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[Every Day]

Weird thing happened the other day though. I made a short cast  and was into a steelhead at the start of the swing. It immediately jumped and ,though I bowed, the spoon flew deep into the trees behind me. I was amazed when it came out of the thick branches easily! It did because the Dacron had slid through the eyelet of the hook, leaving the hook in the steelhead. The Dacron was frayed, but not broken. I haven't been out since, but I've used pliers to try to eliminate any space between the eyelet and the shank( broke a few), on all my spoon hooks. Has anyone else had this happen; its shaken my enthusiasm for the trailing hook rigging. I'd like to think its a one off and, by tightening the eyelets, I'll be able to fish with confidence. I suppose the only way to find out is to hook and maybe lose a steelhead. The enhanced landing rate with this method is obvious, so experiment I will.

What hooks are you using? I would in no way recommend an open eyed hook, use a matzou, gammy, etc. 1/0 for a sickle hook, size 1 for octopus.

I've hooked well over 200 steelhead now on this method and have never once had a hook do that. I have at times had the braid slide through the eye at the top, so that it was just the hook sitting on the braid (rather than sitting nicely - just kind of hanging on the braid), but have never had one come completely off. The only hooks I've ever noticed this happen with are the Matzou sickles, as the eye at times doesn't seem to be closed all the way.

Everyday, would you mind sharing your opinion on using trailer hook wire (Rio's knottable wire, Senyo stinger wire, etc) instead of dacron? I'm not sure if it would be an advantage, disdvantage, or not matter at all to have the hook connected to such a stiff wire.

I can't comment in it 100% as I haven't done it. The reason I haven't done it was due to a few things.

1) The way the hook sits on the spoon may not work well, since it is thick. I got the feel the braid might kink and fray/break (think of the tremendous amount of force on the wire in the places it does contact the spoon at the back (You'll see what I mean if you rig one with wire).

2) I wanted the trailer to be completely free moving so that when fish roll, etc there are no binding points and no leverage. I thought wire would be too stiff. Possibly your finding of not landing many more fish may be because of the stiffer wire and the fish have a bit of leverage (speculation - not sure).

3) I wanted to have a method easy to do on the river. I use to tie mine up the way you described. Took a while, and I found myself at times on long weekend trips out of hooks. Now if I run out, 30 seconds on the river bank and I have a new one.

Wouldn't adding another split ring between the hook and spoon have the same effect? (Two in total between the hook and spoon) And you wouldn't have to worry about knot strength or fraying?

No, it wouldn't.

The hook would not sit properly (the hook would be side ways rather than facing -tip up- towards the bottom of the spoon). There would also be a large binding point = more lost fish. I also, personally, trust my knots and 30 pound dacron more than a lot of the split rings on the market as I have had a bunch bend out on me.

Lots of guys use a split ring --> swivel --> open eye hook. This works effectively by still dropping the hook back. The only problems I have with it are: generally it's done with bigger hooks (fish injuries), and secondly, there are still the odd binding points which help fish get off!

Im too stubborn to give up that easy, lol. I hit a dime bright 10-12lb wild today on the spinning setup. Hit a 2/3oz Silver R&B and put on a little dance. Sure was fun on the lighter gear. Im not sure the pin or the level wind will make it out this year.

Awesome man! Congrats! You'll be hooked forever now. I always hate when I have to use the pin now - much rather prefer to swing spoons or flies.

[Spawn Sack]

Thank you for that tip on wire vs. braid. I'm thinking you are probably right. Next time I decide to do a "spoon day" with my spinning rod I'll give the dacron a try. I don't catch many steelhead so in order for me to give it a true test I'll have to wait for the fall salmon this year

[bald_seagull]

so far ive been doubling up 15lb seagaur sts floro as i didnt have any dacron when i tied the hook to the spoon. its done the trick just fine held up to a spring off the beach and some chums in the river.

[Every Day]

Hey guys!

I changed the original post to a blog post. This was to account for the constant changing of facebook picture locations, which would result in gaps in my original post.

