How to Fish a Jigging Spoon

A jigging spoon is a heavy, flat lure that anglers use to catch fish in deep water. Bass and panfish, such as perch and crappie, will go after a jigging spoon as long as the angler presents it to them correctly. Jigging spoons are excellent lures when the weather is extremely hot or cold, when fish head for deeper waters.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Things You’ll Need:

Medium-action rod Spinning reel 12-pound test braided line
Medium-action rod
Spinning reel
12-pound test braided line

Step 1

Rig a medium-action rod with 12-pound test braided fishing line to fish with jigging spoons. Such a rig will be able to detect bites from fish as they go after a jigging spoon. Tie the spoon directly onto the line using a clinch knot.

Step 2

Fish a jigging spoon vertically over submerged timber, brush piles or stumps and off protruding points of land. Use a jigging spoon in deep water to target schooling fish, such as crappie and bass. It will also catch walleye.

Step 3

Anchor your boat in deep water over an area likely to hold fish. Allow your jigging spoon to drop down into the water. Let it drop about 8 to 10 feet before stopping its fall. Raise your rod tip slightly and slowly to lift the spoon before letting it waver back down through the water. The idea is to make the spoon resemble a dying or badly injured baitfish.

Step 4

Repeat this procedure at different depths until eventually the spoon reaches the bottom. Cover a 3-foot high vertical area in the water each time until you have probed all the way to the bottom. Always allow the jigging spoon to flutter down unimpeded after raising it up. Nearly all bites on a jigging spoon by fish, especially bass, come when the spoon is descending toward the bottom.

Step 5

Be alert for a tap on the spoon, which signals a bite. Other indicators are the line suddenly going slack after you let the lure drop, the line twitching, or a steady pull by the fish. Set the hook hard when a fish bites or even if you think a fish offered at the spoon.

Tips & Warnings

Use electronic fish finders to locate fish in deeper waters. This will allow you to present a jigging spoon at the exact depth right away. Ice fishermen in particular will benefit from having a fish-finding device, which saves time and guesswork. Fish finders can pinpoint schools of perch, bluegills and crappies under the ice. Drill a hole and drop the jigging spoons down. Use downsized spoons for panfish and larger ones for walleye and bass. Remove the treble hook from a typical jigging spoon and replace it with a single hook when fishing over brush and timber to avoid snags.

Remove the treble hook from a typical jigging spoon and replace it with a single hook when fishing over brush and timber to avoid snags.

Article Written By John Lindell

John Lindell has written articles for "The Greyhound Review" and various other online publications. A Connecticut native, his work specializes in sports, fishing and nature. Lindell worked in greyhound racing for 25 years.

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