Unusual Fishing Methods

[Convict]

Around 1975, when I was aged 15, I had hired a dinghy from Sanderson's Boat Hire near the Hornibrook Highway Bridge in Brisbane. It was late afternoon when I ran out of bait, just when the fish seemed to start biting. I had been chewing some pink bubble gum, so instead of spitting it out, I decided to put that on the hook. This resulted in a 4kg flathead, the biggest I have ever caught.

As a teenager, I was very inventive with my fishing methods. Having always been a bait fisherman, I decided I would have a go at using lures. Walking into a tackle shop, the prices for lures turned me off. Therefore, I decided to make my own. Teaspoons can be brought from secondhand shops for around 5 to 10 cents, even today. Drilling a hole in the handle end, I would attach one of those swivel clips. On the spoon end, I would drill another hole and attach a ring (like those found on a keyring), along with what was called a jag hook. The teaspoon would spin in the water like a propeller with a brilliant shine coming from it on a sunny day. if i attached the line to the spoon end with the jag hook at the handle end, then the spoon would dart all over the place. Right up to 1990, I always used spoons as lures, I have never purchased one. I would use different sized spoons for different size fish. For me, I would sooner put 50 cents on the end of the line than $10.00, but each to their own. Jim

[rinkerdink]

Spoons have long been a legit item of tackle in the UK for freshwater (Northern) Pike and other sea and freshwater predators. They are sold commercially and consist of purpose made concave ovals of shiny metal with holes drilled and used for attaching swivels and hooks as you've described. The end result looks like a spoon with the handle removed and they are slow retrieved to wobble and flash and left to flutter as they drop through the water during the retrieve. But it sounds like you figured this out for your self :-)

[rinkerdink]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G4iTeS3Tj3M

[Convict]

Thanks, the only thing is I never thought to take the handle off. Probably due to my first attempts using my mothers teaspoons. Jim

[Convict]

Thanks, I enjoyed the little video. Jim

[Damien2Rad]

There's a bloke on our Fraser Island fishing trip with several teaspoon lures.

They work.

[fifis101]

We used to make up spoon lures when the schools of barracouta came into the Tamar River down in Tassie. Some times the schools were so thick we would start to lose a lot of lures, so we made them to save money.

[fifis101]

Anyone seen the iFish episode on Arno Bay snapper fishing. The host uses a ring snapper as a lure. Seems to work a treat. Not the cheap alternative like the spoons though. Probably more expensive than most lures.

[JarrydA]

Anyone seen the iFish episode on Arno Bay snapper fishing. The host uses a ring snapper as a lure. Seems to work a treat. Not the cheap alternative like the spoons though. Probably more expensive than most lures.

They were also catching snapper that day on plain jigheads, no plastic on them or anything. So the snapper were obviously just hitting anything that moved.