Fishing with spoons - help wanted

Saltwater Inshore Discussion
1

The number of fish I’ve caught with a spoon (I always buy the gold sprite) is equal to zero or less. I’ve never even gotten a bite. Still, I like to buy a couple per year to donate to the oyster beds. Based on everything I have heard, I’d say this must be because I don’t really know how to use it, since so many people have success with spoons.

So, I am here to get a little bit of information and would like it if you guys could answer some questions/impart some wisdom.

  1. Should spoons be bouncing on the bottom or higher in the water.

  2. Fast retrieve vs. slow retrieve? Steady vs. working it?

  3. Use a swivel or not?

Thanks. I’m sure there are different rules for different conditions. I mainly need “Spoons 101: An Introduction” instead of “Advanced Spoonery in the 21st Century”.

If you’re lucky enough to be fishing, you’re lucky enough.

2

from my limited success:

  1. higher
  2. faster, steady
  3. not. unless you are really having trouble with line twist, but you need a high quality swivel to make much difference with small spoons.

Silver in clear water, gold in brownish water.

I’m sure someone will contradict every single one of those, I’m no expert but have occasionally caught fish on spoons.

Angler 204 FX
Yamaha 150

3

i catch tons of ladyfish, spanish, blues, and even a flounder on gold and silver sprites. i just throw it out and let it sink to the bottom and reel it in at a fast and steay pace like wolfie said

4

Right, fast and steady pace because most spoons (at least the ones I have) have a nice spin to them if you retrieve them fast enough. I’ve never caught anything on a spoon in the salt but I do all the time in the freshwater.

Also, I was fishing the other day and my friend was putting live and dead bait on the hook of his spoon. He swears it works. Anyone think that might have any truth to that? I would think it was screw up the way the spoon is naturally supposed to spin and flash.

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. -Wayne Gretsky

5

Thanks, guys. I’m going to keep trying spoons now and then. I’m glad to hear that a fast retrieve is best. I get too bored doing a slow retrieve on anything.

If you’re lucky enough to be fishing, you’re lucky enough.

6

I love using spoons because of the way you fish with them but I don’t ever really catch that much, at least in the salt water. But I always find myself at least trying to use one every time I go fishing just because I like using it so much. But again I don’t really ever catch anything.

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. -Wayne Gretsky

7

I use these spoons http://www.aquadreamliving.com/spoons.html all the time. The black, pink , chart and gold all produce. I cast out and vary the speed depending on depth and in deeper water will kill the spoon and let it flutter down but 90% of the time I am reeling as slow as I can. They will catch reds, flounder and trout. Like anything I think it boils down to confindence in what you are using and if fish are where you fishing.

Black on a clear day over a dark mud flat
Chart for tailers in the grass
Pink for trout
Gold for searching