I use a swivel so the line doesn't get so twisted. I tie a 12 to 15 inch peice of mono between the spoon and the swivel then tie the swivel to the main line. Experiment with the retrieve.

I fish gold spoons in shallow water in the winter ... the reds love it .... As for the retreive as soon as my spoon hits the water i give it one good jerk just to ensure the treble hook and spoon are in the right alignment and the treble hook doesnt get tangled on the spoon or ur line. A stead retrieve has worked very well for me in the past. When I know the reds are running and im not getting any bites slow down ur retreive. But experiement i always go with a steady retreive but the speed of it is what i adjust ... i dont jerk it or bounce it off that bottom like other artificial plastics.

Thanks for the help fellows, maybe we'll get more that reply and learn some new tricks.

as mentioned you should use a swivel so the line isnt twisted and reds as well as oyster shells are rough on it so use a stout shock leader with heavy line. i get the best of both by using a 10 or 12 inch steel leader on them.

also as mentioned if it has a treble hook then i suggest you start your retreve before it hits the water so it lands going forward and keeps the hook untangled and out of the way. if it has one solid mounted hook then its not that important for tangles but you dont want to let it touch bottom or it will snag every time.

the bottom is nothing but oyster shells so use a fast retreve to keep it up off the bottom and then if you want you can slow the retreve to get it deeper but you will snag a lot and often until you get a feel for just how to swim it, its not really something you can be told ghow to do so you just have to learn it by feel.

one tip with spoons is you cant cast to bank and retreve or you have little control on how the bait enters the water so i suggest you fish parallel to the bank so you can cast and retreve the spoon swimming along the bank rather then away from it. if in open water its not a big deal but for reds we are mostly IN the marsh fishing the breaks of grass shorelines

here's the one I get -- comes with a swivel

http://www.fishingtackleunlimited.com/p/fishing/c-hhlures/HH-RWS-G-P.html

If you use a spoon it is best to use braided line. Mono has memory and will twist eventually causing the line to become fowled somewhere on your pole. especially with a spinning reel. Braid has no memory and will not fowl on you. You can still use a swivel and some florocarbon line if you like. I tie the braid directly to the spoon and have no problems.