Sport Fishing USA — January 2018

24 JANUARY 2018

GAME PLAN + FISH FACTS + GEAR GUIDE + NEW PRODUCTS

Any angler familiar with northern pike fishing will recognize the iconic red-and-white

pattern of the original Dardevle spoon, little changed in more than 100 years.

“We all get so caught up in scented
baits, lures that are anatomically
perfect, plastics with fake wiggling
legs and completely realistic eyes
that sometimes you have to remind
yourself that we caught fish before
all that stuff was around,” notes
South Carolina Lowcountry guide
Jay Nelson, of Winyah Guide Service,
who likes using spoons while hunting
for redfish. “Spoons are the perfect
old-school standby, especially when
the water is stained and the reds are
focused on baitfish.”
But all spoons are not created equal.
Color variations, wobble, flash and
construction quality are some of the
variables that need to be taken into
consideration. Fortunately, you have
plenty of options; below are seven.

BAGLEY

Bagley’s weedless spoons feature
both hammered and smooth surfaces.
The hammered surface purportedly
reflects more light, catching it from all
angles as the spoon wobbles through
the water. The weed guard is a stan-
dard arm running just shy of the hook
point, and it gets an assist from a small
ball at the lure’s attachment point,
which prevents weeds from grabbing
at the tip of the spoon. Like many
spoon manufacturers, Bagley recom-
mends using its spoons both with or
without a plastic trailer. It’s available
in silver or gold finish.

our spoons can really bang on the fish is

that if you change your retrieve, vary the

speed, move it smoothly or, conversely,

add some action, as you change it up,

you change how the spoon flashes and

moves through the water. Don’t fall into

a rote pattern and, even after a front has

moved through or the fish are moving

really slowly, you’ll find a way to get

them to bite.”

GATOR

Bill Stahl knows how to work metal, and

his nephew Bruce Book is a die-hard

angler, so they teamed up and bought

Gator a few years back. Why did they

choose Gator? “These spoons have a

unique rotating action,” Book says. “The

way they roll over as they move through

the water is different from other spoons,

and it triggers strikes. It was originally

designed for inshore reds around Cape

Canaveral, Florida, but I’ve found a huge

variety of game fish love it: trout, snook,

blues, jacks, Spanish, you name it.”

The Gator’s hook is screwed to the

spoon body, not welded, and the aft

end of the spoon has an unusual cutout

that may produce unique vibrations as

BOMBER

Bomber adds a different dimension to

its Who Dat line of spoons by adding

new vibrations into the mix, with a

number of models that have added

rattles and/or a spinner blade attached

to the weed guard. Do the extra goodies

really generate extra strikes? That

depends on whom you ask, but there’s

no doubt that part of a spoon’s appeal is

generated by the vibrations it sends out

as it wobbles through the water, partic-

ularly when that water may be cloudy

or in any way reduced in visibility.

Hooks on the Who Dat spoons are

securely screwed to the body instead

of being soldered or welded, and the

weed guards on some models have

two red beads on the end to add extra

visual appeal.

EPPINGER

Eppinger began producing spoons all

the way back in 1912, when its original

Dardevle was sold as the Osprey spoon.

“We’ve had over 100 years to perfect it,

and have made dozens and dozens of

tweaks over time,” says John Cleveland,

marketing director for Eppinger.

“Handcrafted in Michigan, our spoons

are thinner in the middle and thicker in

the sides. This gives them an action that

triggers strikes.”

Note that they’ve also had plenty  of

time to develop dozens and dozens

of  versions of their weedless spoons,

and they offer the widest range of

colors and sizes I found from any one

manufacturer.

The key to maximizing an Eppinger

spoon’s effectiveness, Cleveland says, is

to vary your retrieve. “One of the reasons BILL DOSTER (4)

Bomber’s Who Dat weedless spoon uses a body
thicker than most, often adding various wiggly
“appendages” to the basic design.

WE’VE HAD

OVER 100 YEARS

TO PERFECT IT,

AND HAVE MADE

DOZENS AND

DOZENS OF TWEAKS

OVER TIME.