Spoon Theory

The December issue of In-Fisherman magazine exposed a new technique for largemouths incorporating casting spoons. In the article, veteran Lake Fork guide Rick Loomis and bass pro Kelly Jordan explain how largemouths are already conditioned to swimbaits on Fork, driving the development of new techniques. The answer involves fishing big spoons horizontally, or at least semi-horizontally, on deep structure.

The featured spoon is the Big Joe, made by Joe Spaits’ Weedless Lures Company, which resembles the good ol’ Len Thompson, known and loved by pike fishermen the world over. The idea is to cast into a pack of schoolies or over pieces of prime structure, allowing the spoon to flutter down. Most strikes occur on the drop or as the spoon falls again after being ripped off bottom.

Bass pro Mark Rose won a tournament with a new casting spoon from Strike King called the Sexy Spoon. Along the way, he caught several smallmouths. “If a smallmouth is down there, he’s going to bite it,” Rose says. “Anytime bass are offshore and feeding on shad deep in the water column, it’s going to work. It’s an open-water tactic, perfect for casting to offshore humps, gravel bars, clam beds, and similar spots. If you have room to hop a casting spoon and let it flutter back down, it’s going to work.”

The Sexy Spoon is 51⁄4 inches long and weighs about 3/4 ounce. Rose casts, lets the spoon fall to the bottom, rips it up, and lets it flutter back. When it touches down, he rips it again. “On these deep spots, a crankbait lingers for just a short period of time,” he adds. “It wobbles on through and is gone. A spoon stays in the strike zone longer. Ripping it off bottom requires a rod with a lot of backbone and thick, strong line, like 20-pound fluorocarbon. In search mode, I rip the lure up as far as I can. When I find fish, I settle back to shorter hops, keeping the lure in the critical area longer.”

Strike King Sexy Spoons are designed for bass and painted with popular crankbait patterns. “This is a deep tactic, and smallmouths rip the rod out of your hand,” he says. “In fall, when smallmouths are suspended and tracking big schools of shad, these horizontal spoon techniques shine, as well as in winter when they’re stacked on deeper spots. It’s not just for smallmouths. I’ve caught other species of bass, and white bass, yellow bass, and crappies, with this method. It’s a fine imitation of a dying shad, and works in deep water where predators lurk.”