Trolling spoons

[Gilli]

Hey all,
For the first time last week i tried trolling spoons, a mate got me into it, within 2 minutes i had caught one doggie mackeral at 55cm in length. just wonderin as to who else has had luck trolling spoons?What size were the spoons?

I was trolling 4" halco spoons and they were doing fine although when you go to buy them in shops they only sell the 3". yet to try the 3" and see how they go.

Gilli

[fish_outta_water]

hiya mate
used to troll huntingdon drones in the caribean , bout 20 foot down on the rigger got heaps of wahoo on em , the dollies didnt seem bothered at all. was using the 5inch version with a yellow holographic sticker
all the best mate
carl

[Marlin_Mike]

i have 2 set up with 4in barra spoons, work for me

Mike

[jtpython]

We have trolled spoons as long as i can remeber a easy way to lure and productice.
Our lines are made up to sit about 110 feet behind the boat and sit at different depths on sits at 14 feet deep another at 10 and a lighter version at 5 is just amatter of adjusting sinker weight.
And using a 5 inch spoon varing the size for different depths and at times colour for example the greys(broad barrelled spanish) don't mind a orange coloured spoon at times. There is a actuall formula in making these troll lines that we got off the pros years ago that just spooned for mackeral .
JT

[Marlin_Mike]

my spoons are on hand lines, spoon onto a short wire, then 20mts heavy mono, then 100 metres cord.

Mike

[BigE]

Pro's been useing spoons for years ....... i wonder why?

BigE

[Gilli]

Sounds like they are pretty productive little pieces of equipment. Ive been told about making my own and they seem relatively simple to make, might give it a try. Whats the best catches that people have had on spoons? My personal best so far is 4 macks in 1.5 hours last week which was the first time that i had ever used them.

Cheers

[FNQCairns]

Been using spoons forever, top gear, large and small, small work well on bream even, I don't think we have come real far in fishing tackle....Im getting old:(

cheers fnq

[Gilli]

Yeah thats true, just the same tackle with different colours coming out now. Halco is the only company that i can find that makes spoons and the downfall is that they only make 76mm long(3") version unless they are always sold out. They even reckon that they can be used for barra. Anyone else heard anything bout this?

[Marlin_Mike]

i use 4in barra spoons from BCF.

Always get macs on em.

Mike

[2DKnBJ]

Picked up a couple yesterday so as soon as this weather gives us a break i will be hitting the bay to see how they go.

Cheers Dazza

[Gilli]

yeah i got the urge to hit the water but there is 2 lows sitting off the coast of here(Townsville) at the moment and it has ruined all fishing. Too much fresh running down the rivers n creeks also which makes me save my fuel. Cant wait to get back out on the water.

[BLOOEY]

I haven't used a spoon for a couple of years now but i put them behind a paravane and have caught doggys by the dozen, greys and a small spaniard. 30cm of single strand wire in front of it. Ben

[jtpython]

I was at my local tackle today gillie they have 6 inch 5 inch and more mate
JT

[Simmo2]

There is this so called formula for making these lines up!
I found a handline already made up, with the 4" spoon, steel wire, swivel, sinker, steel cable, swivel then 'rope'.
I think Yachties use them when sailing around.
I havent caught any macks on mine yet, but I do lob it out at times. I attach the required length of rope to a bicycle inner tube fixed to the boat.
Must admit, I have never let out a lot of rope, I thought it would be best to sort of get it 'swimming' at the end of the prop wash???

[jtpython]

They are usauly set to have the last of the backing cord in the water ours are set up for which is about 90 feet . And we troll them at 1500 to 1700 revs
But you are right there isa formula in making them
10 foot from spoon to swivel in jinkai them from swivel to swivel/sinker 30 feet them from swivel/sinker to swivel to backing cord 50 feet then 30 feet of backing cable and this is only one set up to whatever suits the depth or person some people don't use a sinker specially when chasing greys but depends a lot on the individual. The swivel/sinker set up consists of a swivel attached to athick wire say coathanger wire twisted up tight either side of the sinker this isn't a running sinker.
But like you say they have made up models in most of the tackle shops around including BCF
JT

[mamu]

is it a desert spoon or a tablespoon?
do knives and forks work as well?
damn it just throw the whole dining suite out there and see how we go.
Matt.

[seatime]

You'll get a lot more hits from doggies and spotties without any wire, Spanish may need a short length of wire. We've been using all mono for over 30 years and usually outfish other methods.
When using a handline - 100lb mono to a Yamashita #6 paravane and at least 10m of 30lb mono to the spoon, 1 swivel a metre behind the paravane and 1 a couple of metres in front. Run the paravane about 10-20m behind the boat @ min 5kts to make the board work well.

