Killin' It

When I run scooter clips...

Rigger set at 80

fixed slider will be set at 20 feet up

Rigger down 100 fix slider will be 10 to 15 feet up

fish hits you still reel like heck to catch up without ever taking the rod out of the holder.

Another interesting thing about them is running them up high when the steelhead are around. There is nothing better then running 4 blue dolphin Super slims on the rigger 30 and 40 down with fixed sliders. On a clear sunny day you can see the scooter spoon flashing below the boat and they catch fish.

scooter clips here as well. 7 foot leads.

We collect lures like women collect shoes, purses, bags.

This is 50% true.

Yes the colors get more and more extreme, however MANY improvements have been made in the last 5-10 years in spoons and their paints and coatings.

Example

Moonshine Glow spoons

UV paints

UV stickers

Holographic stickers with paint ect.

Do all the new spoons catch fish... Maybe...

Do you need to have all the latest and greatest? Not always.

Does it sure help to have one in your box when it is the HOT bite... YES.

Would you catch me fishing anything that is not UV coated.... Not in 100 years. Why?? I am confident that it makes a differance. Confidenance is 30% of the game... the other 70% is being on top of the fish. Having those "new good" lures down helps with that 30% while the fish are not biting.

Speical K...

If you didn't make sure you get a patriot.

Best spoon on the big lake!

6????

12 maybe... of slightly differnt shades and such... either way... the best spoon on the lake

I have a patrioit that looks alot like that.... after a couple years of beatings.. I only put it out when I am desperate for a fish

Loooks like he put it in the garbage disposal.

Holland is SUPER shallow...

PS.... is 16 inches in the cut

Big Lake Lures

DW SS = Dreamweaver super slim

I sat and was thinking about this last night and I forgot a very important part to this....

SPOON BRAND.... (This is not meant to bash on one spoon company or another, but is my opinion based on experience.)

Everyone knows I run ALOT of BLL, I also run alot of DW SS. I mix in some Silver streak and moonshine mags. At time Stinger gets the nod on the 100 and 200 copper if I am looking for shinny blank (Green Slush)

What I do not run

Pro King

Dreamweaver Mag or standard

Contender

Warrior

NP

NK

SS mini's ( When I am fishing browns or offshore steelhead these get used alot more)

The reason I do not run the listed above, is I found the lures in that category to not run well with the ones listed above.

However if I run an entire DW spread (which happens when they want the Target tip from time to time) the DW can be the hottest thing on the boat.

I know if I am going 2.5 SOG and my BLL are firing that all the other BLL should have the same action under water, Assuming they are in the same part of the water column. Over time I come to believe that DW SS run well at the same speeds as BLL. A differnt brand will not run the same under those condistions because of spoon blank weight, size and bend.

In the same boat, If I know the fish are on a SS or DW bite I will change over and run a whole spread of that brand of spoon.

Different spoons run at different speeds or with a different action in the spread. It is a matter of if you can recreate on a daily basis what works.

As I said before this is my opinion and it has proven good to me.

Fixed slidders are way better then stacking.

A second line with a scooter clip is priceless when fishing deep.

I know I fish more than others, so my theory might be different then someone that only fishes Saturday.

I start with a normal spread which is either something I have heard from a close friend or my top 10 baits depending on weather, fish, time of year, ect.

If I catch fish at peak time and the fishing dies off, I generally leave most of the same gear on. (I do not fish alot of glow spoons so, I do not feel the need to have a gear change once the sun comes up. I truly belive that if they bit it then, they will bite it again. The goal is staying on top of the fish. If the bites dry up I will pull gear and run back to were I started my morning troll and work the area I got bites in.

If I catch fish... great the plan worked. If I don’t.... The question is to change or not to change.....

Generally I change one of the riggers over to a silver/blue 10 inch with a teaser rig and either one or both of the divers over to meat or tin cans for lakers.

The copper... This is a different story... What I put on my copper is my what I KNOW will catch fish or has been catching fish. I do not change it out till it has proven it is NOT going to catch fish. For me this takes one or two TRIPS. This rule is null and void in very specific instances. If the riggers and divers are slamming on spinnies, I will change over the deep copper as such. If my 250 is firing and my 300 is not... I will put the same spoon on that rod. I went 3 weeks without changing a lure this summer outside of this process.

