Spoon Fishing - Lost Artifact or Still Alive?

I was reading this article here, about spoon fishing for bass, and it got me thinking....

"How come many people think that using spoons for fishing is strictly a 'jigging' type lure?"

How boring is that... just sitting there, twitching the rod every so often. Not me. I find that spoon fishing is still alive in many parts of the industry. A lot of these guys in fact have brought this old fishing lure to a new level to boot. Here are some tips (and reasons) to dig out those spoon fishing lures. These tips cover some basics for trolling spoons, and I'll go into more complex ones on another post.

1) What does your spoon have on the tie end? Swivel? Ring? Changing either of these to a new set up (even go naked!) can dramatically change the action of the spoon. Where and how the line attaches is one of the most common things you can change.

2) Type of line - Sure, monofilament line is the most widely used fishing line in the entire fishing industry. But there are other types like 'Lead Core' line. Commonly used to get those lures deep, the lead core is a great way to specifically target a depth. These types of line come in 30 ft. increments, coded by color. You could have 10 colors (300ft.) of line on one spool. Not getting deep enough? Just let your reel send out a new color!

3) Dodgers / Flashers - Seems to be the hot product right now in the spoon fishing world. Lots of guides are using these to add new presentation for the targeted species for many reasons. One being the flash can fool fish into thinking there are other 'fish' in the area, and another is adding a different action to the spoon. Be sure to try some out as they're worth the money.

4) Leader - If you're using a flasher or diver with your spoon, you may want to use the proper leader (line being tied from the flasher going to the spoon). Some guys like it short, which will deliver a more erratic motion of the lure, while other guys like it long, giving the lure a more subtle approach. Choose leaders any where between 5' to 13'.

5) Change it up! - No matter how you change your depth, leader, or tie ends, sometimes just changing the color will trigger the fish all day. When purchasing new spoons, I like to grab several color variations. Eventually, you'll develop a list of 'lucky' lures for your specific area... which no one knows better than you!

Finally, keep in mind what species you're targeting. Many avid spoon users are in the salmon, chinook, or pike regions. But it doesn't hurt to bring out those old fishing lures and try something new. Heck, it would be nice to see someone win some bass tournies using a spoon.... it could happen! =)