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Spoon fishing for bass may not always be among the most popular ways to catch bass, especially with all the other lures available, but it can be a pretty good tactic in tough conditions.
But is there an ideal time to use spoons?
We’ll talk about some of the conditions where spoon lures can work best, as well as give you some tips on how to use them.
Why Use Spoons For Bass?
What Are They?
Spoons are designed with a concave side on one side, similar to a tablespoon but without the handle. This means they can create a unique side-to-side movement under the water when they’re on the descent. They will tend to also create flash and reflection which can further attract bass.
Spoons come in different sizes which can also affect how they perform. For example, the movement can vary between sizes because of the differences in the depths of the inward curves of the various spoons. A spoon with a deeper curved side will tend to have a wider movement compared to that of a spoon with a shallower curve.
The speed at which they’re fished can also affect performance, which again can vary between the sizes and types.
Deep Water Bass Fishing
Spoons can be great for targeting bass in deep water but can often be passed over in favor of other, more modern lures. There are a few different types of spoon lures that can work well, depending on the conditions, and they can often be a good choice to use when fishing in cold water.
Spoon lures are designed to imitate baitfish when moving or falling through the water. This can make them more attractive to bass than some other lures, as the bass may be more likely to believe the lure is food.
Types Of Spoons And When To Use Them
Flutter Spoons
Flutter spoons can be a good choice if you’re fishing around marinas or floating docks. They can be particularly useful when the water temperatures start to rise and could work best when the water is over 70 degrees.
Video: How To Fish Spoons For Bass On Floating Docks
Summer and fall can be ideal seasons for fishing with flutter spoons. You’ll probably need a heavy power rod and a high speed reel to fish with flutter spoons. Heavier line can also be a good idea. For example, 20 pound test fluorocarbon line can be ideal, but you can also use a heavier braided line with a fluorocarbon leader if that’s preferable.
Flutter spoons can be attractive to bass because of the way they fall through the water, so a bass will often strike as the spoon is falling. This can be ideal for schools of bass near the bottom or suspended. If your lure hits the bottom, bring it back up to slowly fall again, as it is this movement that is designed to mimic baitfish and trigger a bite.
Jigging Spoons
Winter can be one of the best times to fish with jigging spoons as they can work well in very cold conditions when bass are in deep water.
Unlike with flutter spoons, you might want to opt for lighter line when fishing with a jigging spoon. A medium heavy rod can be a good choice and a spinning reel might be better if you’re using light jigging spoons. However, for larger spoons you might prefer a baitcasting set-up.
Jigging spoons can be best used when they’re fished vertically, which means you shouldn’t really need to cast it at all. Simply let it drop right at the location where you find the bass, so that it can get right in amongst them.
Deep water structure and under bridges can be good areas to target with jigging spoons but you might find it easier to locate the bass first using a fish finder.
Surface Spoons
Surface spoons are, like the name would suggest, designed for fishing on the surface. These types of spoons can be ideal for bass fishing during the summer when fish might be closer to the top of the water.
Surface spoons are usually designed to float and they may have some extra moving parts, such as a skirt, so that they can create a larger profile with additional movement to attract bass.
They can be cast into cover and reeled in to keep the spoon moving along the surface.
Weedless Spoons
Similar to surface spoons, weedless spoons are are designed to be fished in cover and vegetation. They are built so that can be effectively fished in weeds and brush piles without getting caught up.
Weedless spoons can be best fished with a slower retrieve, with a twitch and pause technique to let the spoon imitate a baitfish and let it fall into any holes that might be hidden within the weeds.
Video: How To Use A Weedless Spoon
These types of spoons may be a good option for targeting bass when they’re in the shallows and during the summer when there’s lots of weeds and grasses.
In Conclusion
Spoons can be an effective lure to use all year round but can be a great choice for targeting bass in deep water, especially in cold winters. They can also be a good option to use when other lures aren’t quite hitting the mark or if you’re in heavily fished waters.
Have you had any luck fishing with spoons this year? Tell us about your favorite bass techniques. And remember to help out your fellow bass anglers by sharing this guide.