I live in Iowa and I’ve never really used a jigging spoon. Now that I’m running LiveScope, I honestly don’t see a strong need for one. Am I missing something?

Should I be adding jigging spoons to my lineup, and if so, can someone explain when a spoon actually outperforms a minnow when using LiveScope? I’m trying to understand the situations where it truly shines, not just when it’s “traditionally” used.

Yes, you’re missing, IMO. When the fish are more grouped but pegged near the bottom, they seem to react to a spoon much better than a minnow. You can really trigger a reaction bite due to the speed of rips and falls that you can't get with a minnow. I like the minnow better when the bass are well up off the bottom (several feet or more), all the way to the surface.

21 minutes ago, Team9nine said:

Yes, you’re missing, IMO. When the fish are more grouped but pegged near the bottom, they seem to react to a spoon much better than a minnow. You can really trigger a reaction bite due to the speed of rips and falls that you can't get with a minnow. I like the minnow better when the bass are well up off the bottom (several feet or more), all the way to the surface.

Thank you never thought of it like this I appreciate you sharing your knowledge if you was building a jigging spoon box what would you recommend? I’m assuming I wouldn’t be fishing much deeper than 20 foot and probably around 15

You might want to consider including some flutter spoons in your arsenal.

 

I carry silver, white, and chartreuse some with dresses trebles and some plain.

 

I always carry jigging spoons but rarely use them in less than 30’.  For the shallower stuff I opt for the Keitech swimbaits.

 

 

Spoons probably account for about 50 percent of my bass from August till ice up the last couple years.  Profile and rof seem to dictate effectiveness;  1.5" - 5.25" and anywhere from 5g to 1.75oz.  If I were to rebuild my heavy metal box today, knowing my lake better, I'd make sure this is what I had.

 

jigging//casting:

Kastmaster - 3/8-1oz blue/silver and pearl

Wareagle - 1/2 & 7/8 nickel and purple shad

duh spoon - 3/4 & 1.75oz shattered glass, trout, morning dawn

major craft jigpara micro standard - 5, 7, 10, and 15g in shirasu

 

flutter:

Acme little cleo - 1/3, 2/5, & 2/3oz in chrome

lake fork spoon - 3/4 & 1.125oz in shattered glass

nichols mojo - 1/2oz shattered glass

luhr johnson krocodile 1/2 & 3/4oz in chrome

 

tailspinners:

Deracoup in both sizes

 

blade baits:

Damiki Vault in all sizes, 1/2-3/4oz being the most consistent size match to my shad

 

I'd also have various extra swivels, trebles, feather dressed trebles, and short assist hooks at the ready to play with the rate of fall to convert slapping bass to biting bass.

 

scott

 

 

Side note: since rof is so important, I play with tight lining and slack lining the fall till I find what they like.

 

7 minutes ago, softwateronly said:

Wareagle - 1/2 & 7/8 nickel and purple shad

 

 

Acme little cleo - 1/3, 2/5, & 2/3oz in chrome

 

nichols mojo - 1/2oz shattered glass

I have been pleasantly surprised with the War Eagle 7/8, especially purple shad.  

 

I have tried a bunch of flutter spoons.  Nichols are about all I use now.  Sometimes, River2Sea when they are chasing gizzards.

 

@softwateronly, I'm curious how you fish Little Cleos.  I have a bunch from my walleye days.  Tried them like walleye fishing...sort of just cast and retrieve, trying to maintain what I think is right depth.  But they rarely get bit, even when a Panther Martin pulled through same trajectory can get slammed.  Is there more dropping, or finessing involved for you?

13 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

I have been pleasantly surprised with the War Eagle 7/8, especially purple shad.  

 

I have tried a bunch of flutter spoons.  Nichols are about all I use now.  Sometimes, River2Sea when they are chasing gizzards.

 

@softwateronly, I'm curious how you fish Little Cleos.  I have a bunch from my walleye days.  Tried them like walleye fishing...sort of just cast and retrieve, trying to maintain what I think is right depth.  But they rarely get bit, even when a Panther Martin pulled through same trajectory can get slammed.  Is there more dropping, or finessing involved for you?

 

The little cleo's are really effective tightlined.  They kinda pick a direction and slow roll sink on an angle with a decent swivel.  I often count down till the bottom or a bite.  If it gets to the bottom, I usually do a double lift and reel and tightline back down.  If it gets hit mid-column, I go a couple counts below that and do the same double lift and reel.  I can get lost on a long cast and not know where I am, but my lake is mostly under 35' deep, so I can recalibrate with the bottom.

 

scott

You can get bye with 2 types of spoons; Fishlab Bio Shad flutter spoon and P-Line Laser jigging spoon. The Fishlab is wider slower fall, the P-line is narrower faster fall. I use white feathered hooks and FC line no braid.

Use 3/4.  & 1 oz size in shade colors.

Simple cast pasted the bass metered and let the spoon fall on slightly slack line, when the stops left firmly and replete letting the spoon fall. Strikes are simply the spoon stops falling. When do set the hook keep reeling to prevent the bass shaking the hook loose.

Tom

Everyone above has covered it well ^^
 

My only additional thought would be, if it’s just a situational thing based on how you fish, you can easily get by with just a handful of spoons for those “just in case” times. You know YOU best, but you don’t need a dedicated box and full arsenal of options to catch bass. Just depends on your approach and commitment to the technique. 

Rate of fall absolutely matters when they aren't really eating much. It is one of the ways livescope showed me something new. 

 

Haven't seen the need for the jigging spoon yet, mostly just flutter spoon or a heavy (3/8) headed minnow which drops like a rock. 

 

My favorite time to fish them is in and around boat docks in the summer. Once the sun gets up they will pull up under the docks for the shade. 

I use a Dixie jet slab spoon in white,chrome/purple and white /chartreuse. For flutter spoons I like the R2S Watson spoon, It will flutter away from you which makes it nice to get under the walkways and boat lifts and the Dixie jet Talon is good also.

One thing I like to do is cut the swivel off of them. You have to cut the line back pretty often because of the twist but I think the fish like to see 'em spin.

 

 

spoons arent just for winter either, I got on a great bite late may into june this year. i couldnt count the number of fish I caught. i use a little of all mentioned above.