Page 96 - South Mississippi Living - October, 2024

SPORTS & OUTDOORS
story and photos by John N. Felsher
Some fishing lures date back centuries with metal spoons among the earliest artificial enticements. As early as the late 17th century, Scandinavian fishermen hammered metal kitchen spoons into fishing lures.
Essentially unchanged, the Johnson Silver Minnow dates to 1920 and remains one of the most popular spoons today. A metal arm helps deflect weeds and snags so people can fish it in places where other lures would likely snag.
Spoons remain popular today because they still catch a variety of fresh and saltwater species including largemouth bass and crappie, sometimes even catfish. In saltwater, metal spoons rank among the most popular lures for redfish along the Mississippi Coast. Spoons come in many colors, but for the bronze-backed, spot-tailed marsh marauders, most people prefer gold.
“A spoon is a tried-and-true classic that’s still hard to beat,” proclaims Sonny Schindler with Shore Thing Fishing Charters
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in Bay St. Louis. “It’s a very simple bait, so it’s hard to improve upon it, but it works so well. Even the most unskilled fisherman will know when a redfish grabs a spoon.”
Anyone, even a child or beginner fisherman, can use a spoon
to catch fish from the surface to the bottom. Spoons naturally create wobbling action when retrieved. Crank the reel faster or hold the rod tip higher to make a spoon run closer to the surface. Barely turn the reel handle to slow-roll it just off the bottom. When a big redfish grabs a wobbling spoon, it typically hooks itself.
Some people periodically pause the retrieve to let the spoon sink a few feet like a dying baitfish. Fish often hit it as it flutters down. Since the heavy, compact baits can sail long distances, they make superb lures for finding fish. For added enticement and color, sweeten a spoon with a soft-plastic trailer.
“I sometimes tip spoons with a chartreuse curly tail to make it www.smliving.net | SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living