Trolling with Spoons

Allen

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Posts
10,474
Likes
1,485
Points
553
Location
Lincoln, kinda...
I grew up on Sak and we used spoons and Lazy Ikes a lot back in the 70s and 80s, like right before the bottom bouncer came around.

The biggest problem with them is they twisted the hell out of your line, second biggest issue was the number of goldeyes that also hit them.

Can you catch eyes with spoons in ND? Yep, but that's sure not my goto lure...not even close.
 


MuleyMadness

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2017
Posts
524
Likes
54
Points
155
Location
Dickinson, ND
only ways to really troll with spoons is with downriggers, lead core or snap weights. I don't know anyone that has really tried them. I have a couple times alongside cranks with no luck. But that limited use wouldn't really paint the whole picture. People use em through the ice so there is no reason they wouldn't work trolling. I know a guy that caught a nice walleye casing spoons for northerns once. anything that mimmicks the forage in a lake will work.

Happened to me about 15 years ago. Fishing was slow so we went into a bay and I casted for pike throwing at shore with about a 4-5 inch spoon. Couple casts later 22" walleye.
 

duckman1302

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2015
Posts
342
Likes
31
Points
140
Location
Dickinson
Before my grandfather passed, i often heard him say that with all the new stuff coming out people are forgetting about the old tried and true proven methods that have worked for many prior years.
 

pointer

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Posts
1,163
Likes
139
Points
228
Location
south central nd
I remember back in the 60s my uncle would load up about 5 to 6 of us kids and troll spoons around lake Metagoshie, he must of had the patience of a saint but we did catch fish, really did well under the bridge, all in in like a 12 foot Sears boat.
 

KDM

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 20, 2015
Posts
9,650
Likes
1,582
Points
563
Location
Valley City
The ONLY time spoons were the ticket to catching walleyes that I've had was when the eyes were on weed edges in less than 8 ft of water. We long lined johnsons weedless silver minnow spoons and absolutely waylayed the eyes for a couple weeks on that pattern. Take it for what it's worth.
 


AR-15

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Joined
Jun 19, 2016
Posts
2,311
Likes
210
Points
288
Caught a lot of Lake Trout and Northern's back in the 80's up in Canada with the Dare Devel yellow 5 of diamonds, we used the biggest ones we could get, gave them to the guides when we were done fishing, they liked them to
 

LBrandt

★★★★★ Legendary Member
Joined
Apr 3, 2016
Posts
10,828
Likes
1,382
Points
498
Location
SE ND
Caught myself checking out my coffee spoon, how to paint,. attach swivel and treble hooks. Bend the handel a little for increased spin like slow death. DM or GUYWHOFISHES what you think????????
 

watson

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
May 2, 2015
Posts
1,882
Likes
477
Points
293
Location
SE corner of ND
My dad trolled daredevils for everything and we ate plenty of fish. Not saying newer lures won't do better but if you can make them mimic baitfish they'll hold their own
 

FishFinder97

★ Legendary Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Posts
335
Likes
9
Points
95
Location
ND
I’ve caught walleyes while using spoons for northerns, and I catch a lot of walleyes with a Kastmaster spoon from shore
 

gr8outdoors

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2015
Posts
1,019
Likes
3
Points
196
Location
Washburn,nd
Bout 15 years ago a buddy n I tried bouncers with about a 6 foot leader and a crank bait. Caught lots of eyes. Might also work with spoons. Never tried it though. Oh, got the idea from an older fellar we worked with. The old timers know their shit, most of the time!
 


Ristorapper

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
May 17, 2015
Posts
2,544
Likes
12
Points
241
Location
Mandan ND
10 or so years ago I was chatting with a guide out east. He was catching eyes on some type of flutter spoon rigged with a double crawler hook behind 'em. I bought a half dozen or so from him and have never put 'em in the water. Someday. or not?? Don't guess they have skipjack out there ??
 

NodakBuckeye

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
May 15, 2015
Posts
2,816
Likes
42
Points
261
Location
Watford City
Trolled Michigan Stingers on Erie in the summertime. Just used a snap weight and the 50/50 method most of the time. They work really well when you can troll for 30 miles and your depth only varies a foot or two and the fish are suspended. Most guys with bigger boats and deeper pockets ran dipsy divers and jets and maybe a downrigger off each back corner on the bigger boats. I have not tried it here but have tossed the idea around, usually after I swing out off the shoreline break pulling cranks and get in 40 fow or better and pick up the occasional big walleye that was suspended a little deeper than the depth we had been hitting closer to shore.

Used the scorpion model almost always, Monkey Puke was a good color on Erie.

I see the offer them now with a short 2 hook harness for a crawler...hmmm
 
Last edited:

Ristorapper

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
May 17, 2015
Posts
2,544
Likes
12
Points
241
Location
Mandan ND
Trolled Michigan Stingers on Erie in the summertime. Just used a snap weight and the 50/50 method most of the time. They work really well when you can troll for 30 miles and your depth only varies a foot or two and the fish are suspended. Most guys with bigger boats and deeper pockets ran dipsy divers and jets and maybe a downrigger off each back corner on the bigger boats. I have not tried it here but have tossed the idea around, usually after I swing out off the shoreline break pulling cranks and get in 40 fow or better and pick up the occasional big walleye that was suspended a little deeper than the depth we had been hitting closer to shore.

