Lake fork spoon question(sorry fishing related)

[Kelly Ripa]

My fishery ( lake Casitas ) has under gone a dramatic change in the bite in just a short week. I believe they are letting out water so the weedlines are all but gone and the fish are mostly suspended with occasional cruisers and a few stallwort shallow fish. I have had less than stellar luck (none) using a crankbait yet a local trolled up a dozen or more in a few short hours. Since trolling is verbotten I got to thinking about how I might efficiently be able to work these fish over. The big flutter spoons came straight to mind but I have zero time with them. It would seem that just big and chrome would be good enough but I wondered if any of the custom colored spoons had worked for you guys over just plain jane chrome? I stick to chrome because it has always been my winter color but if anyone wants to enlighten us with a color or presentation that has worked for them it would go a long way towards do'n all my homework for me... . I just wondered what sizes colors and hooks you prefer and if I am connecting the dots correctly when it comes to this puzzle. I never got to see Kelly Jordan whip on everyone with his spoon so I just have to imagine an overly exaggerated rip and fall motion on say 20 pound flouro?


Rip

[Guy Williams]

Put a hook on the line tie area too, big help!! Plain jane works good but also full colors like white and also black work great. Don't use all light purple though, never works.
Guy Williams

[Tin Can]

Speaking of spoons, have any of you seen the Live Forage spoons by Northland fishing tackle? I think they just came out and may not be available yet. They look really nice. They have some nice looking baitfish patterns. I just saw them in FTR magazine. Anyone know where to get them or when we can get them?

[Oldschool]

I haven't had a chance to fish Casitas for awhile, however structure spoons can be good there when the summer thermocline sets up and the shad school up outside mid day.
Chrome is the basic color, chrome/gold may be better. Casitas; a 3/4 oz Megabait spoon in black shad and charteuse shad with charteuse/white feathered size 2 chrome Owner treble is good. Another over looked choice is a chrome Buzzbomb.
If you are guiding, not fishing tournaments, trolling deep cranks is a good way to locate active bass schools for your clients, then spoon them.
To the best of my knowledge Casitas doesn't have gizzard shad, the big spoons may not work there.
Tom

[Kelly Ripa]

All good information gentlemen....Thank you. I own an original set of spoonplugs and read the book and was trolling the Glenhaven/Braitos/Shag rock area of Clear Lake in the early 70's. I stopped trolling around 78 and I don't know what I'd have to drag behind a 200 optimax to get the presentation right... I Like your second hook Guy and I won't throw any light purple spoons. Ever. They don't work...Especially large spoons where there are no gizzard shad. What good is that going to do me? Thanks Guy that's some good stuff. Thanks for the input everybody now if the warden(wife) lets me go fact finding I to can be more of a spoon freak than I already am...


Oh I have these two aluminum prizm tape spoons from the eighties that I threaten to break out every year..smaller...definitely flutter....baby bass.....Shad. Something different that I can work on the areas that are holding fish..... I'll post a report

[Oldschool]

The motor in the front can be used to troll.
Buck Perry, the father of modern structure fishing, developed the spoon plugs. When you cast and retrieive a deep diving crank bait, the lure runs at the max running depth for a few seconds. When you troll a deep diver, it stays at the max depth for as long as you move it forward 2-3 mph; advantage when bass are suspended or using a specific depth range. The skill comes in locating the bass and keeping the lure in the feeding zone. Since trolling is outlawed for the bass tournament anglers, it has become strolling.
One of the best western bass anglers was Bill Murphy, his book is worth reading and has a chapter on trolling.
Casitas should settle down and layer within a few weeks, then the bass start reacting to normal presentations.
Tom

[elfish16]

Kelly,

all I fish for the Giant spoons is a blue mackeral crocodile...the biggun!

Naw...I fish the giant lake fork spoons but with the LACK of baitfish all around the lake its made that bite non-existant this year. So far my old man and I have only maybe 2 rats on it all year. Maybe it will come to bite in fall...

I won't tell you spots my man...as then my dad would kill me!

Eric

[big_gorilla]

I have a few of those spoons. They work other places too. I have too many now.

I would just follow Elf around.

[Gary Dobyns]

Mark Pack of Lake Fork Lures will be glad to answer any questions anyone has on his spoons. Great guy to chat with and a personal buddy of mine. No one is better with this bait than him. Give him a yell mpack@lftlures.com or 903-473-1132 Tell him you heard he was "mentally WEAK". He will know where it came from

[Robert F]

KJ was making long casts over the school and using a yo-yo retrieve to get his bites. His fish were probably on a ledge. I have a bunch of different colors and sizes of the LFT spoons. Never been bit on them.

