Today's MLF.

[dtrs5kprs]

2 minutes ago, TrophyFishR said:

Don't get me wrong, I will pitch a smoke grub or Ned rig into the same dock stall if the spoon bite dies. My wife has out fished me with a 4" kinami smoke grub, in terms of numbers. Those same fish will hammer a fluke skipped under there too. 

 

Sometimes they won't. When they get under there right before they move shallow to spawn, they can get bad about following finesse or plastic stuff out or down, but won't eat it. When that spoon shoots past they will grab it instead. Reaction bite, apparently. Have played with them from the dock just to try and figure it out. A fairly heavy swimbait is the other thing that will trigger them.

[Nearki]

I have never thought of the big swimbiat but could see it working. The way it has been described and how I understand it is the spoon is a reaction bite. They arnt thinking so much they need a shad to eat or that a shad naturally falls that fast when it's dead. It's moving so fast and loosely resembles a shad so they hit before it gets away. Like a set of keys, If your sitting there and someone throws a set of keys to you, your going to try and catch them. Not because you need keys but because its a natural reaction. This is part of the reason it works so well when its hot and nothing else will work. The fish are clustered up under the dock, in the shade and cooler water. The grub I can see working when they are actively feeding but I don't see it replacing the reaction of a fast falling spoon. 

[dtrs5kprs]

14 minutes ago, Nearki said:

I have never thought of the big swimbiat but could see it working. The way it has been described and how I understand it is the spoon is a reaction bite. They arnt thinking so much they need a shad to eat or that a shad naturally falls that fast when it's dead. It's moving so fast and loosely resembles a shad so they hit before it gets away. Like a set of keys, If your sitting there and someone throws a set of keys to you, your going to try and catch them. Not because you need keys but because its a natural reaction. This is part of the reason it works so well when its hot and nothing else will work. The fish are clustered up under the dock, in the shade and cooler water. The grub I can see working when they are actively feeding but I don't see it replacing the reaction of a fast falling spoon. 

You hit it. It's almost a total reaction deal. Less about graphing them, more about getting on a good dock and going flipping.

The spoon works, I've had the swimbaits work- not necessarily big, but heavy, and I've had a 3/4oz FB work. Thin chunk trailer, not twin tails. Not working the jig out, just letting it drop once, maybe snapping it.

[Ham]

That show sold a whole freaking bunch of spoons. 

 

[dtrs5kprs]

7 minutes ago, Ham said:

That show sold a whole freaking bunch of spoons. 

 

Not to me. I've got a mold .

[Ham]

Meh

[dtrs5kprs]

1 hour ago, Ham said:

Meh

You would have to go put a bunch of docks in Bull for it to work anyway. 

[Ham]

Bull Shoals has a bunch of docks. You just have to run around a bunch to fish a bunch of them and they aren't all created equal. I got some favs. 

[dtrs5kprs]

16 minutes ago, Ham said:

Bull Shoals has a bunch of docks. You just have to run around a bunch to fish a bunch of them and they aren't all created equal. I got some favs. 

I kind of think you need a lot of docks for it. Not LOZ lots, but quite a few. The ones I've done the best on tend to be in deep pockets just off the channel, and often have multiple docks in the same pockets. You would think a isolated dock would be better, but they don't seem to be.

There are a few isolated ones in bluff end coves that I've done well on, but they have a lot of other things going for them.

[mjk86]

Spoon fish need steady and constant pressure when hooked.  When the hook is set you can't drop the rod tip.  The fish sling spoons cuz of instantaneous slack in the line, like a sudden drop of a rod tip after the hook set, or a pause in cranking the fish in, or a combination of the two.  This causes the spoon to drop and they'll shake it.  The line tie has to stay between you and the fish.  Pressure has to be hard and constant.  You can't play with em like with other lures and you can't do herky jerky stuff like yanking em outta grass.  That allows them to jig it free.