Used the scorpion model almost always, Monkey Puke was a good color on Erie.

I see the offer them now with a short 2 hook harness for a crawler...hmmm

Sounds like the ones I purchased...gotta go look at 'em now!!
 

FishFinder97

★ Legendary Member
Joined
Apr 24, 2018
Posts
335
Likes
9
Points
95
Location
ND
10 or so years ago I was chatting with a guide out east. He was catching eyes on some type of flutter spoon rigged with a double crawler hook behind 'em. I bought a half dozen or so from him and have never put 'em in the water. Someday. or not?? Don't guess they have skipjack out there ??
That method is how I caught my biggest Walleye on Ashtabula, which had a tag.It was a Jointed original rapala on about a 2 foot leader behind a bottom bouncer. It was quite a while back but I’ve done it a few other times, have caught some decent smallmouth and northerns that way also.
 

martinslanding

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 16, 2015
Posts
2,972
Likes
26
Points
251
Location
eastern half of ND
Bout 15 years ago a buddy n I tried bouncers with about a 6 foot leader and a crank bait. Caught lots of eyes. Might also work with spoons. Never tried it though. Oh, got the idea from an older fellar we worked with. The old timers know their shit, most of the time!

wouldn't this be the principle behind using leadcore now?
 


Ristorapper

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
May 17, 2015
Posts
2,544
Likes
12
Points
241
Location
Mandan ND
Trolled Michigan Stingers on Erie in the summertime. Just used a snap weight and the 50/50 method most of the time. They work really well when you can troll for 30 miles and your depth only varies a foot or two and the fish are suspended. Most guys with bigger boats and deeper pockets ran dipsy divers and jets and maybe a downrigger off each back corner on the bigger boats. I have not tried it here but have tossed the idea around, usually after I swing out off the shoreline break pulling cranks and get in 40 fow or better and pick up the occasional big walleye that was suspended a little deeper than the depth we had been hitting closer to shore.

Used the scorpion model almost always, Monkey Puke was a good color on Erie.

I see the offer them now with a short 2 hook harness for a crawler...hmmm


guessing in the fall they would work for chasing salmon??
 

NodakBuckeye

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
May 15, 2015
Posts
2,816
Likes
42
Points
261
Location
Watford City
guessing in the fall they would work for chasing salmon??

I don't see why not, we got into a pattern of land locked atlantics on Lake Champlain on a June trip when summer weather was late and just pounded them on a break that had current caused by an old railroad that crossed over to the islands.
 

Obi-Wan

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
May 15, 2015
Posts
7,494
Likes
2,524
Points
678
Location
Bismarck
image.jpg
 

Duckslayer100

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2015
Posts
4,611
Likes
189
Points
293
Location
ND's Flatter Half
Grandpa Ray lived on a tanin-stained lake in the Iron Range. Later on in life he got a nice AlumaCraft Deluxe console boat with a 60 horse gas motor (which is in my garage as we speak). But what I remember most about Grandpa Ray and that lake was his small aluminum boat.

The seats would get so hot in the sun that you had to be careful sitting down. Which is why he'd usually take me out early in the morning. I'd gingerly step into the creaky boat and we'd bail out whatever dew or rain water had collected in back. Then he'd hand me rods, tackle boxes and the mesh basket for fish.

When he'd get in the back, it would groan disapproval before settling lightly on the water. Taking oars in hand, he'd grunt a few strokes hard away from the dock and we'd be fishing.

In no time, we'd get to the edge of the weeds -- first cattails, then coontail and cabbage -- where I'd be instructed to cast a hefty red-and-white DareDevil away from the boat. At some point it was decided that chartreuse with red dots was much preferred, but that was later when I started thinking I knew more than grandpa.

As soon as that spoon splashed down, grandpa was off, wrestling the oars in his herky-jerky way, causing the boat to lurch forward, then pause, then lurch ahead again.

I'm convinced his without-rhyme-or-reason rowing is what caused that curved hunk of metal to get bit as often as it did. Like Babe Ruth, grandpa would often call the shot with startling accuracy.

"Get ready," he'd say, and the grip on my rod would tighten. "This spot looks mighty fishy."

A pike strike is every bit as violent as the outdoor stories claim it to be, and there wasn't a single one that didn't take my breath away. The drag on the Zebco would be screaming as every fiber of glass in that rod bent to the extreme.

We didn't catch any lunkers -- and there were a few that got away that most certainly of that class -- but we always caught some. And just as the mid-morning sun crested the pine trees and the winds of the day started making it a bit more difficult for Grandpa Ray to steer that little aluminum boat, we'd had our fill and would head to shore.

I can't think of Grandpa Ray without thinking of those mornings. And I can't think of red-and-white DareDevils without thinking of Grandpa Ray.
 

Rowdie

Founding Member
Founding Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2015
Posts
9,925
Likes
1,632
Points
563
I'm going to try trolling a spoon or two soon. They're biting in five Ft of water anyway. I do have leadcore so may try them deeper too.
 


Recent Posts

Friends of NDA

Top Posters of the Month

  • This month: 159
  • This month: 133
  • This month: 116
  • This month: 108
  • This month: 103
  • This month: 86
  • This month: 82
  • This month: 76
  • This month: 75
  • This month: 74
Top Bottom