Question about working a spoon

[buckcreekmike]

If anyone would be gracious enough to enlighten me, I would ask how you work a spoon around docks. Do you mainly toss it up in there and expect a bite on the initial fall, like before it falls 10 feet deep or so?  Do you let it sink all the way to the bottom (even in 25 feet of water or more), or do you start jigging it back in the middle of the water column?  

I tried to to get ahold of some flutter spoons, but I don't think the ones I got are in that category. 

Maybe try a different type of lure around the docks even?

Thanks to anyone that responds. 

[Pepe]

I pitch it, count it down and start pumping or ripping it back. Just have let the fish let you know what they want.

[Bass Enforcer]

If you are working a jigging spoon...throw it into the shady area of the dock. "I like the war eagles 1/2 -7/8 oz. I like the war eagle because they have  a swivel which helps prevent line twist."  Pitch it back towards the walkway. Trying to get it to flutter under the walkway or swim decks. I usually ALWAYS  allow it to go to the bottom on a "controlled slack line" while ALWAYS watching your line as the lure is sinking. Usually, or a lot of the times your hit will happen as it is sinking. Then comes the working of the bait. If you didn't hook up on the fall.

I have watched many people on the lake work a spoon and in my opinion they work it too hard. That being said, it does take a snap but you don't necessarily have to work it too hard. As previously said most bites happen on the fall. A 2 foot snap will move the lure a long way in the water column. I will usually jig it off the bottom a couple of times and sometimes,  even when I let it fall to the bottom in 40 to 60 foot of water. Then after each "snap" I crank the reel "one turn".  And then a couple more snaps and another reel turn, so on and so forth. Get a faster reel to catch up to them and remember you are using treble hooks so you don't want too stiff of a rod to prevent ripping the hooks out.  Always know how fast your lure is sinking. Get a reading in maybe 20 foot of water and let it fall on slack line "just as you are going to fish it" and count how long it takes to get to the bottom. If it stops any faster than that while you are fishing "reel down and set the hook." YOU HAVE A FISH!  Pay attention each time as you are letting it fall. If you start noticing most of your bites are happening at 20 seconds or so. You may not have to waste the time of letting it go to the bottom each time.  

As far as a flutter spoon you want heavy line maybe even braid. Allow the spoon to go to the bottom. With a flutter spoon you allow it to go to the bottom and then jerk it, about like you would a jig hook set each. And allow it to go to the bottom. Of course while fishing it you aren't necessarily fishing the entire water column as you are a jigging spoon. Instead you should focus on areas where the fish are relating to the bottom. Good luck! I'm sure others will have something to add or say otherwise. I too may heed their advise. 

[Bass Enforcer]

I should probably add..the front of the docks and corners are other excellent places to target on docks. You may also learn they are relating to the entrance of the dock slips as well. That being said stay out far enough from them that you are working the entire boat slip all the way out and watch out for the dock cables, they'll getcha. Most of the time you can work those spoons off most hang ups. Just get right over the top of them and allow the weight of the lure to free it up.

[buckcreekmike]

I bought war eagle spoons 1/2 oz size. Thanks for your input.  I fish at LOZ almost exclusively except for the 2 or 3 times a year I get to come down to my favorite lake on earth. 

I mi had read some other threads about panfish being caught right now. I have a 4 and a 2 -3/4 year old (as she would say it) that I would love to get into a fish or two. Their attention span is super short, but if you know of a bite that might suit them I would love to know. I am not totally helpless, but any shortcuts would help. 

[fishinwrench]

BCM,  if you get that spoon bite to work on LO then I wanna go with ya to learn it.    The fish here seem to prefer a worm or a jig worked in the same fashion.  Spoons? not so much.    I'd love to be showed otherwise though.

[Old plug]

BCM I got a 12x12 plastic box full of spoons. But I mostly deep jig them. I had a short period of a few months some years ago when I tried fishing spoons a lot for black bass around docks. On a scale of one to ten I would rate it about a 3. You might want to buy a lot of spoons and remove the treble and put a single hook in its place. Your going to need them.  There is just so much stuff around our docks I found spoons impractical. I can do a lot better with my heavy drop shot or a wacky or trick worm with a 1/8 to 1/4 oz jig head Hooked thru the middle of it fished straight down the same way. I can see though where some spoons that are slow sinkers might do well around docks. The one that comes to mind Is the old RED EYE spoon. Hard to discribe that but the spoon has two red beds in it that makes it unique. That one goes down pretty slow and can be worked with a retrieve  and pause flutter action. 

[buckcreekmike]

I have honestly never even tried it on LOZ. typically I just throw a jig or something like that around the docks. I'm not sure why that wouldn't work at table rock (throwing a jig that is). 

I have some lie tech swing impact swim baits that I may throw on a 1/8oz jig head around the docks here on TR. I have done that at LOZ and had some decent success. Those swing impact baits seem to be only good for one fish before they are torn up and worthless though. 

[Ketchup]

Good info in this thread.  Im not much of a dock spooner, but have done some off and on with enough success to keep me trying now and then.  I try to stay away from the shallower 1/3 where most cables and junk are.  Good luck

[ssc955s]

Great answer bassenforcer. This is why i like reading this site.  Can i ask when you would go to the spoon around docs vs say throwing a ned? Do you need a lot of daylight? Is low light better?