Fishing With Jigs, Spinners and Spoons


by Denis Gardner - Date: 2007-03-20 - Word Count: 399 Share This!

Fishing with spinners and spoons offers as many lure choices as a fly fisherman has fly patterns to choose from. Basically, spinning lures can be divided into four groups: spinners, spoons, plugs, and jigs. Every fisherman has his favorites based on experience afield.

Spinners can be fished at varying speeds, although a slow retrieve speed, allowing the blade to merely flutter, always accounts for a fair share of fish. As in all angling, you must know where the fish "lie" and make your cast to these areas. Using a spinner to "prospect" unknown waters can also reveal the haunts of whatever species you're pursuing.

There are many times when spinners won't take fish, and wobbling spoons appear to be the answer. The spoon's overall surface and thickness will determine how fast it will sink. Choose heavier spoons during the early season when river waters are raging or when you are lake fishing and want to sink them quickly. During the later season, lighter weight spoons produce better, since they slowly flutter and settle under the water. A great moving water technique is to cast a spoon into the head of a deep water run and retrieve it slowly into a pool.

Seldom utilized, but extremely deadly, is the jig. Representing fresh water shrimp, the jig should be allowed to bounce bottom, tumbling naturally downstream of its own accord. Jigs can also be cast or jigged vertically in lakes and ponds with very effective results if you keep it near the bottom. If you have a wary fish that only 'flashes' at your spinner or spoon and won't take; try a jig. Invariably, you will take this fish where other presentations fail. As a last resort, try tipping the jig with a salmon egg, piece of worm or other natural bait. This provides the added benefit of smell to your jig fishing arsenal.

Miniature minnow-shaped plugs like the Rapala Floating Minnow, resemble various forage fish and are used with excellent results primarily in the big lakes and ponds and in the vast expanses of some of our larger streams and rivers. For big fish in big waters, don't underrate the minnow imitation plug. They're available in both floating and sinking models and come in a wide variety of color patterns. As a rule of thumb, stick with silver and gold for clear water and use the florescent colors for off-colored or dingy water.


Related Tags: fishing, tactics, techniques

Denis Gardner has been an avid fisherman for 30 years. He is self taught and traveled extensively throughout Alaska and Canada. His expertise covers all freshwater fishing species. You can check out his newly formed website at http://thefishinglodge.com/ If you have any questions don't hesitate to email him at webmaster@thefishinglodge.com

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