SPOON-FED FLOUNDER

Mike Thrussell goes back to his childhood by putting a modern twist on an old classic

A surf fl ounder taken on a fl uttering spoon Schoolies are partial to a spoon too

When I was still in my early teens I took interest in a book, Sea Angling with e Baited Spoon, written by John. P. Garrard, who, interestingly, signed himself as “Sea Angler”. e book described his experiments in using a variety of retrieved, fl uttering, spoons to initially attract fl ounder 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 fi sh too. ings move on though, and I’ve recently gone back to a spoon technique with a modern slant. I’m fi nding it a useful tactic to have in these times when fi sh 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 eff ective 12 months of the year and it doesn’t just target fl ounder, but plaice, turbot, sea trout and bass, also summer garfi sh, golden grey mullet, as well as less welcome weevers.

TACKLE

To get the best from baited spoons you need to stay mobile aiming to cover as much ground as possible. is 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 fl uorocarbon 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 fl ounder 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 plastic seat box with me with just those bits in it, and a small fl ask, 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. is requires a shorter 9ft spinning rod rated to cast no more than 3oz. I match this to a 4000 sized fi xed spool reel and load this with 15lb to 20lb braid. Braid is the obvious choice as it magnifi es bite detection, puts you in direct bite detection, puts you in direct contact with the weight and spoon and, due to its low diameter, makes it ideal for

Fish the spoon right up to your feet. Flounder will often take at the last second

Mike’s spoon set-up baited with mackerel Carp leads are ideal for this kind of fi shing

working in surf conditions and in a tide run when fi shing an estuary channel. Plus, it needs less lead to stay in contact with the seabed further increasing rod tip sensitivity and bite detection.

I add a short 3ft to 4ft 15lb to 20lb fl uorocarbon leader. I don’t need this as a shock leader as the leads I’m casting are rarely more than 2oz, mostly less, and distance is not really an issue as mostly casts well under 50yd are the most eff ective. e leader is there to add a short visual break to help hide the coloured braid from the fi sh. We want the fi sh to see and concentrate on the spoon and bait and not have to worry about seeing line when fi shing in gin clear water. e leads I use vary between simple 1oz to 2oz bombs or fl at leads. e bombs work well if you need a straight constant retrieve as the shape of the bomb slides smoothly over the sand with minimal pressure. If I want to work the spoon using short retrieves of just a few inches of line at a time, or little inward fl icks of the rod tip, a fl at lead, usually a carp lead, is ideal. ese will slide easily across the ground but also kick up small clouds of sand which in itself is an attraction that fi sh will see and home in on. Watch leads have a similar eff ect, but I prefer the solid form of the carp leads as the watch lead can dig into the sand and be that little bit harder to work. I’ve found the watch lead tends to sit on top of the sand but dig in on the retrieve when using a shallow line angle, but the fl at carp leads only slightly buries in and covers with sand as they settle. When you move them this collective sand kicks up in a little plume of sand and is easily seen.

SETTING UP THE SPOON

ere are two ways to set up the spoon. If bites are very cagey and the fi sh less inclined to feed, I prefer an inline lead system nicked from the carp scene. is sees the leader pass through a small rubber sleeve that pushes on to the tail of the lead, then goes through the inner middle of the lead weight. I then slide on a 5mm bead then tie the leader to a swivel which takes the main trace before adding the spoon. is creates a free running direct inline 

ledger system that is not only highly sensitive but also, should the leader ever suff er a break while playing a fi sh the fi sh can swim away with just the hook length and not be tethered by a big lead weight. I use this inline lead when I need to use a shorter 15-inch trace to the spoon if the surf tables are more frequent and tangles more likely. e second set up is a simple swivel link sliding on the leader, followed by a 5mm bead. Tie the leader to a swivel, then attach the longer main hook trace to the free swivel eye. e lead then goes on the swivel link. I use this method when I want a longer main trace up to 30-inches to the spoon when maximum spoon and bait movement is necessary such as in very settled calm sea conditions with water clarity like glass. is lead set up sees the weight travel cleanly during the cast and leaving the trace fl ying behind, which reduces the chance of tangles. e actual spoon set up is simple. On to the hook trace below the lead slide on one 3mm pearl bead, though this is optional as it can sometimes stop the blade spinning briefl y when worked faster, so check for this. Follow this with a plastic silver spoon, the inch long ones work well, but also the bigger 1.5-inch, then slide on fi ve or six more pearl beads. Secure these in place with a small size 10 swivel. e short hook trace itself is tied direct to this last swivel and should be 8lb to 15lb fl uorocarbon. Go as light as conditions allow you to; 12lb is a good all-round starting point. e hook trace length needs to be about 5-inches, but in very calm clear seas try lengthening the trace to 6 to 8-inches. In more murky seas, shorten the trace to 3 to 4-inches. is subtle little change can dramatically increase your bite ratio.

