SHORE ANGLER
Words and photography by MIKE THRUSSELL
SPOON-FED FLOUNDER Mike Thrussell goes back to his childhood by putting a modern twist on an old classic
Schoolies are partial to a spoon too
A surf flounder taken on a fluttering spoon
W
hen I was still in my early teens I took interest in a book, Sea Angling with The Baited Spoon, written by John. P. Garrard, who, interestingly, signed himself as “Sea Angler”. The book described his experiments in using a variety of retrieved, fluttering, spoons to initially attract flounder in towards the bait which was being dragged along just rear of the spoon. It was highly successful and in turn his adapted advice caught me some fish too. Things move on though, and I’ve recently gone back to a spoon technique with a modern slant. I’m finding it a useful tactic to have in these times when fish are not always so easy to catch, especially when sea and weather conditions make everyday tactics less likely to succeed. What’s more, there’s no restrictive season limiting its use. I’ve found it effective 12 months of the year and it doesn’t just target flounder, but plaice, turbot, sea trout and bass, also summer garfish, golden grey mullet, as well as less welcome weevers.
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12-15 Baited SPoon 607.indd 12
TACKLE
plastic seat box with me with just those bits in it, and a small flask, then I have something to rest my weary bones on for a few minutes. We need to fully control the lead weight and the spoon. This requires a shorter 9ft spinning rod rated to cast no more than 3oz. I match this to a 4000 sized fixed spool reel and load this with 15lb to 20lb braid. Braid is the obvious choice as it magnifies bite detection, puts you in direct contact with the weight and spoon and, due to its low diameter, makes it ideal for
To get the best from baited spoons you need to stay mobile aiming to cover as much ground as possible. This means minimal and simple tackle. Mostly, if it won’t go in my coat and chest wader pockets, then it stays at home. I have a tiny little box with a few spare swivels, links, spoons and hooks. I carry small spools of 10, 12lb and 15lb fluorocarbon and three or four leads, though I’ve found this is usually too many and I’d get away with just two weights. I also carry a set of stainless forceps for easy hook removal (though rarely are spoon fed flounder deeply hooked) and some scissors. My bait, if it’s mackerel strip, is cut up ready at home and put in a plastic sealable container, as are any worm baits I happen to take, but with a tiny air hole added in the lid. Now I’m getting on a bit, if it’s a longer session, like three or four hours, I might take a small SEA ANGLER ISSUE 607
18/02/2022 14:02
