Spoons by Mick Brown

If you are looking for lures that are easy to use and also very effective, look no further than spoons.

They normally give an excellent hook hold and, very importantly, if you are not too experienced, they are relatively easy to remove from the jaws of predators. Spoons can be used at any time of year in almost any depth of water. Count them down through the layers and try them at various depths until you find the fish.

Remember thick heavy spoons (such as Abu Tobys) sink faster than thin lightweight ones (such as Kuusamo Professors) and it is important to choose the correct design of spoon for the depth of water. In warm weather they can often be worked fast and might be snatched by predators just below the surface but in winter, it will be important to fish very slow and deep.

Again choice of pattern is important to achieve this. Experiment also with retrieve speeds and try a few tricks to provoke predators to strike. Try the sink and draw retrieve by lifting the rod to lift the lure higher in the water and then lowering the rod as you rapidly regain line. Some lures like the Professors can be used in a variation of this technique where they flutter attractively on the downward descent. At all times, use a little rod tip action to enhance the motion. Short sharp jabs that make the spoon keel and flash can be very beneficial at prime feeding times but be careful not to overdo this in colder conditions.

Spoons are also ideally suited to trolling too. In conjunction with an echo sounder, they can be worked at different depths by careful control of motor speed and the amount of line out. Trial and error will soon tell you what depth they are working at by noting when the bottom or weed is felt. Varying the motor speed and the amount of line out will work them higher or lower in the water as necessary.

For trolling spoons at a more controlled and constant depth, particularly when required to take them much deeper than they would work normally, there are special trolling vanes available from Kuusamo which come in a range of sizes to suit different depths and trolling speeds. Fit them above the trace and the water pressure on the vane takes them down very much like the lip on a diving plug. They have two position settings and when a predator strikes the lure, the vane "trips" to the playing position and takes the water pressure off the vane.

A trolling vane is a very clever, yet simple device, which can also be used with shallow diving plugs, providing that they do not have too violent an action which will tend to trip them during the troll.


You don't have to be an expert to use the spoons I have mentioned. They are great fish catchers, easy to master and simplify fish handling considerably.

Mick Brown.