When the going gets tough the tough get spooning, and when
the going is easy they still do the same. The fact is when
top notch walleye anglers are on the ice they are almost always
working a spoon. That doesn’t mean they won’t
use a tip-up or a bobber rig because they will, it’s
just that they know spoons can attract and catch fish, period.
A jigging spoon in the right hands can be downright deadly,
and anybody can learn to use the technique. Team Crestliner
member John Janousek of Nisswa, Minnesota hits the ice hard
for heavy duty walleyes and is never, ever, without a jigging
rod; “I always use a spoon. It’s just a fun way
to fish and it works. Most of the time I’ll use it in
combination with a bobber rig and try to stay close so that
the fish that are attracted to the spoon also get a look at
the minnow and bobber rig.” To get good at spooning,
really good, you have to be committed to mastering the technique
and not give up if success doesn’t come right away.
If success comes quickly it certainly makes it easier but
it might not, so stick with it. And success doesn’t
always mean putting fish on the ice, it could mean coming
up empty at times. Coming up empty can help eliminate water
and narrow down your search when looking for fish, which will
allow you concentrate the rest of your time right where you
need to be. Spoons are natural attractors, with all of their
flash and vibration they can get the attention of fish a long
way off and bring them in for at least a look. Regardless
of whether you hook up or not you can use the spoon along
with a depth finder like the Marcum LX-5 to find out if there
any fish using an area, and what kind of mood they happen
to be in. If you’re seeing fish right away and they’re
scarfing up the spoon there’s no adjustment needed.
It’s when you’re seeing and not getting bit when
you have to start experimenting to find out what the key is
that finally trips their trigger. What you’re trying
to accomplish with the spoon is create a presentation that
resembles an injured or dying minnow or baitfish, a.k.a. an
easy meal. Walleyes are not above cashing in on easy pickings,
and why spoons are so productive. The basic technique includes
dropping the lure to the bottom and reeling up the slack so
the bait suspends just off the bottom, and then giving it
a quick snap up with the rod tip and the letting it free fall
back while following the slack line to the starting position.
From there you can give it another snap or maybe wait a few
seconds, especially if you’ve got an onlooker. As you
watch the screen fish will probably come and go unless you
can come up with a pattern that they start falling for. Sometimes
it’s the snap and drop, but more often it might be the
snap drop and hold that gets them to go. Or it could be the
snap, drop, hold, and maybe a tiny bump up followed by a hold.
Another method that often works is to try and get them to
follow the bait up higher and higher, well off the bottom.
If you can get them to follow four, five, and six feet off
the bottom there’s a good chance they’ll take
the bait. When you do lift the bait up you better have some
head room if you’re inside to allow yourself to set
the hook. My new Eskimo Profish 350 has more room than any
other house I’ve ever used and is perfect for spooning
as well as combining it with other methods like using dead
rods or set lines with floats. It stands tall and also gives
me plenty of room up front which allows for multiple holes.If
you’re seeing fish but they’re running for cover
as soon as you snap the bait you may have to back off a bit
and use more subtle strokes. On the other hand you might be
dealing with small fish, and that can be a problem if you
don’t realize what’s going on. With the three
color Marcum LX-5 you can actually get a good idea of the
size of the fish by the color of the mark. Baitfish and minnows
will show up as green or maybe yellow, while larger fish will
show up as red. The size of the walleye is determined by the
thickness of the red mark and the thicker the better. Watching
a thick red line come in for a look is when things can get
pretty exciting and keep you on the edge of you seat. Another
advantage to the LX-5 is the fact that it does a superior
job of revealing fish holding tight to the bottom as it has
excellent target separation. What it means is that you’ll
see fish that would have otherwise been missed. If you can’t
see them you can’t react to them and see how they react
to your bait
Ron Anlauf used a hardcore spooning trick to call in
this nice walleye
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There’s a couple of different basic styles
including the heavy spoons and the lighter thin metal
flutter spoons. Heavier lures like the Northland Tackle
Buck-shot Rattle Spoon get down the hole quickly and
are my go to bait and a steady producer all season long.
Lighter spoons like the Fire-Eye Minnow have a softer
action and have a much slower drop and can make a difference
when the fish are a little off, like later in the season
or after a cold front. When you’re just looking
for fish it’s hard to beat a heavier spoon, especially
one with a rattle. The Buck-shot attracts fish just
about everyway possible, which makes it a terrific search
lure. In almost ever situation you’ll have to
tip the spoon with some meat, like a small minnow or
part of a larger one. The meat is there to give the
bait some scent and taste and you really don’t
want to overpower your lure and kill the action with
a minnow that’s too big. Good spoon rods have
stiffer tips that allow you to actually snap the bait
instead of just pulling it and that means medium or
medium heavy actions. My personal favorite is a thirty-six
inch medium action baitcasting rod that’s loaded
with eight pound test green Silver Thread. You can use
spinning gear but you it’s hard to beat the feel
of a baitcaster in your hand.
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Braided lines can be a big plus when you start spooning deeper
water, like thirty feet or more. The braids have virtually
no stretch and you can get much better hooks sets than using
monofilament, but you can overdue it and rip hooks loose if
your not careful. You also better be quick to loosen the drag
on a big fish or you might break if off. Whether you’re
using a braid or mono you’ll need a leader and a swivel
tied in about two feet or so above the lure. You can use a
piece of mono or maybe fluorocarbon, but a good functioning
swivel is a must. If you don’t use one (or it isn’t
working) you’re going to develop a severe
case of line twist. See you on the ice.
Ron Anlauf
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