My Secret and Seemingly Forgotten Big Bass Lure

Mike Cork · November 05, 2018, 12:33:17 PM

Quote from: D.W. Verts on November 05, 2018, 12:06:27 PM
COOL!

Uh, that'd probably we later this week. This is ridiculous weather we're having. A weird year.

LOL, we are a little strange this year as well. Staying about 10 degrees on average warmer than normal. It did storm on Holloween like normal though

Braden · November 05, 2018, 02:15:45 PM

Have you ever tried gold, or do you just use the silver?

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SteelHorseCowboy · November 05, 2018, 02:18:27 PM

Ain't big, and ain't a bass, but it was a fun catch. Had a white paddle tail minnow on it, but this pickerel refused to leave without a snack and managed to gobble it as I got the hook out.

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D.W. Verts · November 05, 2018, 02:37:35 PM

Cool 'Cowboy!

Quote from: Braden on November 05, 2018, 02:15:45 PM
Have you ever tried gold, or do you just use the silver?

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Braden, for years I just used the silver. Then in 1993 I was at a boat dealership that had a bunch of tackle for sale, and it included a pile of 1/2 oz. BLACK Silver Minnows for like a buck or so. I bought them all, and the last few years they are all I've used.

I did order some Gold ones the other day off of eBay. They were new and too cheap to pass up.

Color means little if you're fishin' in the trash with a bait like this- you can add color with your trailer. Now, on the other hand, the last two weeks catches were from extremely shallow and very clear water. Mostly they wouldn't bite a spinnerbait (at least the big ones wouldn't). The Black is a perfect deal here- I think in some situations that too much flash can hurt you.

Just get one and chunk it near or into something nasty. Put the weedguard just a little off the hook. Hold on.

I really need to try one in 1/2 oz....

Braden · November 05, 2018, 05:08:56 PM

Quote from: D.W. Verts on November 05, 2018, 02:37:35 PM
Cool 'Cowboy!

Braden, for years I just used the silver. Then in 1993 I was at a boat dealership that had a bunch of tackle for sale, and it included a pile of 1/2 oz. BLACK Silver Minnows for like a buck or so. I bought them all, and the last few years they are all I've used.

I did order some Gold ones the other day off of eBay. They were new and too cheap to pass up.

Color means little if you're fishin' in the trash with a bait like this- you can add color with your trailer. Now, on the other hand, the last two weeks catches were from extremely shallow and very clear water. Mostly they wouldn't bite a spinnerbait (at least the big ones wouldn't). The Black is a perfect deal here- I think in some situations that too much flash can hurt you.

Just get one and chunk it near or into something nasty. Put the weedguard just a little off the hook. Hold on.

I really need to try one in 1/2 oz....

Awesome, thanks! I've got some gold ones in my tackle box that I may give a try.

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D.W. Verts · November 05, 2018, 08:47:32 PM

Here's what they look like-

The bottom one was retired after maybe a dozen bass over four pounds, with two at six or better. It was gettin' tired...

SteelHorseCowboy · November 05, 2018, 11:22:13 PM

You know rust comes off, right?

Messing with ya, I know the bass don't care about it. I just squirm when I see rust.

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Sandman7925 · November 06, 2018, 06:47:41 AM

Those spoons are redfish killers if you ever find yourself in that kind of water. I've done allot of sight fishing for reds with nothing but those as tackle.

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SteelHorseCowboy · November 06, 2018, 11:45:35 AM

Still ain't no bass...
But I still ain't complainin'!

Now I need a shotgun! Reckon I'll keep fishing the same spot!

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SFL BassHunter · November 06, 2018, 12:56:16 PM

Quote from: D.W. Verts on November 05, 2018, 11:25:37 AM
First off Mike- I AM a Southern Angler....

And guys, any lure will pick up some junk on the retrieve, and as we all know the bass don't bite a bait that has crap hangin' off of it. Why? Well, there'a whole 'nother topic right there.

Anyway- the last few weeks I'm fishin' this thing thru both live and dead pads, milfoil, pond grass, etc, and once in awhile (okay almost every cast) it collects a little bit of stringy junk moss, or a wayward piece of milfoil. When that happens, a short but SHARP jerk on the rod tip will almost always clear the bait, and also becomes part of the retrieve that then triggers bites.

You may see the hitchhiking crud on the lure bit more often you'll see the change in the lure's action.

SFL's fixin' to have a life-changing experience.

Yeah, same process as a crank that grabs on to grass. Don't know what the stuff is called but they are big clumps of thick vegetation that fish, so it's not eel grass or anything like that. Makes it harder to get lures through it. That was my worry, but I'll be happy to have a life changing experience lol.

Wizard · November 06, 2018, 01:58:19 PM

Mike, Missouri was a southern state in the War of Southern Succession. We just got captured before we could formally succeed. Anyway, an Ozark jig man can pitch a jig anywhere in the country. We just pitch ours a little deeper than you do. The weather is weird. It was 90 degrees 3 weeks ago and may snow Thursday night. The Fall has been very short.

Wizard

Braden · November 07, 2018, 06:44:06 AM

I just couldn't help it, and had to buy a nice new shiny silver spoon and some trailers (even though I had some gold ones already). Now if I can just carve out some time to actually use it. I am pretty excited not only for fish catching reasons, but I am guessing that it will be pretty easy to reel in and not put too much pressure on my wrist. Thanks for sharing!

