Shimano Slim Swimmer Spoons

Much of this report is taken from my 8-4-16 Trip Report

Shimano Slim Swimmer spoons come in 1.5g, 2.5g, 3.5g and 5g weights. Shimano also has a  "Compact Edition" Slim Swimmer that has the same length and width as regular Slim Swimmers, but is stamped from a thicker metal. The 2g Slim Swimmer CE (Compact Edition) is the same size as the regular 1.5g Slim Swimmer. On a recent trip, I had gold Slim Swimmers in 1.5g, 2.5g, 3.5g and 5g, and the Slim Swimmer CE in 2g.

I decided to try the different weights of the Shimano Slim Swimmers after my trip a few weeks ago when the Slim Swimmer was the only spoon to draw any strikes. The fish don't say, but I suspect at least part of the reason for the Slim Swimmer's effectiveness is that it is a lot closer than most spoons to the shape of a real minnow. Another possible reason for their effectiveness is that their action is a bit more subtle than that of some other spoons. That might make them more attractive to the fish, but it also might make it easier for the fish to actually hit one. I have seen fish miss other spoons repeatedly.

Another reason for wanting to try the 1.5g weight is because that is close to the lightest weight that I can cast effectively with my BFS gear. Plus, it's not much larger than the Daiwa Vega spoons, which have proven their effectiveness for everything from Bluegills to Creek Chubs to Smallies to Trout. I know that smaller spoons are much more effective than larger ones when fishing for bluegills, and I had a sneaking suspicion the same would be true for the smaller trout in headwaters streams.

""Tenryu Rayz Spectra RZS51LL

I started out with a Tenryu Rayz Spectra RZS51LL spinning rod. It's been a while since I have fished it and I do like it quite a lot. It is rated for lures as light as 1g, and the 1.5g Shimano Slim Swimmer cast very nicely with it. I was on a pretty small stream, so casting was for accuracy, not for distance. I could have stayed with the Spectra and the 1.5g Slim Swimmer and had a very nice day indeed, but I had other lures to fish.

After a couple fish I switched to a Tenryu Rayz RZ53UL-BC baitcaster and the 2.5g Slim Swimmer. Although I can cast the 1.5g spoon with the RZ53UL-BC and a BFS reel, the 2.5g spoon casts much more easily and much more accurately.

""Shimano Slim Swimmer 2.5g fooled this brookie.

After switching reels, I spent about half my remaining time with the 2.5g Slim Swimmer and about half with the 3.5g Slim Swimmer. Both were extremely effective at drawing strikes. There was a huge difference in the number of fish in the net, however.

I have mentioned this enough times before that by now it is no secret: I have a very, very hard time getting 6 and 7 inch trout to stay on barbless hooks. I lose some on the way in, but the closer to the net, the more likely a fish will get off. I bring a fish to the surface so I can see it to net it. Wriggling like crazy on the surface, though, small fish are very good at throwing the hook.

It turns out that the 3.5g spoon is just heavy enough and has just enough inertia that when a small fish starts to wriggle, the spoon is still zigging when the fish starts to zag and the hook just slides right out of its mouth. I don't now how many fish I hooked with the 3.5g spoons, but it was enough that they alone would have given me a "many" day. I did not get even one of them into the net, though. Bigger fish, which don't wriggle as quickly, aren't hard to land with barbless hooks.

All the fish I hooked with the 3.5g spoon appeared to be in the 5-7 inch range. That pretty much proves, at least to my satisfaction, that you don't have to fish tiny little lures even if the trout you expect to catch are pretty small. I am increasingly of the opinion that the desire to cast the lightest possible lures on BFS reels is a lot more about the casting than the fishing.

Casting the lightest possible lure is a challenge - whether or not it results in more fish. Smaller lures may indeed be more productive when fishing for highly pressured fish, but at least where I was on Sunday, the 3.5g spoon seemed to draw just as many strikes as the much smaller 1.5g spoon.

Even though I had serious problems keeping the 5-7" fish on the barbless hook, I do like the 3.5g spoons. They cast very nicely indeed with a baitcaster - or perhaps I should say with my skill level, they are easier to cast, and to cast accurately, than the lighter spoons. I am no Angler Saito by any means, but at least a few times I was able to cast the 3.5g spoon right to kitchen-sink-sized spots between rocks along the shore, and then get hits as I retrieved the spoon into the current.

I fished the 2g Compact Edition Slim Swimmer very briefly - just long enough to decide I liked the action of the standard weight spoon better. I am sure that the Compact Edition would cast further and fish deeper. On the small, shallow stream I fished Sunday, neither of  those attributes was needed.

Towards the end of the day, I also fished the 5g spoon for just a few casts. I fished it only briefly because within minutes it started raining. I hadn't brought a rain jacket, as rain had not been in the forecast. It was getting close to the time I had to head back anyway so I packed it in and started for home.

I will definitely spend more time fishing the 5g spoon, though. It is almost the size of the 50mm heavy sinking minnow plugs, but but it already comes with a single hook and is about half the price of most JDM plugs. The shape isn't as radical as the Forest Marshal River spoons, so the action is more subtle. It may end up being a very nice lure.

""Shimano Slim Swimmer 3.5g fitted with replacement Cultiva S-21 microbarb single hook.

The following week, I used a Shimano Slim Swimmer 3.5g spoon on which I had replaced the original barbless hook with a Cultiva S-21 microbarbed single hook. I was able to catch several 6-7" fish without having any wriggle off the hook.

Shimano Slim Swimmer Spoons are made in Japan.

Shipping to US address - $5 via USPS Ground Advantage

Finesse-Fishing Home > Single Hook Lures > Shimano Slim Swimmer Spoons

Header photo: Tenryu Rayz RZ4102B-UL, Shimano Calcutta Conquest BFSHG ('17)

Warning:

The hooks are sharp.
The coffee's hot.
The fish are slippery when wet.