Spoon fishing steelhead

[Big3d]

Good Morning,

Just wondering how people fish their spoons when working steelhead waters? for example, with or without a swivel? I never swivel but my line breaks often and i'm not sure if the spinning spoon action will ruin the presentation. favorite sizes and colors would also be helpful, i always like chrome with a chartreuse stripe.

thanks

the man in 3d

 

[Throbbit _Shane]

It's best not to tie your line directly to the spoon. What i recommend is to attach a split ring to the spoon, then attach a barrel swivel to the split ring. It's best to do this to your spoons while your at home so you dont miss out on fishing when at the river. I also recommend switching out the treble hook with a single siwash hook. This will help with not getting snagged up on the bottom as much, and also will help keep the fish hooked better!

For colors I like all brass, the mostly white with red, silver and blue, silver and green, and white and blue. Im sure most colors will work though! I like the 2/5 oz Cleo style spoons. And off brands work just as well!

 

[AK Assassin]

I was just about to start a thread about this...funny, perfect timing! Tomorrow morning, I will be hitting the Santiam for some bank fishing. I will be going with the silver and blue Cleo 2/5oz. I will try your suggestions out Throbbit_Shane. I'm hoping to hook into my first Steel. I'm from Alaska and have yet to catch a steelhead or salmon. Crossing my fingers!

 

[ChezJfrey]

It's best not to tie your line directly to the spoon. What i recommend is to attach a split ring to the spoon, then attach a barrel swivel to the split ring. It's best to do this to your spoons while your at home so you dont miss out on fishing when at the river. I also recommend switching out the treble hook with a single siwash hook. This will help with not getting snagged up on the bottom as much, and also will help keep the fish hooked better!

For colors I like all brass, the mostly white with red, silver and blue, silver and green, and white and blue. Im sure most colors will work though! I like the 2/5 oz Cleo style spoons. And off brands work just as well!

I agree with Throbbit_Shane's advice.

However, I'm a bit lazy and instead of the split/barrel setup, I use a P-Line snap swivel so I can switch colors/weights/shapes quickly depending on water and conditions. The P-Lines have done alright by me.

Color is usually a factor of sun/water clarity thing for me. I use copper/brass/brass-red/chrome-orange/chrome/silver/chrome-green/chrome-blue/black-oxide...some hammered, some not, and all have hooked a steelhead at one time or another for me. I also color up some of the brass combos with a black sharpie.

Switching out the treble with a siwash will definitely result in fewer snag hangups and when hooked, the fish is usually stuck real good and won't usually shake loose...though that still happens from time-to-time. Those things are like ninjas in their escape ability!

I try to fish them by just drifting along, just above the bottom with slow action and as slow a swing as possible.

 

[alm21]

I like using a locking snap swivel for quick change outs. But regardless of what swivel method, IMO, you want one because once you have a fish, they're going to do the death rolls and the swivel is going help you stay hooked longer.

 

[alm21]

I will be going with the silver and blue Cleo 2/5oz.

Money!!!

 

[rippin fish lips]

Money!!!

2/5 oz little cloe is what got me a hook up to a nice summer today. I was the only guy tossing spoons/spinners while everyone tossed bait, corkies/yarn and bobber and jig.

The spoons i use for summer steelhead are...

Thomas bouyant... 1/4oz.... colors.... Copper/brass, Copper/red, Chrome/rainbow (got my first steely) Chrome/blue, chrome/silver, Brown trout (a mix of copper,dark brown, light brown, white, yellow and red).

The orange/white thomas spoons will produce fish if you shave the bottom part of the orange paint off.... Making the spoon (orange,copper,white) Killer combo for trout....

Little cleos, any size and any color, you can never go wrong with a Little cleo. ( i fish 1/4oz cleos mainly )

..... Here is a good rule of thumb, that i have been taught by many.

Start fishing "dark" first... what i mean by that, is Fish your (Darker lures first). Make sure you cast every dark lure you have before even grabbing a bright flashy lure.

Once you have casted ever dark lure (first) with no bites, go bright and small and see what happens, if you get nothing with flashy stuff, (restart your cycle) from "dark to bright"

a lot of times, steelhead will hit the very first lure you casted on your first (cycle of lures) That is why you start (dark first) then (go bright) if you get no hits on either (dark or bright) start over... Go (dark) again, then (bright)... and so on,... and so on.

