying if I said that I keep an eye on water and air temperatures enough to change out my lures. I have developed a certain feel for this, but it's mainly a matter of watching the bite. If it slows way down, I'll try another lure regardless of what the weather is. However, I'll also try something different if it feels like I'm just catching dinks. This is something I've experienced around the pre-spawn. The bite will be consistent, the quantity of bass will be incredible, and they'll all be 8 - 10 inch fish. This is when I know I can safely try something else and swap back to a spoon if it doesn't work.

If the bass are around and all I'm catching are yellow perch. This is often hard to tell from shore, but it's something I'll notice in my kayak. Over an hour or two of fishing, I might catch five or ten fish if the bite is decent. A couple of bass might make it into the mix, but I'll see 75 - 80% perch or even bluegill among the mix. I'll take this as a sign to try a different lure. As with the small bass, I keep my spoon close by in case I need to tie it back on after experimenting a bit.

If you’re looking for more tips on how to improve your fishing game, be sure to check out the fishing tips and tutorials section of the blog.

Until next time, tight lines and happy fishing!

Neil Colicchio
Owner, New Dawn Tackle Co.