Favorite Spoon Technique

[fishchaser]

Thought I would ask the experts what your preferred spoon techniques are. I have been a long time fan of spoons and have always fished them behind a flasher. I am reading more and more about fishing without flashers when using 5 to 6 inch spoons.

Is there a better time of the year to use spoons without a flasher?

 

[steel_dreamin]

Commercial trollers do not use flashers... no flasher and plug combos... I personally try both techniques at various leader lenght depending on spoon size.

 

[lorneparker1]

Thought I would ask the experts what your preferred spoon techniques are. I have been a long time fan of spoons and have always fished them behind a flasher. I am reading more and more about fishing without flashers when using 5 to 6 inch spoons.

Is there a better time of the year to use spoons without a flasher?

I personally dont liek to use flashers when there is gross amounts of fish around. Therefore, i almost always use a flasher

 

[Rum Buddies]

The idea is to match the size of spoon to the size of bait the fish are feeding. If there are large herring or pilchards around then 5"+ spoons can work well, if they are feeding on small herring or needlefish then little 3" spoons can work well.

I'd personally use a flasher on spoons up to 5-6", after that the spoon is so big it should attract enough attention without the extra flasher. You can fish the smaller spoons without a flasher or with a dummy flasher but generally with a flasher will produce better.

 

[vetteman]

I get my best results using a flasher with spoons up to 6". I seldom use spoons any bigger than that.
Dave

 

[spring fever]

I will often fish a large spoon alone-mostly deep towards the end of July early aug. when there are big springs around. Usually 6" tomic or Gibbs pilchard varient as deep as 200 ft. Usually have a chovie with a flasher other side or an LED glow wench with a flasher.

 

[Shepnoir]

Depends where but my absolute favorite has been the last two years in Nootka with a Tomic 6" pilcard spoon 6-7' up from a dummy flasher, 6-8' back from clip & 32' deep. Love when they hit, they zip up top to the surface, take a look at the boat and absolutely peel across the top of the water. Just make sure its not a parking lot cause they hit like trains up there on light gear and they will decide where they are going (until they are beat) not you. That is all I fish up there on my side. I'll let my bro and old man dick around with bait!

 

[Peahead]

I am reading more and more about fishing without flashers when using 5 to 6 inch spoons.
Is there a better time of the year to use spoons without a flasher?

You absolutely can fish spoons without flasher ! Yes you can fish smaller spoons. Yes, there is a better time to use small spoons without flasher in the Vancouver area and that is typically the winter. The water usually has much better visibility ( 25-50') from October to March (prior to the spring plankton bloom) so a flasher is not as necessary as simply an attractor ( In summer the water visibility can be under 10' in the Vancouver area so using a flasher is more likely going to be successful)
A spoon has action of its own and combined with clear water and no flasher can be very successful. In Vancouver area generally I find the smaller spoons
(2 3/4" or 3.5/4") often without flasher, work as good or better. I like to fish one dummy or one in line flasher and other lines without flasher. note: an inline flasher does a few good things - that is probably why a flasher is so successful . It attracks due to its flash as well as imparts additional action on any spoon. The flasher is also likely showing a salmon that there is more competition in the area. The action you get on a spoon with a flasher adds a more circular motion to the action that the spoon already has. The flasher has some drawbacks of course as it takes away from the fight of a fish but also too many flashers can I think at times in clear water situations , spook salmon. I mention this because experimentation is the best way to find out whats happening on a particular day. This adds to the fun.....generally speaking at tide changes Winter Chinooks are feeding pretty actively so find the fish and its pretty likely you are gonna get hits!

 

[searun]

All the above, and you can add in a little extra bend on the coyote's to change up the action - just play around with the bend and watch the action before you put it down. I prefer no flasher on larger spoons. Speed is also a consideration, so try amping up speed at times to change up the action. Best tip of all which was already posted is matching the size of the spoon to the bait fish are targeting.

 

[Seafever]

If I'm fishing a spoon with absolutely nothing else:- I find I get better results if the spoon is at least 40ft or more back.

if i'm fishing a spoon with a Hotspot-type flasher:- 5 to 6 ft behind the flasher does it for me regardless of time of year.

If I'm fishing with a rotating inline flasher:- i have them on both sides, either one or two in tandem and a large modified gang troll in front them consisting of two blades per gang troll. One gang troll on each side. Large blade is better.

I pick the in line flashers with the absolute maximum amount of flash...and if they haven't got it I doctor them so they do with aggressive-pattern prism tape.

An inline flasher (the triangular Delta type) does not create as much sonic action as a Hotspot type. Therefor you need to go big on sight attractant. The gang-troll blades in front of the inline create there own big ruckus to attract as well. IMO the inline flashers work better with the described gangtrolls in front of them ( Go big on bead chains and swivels for this rig -up....all that rotating tackle needs it).

A Konezone-type inline rig may have more sonic effect...I've never used those.

Usually the spoon is not too far above the inlines...so when they come in to find out what the flash and ruckus is all about they will see the spoon.


If you compare flasher patterns/surfaces after you have fished them for awhile, you will notice that patterns such as Purple Haze and Green Haze will have bite marks all over them. The fish are hitting the aggressive prism pattern on these flashers.....the Purple or green color is probably not as important as the prismatic finish.

other flashers I have fished without the aggressive plaid prism pattern do NOT have bite marks on them.

So the high flash prism pattern gets them (or other fish) into the bite mode. And where there is a big ruckus/bite going on......that attracts other fish.

Which is why I go big on aggressive patterns for inline......especially when they are down below 100ft or more.

In extremely shallow/sunny water this may be a bit too much for some salmon however.

A spoon fished by itself can be very effective on many an occasion. I like to fish these way back off the downrigger because the boat/engine itself can sometimes scare Chinook off.

 

[kronic_fisherguy]

I prefer the sneek attack in the morning.


HaHa Kronic

 

[Fishingaccomplished]

When using big 6 or 7 inch spoons i never use flashers but sometimes run a dummy flasher but small spoons like needle fish ones i like to use a flasher

 

[uclueletcharters]

Troll quick with speed changes time to time but like in an earlier post if the fish are thick then no flasher is needed. Do yourself a favor and change the hook on your Coyote spoons there junk. I always pick a bit bigger of a hook than the original so long as it doesn't effect the action and make sure it's SHARP. Get a sharpener if you don't have one and put a little twist in the hook as well it all helps.

 

[trophywife]

i found with the big hooks this summer i would get a lot hit n runs from the smaller springs and yoyo's thus keeping them off. and when releasing them it was much easier with less damage...