Huntington Drones are the best, tho need to get them from OS these days.
Halco Barra spoons are the next best in #3 or #4 for dogs & spots.
Have had success with #6 spoons and Spanish when downrigging.

regards

[Gilli]

thanks jtpython, i have been told that they are still around but yet to find a store that keeps them in stock. Ive only been using the 4" barra spoons with 1 meter of 30lb mono attached to a swivel then swivel attached to me 30lb braid mainline. Works fine for me, though i troll them about 60-80 meters behind the boat. Havent tried them close to the boat yet, id imagine that they wouldnt work as well but you never know.

Cheers,

[codz22]

Yeah thats true, just the same tackle with different colours coming out now. Halco is the only company that i can find that makes spoons and the downfall is that they only make 76mm long(3") version unless they are always sold out. They even reckon that they can be used for barra. Anyone else heard anything bout this?

Our tackle shops up here are full of spoons different colous and makers another 2 off the top of my head are raider and spanyid both have many sizes and reflective coloured stickers

[Gilli]

codz22, thanks mate, yeah i havent heard of any other makers other than halco up here but ill be sure to keep my eye out for some raiders. Might be going into town tomorrow so i should have a look in the local shops or bcf as to what gear they have. Weather up here is still keeping me off the water though which sucks.

[Kev_McC]

JT is spot on with thdescription of what the small mack experts in CQ use. I fished with one of these guys last year and we pulled nearly 30 doggies from a spot in a couple of hours. There were about a dozen other boats there floating pilchards and we didn't see any of them catch a fish.
The bloke I was with followed the same formula Jt described, adjusted sinker size to make sure his 4" spoons swam at 4m depth at 5-6knots. I reckon the key to their success is the small profile, running depth, and speed combo. I've since experimented with hard bodies swimming beside the spoon lines and if you find a small hardbody that will hang in there at that speed and that depth then you get just as many fish.
They are great things for finding fish as you can cover a lot of water when trolling at 10k/hr. On days when the fish a re really spread out the trollers always get a few while the bait fishers often miss out
cheers
kev

[Gilli]

Kev_McC, i have found that also, we had mates fishing the shoals we were trolling on last week and they were getting little to nothing but we were raking in the doggies nearly every 2-5 minutes. We were trolling at about 5-7knots, the faster the better apparently as the hookup chances r raised for the hook will pass through its mouth faster.

I have found a local shop here in T'ville that can get the spoons that i am after and that is tackleworld. Might get some 4 & 5" and see how they go compared to the 3".

Cheers,

[timboooo]

hi you can get 5"& 6" spoons at ##### all sports.
The best fish I have caught using spoons is the GT that im holding ing my photo.
Caught off jetty in the whitsundays on a Live Fiber impoundment rod and a black sheep 300 loaded with 50lbs braid. The Gts and mac would fight each other for the spoons.

[Gilli]

Hi timboooo, never thought of looking there, will have to go there first thing in the morning.

[BigE]

run em on the buff wheel before you head out shiney spoons work better.

BigE

[jtpython]

I know the pro's and my father used wire for counless years before making his lines now with the jinkai and mono he trolls when the macks are on in his tinny and is a bit worried if he had wire could get in a bit of trouble trolling by himself, a dolphin wiped out a spottie he had on last year nearly tearing him clean out of the boat, You've probaley heard they were around a fair bit Kev-c and at farmbourah to i think.
They used piano wire and bowden cable whichwas a woven stainless steel wire and the parachute cord or ventian blind cord.
Cheers guys
JT
if any one wants the precise formula pm me if ya like

[Ocean Sport]

I was lucky enough to live in the torres straits for a year and the best thing for trout was big spoons. Mind you it was the only thing the sharks wouldnt take

[Kev_McC]

Know what you mean JT, we had the same thing happen near Cave. Trolling a spoon on stainless cable and heavy mono, and experimenting with hardobodies on light braid on the other side. My mate was pulling in yet another dog when it suddenly got about 100 times bigger - he tried to hang on but ended up getting one finger peeled like a banana as the cable pulled tight around it. Spotted a dolphin a few seconds later.
Forgot to mention earlier that the spoons have the best hookup rate you can get due to that large single. I reckon I can get more strikes sometimes on the small hardbody but trebles don't bite nearly as well as the big single, especially when trolling quick. The big single means you can usually also release fish in better condition
kev

[jtpython]

Yep spot on mate and hey are easier to change when rusted or bent just a matter of undoing a screw
And like ole mate said a buff wouldn't go a stray at times
And i see colour is starting to come in a lot onto them now kniowing that the greys don't mind a bit of orange or even some reflective tape stuck onto them from the local safety shop works a treat as well
JT

[BLOOEY]

Kev_McC, i have found that also, we had mates fishing the shoals we were trolling on last week and they were getting little to nothing but we were raking in the doggies nearly every 2-5 minutes. We were trolling at about 5-7knots, the faster the better apparently as the hookup chances r raised for the hook will pass through its mouth faster.

