During the shad spawn in April and May, Johnston fishes spoons around Styrofoam docks or muddy banks where the baitfish do their thing.
This is an early morning deal, so the first hour or two of daylight is the key period.
“I’ll throw a Strike King flutter spoon or a Johnson spoon and slowly wind it past those spawning shad,” Jonston said. “Those bass will be looking to ambush the shad, and that spoon looks like a shad that’s drifted out from the bunch.”
Right before or right after the shad spawn, Johnston will look for schooling bass taking advantage of the groups of shad gathering in creek channels near spawning areas.
Vertically jigging a Slab Spoon or a CC Spoon it around the bait can be highly productive.
“That’s when your electronics really come into play,” Johnston said. “You can see the bait down there and you’ll see the fish around them. You might be in 20 to 30 feet (of water), but the fish will be suspended 10 feet down from the surface.”
Another good spoon scenario comes into play around deeper boat docks. Especially later in the year, when sunny days push fish into cooler, shaded water, probing the shadowy depths with a jigging spoon will earn you some bites.
For most of his spoon duties, Freeman uses a 7-foot medium- to medium-fast-action Lew’s rod, a 6.8:1 to 7.5:1 Lew’s reel and 15- to 20-pound Seaguar InvizX fluorocarbon line.
Fluoro, he said, helps him detect a strike a lot easier than mono.
But there are some problems with which to deal, especially on lakes like Toledo Bend that are packed with old trees.
“One of the challenges of the spoon is the exposed treble hook,” Freeman said. “Where there is any kind of timber, there is a great chance of hanging up.
“If this happens — and it will — the trick is to position your boat directly over the spoon and give it short, quick jerks. The weight of the spoon will usually knock itself loose.”
Johnston also wrestles with the occasionally overzealous treble hook, but not for long. If he’s snagging too frequently, he’ll replace his spoon’s treble with a weedless single hook.