My go to baits ( These are baits that I almost always had out for the better part of the summer for each trip)

Starting gear

Kermit BLL

Green Kato BLL

Blue Green Frog BLL

Blue dolphin DW SS

Green Dolphin DW SS

Moonshine Double Trouble

Big white paddle with a proofster fly

Mag Blue green frog BLL

Bright sunny days after the sun came up

Hawg Wild BLL

10 inch spinnie with a BLL teaser rig

UV spinnie with a BLL teaser rig

Patriot BLL

Gator pro troll with a brads cut plug

Cloudy days

8inch white spinnies with proctologist flies

j-13 rapalas

Tin can and spin glow

Blue flounder Moonshine

SS dark green Kato Mag

Boogie man BLL

Size 3 pearl Loco

Silver spinnie with a brads cut plug

The point of this is... Find what works for you.. It changes from year to year, but if you listen to what the fish are telling you, you will be just fine. If you are a bit hard of hearing, find people you can trust to contact if you are struggling. I listen to the radio more for fun than to find info. In saying that if people call on the radio, I will always tell them what has been hot. No reason to hide it, because the lures are hanging on the rods when I pull the boat out.

The question I was asked at least a half dozen times this year is how do you find the odd ball lures that seem to get hot.... The truth is... I put them in the water to see what they do. If I am fun fishing I will throw 2 random lures out just to see what happens.

A great example of this is... When I was fishing the same lure spread for 3 weeks... which happened to be Blue dolphin SS on EVERY rod other then the divers. I put down Boogie man deep on a copper because that rod had not fired in 2 trips.... it took 5 fish that day... Ran it for the next 3 days and it took 2 fish each day….. AND ….. then has been in the rotation ever sence.

In saying that there are some disclammers to this post..

1. The pro guys may have a different outlook on this… They are way better than I am

2. I fish for NUMBERS… I take people fishing to catch fish… whether it be 15 10 pound kings or 9 Lakers

3. You have to be ON FISH to catch them You cannot blame the lures for the problems of the person driving the boat.

4. KEEP YOUR GEAR CLEAN….. Wash your hands in the lake before you handle your baits. Smokers this means you… Every cig was your hands… Maybe just supersicous but still.

5. I took 40 spoons out of the box this year, that I DID NOT RUN last year.. Some of them had been very good to me... Others... not so much. Your CONFIDANCE IS KEY… go out with the mentality you are GOING to WORK HARD to catch fish… and if you do WORK hard…. You just might.

3000 copper... that sounds rough!

I fish ALL copper (Blood run to be exact)

Everything from 100 too 350 right now. adding 400 and 450 this year.

I have 1 lead rod in the boat and that is a 5 color when the fish are in the top 25

Copper is more fun, better fight with less line to bring in.

I will be at the swap meet if you want to chat about it.

Survey done

I ordred some.. I hope they come in soon.

I love the start at 6 ... If you run a smaller metal boat, you dont spend 45 min breaking waves to get to the fishing grounds. or if you do... its before the fishing time.

John,

7. Start out of the same port as the weigh in.

What if someone has a boat that is slipped in saugy or PS?

This may apply to one or 2 members of the site that may be interested.

Thank you for your support.

I will be the first to admit I LOVE my copper!

I run

100 32 pound

200 32 pound

250 32 pound

300 32 pound

350 32 pound

300 45 pound

400 45 pound

All blood run copper with floro leaders.

If I had to choose I would run all copper over the divers ANYDAY! (Not laker fishing)

Just my .02

for my two I could not go without, 300 45 and 300 32 pound.

A list of people that may be interestd just by pulling ames of people I can think of off the top of my head!

Hollandpipper

Doggie style

Me

Ben Lubbs

Little Buck

Kraker boat (A_krakker99)

Coralee

FBD

Tung (Just set his boat up this winter)

Luremaker?

Gnarf

Nailer

Plum Crazy

Wild at heart

Ryan Peterson

Sea Mac (Bring it Jr)

Dirty Dog

That would be an interesting turnout just with those names listed.

What about the possiblity of Multiport and meetin Holland to weigh?

Well all know the SH guys can't catch fish anyway:) JK guys

John,

I will fish it weather depending.

I would suggest changing it to a weight 3 or 5 total weight. Simple rules for simple people.

Only if you are taking her fishing every weekend.