(Editor's note: The following is the latest installment in a series of fishing tips presented by The Bass University. Check back each Friday for a new tip.)
When crankbaits, big worms and football jigs will catch limit-size fish, but it’s tough to keep the school fired up or catch a kicker, that’s when Mike Iaconelli often goes to a flutter spoon, the pros’ semi-secret tool for structure-oriented bass.
“The great thing about this style of fishing is that you can trigger bites from those fish – the mid-depth to deeper fish – that you couldn’t get with any other bait.” He also noted that it tends to ignite the biggest bass in the school to feed.
The spoon can be a 12-month tool, and Ike noted that it’s remarkably versatile, but there are two extended times of the year when he uses it most. The first is from the post-spawn through the heat of the summer, when the fish typically eat less but need a big meal when they do go to the feeding trough. He’ll drop it along main-lake points, river ledges and bluff banks looking for those lazy, hot-weather bass. The other time of year when he loves it – and he admitted this is somewhat of a sleeper – is the opposite end of the spectrum, from late fall through the winter.
Tackle is critical and Ike said that many anglers go with the wrong rod to start. “You don’t want too long of a rod,” he said. “You lose the ability to impact action on that spoon.” He likes a 7’ medium action for his 1/2-ounce to 3/4-ounce spoons and a 7’2” medium-heavy for an ounce or above. He pairs it with a low-profile, high-speed reel, never slower than 7.1:1. On many strikes, he explained, the fish will hit the lure and come straight at you, knocking slack into the line, and it’s imperative to catch up quickly. He prefers fluorocarbon over mono or braid because it allows the spoon to flutter. “A dense sinking line lets that bait rock side to side.”
He recommends matching the size and color of your spoon to the local forage, but no matter which one you choose, add a split ring at the top to allow it to flutter. Add another to connect the treble to ensure that you maximize your hookups and landings. Because many fish grab the lure from the head or attack the middle, it can also be critical to add some sort of stinger-hook system. On the spoon that he designed for Molix, there’s a double-pronged hook mid-spoon. The body of the lure itself has a magnet on it so that the hook stays pinned on the retrieve, making it snag less, but it easily breaks away on the bite. Even on spoons that come without a stinger hook, Ike will add one. He drills small holes in the spoon, adds a split ring through them, and then affixes the treble of his choice. It’s an easy modification that any angler can make.
If you want to learn more about how Ike fishes a flutter spoon, including detailed instructions walking you through a cast step-by-step, check out his on-the-water video, available only by subscribing to The Bass University TV.
