With your loved one. I’m talking about a fishing technique that is generally used during the colder winter months in deeper water but it can be equally effective anytime of the year and at any depth.
Lets start with the facts. During the colder winter months when the water temperature drops to about below 45 degrees, the semi annual shad die off occurs. It also occurs during the hot summer month’s when the water temp gets too warm for these little baitfish, at least these die offs happen out here in California. During these times spooning is a very effective way to catch the bass. I have also got on awesome catfish and Crappie bites with this technique as well. Basically, anything that eats shad will eat a spoon so be prepared to catch a whole bunch of different species of fish.
As far as tackle goes, I prefer a 6’6 medium action rod, a baitcaster reel spooled up with 8 pound Maxima. Some people prefer heavier line but I like the lighter stuff so I get a more natural fall from my spoon, besides that 8 pound Maxima is some very strong, abrasion resistant line.
There are many different spoons that work well for spooning. You do however want to select a jigging spoon not a top water or swimming spoon like a Johnson’s Silver Minnow. Some old reliable spoons are the Hopkins Shorties and Kastmasters in Silver or Gold or even the colored versions in ¼ to ½ ounce sizes. A word of caution, you will get line twist while spooning. One way to cut back considerably on the twist is to place a barrel swivel about 3-4 feet up your line from the spoon.
One word of caution. ALWAYS check the hooks! I have found that most of the hooks that come stock on spoons are not the greatest. At the very least sharpen them. I personally like to change mine out with custom dressed Diacchi Bleeding Series treble hooks. They add a flash of red , the “breathing” action from the customization and are incredibly sharp.
Now how do I use this rig? Spooning is most commonly performed vertically. You lower your bait straight down until it reaches the desired depth, most of the time the bottom, click the spool release closed and then you yo-yo it up and down. Always let the spoon fall on slack line but stay not too much slack, a controlled fall, because more often than not the fish will hit the spoon as it falls so if you see your line jump of if it does not take up the slack you already have out or if it takes more slack than you have let out, reel up until you feel pressure and set the hook.
Another way to use a jigging spoon is to cast it out, let it flutter to the bottom and hop it back to the boat, or shore line if bank fishing. I’ll let you in on one of my secrets for horizontal spooning. 2 words, Silver Buddy. One major drawback to doing this method is you can loose a whole boat load of spoons in a hurry hanging them up on the bottom.
A lot of times the fish will hit it on the fall and you wont realize you were even bit until you go to make another upward pull. When you pull upward, if you feel the fish, jerk it even harder to set the hook. You have to set the hook rather quickly when spooning because the bass will not hold onto basically a hunk of metal for to long before attempting to spit it out, This is where sharp will help out.
The speed and amount of the upward thrust depends on the fish and how far off the bottom they are feeding. Some times they want the yo-yo to go as high as you can raise the rod, some times just a few inches. The same applies to the speed at which you pull up the rod tip. Either rip the rod upwards or slowly pull it up or anywhere in between. Let the fish tell you how they want it.
Now the where. I would have to say one of the biggest secrets to successful spooning is to locate the balls of baitfish on your sonar unit. If you see streaks going through these balls that shows actively feeding fish and actively feeding fish is always a good thing. If you have a high enough resolution sonar with a quick enough refresh rate you can actually see your spoon yo-yoing up and down and watch the fish approach and attack it. While looking at the ball of bait fish look for marks below the ball very close to the bottom, those are usually fish waiting for the shad to die off, easy pickings. You may have to turn up the sensitivity on your sonar or zoom in on the bottom to reveal these fish because they are usually very close to the bottom and with the factory settings of most units they will just show up as tiny little humps on the bottom. Not all bait balls will have fish under them but if you follow it long enough the fish will show up. “Build it and they will come” ha!
A prime spot example would be where the bait are above some sort of structure, noticeable contour change, a bend in a creek channel, a rock pile, tree or that long tapering point. Bass tend to hold on structure so if the bait are around it the odds are very good that the bass will be there and they will feel.
However the above is not written in stone. I remember back prior to owning a boat I would pretty much blindly spoon during the winter months in my float tube. Of course I would dress for the occasion. Long Johns, a couple pairs of socks followed by neoprene waders as well as the old fashioned vinyl ones. Anyhow, I would go out and find structure with a jig and after locating it I would triangulate the spot with permanent landmarks and spoon away quite effectively I might add.
Next time your out give this technique a try. It just might surprise you.
Until Next Time, Good Luck and Tight Lines To Ya!