I’ve found the silver or pearl plastic spinner blades excellent, but also red and pink ones catch their fair share of fi sh, so also carry a few of these. ey are lightweight and easy to work. If I want to keep the baits tighter to the seabed, I’ll use small metal spoons, often sold as fl y spoons in tackle shops, and mount these on a clevis pin. Some plastic blades come with clevis pins too, otherwise you can buy packs of clevis pins separately from good tackle shops. e smaller blades will usually spin freely If you’re lucky, a beautiful seatrout will take your baited spoon too

without a clevis pin, but the pins ensure that the bigger blades will fully revolve with minimum resistance. I tend to use them most of the time. Tronixpro do packs of 12mm blades that come complete with the clevis pins, so look out for these.

Hooks do not need to be large. I’ve found Kamasan B940 Aberdeen’s in size 6 to 4 pretty near perfect as they are light in weight when using smaller baits but have the strength to land decent sized fi sh should you get lucky.

WEATHER PATTERNS AND TIDES

e ideal weather patterns for surf beaches are a near fl at calm sea, maybe with a few long fl at surf tables gently rolling in. ese occur after a period of fairly settled weather over a few days and result in a very clear water clarity. Shorter surf tables with some height pushed in by an onshore wind will whip up the sand and colour the sea too much for the spoon to be seen clearly. Ideal wind strength is variable and light, nothing more than say 10mph. Anything more and the sea’s colour will reduce the visual aspect of the small spoon and reduce its eff ectiveness.

Estuary channels always tend to carry a little more colour, but you’ll fi nd if you watch that as the tide fl oods in the water clarity improves as the freshwater is pushed back upriver by the advancing tide. Also look for side creeks where tidal fl ow is lessened as these also will see clearer water.

I’ve had fi sh in bright sunny conditions, but out of preference I’d look for a tide that starts fl ooding pre midday in the winter, or fl oods with a high tide also in daylight during the summer. If you can combine that with light overall cloud cover, then you’ve got the ideal conditions. e fl ounder are present virtually all the time, so tide heights, for once, are not that important. Smaller neap tides can fi sh well but, as ever, a bigger spring tide will see more fi sh moving and generally you’ll fi nd the bigger the tide the better the catches.

It depends on specifi c beaches and estuaries, but on beaches I’d start fi shing as soon as the tide turns to fl ood inwards with the peak time the middle three hours of the fl ood. Inside smaller estuaries, I probably wait for the tide to be visually seen to start fl ooding in. is “push” tends to occur around two hours into the new fl ood and the fi shing can be good right through to high water, with odd fi sh still taken as the tide ebbs out.

BAITS

Mackerel strip is very eff ective right through the year, fresh or frozen. I cut these no longer than 1.5ins in length, but usually an inch or so. Use the white belly section as much as possible and reduce the amount of the fl esh left on the skin to make the strip work that much more and imitate a small fi sh. Sandeel fi llet can be used too.

Worm baits are good, especially maddie (harbour rag) with three or four worms attached by the heads only and the rest of the body left to wriggle and dangle below the hook. Small sections of black and blow lug, also king ragworm, work too, but in my opinion not as well as the mackerel and the maddies. Small chunks of peeler crab are also worth a go. e knack is to keep baits small and let the spoon entice the fi sh to the bait.

TECHNIQUE

I always wear my chest waders. ese allow me to wade out if I need extra distance on shallow beaches, plus they make it easier to land and unhook fi sh in the water. e technique I’ve found works best is to stand at the water’s edge, or up to knee height, and make a cast straight out in front of you. Casts need be no more than 40 yards. Point the rod down at the water’s edge almost touching the water as soon as you feel the lead touch the seabed and start a steady but very slow retrieve, just enough to get the spoon working. I do this in increments and will let the lead sit and rest for maybe 15 to 30 seconds then start to retrieve again. is ‘rest’ gives the fi sh time to catch the bait up and consume it. Casting straight out, you’ll fi nd the tide fl ow may swing the lead you’ll fi nd the tide fl ow may swing the lead and bait round in a downtide direction. is happens naturally and lets the bait and spoon cover a lot of ground in a wide inward arc. It’s deadly for fi nding single fi sh!

Make sure you fi sh the cast right out almost to your feet. It’s common, especially for fl ounder, to follow the spoon and bait tight in then take at the last second, just like trout do. In fact, small sea trout in the surf do exactly this when taking the spoon bait, school bass and golden grey mullet do the same. Most days, the retrievepause will work. at stop, then sudden shot of reignited movement, can induce an otherwise reluctant fi sh to grab the bait. Some days a pause won’t work so try a straight uninterrupted steady retrieve and you’ll feel the fl ounder pounce and ambush the bait stopping your retrieve dead. Instantly cease winding but keep the line tight. You’ll feel the fi sh rattle the rod tip then turn away and hook themselves pulling the rod tip round. ere’s rarely any need to strike. e same technique works when fi shing estuary creeks, but I prefer to work the edges of the creeks which is where the fl ounder tend to sit sunning their backs. Casting straight out into the channel and retrieving back to you will get you fi sh, but you’ll get more working the fl anks and edges of the channels. is adaptation of the original baited spoon is a great method to have in your box of tricks as it works so well, not just as a general technique when you want to get the best from smaller species, but for its ability to produce bites when most other techniques and presentations are totally ignored. ■

The spoon induces bites when other methods are ignored