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SFL BassHunter · November 09, 2018, 03:05:06 PM

Dale I've seen some tips online about using a swivel and leader (of course this came from a saltwater site) due to line twist. Is line twist an issue if using straight mono in your opinion?

D.W. Verts · November 09, 2018, 03:12:05 PM

Nope. Never. The proper use of a trailer makes the bait track straight.

But I use braid mostly nowadays. And if I lived in Florida I'd probably step it up to bridge cable.

SFL BassHunter · November 09, 2018, 03:14:28 PM

Quote from: D.W. Verts on November 09, 2018, 03:12:05 PM
Nope. Never. The proper use of a trailer makes the bait track straight.

But I use braid mostly nowadays. And if I lived in Florida I'd probably step it up to bridge cable.

Ah ok, yeah I plan on using it on braid mostly. Was curious in case I wanted to put it on mono at any point.

bigjim5589 · November 10, 2018, 08:56:49 AM

I've been a fan of spoons of all types for many years. Started when I was very young, and I think the first spoon I ever used was a Tony Accetta Pet spoon. Back then the smaller sizes were popular for panfish, and the biggest sizes were used to troll for Stripers & Bluefish in the Chesapeake bay. Many folks still use the size 15 and larger for trolling.

I may have around 30 of the weedless Silver Minnow type spoons, most being gold or silver, but also have some painted firetiger and black nickel. I bought some that are only about an inch long too, but don't know the brand. Several brands have marketed the same type of spoon. Hagen's, a lure component and manufacturing company sells a version that they make, and they have some with a diamond pattern stamped in the metal. I'm sure that some brands are bought from sources like Hagen's and just re-labelled. They all seem to catch fish.

The only negative thing I ever found with the various Silver Minnow type spoons, is the hooks on them are not especially sharp, so need to be sharpened. The weed guards aren't the best either, but if you keep bending them back in place they usually do the intended job.

I like them in pads. Back in the MD tidal waters that I used to fish, they were one of the few lures I liked using in the Spadderdock pads, because they seldom hung up. My favorite way to rig them is combined with a pork strip or Black Widow Eel trailer. I've managed to keep some bottles of pork just for that purpose. When I was growing up, many of the outdoor magazine writers would mention the Silver Minnow with a pork trailer as a "got to" for several fish species, and they were one that for me, actually worked well, so I've stuck with them.

Braden · November 11, 2018, 07:47:37 AM

I had a last minute window of opportunity to go fishing yesterday. In my haste, I forgot to put my silver spoon and zoom swimming chunks in my tackle bag. Fortunately I did have a gold spoon and a pack of white Arkie crawfish trailers that I cut shorter. I didn't get any strikes, but in retrospect I think that I was working it too fast (ended up catching 6 on a Ned rig-we just had a cold snap) or maybe the silver would have worked better. But it still was good to give it a try, and I definitely need to work with it some more. It can cover a lot of water, is easy to throw, and is very easy to reel in (some spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and rattle traps can make my dainty wrist sore). Thanks for the tip!

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Braden · November 12, 2018, 12:28:01 PM

Quick question about spoons, how do they do for you around wood? I got hung up a few times the other day on wood. I didn't know if the spoon is not recommended around branches and logs or if I did not have it set up correctly.

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SteelHorseCowboy · November 12, 2018, 12:35:38 PM

Mine bounces off wood and stumps. Try lifting the wire weed guard above the hook point a bit if you haven't already. I keep mine about 1/4-3/8" above the hook point.

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Braden · November 12, 2018, 01:10:29 PM

Quote from: SteelHorseCowboy on November 12, 2018, 12:35:38 PM
Mine bounces off wood and stumps. Try lifting the wire weed guard above the hook point a bit if you haven't already. I keep mine about 1/4-3/8" above the hook point.

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I don't think that I have. I will try that!

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D.W. Verts · November 12, 2018, 08:44:11 PM

I put that in my original post- if you're getting hung up you are

A. Not using the weedguard properly, or

B. Using too much pull when working the cover instead of letting the lure come thru it easily.

This may be a blog article in the making so's I can get that Johnson Fishing sponsorship.

Braden · November 13, 2018, 06:47:29 AM

Quote from: D.W. Verts on November 12, 2018, 08:44:11 PM
I put that in my original post- if you're getting hung up you are

A. Not using the weedguard properly, or

B. Using too much pull when working the cover instead of letting the lure come thru it easily.

This may be a blog article in the making so's I can get that Johnson Fishing sponsorship.

Sorry, I must have missed it. Thanks for the follow up!

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SteelHorseCowboy · November 13, 2018, 01:33:33 PM

Dale, how cold have you used this lure successfully? Wondering because it's 37 freaking degrees here.

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D.W. Verts · November 13, 2018, 05:31:11 PM

Quote from: SteelHorseCowboy on November 13, 2018, 01:33:33 PM
Dale, how cold have you used this lure successfully? Wondering because it's 37 freaking degrees here.

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I put that in just a few posts back- I've caught them with the water temp in the mid to-upper-forties. And it never made it above freezing here today. Sigh.

Bankbeater56 · November 15, 2018, 04:48:19 PM

Are you using this with or without a snap?

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