A swivel added between the hook and spoon will help them stay stuck. Spoon, split ring, swivel, split ring, hook. It’s annoying to change them out this way, but it makes a difference. They also make swivels that have split rings already, so this cuts down on a connection.
We fish White Seabass with spoons with a ringed hook snapped on the split ring. gives the rotation so the fish cant use the spoon as leverage . Simple easy just one ring added to the split ring
Really appreciate you sharing your vast saltwater fishing knowledge, I'm 63 years old and still wide open to learning any new techniques and tricks that help me catch more and bigger stripers, I believe adding the barrel swivel between the spoon and treble hook is good way to reduce the tendency for fish to throw the spoon due to leverage, I also believe using bright colored spoons on overcast days and less bright spoons on clear days can transform a good day of fishing into a great day of fishing...catch em up and keep these terrific videos coming !!!
Loved the video(as usual). I appreciate just the right amount of humility in all of your videos. You never pretend to know everything about the fishing you are doing yet it’s obvious to me that you have a vast knowledge of saltwater fishing. I thoroughly enjoy how you talk through your thought process as you troubleshoot everything you are doing. You are exactly the person who would be enjoyable to fish with. Well done again John!
At the bottom of the spoon I would put a split ring swivel to an inline single hook. Not only will you not drop the fish, but it’s much better for the fish. Plus it’s safer for you too.
Saved a couple kayakers out there last season. Got caught up in the current and wouldn't have made it if we hadn't been there at the right moment. Will never forget it
John, Just a suggestion on the use of the big spoons. In our lakes around NC and SC we use a system called power reeling. Upon the spoon hitting bottom, you just reel the spoon straight up about 20 feet or so. If no bite just drop the spoon back to the bottom and repeat. Many times we catch more fish power reeling over jigging the spoon. Might want to try if for a few minutes next time. Great video.
Hey John, as stated below, TH-camr mike smedley (a legend in my local fishery the Raritan Bay NY/NJ) A ball bearing swivel added between the hook and spoon is THE modification you need to try out. Get Split rings For cheap on Amazon. It’s annoying as Gigliott stated below. He also swears by the Ben Parker spoons, which is what we’ve been using down here just west of you!
Wow, I am really surpised at how well the rod preforms on bigger fish, that's great to see. I will have to try this for sure. Rick was really pumping the fish with ease.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing hey man.... you got the magic stick. Nice work, this will be an annual thing. Independence day is a special holiday to me and it's nice not to have to be responsible, relax and enjoy fishing while reminding Halkias to point us at the light house lol. Good times.
great vid as usual. Add a swivel to the hook so the hook hangs a little further away from the spoon and the bass wonxt use the spoon as leverage to pop the hook out by the boat. 👍 posted this before you mentioned the swivel. 😅
Been following you forever John! Love all your videos always informative and entertaining! Wish you nothing but continued success in your fishing endeavors and TH-cam “fame”
Another trick is to add tandem/assist hooks to the top IF you're getting hit but missing the set. They sometimes bite the top of the spoon. Again, heard about, can't wait to get out and try it! Love the vid!
We tend to use spinning gear for spoons that’s us. Also in the fall we add assist hooks on top. Some of us fish with no barrel swivels and some fish with two barrel swivels.
fished with the 8’ nichols spoons for years with an added swivel between spoon and treble. Two things I’ve learned: 1: once every 10 drops or so, a hook barb will “ fold back” get caught up in the eye of the swivel or in the split ring on the spoon. I 2: the stripers tend to follow a hooked fish as seen around minute 14:00 of this video. Drop your spoon near the hooked fish and you’ll catch one of those “followers”.
Using the Nichol spoons a lot, my opinion on the high amount of lost fish is that they are foul hooked. A large percentage of bass I've caught with them are foul hooked either under the chin in the head and also the body. I started putting assist hooks on the top split ring and you'll be surprised how many you'll get on the assist hook. It increases better hook ups.
A swivel on the hook and, instead of the treble that comes with the spoon, I would try a triple grip treble hook to improve holding the fish... you still had a really good day even with the losses
Ive added a sm stick on weight to the hook of the spoon helps with the drop and in a jigging motion itll dart down 1-2 ft then flutter. Its my go to for working bass under pogies. Also help keep it from wrapping up if casting
I just make sure to use two split rings on the bottom of the spoon where the hook goes and u get way more spin on the hook and less chance of fish getting leverage on ya seems to help without being too much.
Been using flutter spins since last Spring in NJ. The manufacturer hardware is pretty bad…I changed the top swivel, split rings & trebles for stuff more suited to fight 40-50 lb fish. I’ve noticed the hookup and drop ratios improved as well. It takes time to get used to the fight on those spoons but I’ve also noticed you don’t catch bluefish on them. I think it’s bc they feed differently than bass, who swallow everything whole.
Both Lures have a crane swivel to attach your line to which will help avoid line twist but the actual hook should have more than just a standard heavy duty split ring.
They will come off right at the boat like that if you don't add a ball bearing swivel to the bottom to the hook. Also I even signed adding a cyst hook at the top improves hookups that's just my personal preference
Slow Pitch JIgging- but with spoons that aren't slow pitch jigs but close to it. Speaking of which your going to have to try it when you hit Florida this winter. Ditch that Squall though an amberjack will will shatter that level wind lol. Saltiga 15 or a Lexa 400 would be a much better fit on that rod.
I'm definitely no expert but I wonder if a large split ring with an XL single inline hook might assist with hookups and prevent the leverage issue. Basically like trout and reds on a topwater once they start flipping around and twisting. Another trick is to do away with the split ring and use 100lb+ braid and a loop knot. Either way looks like a good time even if you lose a few. Loved the video.