[Scott E.]

My best results have been when there's a bit of shad around but the fish aren't really "on it". Best color for me is the chrome that fades to black on the edge with some on the sexy shad type color. I've done best on steep chunk rock banks throwing it to the bank (like where a guy'd throw a jig but the fish aren't eatin jigs). and hopping it down with most bites coming close to the apex of where the steep slope meets the flat bottom. I've been throwing the 5 1/2 and 6 inch models and the fish absolutely crush it and most have been good ones. Points have been good to me as well as have areas around boulders and outside grass lines on hard bottom. It's a faster way to fish jig type spots and it I can get em to eat the spoon as well as the jig I can cover alot more water. Good luck

[Andi]

Scott, your technique is cool - I haven't heard of many using the spoon like that here in Texas. But then we don't have many of the rocky reservoirs like out West.

For us, the key is finding schools of bass that are preying on large bait like white bass, small hybrids, gizzard shad or other large baitfish. You'll typically see schools of bait suspended near structure with bass schooled up near or underneath them. Lots of times you'll be fishing another bait in the area, like a C-rig or football jig, and the action dies down - that's the time to throw the big spoon. It's a great change-up technique when you've already located a school of active bass.

In terms of colors, plain chrome has the most flash and is best for sunny days and non-spooky fish. Holographic glitter finishes break up the flash a bit and work best on sunny days in clear water when a harsh chrome flash might spook fish. Painted finishes have a subdued flash and are great for super clear water or when a specific color is wanted. I paint most of our baitfish patterns on the front of the spoon and leave the cup side chrome so there's a bit of flash as well as color. Definately put another treble at the top - because you're fishing in schools of bass you can end up with a double hookup!

[Steve Perkins]

Kelly, from your original post I cant tell if you want to troll or cast the spoon,.. I'm not sure how these would work for trolling.

I recommend 15lb Floro, 7ft or longer stout rod and make long casts, vary the retrieve depending on how the fish want it.

Spoon fishing is addicting but its allot of work,.. kinda like throwing a large swimbait all day, but the spoon is harder to cast further because it has more wind resistance.

Here is a nice 8 pounder that ate the spoon.

[elfish16]

after this weekend I'd no advise ANYONE follow me around! That moon phase had the mid-day bite DEAD!!

I will be out this week, Wednesday throwing the big spoons and such trying to get the fish to eat it.

Eric

[Kelly Ripa]

I haven’t trolled in 30 years… .It’s a great way to locate and catch fish but that’s never been what it’s about for me. As far as spooning I have written articles for this website and the B.A.G. about spooning. I am well versed in both vertical and horizontal spooning but it is a very big spoon and I was interested in gear mostly as this bait is something I haven’t bothered to pick up yet. Most would disagree with my short rods for any type of fishing but I do well by not over working the spoons when it’s winter. I will be using 20 pound floru and a 7’2â€

[elfish16]

Kelly,

In my days throwing these big hunks of metal I've done my best fan casting to spots that i KNEW had active fish. Let it hit bottom and/or they would eat it before it reached bottom. Ledges, breaks and humps have been my best bet. I've caught a FEW on snapping it down the walls and steep banks but majority have deeper spots.

Who knows...I try them all and especially with the bite now days they could be shallow or deep. Wednesday I will be throwing it and see what happens.

[Rob Hernandez]

The best technique I know of for spoons is fill your truck (at least twice) and go up to Shasta... They eat it real good there!

Sorry.....had to be a smartace one that one.

I was just at Casitas too on thursday and I got 1 bite on the dropshot and my mind and body said "Ohhhh thats nice" while I never swang, Dang.....I hate that! Hotter than heyah too!

[mark poulson]

Sounds like you fish them just like tail spins.

[elfish16]

mark,

yes you can fish them very similar but with the GIANT profile of that 6" spoon it seems to get bigger bites! Very rarely do you get fish under 5lbs on this bait. If they are eating it, its been nothing but 5-8lbers and throw in a few DD's!

[Andi]

Steve, I believe you have the spoon thing dialed in! Nice fish!

[PapaJohn454]

Geez, my tackle box already weighs over 50 lbs and now I have to go and buy a piece of heavy metal!

[elfish16]

Rip,

Got our yesterday and it was pretty epic! 28lb limit with a 9.5lber anchoring the sack! No spoon fish but the reaction bite was on pretty good and in spots I never fish too!

E