Lake Norfork Fishing Report 7/29/2016

[Spoon Feeder]

    BINKS REPORT
         ANOTHER GOOD DAY ON NORFORK, CAUGHT STRIPERS HYBRIDS WALLEYE  
BASS  CATFISH ALL ON THE 1OZ SPOON
             BEST COLOR WHITE WITH RED THROAT
             BEST SIZE  1OZ
             BEST DEPTH   35 TO 55 FEET
             BEST PLACE  MAIN LAKE  CREEK CHANNEL
       WE CAUGHT SEVERAL MIX BAG OF FISH TODAY AS IN PHOTO
              KEEP IT SIMPLE
              DROP A SPOON
                    BINK

[top_dollar]

Can you elaborate a bit on your technique and equipment when using jigging spoons?  I use them frequently with good success...but obviously you do too and I'm always interested in learning different presentation methods and why one would chose to employ them.  Also for a 1oz spoon, what equipment do you use?  I use a med heavy fast action casting rod with metered braid fishing line.  I worry about a lack of give with that setup, but have yet to have a fish come off mid fight.

[Spoon Feeder]

For 1/2 oz and bigger spoons I use a 5.6" medium heavy bait cast rod with an Abu Garcia Revo Rocket reel. For 1/8 oz and 1/4 oz I use a spinning rod and reel.  The bait cast rod also has a pistol grip. These are hard to find now as they seem to have gone out of style. We have made prototypes of a 5'7" rod with a pistol grip that Darrell Binkley of Bink's Guide Service has been testing for a little over one year and it's working great. We will be going into production with them soon. The reason for the shorter rod is two fold. One, it helps tremendously with the line wanting to tangle on the treble hook and two, you can get a quick and strong hook set. The pistol grip will keep you from wearing out your arm. With this rod you can work a spoon all day with one hand and not wear yourself out. The Abu Garcia Revo Rocket has a high (9:1) gear ratio which allows you to reel in line fast when you get a hit. This is especially important when you are fishing deep. Once you set the hook you want to make sure your rod is always bent or you are likely to loose the fish. As far as the line I only use 10 or 12 lb Berkley Vanish Fluorocarbon. It is almost invisible which is important for clear lakes and it's low stretch which is also important for jigging spoons especially in deep water. I also tie on my spoons with a Palomar Knot. It's easy to tie and I think it's the strongest knot you can use. Here is a link to a short video on the Palomar Knot. http://www.berkley-fishing.com/Berkley-ae-how-to-tie-a-palomar-knot.html  It say's it's primarily used on braided line but I love it on monofilament and fluorocarbon line. I got a lure tied up a few weeks ago bass fishing on a tree in the water, it was 8 lb test and my lure was tied on with a Palomar knot. I am 6'2" and weigh 230 lbs and it took everything I had to break the line. (I am almost 60 so that may have had something to do with it). I personally don't see any reason to go over 12 lb test even if you're fishing in timber, if you get snagged up it will just be harder to break the line. 

[Spoon Feeder]

Here is a link to the image, it didn't display very clearly.

http://www.berkley-fishing.com/Berkley-ae-monofilament-vs-fluorocarbon-infographic.html

[top_dollar]

Excellent information!  Thanks for the detailed reply.