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Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 11:22 am
by Craigthor
JB in SC wrote:I use snaps or swivels, depending on the lure. Lupin spoons will roll if you retrieve them too fast, they wobble nicely at the correct speed. I have one of those Presso wallets, works perfectly of course. It's tiny and holds plenty.
I outgrew the Presso wallet pretty fast once I moved to some of the heavier spoons.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 8:21 pm
by ultralight
Spoons seem to be more of a mid and east coast thing? here in So Cal, I don't see many using spoons. Or am I mistaken? Especially for trout - mostly minijigs when lures are used. (Not including bait in this discussion.)

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2019 8:32 pm
by Craigthor
I’d say those of us using spoons are a slim group, probably more so that I only use spoons by choice. Many will use them as one part of their tool kit I built my kit around just wanting to use spoons.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 4:25 am
by CM_Stewart
Ultralight, try some JDM spoons. When I got back into spin fishing for trout after being strictly a fly fisherman for a long, long time I started with mini jigs. I got a few spoons mostly out of curiosity, but I found they worked much better than the mini jigs. I would catch fish on a jig, but I never saw 4 fish race each other to get to it, or slash at it over and over until they caught it. The reaction to spoons was dramatically different. Actually, I think spinners work better than mini jigs, but there's no way to get around the line twist and I can buy spoons that already come with a single hook, which I prefer.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 5:04 am
by Craigthor
Chris, yes watching trout follow the spoons up through a run or 2 chasing it part of the fun, or having one chasing then another comes out of no where and smashes the spoon.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:17 pm
by ultralight
Most interesting CM_Stewart. I already asked Craigthor what spoons he recommends. Mind if I ask what you recommend - for trout? (I think smaller would work better than larger in our area.)


Regarding spinners vs minijigs, in our area, the minijigs tend to do much better thought one time, I saw a guy on a float nailing trout by the dozen an hour for 3 hours straight. That was impressive but I have never seen that replicated or been able to replicate that myself. One time, my family in the Sierras were using spinners at one of the Yosemite lakes and caught a few dozen brookies. But otherwise, minijigs work better for the most part. But I am intrigued by the spoons as I think that they cast futher than minijigs. A 3 gram spoon is well within the rating of my UL rod and sometimes I want to reach further to the shelf of a lake from the shore than a minijig can.

Out here, I notice that most fishermen do not tend to innovate or experiment. The minijig approach is now sort of a cookie cutter assumption - most people try to use it at some lakes. Even so, there is still a great gap in success between those who are good at it and those who are not.

One more note. I've a friend who moved to the Yellowstone area. And he just kills it with minijig but marvel that the locals do not use it. He is now passing on some of the techniques and the locals are doing much better than their normal methods. So it is possible that minijigs require more technique than I thought.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Sun Jan 06, 2019 8:26 pm
by Craigthor
Definitely it is about technique, same goes for spooning there is a definitely learning curve with them but once you get the basics and can see how and what they do it’s pretty impressive.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Mon Jan 07, 2019 8:43 pm
by zodiak311
At least in the bay area, most of us use Kastmasters and Spinners for trout reaction bites.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Tue Jan 08, 2019 9:05 pm
by slipperybob
I've been a long time spoon user for pond stocked trout. I suppose half of what I use actually came from ice fishing spoons or either the flutter type or jigging type. Yet when casting distance involved for the bank fishing for pond stocked trout, jigging type with weight will get out there. While small ones of typical weights of 1/12 oz to 1/16 oz are used. I will upsize to the 1/8 oz or 1/6 oz size as well. Even going with 1/4 oz to 1/2 oz spoons for these little stocked trouts. Seems like anything like 1/24 oz or lighter seems to get carried off by the wind.

Bay de Noche Swedish Pimple jigging spoon - never rolls
Bay de Noche Vingla - will glide on surface or basically surf on the surface

Acme Kastmaster - will kick on surface
Acme Cleo - traditional like
Acme Sidewinder - off set so it does tend to sidewind nicely
Acme Phoebe - just fish shaped

Daredelve spoons - traditional like - will roll if retrieved too fast
Mepps Syclops - has a nice diving glide away on free fall.

Luhr Jensen Krocodile - nice heavyweight casting spoon.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Wed Jan 09, 2019 5:21 am
by CM_Stewart
ultralight wrote:Most interesting CM_Stewart. I already asked Craigthor what spoons he recommends. Mind if I ask what you recommend - for trout? (I think smaller would work better than larger in our area.)
I mostly use Daiwa spoons, the Vega, Lupin and Crusader, but also Shimano Roll Swimmer and Slim Swimmer, and Smith Drop Diamond and Edge Diamond. I have ordered some of the Smith DS Line spoons that Craig has but they haven't arrived yet.

The smallest I use is the Daiwa Vega, which comes in .4, .6 and .8g weights. They're all the same size. The heavier spoons were stamped out of thicker metal. The lighter two are really a bit light to cast well, though.

Image

The next larger spoons I use often are the Daiwa Lupin, which come in 1.2, 1.5 and 1.8g weights. Like the Vega spoons, the heavier ones were stamped from thicker metal.

Image

The largest I use frequently are the Daiwa Crusader spoons, which i have in 2.5 and 4g weights, although they come up to 17 grams for salmon. The 2.5g spoon is shorter than the 4g model. The photo below shows the 2.5g spoon.

Image

I do use mini-jigs some, and my favorite there is the Cultiva JH-85, which comes in weights ranging from .7g to 2.2g. The best thing about this jighead is there are two tie in points. If you use the top one the jig balances well and works well for a vertical presentation. If you use the front one, the jig works well as a casting jig and tends to slide over rocks on the stream bottom rather than hanging up.

Image

The jigs do take fish, but I catch more on the spoons.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 6:08 am
by JB in SC
Craigthor wrote: I outgrew the Presso wallet pretty fast once I moved to some of the heavier spoons.
I generally don't carry that many spoons when fishing, a dozen at the most.

Surprised by Craigthor & JDM Spoons....

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 1:30 pm
by ultralight
I went to my box yesterday and was picked up a priority mail. Opening it, was surprised by Craigthor to see a gift of Smith D-S Line of spoons in EVERY single size. I'm not at home now but if I remember correlty, they are 3, 4, 5 and 6.5 grams. And a Daiwa Crusade in 2.5 grams. (Going by memory her as I'm not home right now) THANKS for the generosity - completely unexpected!!

(I'll go home and check and correct this posting if I got the spoons wrong.)

My only limited exposure to spoons are US manufacturer spoons - primariliy the Needlefish (for trolling), kastmaster (seldom used but good casting range) and the one that has been the most effective for me when I use spoons, Thomas Buoyant spoons.

So here's what seem obviously from the first handling of the spoons - especially the Smiths. They simply feel a lot more refined and detailed than the US spoons. By refined I mean the surface finish, the paint job and the shape. By detailed I mean the fact that one can get these in very specific sizes and weights, and that there are painted spoots on the reverse side of the spoon. The spoons a pleasure to handle, let alone fish.

Beautiful stuff! Can't wait to try these out the next trip out. Probably will use 4 lbs test fluoro rather than my customary 2 lbs just so I don't loose them!

Thanks Craighthor.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 7:15 pm
by Craigthor
You got the sizes perfect. 4lb is perfect I would recommend a snap or snap swivel.

Re: Spoon storage and hook swaps...

Posted: Fri Jan 11, 2019 8:32 pm
by ultralight
Thanks. I'll use the Mustad snaps to start out.