Best 8 Saltwater Fishing Spoons

This post will list the best 8 saltwater fishing spoons. Spoons are simple yet very effective artificial lures that catch a wide variety of species. For the most part, they mimic bait fish as they put out a lot a flash and vibration in the water. Spoons come in many sizes to match the locally available forage. They are very versatile lures which are effective when cast, trolled, and vertically presented.

A spoon is basically a curved piece of metal with a hook in. The shape of the spoon along with the design will determine how it works in the water. Spoons that are wider tend to wobble more and are best when worked at a slower pace. Long slender spoons can be worked or trolled much faster as they incorporate a tighter wiggle. Most spoons have a single treble hook, though some do come with a large single hook as well.

Most of the baits in this list of the top 9 saltwater fishing spoons are available in a wide variety of colors and finishes. However, most anglers tend to lean towards either a silver or gold finish. In clear water where silvery and light-colored bait fish are present, silver is just a natural finish which closely mimics the local prey. Conversely, gold is the choice in water that is a bit darker and on overcast days as well.

Best 8 saltwater fishing spoons

This is a list of the best 8 saltwater fishing spoons. These spoons will produce for anglers and just about any fishing situation.

Acme Kastmaster
Sea Striker
Hopkins
Johnson silver minnow
Crocodile spoon
Johnson Sprite
Clark spoon
Drone spoon

Spoon fishing tackle

The tackle required for fishing with spoons and saltwater will vary greatly depending on the application. Anglers casting spoons to Spanish mackerel, bluefish, striped bass, and other species will do well with a medium spinning outfit. A 7 foot medium action rod with a 3000 or 4000 series reel will get the job done.

Anglers fishing with spoons and saltwater can certainly use bait casting tackle as well. Again, a medium action outfit that is about 7 foot long works best in most applications.

Anglers can shop at Amazon for a Daiwa Black Gold reel and St Croix Triumph 7′ MF rod spinning combo in this link.

Anglers who prefer to troll with spoons will do best with a light conventional outfit. These are versatile rigs that most saltwater anglers already own. A 20 series or 30 series rod and reel combination will work fine for trolling spoons with sinkers and small planers.

Anglers can shop for Penn conventional outfits at Amazon in this link

“Fishing Lido Key is a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. ”

Using swivels when fishing with spoons

It is always recommended to use some type of swivel when fishing with spoons. Due to their design, spoons will twist and roll in the water. This is part of what makes them effective as they flash and vibration. Anglers can place a swivel between the running line and the leader or have the swivel right at the top of the spoon. Many anglers use a snap swivel to facilitate lure changing.

Spoon fishing techniques

Spoons are used by anglers fishing and saltwater in three different ways; casting, jigging, and trolling. Several spoons on this list of top 8 saltwater fishing spoons can do all three. Most can do two different things and some are specifically designed to do one, mostly troll.

Casting spoons

Casting spoons are meant to be cast out with the rod and reel and retrieved back in. Anglers can use them in a variety of applications. It is great sport to cast a spoon into a school of breaking fish. These are fish that are feeding on the surface as they have trapped baitfish. In this situation, fish are very aggressive and will often take any lure that is cast into the fray.

Anglers can also blind cast with spoons to cover an area in search of fish. This is often done over a flat, sandbar, or near some type of structure such as jetties, rocks, bridges, docks, and any other spots that will hold fish. They are effective when surf fishing as well.

Jigging spoons

Vertically jigging is a very effective technique when fish are schooled up over deep water structure. Casting is not practical as the fish are holding in such deep water. With this technique, the boat is placed above the fish and the spoon is lowered down to the bottom. The bait is then worked back towards the surface using hard jerks in an erratic manner.

Trolling spoons

Spoons are very effective lures when trolled as well. Trolling is simply the technique were anglers put lures out behind the boat and drive around in search of fish. While there are many nuances to it, that is basically the approach. Certain spoons are designed to be specifically trolled and not fished in any other manner. The spoons are light and some method must be used to get them down to the desired depth.

The two most common methods used when trolling with spoons are sinkers and planers. Trolling sinkers are just sinkers that are tied in line between the running line and the leader. The weight of the sinker will be determined by the depth of the water to be fished as well as the trolling speed. 2 to 4 ounces is a good all-around size, but anglers can certainly go heavier if needed.

