Spoon Fed Trout

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by Les Albjerg
Idaho

About a month ago I received a Daiwa Presso Eve spoon in Gold Dust that weighs 1.2 grams and a Daiwa Presso Eve Gekiatsu spoon in Gold Dust that weighs 2.5 grams.  These two spoons are the same size and shape.  The only difference is the thickness of the metal.   The Gekiatsu at 2.5 grams looks as thick as a brick!  To be honest, I had really gravitated to fishing spinners most of the time.   I fished 3 of the "Area" ponds close to where I live over the last three weeks.  I've been able to do a lot of fishing, so I'm a happy guy!

So, I got to the first pond, and saw that it hadn't been stocked that week.  There is a pool where the fish congregate for a few days after they are stocked, and you can see them swimming in a circle.  There are usually one or two people hammering that pool as well. Nobody was there, so I set-up on that peg and put the 2.5 gram spoon on the  Daiwa Iprimi 60 XUL-4 and Shimano Cardiff reel.  Looking at that thick 2.5 gram spoon had me thinking, "this isn't going to work."

I cast to one of my favorite spots, and had reeled back about 6 feet and "Wham!" fish on.  The first cast and I caught a nice one!  Two casts later, and I had another fish on!   Five more casts and I had a third fish netted and released.  So, I switched to the 1.2 gram Eve.  Twenty minutes of fishing and nothing.  I thought maybe I've just hammered this area too much, so I moved.

I left the 1.2 gram spoon on, and after 15 minutes and no fish, I switched back to the 2.5 gram spoon.  On the second cast, I was into a nice fish!  It dawned on me that the spoon was fishing deeper than the lighter spoon.  I was flirting with the bushes on the other side of the spring and ended up losing the 2.5 gram spoon!  I went back to the 1.2 gram and slowed my retrieve.  I was back into the fish!

On my second trip, I fished my custom 6 foot S-Glass rod with a vintage Garcia Michell 409 reel for the first 90 minutes and the Daiwa 17 Gekkabijin 1003 on the Shimano  Soare CI4+ Ajing S408UL-S for the second 90 minutes.  The goal of my second trip was to try various spoons.  I caught plenty of fish!  The big lessons learned on this second trip to a different pond is more often than not, I was fishing the spoons too fast!   The newer reels take up line much faster than the older reels.  I was catching more fish on my vintage outfit at first.  It is hard to slow down!  I also began to think more about manipulation.  I had several followers.  After the fourth follower teased me, I did something different.  I could see the fish about 10 feet out, so I just stopped reeling and the spoon began to flutter down.  Wham!, the fish slammed the spoon.  I have a lot more to learn about manipulating spoons!

On my last trip, I decided to fish only 0.5 gram and 0.9 gram spoons.  The Shimano Soare outfit and the Daiwa Iprimi outfit handles both light weight spoons well.  I did switch to braided line.  I found that with the light spoons you have to go to braid or two pound test line.  It was a many fish day!  They had planted the "Area".  There were fish swimming in the pool near the parking lot.  When I arrived, there were two people fishing the pool.  I headed to one of my favorite spots that doesn't get hammered.  I found that the best method to fish these lures was to cast, let the spoon flutter, reel three times, let it flutter, reel three times.......  Fish nailed it on the flutter and the retrieve!  These light spoons really come to the surface when you begin the retrieve.  On the way out, there was a couple at the pool by the parking lot.  I asked them, "How's fishing?"  The gal said, "We can see them, but they won't bite."  I was putting my gear in the SUV and I saw them leave.  The Daiwa Iprimi was rigged up with a 0.9 gram Forest Marshal Tournament #6.  I knew that spot had been hammered, but I thought, "Why not give it a try?"  On the third cast, I was into one of those fresh planters!   I caught three more fish and went home with a big smile.  Showing the fish something totally different really makes a difference.   As I watch people moving around the pond, I notice that most folks soaking night crawlers or powerbait.  Those who were using lures were tossing spinners. 

I am so glad that I gave spoons another try.  One of the other days I switched between spoons and spinners, and the spoons out fished the spinners.  You may just want to spoon feed some trout next time your out!

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Comments for Spoon Fed Trout

January 5, 2021
Retrieve Speed
by: Chris Stewart

Les, I am not at all surprised that you found fishing the 1.2g spoons more slowly was more productive. I am convinced that most people fish spoons too quickly. I would suggest that anglers watch the spoon at the end of the retrieve, when they can see its action. If it spins, the retrieve is too fast. A spoon should wobble but not spin.

