I was late to the spoon fishing game by all accounts. A very knowledgable gentleman by the name of Christopher Stewart was the first to open my eyes to the possibilities of using spoons for trout and panfish. It helped that he stocked and sold Japanese spoons as well as rods, reels and lines.
What many people do not realize is that there is a system. You need to match the rod and reel, as well as the line to the type of fishing you are doing and to the target species. And this is especially true when using spoons. We are NOT talking about Johnson’s and KastMasters here, simply because they are not manufactured in the weights we will need. In some cases we will be using spoons that tip the scale at 1 gram or less and fish them very slowly for panfish. I find trout prefer a more erratic action and almost always hit on the drop…or when I stop reeling and let the spoon freefall for a few seconds.
What I have discovered is that spoons allow me to fish almost the entire water column effectively. I can vary the speed, the depth and the action without changing lures often. And in cases such as this, I prefer a JDM Area Trout rod due to their being more of a moderate action rod specifically designed for light lines and lures. I have yet to find a US rod that comes close to being suitable for fishing sub-1 gram spoons and other various light lures. You have to remember that in the JDM (Japan Domestic Market) world, they make rods with ratings of Super Ultralight, Extra Ultralight etc etc. They are truly specialists in their fishing pursuits. This is why I harp on JDM tackle since it opens a whole new world of tactics and techniques and it is very effective.
I would also like to give a huge shout-out to my good friend Robert in Virginia. He is a true Master of his Craft when it comes to ultralight angling. He is one of the most experienced and knowledgable anglers I know and is always on top of the JDM market. He freely shares information and tips which can be rare these days. I have hinted several times, unsuccessfully I might add, that he should be writing about JDM tackle since I think many people would enjoy the information, and it is hard to find good, reliable sources. He has tested more rods and reels than I could ever fathom.
Thank you for reading and if you have any questions, feel free to ask and I will try my best to answer them or find the information. Cheers.
Velox Seeker 