Often as I read reports I will look up spoons if I am unfamiliar with them, the ones I like I will buy and give them some time in the water. Occasionally I will pick up a spoon that someone tells me about, or one I just felt like trying. For flies I tend to pick my own. My hottest spoon of the year was probably a Flounder Pounder but we didn't have anything that really seamed to stand out. My best fly for the year was a light green and glow from ITO behind a white pearl glow SD. Also did well with a blue-green ITO.