Drifting with spoons

On my latest drifting report, I had mentioned drifting with spoons. A few people expressed interest in this approach, as spoons are usually used with trolling. I thought it merited a stand alone thread.

Using spoons to drift fish is something I started doing a few years ago, before I rigged for trolling, seeing guys doing well with trolling set ups. For a drift, you have two options.

If it is a moderate wind, you can rig with a weighted spoon. I have found Eppinger Cop-e-Kats best for this as they are made to cast from the get go. They are fairly heavy and flutter like a lighter spoon does. For wind under 10 mph no extra weight is NEEDED, but you might put a split shot about 2 feet above the spoon. You probably won't find this spoon in local stores, but it is the size and shape of a stinger spoon, just heavier. It is available on their website. They come in weights up to 5/8 oz IIRC. If you can cast an Erie Dearie, you can cast a weighted spoon.

Once the wind gets past 10 mph my boat drifts fast enough to make them flutter and no casting is needed. For 10-15 mph wind, rig a 3/8 to 1/2 oz egg sinker just above a swivel, and put a light weight spoon on the end of a 5 foot leader. Let the sinker hit the bottom. Count to 3, then set your reel. This will keep it a few feet off the bottom. If it is a light spoon it shouldn't sink or snag.

If it is a 15 to 20 mph wind do the same, but put the leader on a bottom bouncer. You want fairly thin line for this. Thick line will play way out even with a heavy bottom bouncer, due to the drag from the line in the water. I use spiderwire personally, braided line. 10 lb test. If you want to be near the bottom, same deal... let it hit bottom by dropping off the side of the boat, count to 3, then set the reel. This will keep it just off the bottom with no snags.

Obviously if fish are suspended you have to play around a bit.

So if fish are hitting spoons and you have a good drift going... and a good judgement of that is if you can see a spinner turning on a forward weight lure or worm harness... you CAN fish spoons without trolling. I've gotten many walleye this way.

I also like to put a tiny piece of worm on a spoon to put some scent trail in the water. If it impairs the spoon's movement it is too much. Hook on one of the trebles, let hang about half an inch. Probably not needed but if the water is murkey, well... walleye are sight predators but if you note, they have pretty big nostrils. Hedging bets.

Final thought: whatever test you run on your reel, make the leader less than that. If you DO snag the bottom on a reef or whatever, better to lose just the spoon than the whole deal. But this said... I have lost only 1 spoon in hundreds of times trying this. They DO stay off the bottom if you aren't excessive in letting out line.

Incidentally I came up with this approach by raiding my grandpa's tackle box. He had some HEAVY bottom bouncers in there. 6-8 oz. Back in the day he used to to to canada a few times a year and go fishing for bass and walleye. Using a 10 hp outboard, he would rig a red devil spoon off one of the big bottom bouncers and use that to troll. NO dipsey divers back then. No downriggers on the small rented boat. No casting with open faced bait casters. That's how the old timers did it, so I saw no reason why it wouldn't still work... and it does.