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100 Louisiana Sportsman^ | April 2015

Bass by the spoonful

In coastal marshes, a gold weedless spoon like the

Johnson Minnow or Bomber Saltwater Grade Who

Dat is standard issue for redfish seekers.

A great search bait, these streamlined baits cast like

a dream — even in a stiff wind — and allow you to

cover water to find fish.

And don’t think redfish are the only spoon-lovin’

drum. Those big black ones will also chase down a

piece of shiny metal when they’ve got their feed on,

which is most of the time.

Other spoon species

Other spoon prospects:

• Panfish persuasion — Northern ice fishermen
  know those tiny slivers of polished metal temp
  panfish beneath the hard water, so there’s no rea-
  son bream hiding in lily pads or sac-a-lait holding
  over brush wouldn’t show the same fondness for
  the minnow imitators.


• Wonder in the waves – In the surf off Grand Isle or
  the Cajun Riviera beaches along the state’s western
  end, a Johnson Sprite or a Cotton Cordell spoon is
  a good bet for trout, reds and Spanish mackerel.
  One of the most user-friendly baits you’ll ever tie on,
  the spoon is a must-have for savvy anglers looking for
  versatility and performance.

ABOVE LEFT: Stinger harnesses increase your spoon’s

hooking power. ABOVE: In the marsh, a weedless gold

spoon is one of the top redfish baits.

Now, take a breath — we know there is no one bait that does every-

thing. The simple fact that we, at times, temp bass from the surface to

the dead bottom tells us that.

Suffice it to say, if you find a one-size-fits-all bass bait it’s probably

hanging on a unicorn’s head gear.

Unless and until that happens, what’s the one lure category with the

potential to cover the broadest spectrum of scenarios?

For FLW Series pro Glen Freeman of Converse, the choice is simple —

he’s going with a spoon.

One of Freeman’s reasons clears up any reservations about this notion.

“Spoons are definitely one of the most-versatile lures we have,” he

said. “They can be used in any depth, during the cold months or during

the hot months, and we also have a large selection of sizes.”

This question lurks in every bass angler’s

subconscious: If you could have only one lure, what

would it be?

Seven of Freeman’s eight career FLW victories have come on Toledo

Bend, the lake where fellow competitor Stephen Johnston guides.

Also lauding spoons as the go-to bait for numerous scenarios,

Johnston said the lure’s effectiveness is a straightforward case of dead-

on impersonation.

“If you had to pick one bait to fish year round, the spoon would be the

one you’d have to choose,” he said. “You can fish it in shallow water, at

midranges and deep in the cold of winter.

“Anywhere you go in the state of Louisiana, the main forage for bass

is shad, and that spoon represents a shad. It can be a regular Johnson

spoon that you throw out there and wind, a vertical spoon like a Cotton

Cordell CC spoon or a flutter spoon that you fish in the midrange.”

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