North American spoon chuckers

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Comment by Craig DuShane on April 14, 2012 at 8:48pm

I wish we could edit these posts. Anyway...

I forgot I was planning to use this pole for flinging flies/poppers too, so I think I'm going to go with the 8lb/1lb instead. There is no 6lb option for Power Pro from Cabela's that I saw.

Comment by Craig DuShane on April 14, 2012 at 8:14pm

Hey Bill,

When you say 6lb test braid, is that mainly for the diameter? I can get either 10lb test with 2lb mono equivalent diameter, or I could get 8lb test with 1lb mono equivalent diameter. Planning to go with the 10lb/2lb unless I hear back in t-minus 44 minutes.

Comment by David, aka, "McScruff" on April 14, 2012 at 6:34pm

I have yet to catch a bluegill on a spoon. So, dont sweat it Craig. Remember, Bill developed this method over years. I think of him like a brain surgeon. He is a specialist, sharing what he has learned. And he lives in a particular place, WI, which is its own unique locale.
It is MOST likely going to take some experimentation and persistence to hit on the magic where you live. I have yet to do it!

I go fishing because I love to. Every time I go, a part of me feels like a kid again. If I catch some fish, too... well, that;s icing on the cake!

Comment by Bill "Musky" Modica on April 14, 2012 at 6:12pm

Craig, that combo would work fine.... any comparable braid will work....stick with 6lb test or less and use a Fluoro leader of equivilent test.

Comment by Craig DuShane on April 14, 2012 at 11:40am

Oh no, I'm not giving up at all. I'm just trying to figure out how to make it work. Obviously it does, I'm just missing some crucial part of it I think.

BTW, I'm planning a reel/pole/line buying spree tonight. Would a Shimano Voltaeus model VTS-70ML2 7' ML and a Shimano Sienna model SN2500FD be an OK combo? I don't want to spend much more than this if you have some other suggestions. Also, is Fireline Crystal a must have, or could you basically swap with any kind of braided line?

Please advise.

Comment by Bob Davis on April 14, 2012 at 7:07am

Criag,  Fishing gills is like fishing any other species.  You have to understand the fish at every time of the year and what it's doing at that time which will also help know where to locate said target.  Sounds easy but getting started is always the task at hand.  I have been trying this tactic for years and if I told you I have ever had a day like Bill's videos depict, I'd be fooling both of us.  It doesn't mean it doesn't work.  It means I haven't figured it out yet!   I had the privledge to fish with Bill on my local lake once and we didn't do all that well.  Can't say why just know we didn't do all that well.  All it means is we didn't have the fish zeroed in that day.  The lake is loaded with big gills for at least the beginning of each season.  Still way too many folks popping them off the beds during the spawn, double tripping, over bagging, and all the other things that add up to a reduced population like it used to be.  That all adds up to lesser targets to zero in on.  But mainly DON'T GIVE UP.  I haven't.  Have started my first summer as a retiree and hope to put some extra time into trying this tactic.  I believe it will come around sooner or later.  Just have to keep at it.  Good luck sooner or later, it will all come together.  I look forward to sharing that special day with all of you, when it happens. 

Comment by Craig DuShane on April 13, 2012 at 9:39pm

OK, I received a couple Blue Fox in the mail today and bought a couple swedish pimples so I got some hooks with actual big eyes. I also took off the O-rings from the non-hook end of the spoons. This seemed to give them an action more like what I thought they should look like.

Unfortunately I got zero bites. The owner of the boat I have access to had made some revisions...putting the trolling motor at the front of the boat...with the depth/fish finder at the rear. Needless to say this does not play friendly with a single man crew. I basically just cast the spoons up and down the drop-offs and occasionally into the middle of the bayou (Millhouse bayou in Grand Haven, MI in case you wanted to look at a topo map...deepest is about 15-18ft). 

Is finding the fish first a huge part of this spooning technique, or am I just missing something? I so want to be successful fishing this way.You should come up to Michigan and show me what's up. Otherwise, I might have to believe you caught all those fish in your videos on live bait and then hooked them with a spoon and threw them back to be re-caught on film with a spoon. :)

Comment by Bill "Musky" Modica on April 11, 2012 at 10:00pm

Tipped spoons can be used effectively in 3-35 FOW...here is a simple guideline for weights.

3-10ft....1/16, 1/12, 1/10 oz spoons

10-25ft....1/8-1/5 oz spoons

25-35ft.....1/4-3/8 oz spoons

Color combinations vary....in gin clear water I would choose a natural minnow or perch pattern, and possibly tip with an orange/yellow micro tube, but more than likely I would go directly to live bait with water that clear. Brass and hammered for overcast...Chrome when the sun is high....Blue in slightly stained water or low light conditions...Glow, whenever and always.....Phosphorescent red, orange, and yellow patterns in dark or murky waters.(rattles are also a plus when fishing in chocolate milk)

Proper hook placement is critical. There are two kinds of spoons....well actually three but that's another story....for instance, the bluefox spoon is a convex/concave type....shaped similar to an actual kitchen spoon in some respect....the rattle sits in the saddle of the spoon..this lure runs rattle up, and face down...or concave up, convex down.

The Kastmaster and Swedish Pimple achieve their tantalizing flutter by the design of a bevel...The Swede has an obvious bevel, or belly....but unlike the bluefox spoon, the face or pattern of the spoon rides up...Kastmasters are tricky, take a good long look at it...the fatter bevel rides down....and remember, all kooks ride up.

Bluefox halted production of the 1/16 oz spoon almost 3 yrs ago....the 1/8ths were also nixed about a year ago...still a few at http://www.overstockbait.com

Comment by Craig DuShane on April 11, 2012 at 10:07am

Do you use tipped spoons for shallower water too, or do you switch to something else when you fish in shallower water (like the last 2 hours or so before sunset when fish are in the shallows feeding)?

Also, what color/type combinations have you guys had succes with (spoons and tubes) in different conditions (like overcast, middle of day, deeper water, shallow water, clear bright days, windy, muddy/mirky green water, etc., etc.)?

Which way is up as far as making sure the hook is pointed up for the different spoons? Is it generally the more colorful side (like opposite the rattle for the blue fox rattlers)?

Has anyone been able to find a good variety of colors/sizes for the blue fox rattlin spoons? I can seem to find more than a couple different choices...but all only at 1/8oz.

Thanks,
-CD

Comment by Bob Davis on March 7, 2012 at 7:35am

Travis: There are many one can aquire but the easiest to find on most outlet shelves are the Swedish Pimples and the Kastmasters.  The Pimples come in a multitude of colors and sizes but for gills, the #1 and #2 work pretty good with the Crusted Ice colors.  Same with the Kastmasters.  Start out with the smallest 2 sizes but leave yourself open to all the other brands and sizes available as well.  Blue Fox makes some good ones as well as Hali's.  Good luck.  Bob

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