I have found a local shop here in T'ville that can get the spoons that i am after and that is tackleworld. Might get some 4 & 5" and see how they go compared to the 3".

Cheers,

Hey mate have tried the 4 and 5 in models myself and the 3in got me a lot more fish. That is in conjunction with a paravane though. Ben

[Gilli]

Hey mate have tried the 4 and 5 in models myself and the 3in got me a lot more fish. That is in conjunction with a paravane though. Ben
yeah the 3" are apparently better as you have a higher success rate with catching fish, although you will find that you catch lots of little shit with the 3" compared to the 4". But still, any fish cant be a bad fish as long as your out on the water:) .

cheers,

[FNQCairns]

Was just placing an order for a downrigger, just luv it when I can buy a piece of fishing gear for the boat!!!:) and I cam across of these, it's like a spoon lovers candy store:)

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/index/index-display.jsp?id=cat410024&navAction=jump&navCount=1&cmCat=MainCatcat20166&parentType=category&parentId=cat20166


http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/index/index-display.jsp?id=cat20309&navAction=jump&navCount=1&cmCat=MainCatcat20166&parentType=category&parentId=cat20166

cheers fnq

[uripper]

Makka wobbler spoon with double SS jig hooks = flash, colour, vibration & will attract ANY pelagic (lost my last one to a billfish off Hutchies - trolled short in the pattern only 15m behind boat - fish ignored some very expensive pakulas etc to hit this one - SMASH ... hit surface with makka well sunk but at that range, speed & size of fish etc, it was a case of see ya ........
Think its a greatly underated lure - cheap, strong & it works as good as anything else - gotta have good swivels though as the line twist can be horrendous.
Dont seem to be stocked as much any more by the "name" tackle stores so have to hunt around a bit - suggest well worth the effort.
cheers

[Gilli]

Thanks for the replies fellas, never actually realised how many people use spoons until this topic. I called ###### all sports and they said they do stock the 4,5 and 6" spoons that im after, just gotta go in there and purchase some. Itching to go out on the water for a troll and a fish but the weather isnt the best atm still.
The other day me and a mate went for a flick in a local weir and i decided to use a spoon (3"), after a few casts i got 1 hit, was amazed that i would even get a hit just flicking it around.

Cheers,

[Makka Nick]

Makka wobbler spoon with double SS jig hooks = flash, colour, vibration & will attract ANY pelagic (lost my last one to a billfish off Hutchies - trolled short in the pattern only 15m behind boat - fish ignored some very expensive pakulas etc to hit this one - SMASH ... hit surface with makka well sunk but at that range, speed & size of fish etc, it was a case of see ya ........
Think its a greatly underated lure - cheap, strong & it works as good as anything else - gotta have good swivels though as the line twist can be horrendous.
Dont seem to be stocked as much any more by the "name" tackle stores so have to hunt around a bit - suggest well worth the effort.
cheers
Hi Everyone, great to hear that the spoons are working well. You might want to try using a trip paravane to get them down and increase strike rates. A good quality ball bearing or torpedo swivel will take care of any line twist.

You can find "Makka" spoons at most reputable tackle shops. I don't want to break any forum rules so please send us an email at makkalures@optusnet.com.au if you would like any info. We would love to hear from you with any success stories, pics for the Makka brag board or feedback/suggestions.;D

[Castaway]

What speed do you find works best for trolling?

Mike @ Castaway

[marty+jojo]

QUOTE: I found a handline already made up, with the 4" spoon, steel wire, swivel, sinker, steel cable, swivel then 'rope'.][/B]
They sell these rigs quite commonly up north qld. A mate of mine from Weipa uses these to catch Spaniards, and he smashes em,,, he gets plenty, and he says that we are mad because we were using $15-$20 halco lures on $500 plus rod & reels. He never uses gloves either,, you should here the noise the braided wire makes when it runs through his hands as the fish get a look at the boat and they make a last run,, also quite interesting when he gets sharked;D ;D
Marty.

[Gilli]

Normally i troll them at about 6-8 knots at the most, the faster the better as it increases your hook rate.

