Spoons: Simple and Effective Fish Finders in Saltwater!

Built with a rounded hunk of metal, they resemble a soup-scooper with a hook embedded in the bend or a treble hook hanging off the end. Like plugs, spoons are another saltwater staple that has been catching fish forever and continue to be productive.

Their wobbling retrieve creates the flashy profile of a baitfish and is deadly to redfish and speckled trout in certain situations. The silver ones are most effective for Trout in the surf and Redfish prefer the gold ones in the bays.

Many are made with built-in weed guards which come in handy when fishing the grassy flats that redfish prefer. These aren’t necessary for surf-run trout or in the deeper sections of the bay so there are more offerings of the silver variety with a trailing treble hook.

Some sport a pinch of bucktail, feathers, or a plastic trailer off the back end which adds a little color to the tail. It looks good in the water but doesn't make a huge difference as the basic action and profile has always been successful.

Johnson makes the most popular varieties in a good range of weights and colors. Luhr-Jensen and Acme Tackle also sell good choices. Most have a smooth gold or silver finish but there are also different color combinations and those with a scaly finish resembling a baitfish.

Again, I think the finishes are less important than that flashy and erratic retrieve that mimics a swimming baitfish very well.

I will add, however, after originally providing my take here about finishes I read the book Plugger by Rudy Grigar. He swears by the extra action created by adding a trailer to his spoons, and even mentioned that different colored trailers produced fish when others wouldn't.

I'll have to defer here to Mr. Grigar. The book is a fantastic read, and provides a historical view of wade fishing in Texas, and contains a lot of advice. And if he caught half as many fish as he said he did he caught more than I will in 10 lifetimes!

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