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© St. Petersburg Times, published February 16, 2002
Gold and silver spoons can be a hit this time of year. Redfish are moving across the grassflats, and a spoon is the easiest way to locate them. Flash is why gamefish strike a shiny piece of metal.
Using a slow retrieve that keeps the spoon just above the grass, anglers can cover the area faster than most lures or live bait allow. If the retrieve is too fast, the spoon will flash unnaturally. Baitfish don't flash like a strobe light; they flash every four or five seconds. A slow retrieve makes the spoon flutter, and this makes the spoon flash like a live bait.
Cast should be made as long as possible and the bail needs to be closed right before the spoon hits the water. This helps keep your spoon out of the weeds. A redfish won't hit a spoon that's trailing grass. Work the spoon next to the mangroves and over oyster bars during a high tide. Look for surface action that could be small bait. Reds don't have much to feed on this time of year and strike at any kind of bait.
Modifications to your spoon may be necessary if the water is gin clear. To cut down on flash, paint one side of the spoon in white, red or black. Downsize your line and leader: 6-pound test line and a 2-foot leader of 12-pound fluorocarbon is a good place to start. One trick to increase strikes is to replace the hook with a bleeding bait treble. Blood hooks resemble a bait's gill flash, and this triggers the feeding response in fish.
- Doug Hemmer charters out of St. Petersburg. Call (727) 347-1389.