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Spoon Fishing Lakes From The Bank

by Uncle Wes

I was recently talking with some readers and they had told me they had a desire to hear more about fishing from the bank, and different techniques that were available to them. I wasn't ignoring you, I was just waiting for the power bait season to end. You will find as the season goes along that power bait will become ineffective as the trout adapt to there surroundings and start feeding on natural forage such as bait fish, snails, leeches, insects, and fresh water shrimp. This is going to be a crash course and as you use this technique you will discover little secrets and tactics that will work for you. Are you going to lose tackle? Count on it. Lets start out with your basic set up, I prefer using a seven foot spinning rod in the medium to light range that is built to handle four to ten pound test or even an ultra light rod if you dare. As far as a reel you need to get one that is designed to handle four to ten pound test line. Prices can vary a great deal and I have never believed that the person with the most expensive gear catches all the fish, purchase what your pocket book allows I personally use an Eagle Claw rod and a Quantum Lite reel. My line of choice is Chameleon which is manufactured by Maxima I like it for its abrasion resistance and knot strength.

Now lets talk about spoons. There are many different styles, I prefer the classic. If you're not sure what shape this is, check out the Eppinger brand Daredevel. The first thing I do is get rid of the treble hook and put on a single hook you will still get good hook ups but will snag up a lot less using a single. Now when replacing the treble, make sure the point of your hook is in line with the back or the convex side of the spoon. The weight sizes I use range in size from 1/8th ounce to 1/2 ounce, my color choices are the standard red and white, yellow and red, black and green. Now buying these packaged products can get quite expensive so after your sure you are going to get into this type of fishing I recommend buying your spoon bodies and hardware in bulk. I use the silver or gold plated spoons for there flash value they absorb less light than the nickel and bronze spoons. Also when making your own add your color tape to the inside of the blade it gives the spoon a different look as the trout approach and will give it that added attraction to provoke the trout into striking. The packaged spoons with the designs and paint on the face are designed more to catch the fisherman than the fish but they still work. To buy in bulk ask your local tackle dealers or use the Cabelas catalog to locate your desires.

To effectively fish with spoons you have to get away from the crowd and work different areas, which in my book it is always a bonus to get away from the crowd. When you get to the bank of the lake facing directly at the water your left side running parallel with the bank is 9 o'clock and your right is 3 o'clock. Make your first cast in the 10 o'clock area about ten to twelve feet from shore, use your judgment on this sometimes you can cast closer or maybe further away depending on the lake condition i.e. logs, weeds, to shallow etc. you get the idea. As soon as your spoon hits the water start counting to yourself one thousand one, one thousand two until you feel your spoon hit the bottom. Retrieve your spoon make your next cast into the same spot and count again but this time start reeling in a second before it hits bottom, if bottom is located at one thousand four then start retrieving at on thousand three again cast into the same spot and bring it at one thousand two next cast bring it in at one thousand one. On your next cast put it back into the 10 o'clock position only two feet further out and repeat the steps continue this until you've reached the limit of your maximum casting distance then go to the 11 o'clock position and repeat all the steps until you've worked from 10 o'clock through to two o'clock. Now you have effectively covered this stretch of water. If you haven't found fish then move down the bank into your next position making sure your first cast in your 10 o'clock position was your two o'clock position on your first set. In other words you are over lapping the area your covering.

If you start hitting fish at a certain depth then continue to work that depth until it stops producing. My brother and I used to use this method all the time especially in the high mountain lakes I have personally found it to be a very productive method. Like I said this is a crash course and the more you fish this way the more polished your presentation will become which will lead to more and more success.

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