All the reels on the Finesse-Fishing.com site have high gear ratios. That was an intentional choice so that anglers who fish streams can cast upstream and retrieve a lure faster than the current - which is necessary for it to have the proper action. If you cast downstream and retrieve the a spoon against the current, it will almost certainly spin no matter how slowly it is retrieved, and a light spoon will rise to the surface. Spoons are best fished upstream or up and across.

In a lake or a pond, you may have to consciously slow your rate of retrieve to fish a spoon slowly enough.

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January 6, 2021
Retrieval Rate
by: Logan Orth

Good afternoon, Mr. Albjerg. I can really see the retrieval speed making a difference in your catch rate. As someone who when saltwater fishing uses the spoon exclusively (I have caught over two dozen Ladyfish, half a dozen Spanish Mackerel and a single Blue runner on the same spoon over the course of a week), the retrieval rate is just as, if not more, vital than actual spoon color. In freshwater, I plan on fishing the .5g spoons once I get my first Tenkara rod. And speaking of Tenkara, do you have a recommendation on a blue line rod that could handle the unexpected 12-14 inch fish but still feel the fight of a micro? I hope to hear your advice. Anyway, great trip!

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January 7, 2021
Response to "Spoon Fed Trout"
by: Les Albjerg

My favorite fixed line rod for fly-rod spoon fishing by far is the Suntech TenkaraBum 40. It is long enough to be effective, but short enough to control. If you want a longer rod, my favorite long rod is the Suntech Fine Power NP 56. For a first rod, you can't go wrong with the TenkaraBum 40. You can fish everything with it, and you can feel small fish very well!

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$200 rod?
by: Logan Orth

Thank you, Mr. Albjerg. I should have been a little more specific when I asked about the rod you recommend. I plan on selling a lot of my old rods (including a western fly rod) to get the money for my first Tenkara rod. The total amount of money I plan to sell them for is $200. Are there any options for me in that price range that have the specs that I mentioned? I would greatly appreciate your input.

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January 8, 2021
Ask Chris
by: Les Albjerg

To begin I would say, “Ask Chris for his recommendations.”  He has always steered me to just the right rods.  My last 4 times out with fly rod spoons I have fished the Nissin Royal Stage Honryu 330 and found it works very well.  It is in your price range.  If you check it out on the Tenkara Bum website you can see it has some unique features.  It is a very smooth rod.  I’ve really enjoyed the Nissin Pro Square and you can get it in a 360 length.  I have not fished the fly rod spoons with it yet.  It may be a bit too soft.  I’ll defer to Chris to answer that question.

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January 8, 2021
"Blue Liner" for .5g spoons
by: Chris Stewart

If a blue line stream is one you have to hike into, and has no well-worn stream-side trail, then I would not take the Royal Stage Honryu 330. It is a wonderful rod, but its long collapsed length makes it better suited to streams you can drive to. I think you would have a hard time finding a better first rod for the little blue lines than the Nissin Pro Square 6:4 320. I suppose the 360 might be a better choice if you lived in the west, where trees grow up rather than out. In the east, though, a 360 rod is too long for many of the little blue lines you'd want to fish.

I have not fished the .5g spoons with the Pro Square, but I have fished the now-discontinued .4g Vega spoons successfully with a Nissin Fine Mode Nagare 330 and a Suntech Kurenai HM33R, both of which have lower penny ratings than the Pro Square. I am sure the Pro Square could fish the .5g spoons effectively A 14" trout would give you a fight you wouldn't soon forget, but it wouldn't be too much for the rod.

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January 24, 2021
Thank you
by: Bill Piatek

Thanks for writing this Spoon Fed Trout article Les. I had stopped using spoons a few months ago since I got on a Tenkara kick. But after I read this I used them last Friday and I had a many many day. Only 2 on Tenkara and eggs but about 15 released on the Daiwa spoons in Lemonade. Unfortunately Chris doesn't carry that color. :-/

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January 24, 2021
Lemonade
by: Chris Stewart

The only spoon Daiwa still makes in Lemonade is their Adam spoon, which comes in weights ranging from 1g to 2.2g. All the spoons are the same size, just different thicknesses. The spoon is a little over an inch long, so the 1g spoon is awfully light for that size, and will not get deep even with a very slow retrieve. I'll order some of the 1.8g ones, which is the upper bound of what I consider to be "micro spoons."

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