Planers are clever devices that are similar to the lip on the diving plug. When set, the angle of the planer will cause the planer and spoon to dive down to a certain depth. A number one planer will dive down 5 to 7 feet. A number two planer will dive down 12 to 15 feet. A leader connects the spoon to the planer, 20 feet is a good length. When a fish strikes, the planer trips, allowing the angler to fight the fish without the drag of the planer.

Anglers can click on this link to shop Amazon for planers

Top 9 saltwater fishing spoons

Here is a description and a link for shopping for each of Capt. Jim’s top 9 saltwater fishing spoons.

Acme Kastmaster

The Acme Kastmaster spoon has been around a long time and is a proven lure. It has a unique shape that is different from other spoons. While primarily a casting spoon, it is very effective when jigs and trolled as well. It is one of those versatile spoons that can be used for all three techniques. The silver and gold finish is are most popular, with the silver and neon blue becoming more popular of late.

Click link to shop Amazon for Kastmaster spoons

Sea Striker

The Sea Striker spoon is a very popular casting spoon. It has the traditional teardrop shaped where it is narrower with the top and wider at the bottom. It puts out a very enticing wobble and vibration along with flash. It comes in a variety of sizes and can be matched to the available forage. In most cases, a slow steady retrieve works best.

Click link to shop Amazon for Sea Striker spoons

Hopkins

Hopkins spoons are most often thought of as jigging spoons, and for good reason. They basically invented the technique. These spoons are very heavy and dense, which allows them to sing quickly when fishing deep water and in heavy current. They come in a variety of sizes to match most fishing conditions. The silver spoon with a hammered finish and the hook dressed with white is the most popular Hopkins spoon.

Click link to shop Amazon for Hopkins spoons

Johnson Silver Minnow

The Johnson Silver Minnow spoon is a bit of a specialty bait. This is a weedless spoon that rides with the body of the spoon down in the hook up. It also has a weed guard. This design results in it be in very weedless. The spoon is most often fished in shallow water when weeds are present. It is a great search bait when trying to locate fish on expansive shallow flats. Many anglers associate it with redfish, however it will catch a wide variety of species.

Click link to shop Amazon for Silver Minnow spoons

Krocodile

The Krocodile spoon is another bait that can be used when casting, trolling, and vertically jigging. It is a bit of a hybrid spoon as it is long in fairly slender, but still has a bit of girth in the middle. The spoons are available in a very wide variety of colors and finishes along with alterable sizes.

Click link to shop Amazon for Krocodile spoons

Johnson Sprite

The Johnson Sprite spoon is a casting spoon. It has the traditional teardrop shape and is quite wide at the base. Gold and silver are the most popular finishes by far. This is a great spoon to use when fish are in water less than 10 feet deep. A slow steady retrieve works best.

Click link to shop Amazon for Sprite spoons

Clark

Clark spoons are the number one trolling spoons used by saltwater anglers. They have a unique long slender design which realistically mimics the many species of similarly shaped bait fish. Their design also allows anglers to troll quite fast, up to 8 knots. This allows anglers to cover much more water in search of speedy game fish such as king mackerel and Spanish mackerel and false albacore. The spoons are almost always fish behind planers or sinkers. Silver is the most popular finish and the size varies depending on the size of the bait fish in the area.

Click link to shop Amazon for Clark spoons

Crippled Herring

The Crippled Herring is most often used as a vertically jigging lure. However, it can be cast out and retrieved as well. It is not terribly heavy for its size. Therefore, it works best when fish are feeding on smaller bait and reasonably shallow water. It can also be trolled when schools of glass minnows and other small bait fish are on the surface.

Click link to shop Amazon for Crippled Herring spoon

Drone

The Drone spoon is a wide bodied trolling spoon. Many anglers put it in the family of a bunker spoon. It was designed to mimic large, wider bait fish such as bunker and threadfin herring. It is an excellent trolling lure when these larger bait fish are present. It can be fish behind a sinker but is most often fish behind planers. Despite the size, anglers can troll this lure fairly quickly.

Click link to shop Amazon for Drone spoons

In conclusion, this list of Capt. Jim’s top 9 saltwater fishing spoons will help anglers understand which spoons work better and a particular application, and most importantly, catch more fish!