|
    
|
|
|
|
|
Spoons and spinners are very effective at covering lots of holding water. Make sure your lure is getting to the bottom to maximize your coverage of the hole.
Steelhead hide under brush and behind rocks in the river. A proper presentation with a spoon or spinner will get a steelhead to chase the lure across the hole.
When the river conditions are low and clear change your tactics by going to smaller lures. Blade colors can be changed by placing colored tape on the inside of spinner blade or back of spoon.
To make color tape dots use a hole punch.
Spinners can be tipped with bait (night crawler, roe or shrimp ball)
DO NOT TIP SPOONS........this will ruin the action of the lure.
Spoons and spinners can be scented with oils or smelly jelly. (remember the keen sense of smell) Steelhead will sometimes stage behind a bait before they strike......scent them
Single or Triple hook?..........Single Siwash!!! Holds the fish better, but triples will hook more fish. You can tie on a small yarn tuft on the hook shank that scent can be added to very easily. Keep the tuft small or it will ruin the action of your spoon. A single siwash will also help you from snagging bottom as often.
Do not buy cheap hooks!!! Why spend three dollars for a spinner and lose fish because you saved 10 cents on your hook?
When the water visibility is poor do not use nickel finish on your spoons and spinners. Nickel finish appears black in color a couple feet under the water surface. In clear water Nickel can be a effective color on early morning fish.
On black blades (spoons and spinners) you can take a file and stoke paint off blade to add small amount of flash or add a small spec of color to the back side of your blade.
In Clear water if you get a short strike .......change colors or size if your next cast doesn't produce a strike. A color change will often result in a repeat strike from the same aggressive fish.
Use a trailer hook if short strikes become a regular problem. Another problem may be the fish is striking at the base of youre shiny hook. A black permanent marker will take the shine off of it.
Spoon and spinner blade shapes really make a difference in how they fish in the current. Thinner blades will sink faster than wide blades. Adjust the type of blade to match your fishing area. In fast water use the thinner (not lighter) designed blades. In tail outs and pools use the wider designed blades.
To fish spoons and spinners cast directly across stream and allow it to sink to bottom. Do not slack line lure or it will hang up. Retrieve lure so it has just enough action to scrape bottom occasionally. As the lure starts to swing across river, dip rod to counteract the push of the current causing the lure to rise. Spoons should have a nice thumping action as they work there way down stream. You should try to avoid a tumbling spoon....(to fast of a retrieve or wrong spoon for water current).
A spinner blade should be turning as slow as possible on the retrieve. Vary the direction of the spinner and retrieve speed in calm water.
| Steelhead | Water Conditions | Spinner Blade Color | Spinner size | Line test |
| Summer run | low, clear | black ,tarnished brass, copper, small color spots of tape | #1,#2,#3 | 4-12# |
| normal flow,5-8 ft. visibility | Red, yellow, orange, green, blue | #3,#4 | 8-15# | |
| high | gold, silver, brass | #4,#5 | 12-20# |
Early summer run are fished like winter run fish because of the heavy water flows
| Steelhead | Water Conditions | Spinner Blade Color | Spinner size | Line test |
| Winter run | low, clear | black ,tarnished brass, copper, light color blends | #1,#2,#3 | 4-12# |
| normal flow,5-8 ft. visibility | Red, yellow, orange, green, blue ,white | #3,#4 | 8-15# | |
| high | gold, silver, brass | #4,#5 | 12-20# |
Slow down the presentation in the cold water, even in low and clear water.
| Steelhead | Water conditions | Spoon Color | Weight | Line test |
| Summer runs | low clear | Black, copper, tarnished brass, small color spots of tape | 1/4 oz | 4-10# |
| normal flow 5- 8 ft visibility | red, yellow, orange, green, blue, pink | 3/8-5/8 oz | 10-15# | |
| High, 6 inches - 2 ft visibility | silver, gold, brass | 5/8-1 oz | 12-20# |
Get the spoon bouncing along the bottom on the swing with a nice thump thump with out the spoon rolling. Not as easy as it seems but that is the key to good spoon fishing.
| Steelhead | Water conditions | Spoon Color | Weight | Line test |
| Winter run | low clear | Black, copper, tarnished brass, nickel with small spots of colored tape | 1/4 oz | 4-10# |
| normal flow 5- 8 ft visibility | red, yellow, orange, pink, silver gold, brass | 3/8-1/2 oz | 10-15#
|
|
| High, 6 inches - 2 ft visibility | silver, gold, brass | 3/4-1 oz | 12-20# |
Get the spoon bouncing the bottom and slow it down
Conversion chart to change triples to siwash
| Hook Chart | ||||||
| Lure Size | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 and 6 |
| Single Hook | #6 | #4 | #2 | #1 | #1/0 | #2/0 |
| Treble Hook | #8 | #7 | #6 | #4 | #3 | #2 |
Siwash hooks should be placed with point towards the concave side of spoon
by Bill Herzog, William T. Herzog
By Jed Davis