The method has continued to work well. Hopefully it's been working for others as well!

Here's the blog post:

https://outdooraddictions.wordpress.com/2015/01/01/the-trailing-hook-method/

Cheers!

[BananasQ]

Thanks for this - I picked up some Dacron (5c / yard at Army & Navy) and am looking forward to tying up some spoons this way for the upcoming Pinks season.  Really appreciate the knowledge share and will report back on how it goes.

[clujalolo]

Will be giving this a try for sure.

Will this work just as effective as being fished under a float?  I'm really turned off by spinning reels lol but that might be because I really only use it for small trout and its a cheap one.  I'm sure tossing a spoon on a spinning reel will have a different effect but will it work just as good under a float?

Have you tried it under a float Everyday?

[Every Day]

Will this work just as effective as being fished under a float?  I'm really turned off by spinning reels lol but that might be because I really only use it for small trout and its a cheap one.  I'm sure tossing a spoon on a spinning reel will have a different effect but will it work just as good under a float?

We swing all of our spoons. I enjoy this style the most, since you can cover a heck of a lot of water in a day (working a grid system), and the hits are HARD. I couldn't imagine putting them under a float, it would just defeat the purpose for me (I also really enjoy that with spoon fishing, I have a nice light rod, a spool of leader, and a box of spoons, and that's it).

If you did put them under a float, I would recommend getting the 3/8 stubby spoons. I'd set slightly deeper than the depth of the run, cast far, and hold back slightly to "work" it across the run like you would a colorado. It won't have the same effect as an actual swung spoon IMO, but it would probably work. I also wouldn't really like the wake that the float would make.

You also don't NEED a spinning reel for spoons. If you have a level wind, that will work just fine for chucking metal as well. Some guys prefer using a level wind for spoons since it allows them to feather line if they need to.

[rheticus]

For the "swinging spoons" method that you prefer, what rod-length (and weight-rating) do you find optimal ?

[Every Day]

I prefer light or medium light rods for most rivers (some exceptions like the Thompson, etc).
Anything 4-8, 6-10 rated. Fast action.
I prefer a whippy noodle to be honest... Really, it's all about what you like and feel comfortable with.

Anything in the 9 foot to 10 foot 6 range.

Lots of good ones on the market. I am rocking TFO's right now for most rivers, and bumping up to the Trophy Coh King's for the larger rivers/bigger fish.

[Damien]

I'm going to give this a go pink fishing this year.  I wonder if it will help those notoriously slippery suckers to stay on.

I might it rig this way and not tell the others guys i'm fishing with and see who's land ratio is best.

[Fish or cut bait.]

The great thing about this is you can have a number of hook/Dacron trailers set up and change them up as the wear and tear and hooks sharpness will diminish after a few hook ups and gravel/ boulder strikes.

Stainless sharpen well but if you're swapping out hooks what's a few extra inches of dacron.

Staying sharp and active.

Great idea and post Dan.

Haven't run into you in a while; but perhaps on the Island this summer.

[Every Day]

The great thing about this is you can have a number of hook/Dacron trailers set up and change them up as the wear and tear and hooks sharpness will diminish after a few hook ups and gravel/ boulder strikes.

Stainless sharpen well but if you're swapping out hooks what's a few extra inches of dacron.

Staying sharp and active.

Great idea and post Dan.

Haven't run into you in a while; but perhaps on the Island this summer.

Very true. If we wreck a hook point, I'll commonly just swap out the hook if the dacron loop still looks al-right. I normally have a whole bunch tied up any way, and will change out the entire hook set up out once I wreck a hook. Never hurts to have a completely new set up.

I have noticed that this year, since we are getting a lot of fish on every spoon before we lose them, that the dacron should be changed after every 5 or so fish. We've lost a few fish now due to being lazy and not changing the trailer out, which resulted in the dacron breaking. 

