Fishing spoons and blades for salmon can make up an important part of a successful rig, both in attracting the wily fish and in enticing them to take a bite on the hook. We’ll look at what sets spoons and blades apart from each other and how each is an essential part of your tackle rig, as well as why both are effective when it comes to attracting both salmon and trout.
Spoons
Spoons are so named because back in the days when they were first developed, they looked exactly like the utensils you might use for your breakfast cereal, without the handles. Spoons are thin pieces of forged metal, designed to spin in the water, reflecting the sunlight.
The reflected light catches the eye of predatory fish such as salmon; spoons set up in sequence look very much like a school of bait fish swimming along in the open water. Spoons are effective both in fresh and saltwater, although spoons used in casting need to be considerably lighter than those used for trolling in order to achieve the maximum distance on a cast.
Today, most spoons don’t look like the utensils anymore in anything but shape. They come in a stunning variety of different colors and even weights, although they are still relatively light compared to other pieces of tackle. Spoons are versatile in that they can be used both as the actual lure to catch fish and as a way to attract the attention of fish to the lure or bait at the end of the rig.
Blades
Fishing spoons and blades for salmon are available in wide variety at most tackle shops, and blades are available not only in different weights and colors but shapes as well. Blades act much the same way as spoons to in the water, flashing to attract the attention of bigger fish.
The big difference is that blades are more often designed to look specifically like a bait fish, right down to artificial eyes. Blades resemble baitfish in their shape as well, and the movement they impart is designed to replicate that of a prey species to a hungry trout or salmon. Blades used for salmon fishing usually come with a treble hook set up, but like spoons they can be used as attractants in groups or as the lure itself.
Spoon Blades
An interesting development in the world of fishing is the creation of the spoon blade. These hybrids have the basic shape of a blade, but the weight of a spoon. They also lack hooks, and are meant to give the impression of a school of baitfish and drive predatory fish nuts with flashes and spins.
Fishing spoons and blades for salmon both play a critical role in attracting and then landing the fish. Flashing spoons can be seen for some distance by most salmon, whose instincts will drive them to investigate. Having a blade on the end of the line, appearing to be a wounded straggler, will kick in the killer instinct and get the salmon to bite.
