Spoons: a curved piece of metal that has outfished newer ideas for a century

Why a curved piece of metal works

A spoon has no moving parts. Its action comes entirely from geometry: it is curved on one side and its weight is distributed unevenly along its length.

Pulled through water, that asymmetry means water pressure is higher on one face than the other. The lure tips, which changes which face is loaded, so it tips back. The result is a continuous side-to-side roll.

That roll produces two signals at once: a flash as the polished surface catches light from alternating angles, and a pressure wave a fish detects through its lateral line. It is the same two-signal combination our inline spinner page describes, produced by a different mechanism.

The practical consequence is that a spoon has one correct speed range. Too slow and it does not tip at all; too fast and it stops rolling and starts spinning on its axis, which looks like nothing alive and twists your line badly.

Shape decides the action

The comparison between 1/2 oz in each is instructive. Both weigh the same; the Kastmaster is a compact block and the Cleo is a broad blade. Same mass, entirely different behavior in the water.

Three ways to fish one

Cast and retrieve. The default. Cast, let it sink to a count, retrieve at the slowest speed that keeps it wobbling. You can feel the wobble through the rod, which is how you know the speed is right.

Swing it in current. Cast across and slightly downstream and let the flow swing it, exactly as our inline spinner page describes. The current supplies the speed and the spoon does the rest.

Vertical jigging. Drop it straight down, lift the rod a foot or two, and let it flutter back on a semi-slack line. The fall is where the bite comes, because a spoon falling on slack line flutters and flashes in a way it never does on a retrieve. This is also why spoons work through the ice — see our ice jigs page.

Line twist, and the fix

Spoons twist line. A spoon that occasionally spins rather than wobbles transmits that rotation straight up the line, and after an hour you have a coiled spool.

The fix is the same as for spinners: a small barrel swivel eighteen inches above the lure. Our line twist page covers the four causes and this is one of them.

If you are fishing spoons all day, a ball-bearing swivel is worth the small extra cost over a plain barrel.

Finish: gold, nickel, or painted

Acme publishes the Little Cleo in gold and nickel, which is the standard pairing and the only color decision worth making at the start.

Nickel or silver reflects a bright white flash. Best in clear water and bright light, imitating a silvery baitfish.

Gold or brass gives a warmer, duller flash that carries better in stained water and low light.

The rule of thumb that holds up: bright day, bright water, silver. Dull day, colored water, gold. Our lure color page works through why this is one of the few color rules with a physical basis.

What to pair them with

Spoons at 1/8 to 1/4 oz need a light or ultralight rod to cast properly. At 1/2 oz and up a medium rod handles them.

Monofilament is the sensible line. A spoon carries a treble hook, so the same argument as our crankbait page applies — some stretch keeps small hooks in.