Though a wobbling spoon puts out vibrations and emits some sound when contacting grass or bottom, more sound can be a plus in muddy or stained water, or at night. Nemire Lures adds an all-metal rattle chamber to the concave side of the Red Ripper Spoon, and it sounds off continuously as the lure rocks back and forth 180 degrees during the retrieve. This spoon is wider at the nose than in the midsection or at the aft end, so it “planes up,” a decided advantage in grassy, shallow water. Other features include a stiff, multi-strand weedguard and removable rubber skirt.
Knots versus Snap Swivels
Many anglers prefer to tie with a loop knot rather than adding a snap swivel to the eye of a spoon when slowly fishing a spoon through heavy grass. A slow rate of retrieve does not cause the lure to spin 360 degrees, which would definitely put twists in the line.
But beginners might benefit from a ball bearing swivel because they tend to retrieve the lure too quickly, making it spin, causing twist. Also, swivels permit an angler to change spoons quickly. If you do use snap swivels, choose a top-quality ball bearing “cross-lock” style rather than a cheaper “safety pin” model. It makes no sense to prevent line twist only to have a good fish escape by pulling open a flimsy snap.
Finally, there’s the bottom line. Spoons are relatively inexpensive, costing less than half that of a quality hard-plastic plug. Additionally, they are easy to learn to use. The action they have is inherent in their design. Unlike soft-plastic baits and flies, all you have to do when fishing a spoon is cast it and retrieve. Single-hook casting spoons look like and behave like baitfish. If you have been searching for an effective shallow water fish-finder, try spoon-feeding your fish.
