I live in the Midwest, where most of our lakes are bluegill- and crappie-based for baitfish. Some lakes do have shad, but the majority rely on bluegill and crappie. Personally, I rarely catch fish deeper than 18 feet—occasionally in 20+—but that’s not common. I use LiveScope along with more “modern baits” like a Damiki rig, but I’m curious if I’m missing out by not throwing baits such as the Nichols flutter spoon or a Blade Runner jigging spoon. I struggle to see how those would outperform something like a minnow or Damiki rig with LiveScope, but maybe I’m overlooking something, and I’d like to hear your perspective.

When I see a bunch of fish on the locator and they won't bite a worm I always drop a spoon and usually hook up.  Another use for a spoon is when a bust is beyond casting distance with a normal lure, bucktail or topwater, a spoon casts much further.  Drop it a couple of feet and pump it back.

Bluegill almost always locate near shore cover and crappie are more pelagic and school off shore. You more then likely have other baitfish like young of the year yellow perch and some variety of shiners.

Structure type spoons maybe a better choice than flutter types but I keep both in the 3”to 4” length 1/2 to 3/4 oz in both nickel and gold colors, white chicken feathered treble hooks.

Work the spoons through the baitfish with lift and fall retrieve should add to your lure choices, especially in the fall.

Tom 

6 hours ago, GoneFishingLTN said:

I struggle to see how those would outperform something like a minnow or Damiki rig with LiveScope, but maybe I’m overlooking something, and I’d like to hear your perspective.

Speed control - at times, ripping or swimming spoons, blade baits, or even Jigging Raps can trigger a lot of bites that slower, more subtle/natural presentations can’t match. Jigging spoons were one of my more consistent bites in late spring/early summer this year. I prefer them in warming water, and blade baits in cooling water.

I’ve never ever tried them can imagine them being better than the damiki since your further away what’s to shallow for them to be effective?

Shallow the lighter weight flutter spoon can retrieved in a few feet of water and weedless swimming spoons like Johnson Silver minnow or Nemire Red Ripper on or near the surface.

Tom 

Read in Bubba Gump voice: Bass will hit a spoon.  Trout will hit a spoon. Walleye will hit a spoon too.  Pike 'ill hit a spoon.  Panfish 'ill hit a spoon.  Lakers 'ill hit 'em.  Stripers will hit 'em.  Redfish too.  Superior Whitefish will hit a spoon. I've even heard of catfish hitting a spoon.  

 

Spoons have caught every species of gamefish in North America for over a century. Why wouldn't you throw a spoon?

 

You don't need to jump straight into big fancy flutter spoons.  I love spoons and I just picked up my first big flutter spoons this season.  My first bass ever was on a red devil so there will always be one in my tackle box.  Acme Kastmasters and Little Cleos are a bank beaters best friend...

 

Next you're going to tell me you've never thrown an inline spinner!?!?  My indignation is fake, but you should throw spoons.  

@MontanaBasser Facts

You could turn the first one around and use him as your bait. 😄

My favorite way to fish is flipping spoons in docks and under the walkways .

I use the Dixie Jet slab spoon in white or silver and purple.

This time of year when the sun gets up they pull under the docks for shade.

They can be tough to get to the boat because you have to drag them over the boat lifts at times.