I make sure i cast every lure in my box at least twice.

 

[Big3d]

This is why I freakin love this forum!!! thanks for the answers and still look forward to this thread living on and giving life to a whole conversation. I will take what I learned with me to the water, and changing out the hooks sounds wise. might even do that on my blue foxes.

 

[steelhead_slayer]

I tried fishing spoons for a little bit at the end of the season last year. I casted a blue/silver cleo up and across then let it swing it's self across that river. Resulted it some nice fish on the first trip out.

 

[rippin fish lips]

This is why I freakin love this forum!!! thanks for the answers and still look forward to this thread living on and giving life to a whole conversation. I will take what I learned with me to the water, and changing out the hooks sounds wise. might even do that on my blue foxes.

Remember... successfull fishermen re-tie their knots every outing, after every fish and after about 100 casts. Always chckec for freys next to your swivil, you have one, cut it off and retie!!

 

[Big3d]

Remember... successfull fishermen re-tie their knots every outing, after every fish and after about 100 casts. Always chckec for freys next to your swivil, you have one, cut it off and retie!!

Indeed.........

 

[LuckyToBeFishing]

Remember... successfull fishermen re-tie their knots every outing, after every fish and after about 100 casts. Always chckec for freys next to your swivil, you have one, cut it off and retie!!

Man, Troutski told me this same advice yesterday, almost verbatim. You guys on this forum are always honest and know your stuff.

 

[dtikey]

Remember... successfull fishermen re-tie their knots every outing, after every fish and after about 100 casts. Always chckec for freys next to your swivil, you have one, cut it off and retie!!

Im lazy and hate re-tieing.I will fish it till its gone.Guess what I even fish with knots in my leader then hand my pole off with that leader on.Pretty mean isn't it but its true.Man I crack myself up!!!But yeah good advice Tanner and salmon/steelhead fishermen should try to practice this but I dont.And when I fish lures I fish swivels because I hate linetwist but plumb to fish is oppasite.He fishes directly to mainline and smacks fish just the same and doesn't have nearly the amount of linetwist I would if I did it his way.

 

[hawgcaller]

Im lazy and hate re-tieing.I will fish it till its gone.Guess what I even fish with knots in my leader then hand my pole off with that leader on.Pretty mean isn't it but its true.Man I crack myself up!!!But yeah good advice Tanner and salmon/steelhead fishermen should try to practice this but I dont.And when I fish lures I fish swivels because I hate linetwist but plumb to fish is oppasite.He fishes directly to mainline and smacks fish just the same and doesn't have nearly the amount of linetwist I would if I did it his way.

That is so funny! Beggars can't be choosers. :lol: As for the swivels, I have to use a swivel myself. That is crazy, he doesn't get line twist? I have had fishing trips ruined due to not packing extra line and tying directly to a spinner. He must have some super jedi power or something! :lol:

 

[dtikey]

That is so funny! Beggars can't be choosers. :lol: As for the swivels, I have to use a swivel myself. That is crazy, he doesn't get line twist? I have had fishing trips ruined due to not packing extra line and tying directly to a spinner. He must have some super jedi power or something! :lol:

If your line is twisting up just free spool it out for a long distance in the current with nothing on the end and reel it back in slowly this will untwist your line and sometimes have to do it several times for it to fully untwist.

 

[spoonman]

I tried fishing spoons for a little bit at the end of the season last year. I casted a blue/silver cleo up and across then let it swing it's self across that river. Resulted it some nice fish on the first trip out.

Its all about the swing. I occasionally catch a fish or two casting up stream on the edge of a seam, but 9/10 fish come on the swing, and most at the tail end of the swing when the flutter gets real slow and erratic.

 

[rippin fish lips]

Its all about the swing. I occasionally catch a fish or two casting up stream on the edge of a seam, but 9/10 fish come on the swing, and most at the tail end of the swing when the flutter gets real slow and erratic.

Yes yes yes, all about the swing!! Once.. you figure out the swing with your spoons... it's all about touching every ripple, riffle, seam, pool, or shoot/run.

I try to touch every rock with my spoon, kinda just like you do when backbouncing for springers you would want to touch every rock while working your way down river and into the fish.

 

[Username]

Money!!!

go to good will. get the smallest spoons you can find. cut the handles off. drill a whole at each side of the spoon. get some finger nail polish. paint the curved side.


and BOOM!