[STUIE63]

Gilli I use spoons along the sugar jetty at Lucinda you will be surpised to know how many times I have been hit letting the line in just as it gets to the end of the prop wash i now always run one short.;)
Stuie

[Gilli]

havent tried in close yet, but now u have told me, i might give it a go when i go out next. I just thought that been so close to the boat that the fish wouldnt spot it.

[STUIE63]

Gilli I think the fish might be coming up to check out what the noise of the boat is
Stuie

[Gilli]

yeah thats a good point. Might give it a try when im out on the water next, a mate of mine said yeah he has a lot of luck when he trolls them just after all the wash from the boat.

[Scott nthQld]

Gilli, check out the Fishing Warehouse, they have a good range of spoon sizes, largest they had was about 8inch last time I was in there

[Gilli]

Ill call in there tomorrow arvo, i managed to get my hands on one 4inch halco barra spoon but thats it, might grab a few different sizes and see how they go.

Hey scott,
whens the next time you are hitting the water? Im thinking about it this weekend, thinking of heading up to leichhardt creek up north and giving that a fish.

[Scott nthQld]

still fixing a couple of minor things in the boat.......finish hooking the underfloor back up, putting in a switch for the bilge, trying to fix the radio to save having to buy a new one, should be done by the weekend though. I busted the trailer today, stood on the mudguard to climb n the boat and well, being 15 yr old, the old mud guard was a bit rusted through and worse for wear, with my foot going through it, luckily I was still wearing my work boots or i'd have a nasty cut along my foot.

Trouble is, after sinking a lot of funds into the boat, funds are a bit short for a while so probably won't be for another week or so, though if you're looking for a deckie, I'm sure i could squeeze a few more dollars out of the budget......

[Makka Nick]

What speed do you find works best for trolling?

Mike @ Castaway

Like Gilli said about 6-8 knots works well. Using a paravane allows you to run them a bit quicker.

[Makka Nick]

Duplicate Post

[mangomick]

I can remember going back a while watching a pro mackeral fisherman with an old put put boat catching doggie mackeral not far off the beach at Woodgate. He was using 3" Halco drones and working 3 lines while steering in and out of a heap of crab pots set off the beach for sand crabs. He had the tiller strapped to his knee.Pretty to watch. He really killed the pig.with doggies though. I was anchored up not too far away working pillies when he came through and although I did ok he really put me to shame.
A few weeks later another pro was anchored up at the one mile and they were working spoons from the back of a big bertram and they were pulling them in one after the other. They were on hand lines and they would just flick them out and a couple of quick jerks and they were on. I was parked not far away using pillies and berlying like hell but only got a couple.
I went and got a spoon after that . I've never done as good as those two pros though. Probably because it was a 6"

[CHAPPY]

Hi,

A couple of years back, at new year, I was at Burram Heads. Just on daybreak, there was a lot of action at the mouth near the boat ramp with large schools of herring being hit by what I thought was trevors. Dropped a Wonder Wobbler over the back and in about 30 minutes , landed 6 mackrell and a trevor. Other boats were trolling and not having any luck. They were trolling too deep. I adjusted my speed untill the spoon would occasionally skip the surface. That was the only difference. Wonder Wobblers are extremely hard to come by now but they were a 50mm metal fish with 1 trebble at the rear. Big W has a pretty good copy on there stands. But dsepending on what depth they are feeding, you must adjust to suit.
But, as you say great fun and verry productive.

Regards Chappy

[Gilli]

The size of the spoon determines what kind of fish you are going to catch, especially if you are trolling shoals. the smaller the spoon, the more crap that u pick up, i tend to use the 4 inch because i still get decent 700-800 sized macks but also get some wolf herring which i keep in the freezer till winter for bait for spanish macks:P.

[batten]

http://www.halcotackle.com/barraspoon.asp
these are the barra spoons from halco.
http://www.halcotackle.com/kimberley.asp
these are the kimberley spoons from halco.they're not as round as the barra spoons and i havnt found a shop selling them in townsville.
http://www.landbigfish.com/tacklestore/showcase.cfm?PID=4241
these are the river2sea macka spoons
hav a look at these if ur interested in the spoons
does anyone know how to make them yourself

[gogetter]

Hey all,
For the first time last week i tried trolling spoons, a mate got me into it, within 2 minutes i had caught one doggie mackeral at 55cm in length. just wonderin as to who else has had luck trolling spoons?What size were the spoons?

I was trolling 4" halco spoons and they were doing fine although when you go to buy them in shops they only sell the 3". yet to try the 3" and see how they go.

Gilli

gilli,

spoons are like salt and pepper with macs i reckon..... :P

[honda900]

Mo, has the halco spoons in the #3, also found this for the makka spoons.

http://www.arafuratackle.com.au/Main/Lures/makka.htm

Regards
Honda