Spoon Fed Walleye
If you are one of the many walleye fishermen who have never tried trolling spoons for open water fish, make yourself a promise to learn how to fish them soon! Adding spoons to your trolling arsenal will increase your catch, add another option for the fish to bite, and some days are the best presentation available. Trolling spoons properly takes a little knowledge, so here is some information to get you headed in the right direction.
1. Pick the proper spoon: Look for a spoon that works at a variety of speeds from slow (1.0 mph) to fast (4.0 mph). Having the ability to fish a spoon with any other presentation is a huge advantage, and sometimes the spoon will be the most effective presentation. We have found what we think is the perfect walleye trolling spoon. Unique bends allow the Lance Valentine Signature Series Trolling Spoons to work at ANY speed…a major advantage over other spoons on the market.
2. Spoon Size: picking a spoon that matches the size of forage the fish are feeding on is a very important step in getting more bites. The Lance Valentine Signature Series Trolling Spoons are available in two sizes, 2 ¼" to imitate young of the year, newly hatched baitfish and in a one of a kind 3 3/8" length that is a perfect imitator of mature emerald shiners, shad and perch that walleye feed on during the summer and fall months. Use bigger spoons early in the season and again in late summer and fall. Mix in the smaller size from early May through late July to give the fish options…they will tell you what they want that day!
3. Spoon Shape: unlike salmon spoons that have a fat "rear end", walleye spoons should be the same width from nose to tail. Walleye like a different "wobble" than salmon do, and picking a spoon with the right shape will catch more walleye. The Lance Valentine Signature Series Trolling Spoons were designed to have the perfect "snap" action that walleye love. More importantly, the shape and bends in the spoon allow it to have the perfect action at all speeds…something no other spoon on the market can do!
4. Spoon Finish: Most days the finish of a spoon is more important than the actual colors on the spoon. Three finishes are the most popular-silver, gold and copper. When picking a spoon be sure to get one of these finishes-avoid brass or nickel finishes since they actually do NOT reflect light when they get a few feet below the surface. The Lance Valentine Signature Series Trolling Spoons feature 14 carat or higher gold, real silver and genuine copper finishes-you will catch more fish! The best finish each day is a constant trial and error process, but here are a few rules I use when starting a fishing day:
| SKY | WATER | UPPER WATER COLUMN | LOWER WATER COLUMN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear | Clear | Silver | Silver or Gold |
| Clear | Stained | Gold | Gold |
| Clear | Dirty | Gold | Copper |
| Cloudy | Clear | Gold or Silver | Gold |
| Cloudy | Stained or Dirty | Gold | Gold or Copper |
Now these are MY personal choices, but I think a good guide. Once you start catching fish, start experimenting to see what the fish tell you.
5. Spoon Color: If you want to get totally confused when choosing a spoon, take a walk through a good tackle shop and look at all of the colors available today. Every color, pattern, dots, stripes—it never ends! Be sure to stock your tackle with a good assortment of colors, but experience has shown us that certain colors ALMOST ALWAYS produce. Make sure you have spoons with purple, red, orange, pink, blue, chartreuse and white on them. Either alone or in combination (my favorite!) and you should be able to catch fish every day, on any water. The colors available on the Lance Valentine Signature Series Trolling Spoons were hand-picked by Lance, and are his favorites when he fishes. To make picking colors easier, Lance has put together "pro packs" of 3 spoons picked specifically for a body of water and/or water conditions. To see the entire selection of Lance Valentine Signature Series Trolling Spoons available at http://www.warriorlures.com/LanceValentineSignature.aspx.
6. Get spoons to the proper depth: it seems that when we talk to anglers about fishing spoons, one of the things that is most confusing is how to get spoons to the proper depth. Luckily the answer is pretty simple. Any depth control system that is used for crawler harness fishing can quickly be adapted to spoon fishing. Inline weights, Off-Shore Tackle Tadpoles, snap weights, small diver disc, leadcore and bottom bouncers can all be used to get spoons to the proper depth. Simply choose a depth control method you are familiar with, attach a 6' leader with a spoon on one end and go spoon fishing!
7. To learn all the specifics of spoon fishing and depth control, check out our "How 2/4 Walleye" DVD entitled "Spoon Fed Walleye" on our web store at www.walleye101.com/store. This 60 minute DVD covers everything you need to start catching walleye on spoons during your next fishing trip!
Well, there you have it-a quick guide on picking a productive spoon for walleye fishing. Remember to experiment when you start catching fish, and the fish will tell you what THEY want each day. If you need more info or need to stock up on spoons, or anything else for walleye fishing, check out www.teachinfishin.com.