The Basics of the Spoon Lure

The spoon lure was invented around 1848 by Julio T. Buel. The basic style of the spoon is a simple, elongated, ovular, concave piece of metal with a single treble hook on the end. Over time, the use of silicone skirts, and wire or bristle weed guards have increased the effectiveness of spoon fishing.

The spoon lure is heavy, and made to enable anglers to cast very long distances, and be able to retrieve the lure through a give strike zone, from well behind it. This gives the angler the chance to land the lure, without spooking the fish. Later on, fisherman adapted the use of the spoon for trolling, and created a lighter version of the spoon, giving it the ability to suspend (when combined with a specific amount of weights) at certain depths and trolling speeds to cover a wide fishing area.

Some Spoon Fishing Tips

One of the more widely known methods of spoon fishing is jigging it up and down. In this scenario, the fisherman locates a school of fish, and trolls in and around the school, working the spoon. You’ll want to drop the spoon straight down to the suspected depth of the fish, and then use a vertical “jerking” motion to cause the spoon to bob up and down in the water. Usually the strike will come as the lure is sinking.

Another method of fishing spoons is trolling. Often, striper anglers will use their fish finder to locate fish in a particular area, and then set several poles at different depths, and work the area until the find the fish. Using different lengths of slack in the line combined with weights, the angler can achieve precision depths for a given speed during the troll.

The main downside to fishing with spoons is getting tangled. Because the lure is good at dropping to the bottom very quickly, and because fisherman will often bounce the lure off the bottom, this lure is prone to getting stuck on the bottom. I can’t tell you how many of these lures I have lost in the past. But sometimes, if you troll around the area where the spoon is snagged, you can jerk it off from behind or the side. I have been able to save a few spoons using this method.

March Bass Fishing In Cool Waters

Depending on what region of the country you are in, you are going to be experiencing different temperatures. Water temperatures of about 40 degrees or less is generally not the best for the spring spawn. So where I am in Texas, early March is still pretty cold on the lake. This is also frustrating as getting out to your spots can be rather chilling if there is any wind out.

So when you face these water temperatures, use lures that run deep. Check your fish finder for approximate depths of the fish, and try to match that up with your lure choice. Using plastic worms, bass assasins, grubs, tubes and jigs with a very slow retrieve or dead stick should yield better results. Cranks and jerks may work as well, however they need to be deep runners, suspending, and also with a slow retrieve. The fish are sluggish, and usually hang out in deeper water, where it is warmer.

March Bass Fishing In “The Zone”

On the other hand, when you get into 45 to 50 degree waters, that is when the action is going to be fast and furious. My favorite lure is the Bomber “Flat A” in the ghost white color. It runs about 4-6 feet deep (although you can get it in the 8-12 feet deep range) and really hits well with large mouth, small mouth, whites and hybrids. It is also a suspending model, so you can run a jerk and retrieve pattern on the fish, if they tend to be sluggish.

As with cooler temperatures, you can also pull out your worms and jigs to go after these fish. Many of the state record fish were caught with worms. I like a 6-7 inch worm using a Carolina or Texas style rig. Mostly use a slow retrieve on the bottom of the lake, and waiting for that tap. Give the fish some time though, as they don’t usually just suck down a worm, often they will tap it before they fully commit. When you feel the tap, give it a few seconds to let the fish take the bait, then hit ‘em!

So don’t wait, get out there on your favorite lake, and take advantage of one of the best months for bass fishing, March! If it is cold, bring your deep running lures and work them slow, if it is warmer, go for the more shallow running, fast action baits and knock ‘em dead!