Back on the mainland again for the summer, so it might be tough to run into me on the island 

[Snagly]

I'm a new member to this forum, but have been following this thread with interest the last couple of months. I have a variety of spoons (ovals and wobblers) from different manufacturers. I've done the Dacron thang on each of them, then tested the breaking strength. I very much like the approach and can't wait to try it out this fall. Three questions for you:

1. R&B spoons tend to cut the Dacron so it breaks at a much lower poundage than the other models. My proposed solution is to leave the split ring on the bottom, and loop the Dacron to the ring and then the hook. I don't think a spoon-ring-Dacron-hook set-up is going to cause any more binding than the split ring-less approach recommended here. Any thoughts on this?

2. The double granny knot arrangement had me a bit flummoxed. I experimented and right now am putting an overhand knot in the Dacron, then tying a second overhand knot to seat on top of (and a little 'upstream') the first knot. While I haven't tested it on scales, it seems to hold well: no pull outs to date. Can you describe how you do it?

3. Where in BC or the US can we buy your preferred hooks on-line at the right price?

* * * * *

This thread may be something that the salmon and steelhead conservation groups will want to pick up on an circulate to their members. No more 2/0 or 3/0 hooks need be used, ever.

[Every Day]

1. R&B spoons tend to cut the Dacron so it breaks at a much lower poundage than the other models. My proposed solution is to leave the split ring on the bottom, and loop the Dacron to the ring and then the hook. I don't think a spoon-ring-Dacron-hook set-up is going to cause any more binding than the split ring-less approach recommended here. Any thoughts on this?

I've only had a few R&B spoons do this. The odd time the bottom hole is sharp and will cut. In the 2, nearly 3 years I've been tossing R&B's, I've only ever had 2 spoons that presented a problem.

The split ring isn't a problem as far as binding goes, but it is a problem. We tried that originally, and found that it was actually quite common for the dacron to work its way off the split ring, especially when fighting fish. If you check to see that your dacron isn't working its way off the split ring every once in a while, and check it after every fish, it shouldn't be an issue, but it has happened to us.

2. The double granny knot arrangement had me a bit flummoxed. I experimented and right now am putting an overhand knot in the Dacron, then tying a second overhand knot to seat on top of (and a little 'upstream') the first knot. While I haven't tested it on scales, it seems to hold well: no pull outs to date. Can you describe how you do it?

All the double knot system I do is, is a double granny knot. The key with my system is that the second granny knot passes through the first one. So... you tie the first granny knot, then do another granny knot right over top of the second one, passing the tag end of the second granny not through the hole that the first granny knot forms.

The double granny knot as you describe (one above another) has pulled out on me before. It also doesn't seem to ride as nicely in the water in that form. You could always try pulling hard and sliding the knots up against each other, (this will happen under a lot of load anyway) to try and offset the way it rides.

3. Where in BC or the US can we buy your preferred hooks on-line at the right price?

The reason I use Matzou hooks is because they are incredibly cheap. I also like their shape, and how sharp they are. They also have an overly large eye on all their sizes, so it's much easier to pass dacron through, even on smaller hooks.

That being said, any hook will work. You can go with gammies, owners, or any other favourite hook you have.

If you want to buy Matzou's, Cabela's is definitely your best bet. They run $3 for a pack of 25 hooks. I use to get them in the states all the time until the new Cabela's came to Nanaimo. I've also seen Matzou's as Canadian Tire, but they are more expensive there.

Hope that all helps!

Dan

[Snagly]

Very helpful, E. Day.

1. I hadn't thought about the Dacron coming off the split ring. That's happened to me with new hooks and rings on spoons, so I can see it being a potential fatal flaw if a trophy worked free in that fashion. I will check my other other R&B lures: I just pulled this one out of the box (2/3 oz silver-gold oval). I will leave traditional rings-hooks in place on those spoons where there are burrs or edges, and then use Dacron on the smoothies.

2. Noted (knotted?)

3. Cabela's. My goodness . . . more money going to Cabela's . . . I hope one of my kids marries into the family, but you can't beat the prices and the service is good so I'll keep on spending there.

Thanks for the quick reply, too.