Used the swivle on the back hook, definitely kept more fish pinned but didn’t fix the issue completely, at the end of the day your gonna lose some fish but definitely more than usual on spoons
What would happen to me would be: I spend the $40 on the spoon and take the time to swap out the treble hook for a 10/0 O'Shaughnessy with a nice ball bearing swivel and stainless steel split rings. Then,first cast,if it doesn't get bitten off by a bluefish it bites into a wreck and takes half a spool of braid along with it. Coupled with the party boat fare and tips,pool, gas to drive to the shore,etc... I'll have to unretire. I'll probably prove it Thursday.
John, my spoons will be available beginning of September. You won’t lose fish with mine, plus they’ll be the most affordable!! Check out Justin’s tackle. I’ve just started to put together some content using the spoons
Hi John, love the channel and content for a long time. I make flutter jigs, up to 5 ounces, and they are terrific fish catchers. I would like to send you a 5 ounce one to use exactly as you are using the spoons. They will sink a little better, and I believe they will catch the big stripers very well. I have great luck with them on big lingcod and rockfish here on the West Coast. If you are interested, just let me know where to send them. Mack
You can replace the treble hook with a single to reduce the leverage a fish has and i also know some good angler who will add an assist hook to the top end of the spoon.
Strange question to ask but I've noticed most people using the flutter spoon when using a conventional reel, do they work better with that type of reel vs spinning? And another question is, would this be a good thing to carry on kayak trip or am I biting off more than I can chew when it comes to landing it.
I’ve been using them for years on a spinning reel fast action rod. IMO much better than conventional reel. I would definitely use on kayak. I also add a small swivel between spoon and hook. You will lose less fish. Gold color to me works the best…hope that helps
Hey John another great video! Which model reel did you pair with your rod in video?? I have one set up for fluking already. just purchased another rod from J and H. Looking to have a set up for bass like yours. There are a few models on amazon from your link in description. Thanks again!
I’m confused, I tried these Tony Majas up here in Rhode Island at block island. Plenty of fish on the screen. I just couldn’t get it down to the fish. I think I came close because o did have a big bass come up when I was reeling it in. But my line was almost straight out at a couple points. I have been killing the big bass trolling up here and I was excited to try this out. Idk I’ll definitely try again
It was a Tsunami Classic. This one is built with better components and has a slower taper, is spiral wrapped, and has a very well thought out non-slip handle. It's also more versatile.
Can you eat those big stripers? Any advisories most of the lakes in Texas have heath advisories on stripers… of course that’s fresh water at least in central Texas it mercury
Newbie here. In John’s surf casting course for strippers he mentions that stripper fishing is best done around dawn or dusk. I’m curious what time of the day this is and if you have success with strippers off of the boat midday. I’m still getting skunked pretty often. Thx in advance and awesome content John.
It depends on the time of year. Early and late in the day are usually preferred, especially in summer. In the spring and fall you can sometimes get good day bites, and those will probably be tide-related. The best tides are spot-specific.
What's goin on with your line guides? They look misaligned. Nice upload, the big spoons strike again. Biggest spoon i throw over here on the west coast is a 3oz kastmaster or something of the like. Any chance we'll ever see you out here taking a crack at west coast surf casting?
@@reelyrealfishing2397 really common in deep water jigging situations, the theory is by transitioning the guides to the bottom of the rod it reduces side load induced by the line wanting to rotate the rod over when the guides are on top. So it’s easier to fight the fish.
Why are you comparing apples to oranges (Maja 9” 5 ounce spoon to a Nichols 8” 3.5 ounce spoon)-when you should compare the Maja spoon with the Nicolas 9” 4.5 ounce spoon .
I didn't want to compare two 9-inch spoons of different weights. I was more interested to see if the 8-inch would perform similar to the 9, which it did. I was especially interested to see if the smaller spoon got down, despite being 1.5 ounces lighter.
A swivel added between the hook and spoon will help them stay stuck. Spoon, split ring, swivel, split ring, hook. It’s annoying to change them out this way, but it makes a difference. They also make swivels that have split rings already, so this cuts down on a connection.
We fish White Seabass with spoons with a ringed hook snapped on the split ring. gives the rotation so the fish cant use the spoon as leverage . Simple easy just one ring added to the split ring
I’ve heard before that you can basically never have too many swivels while running spoons. The more you have the better it runs.
@@christaylor4161 Kind of depends on the species your after and the size and shape of the species mouth.
Grest info thanks for the tip
Really appreciate you sharing your vast saltwater fishing knowledge, I'm 63 years old and still wide open to learning any new techniques and tricks that help me catch more and bigger stripers, I believe adding the barrel swivel between the spoon and treble hook is good way to reduce the tendency for fish to throw the spoon due to leverage, I also believe using bright colored spoons on overcast days and less bright spoons on clear days can transform a good day of fishing into a great day of fishing...catch em up and keep these terrific videos coming !!!
Loved the video(as usual). I appreciate just the right amount of humility in all of your videos. You never pretend to know everything about the fishing you are doing yet it’s obvious to me that you have a vast knowledge of saltwater fishing. I thoroughly enjoy how you talk through your thought process as you troubleshoot everything you are doing. You are exactly the person who would be enjoyable to fish with. Well done again John!
At the bottom of the spoon I would put a split ring swivel to an inline single hook. Not only will you not drop the fish, but it’s much better for the fish. Plus it’s safer for you too.
Another great video, catching fish , having fun... thankyou Mr Skinner!!
Saved a couple kayakers out there last season. Got caught up in the current and wouldn't have made it if we hadn't been there at the right moment. Will never forget it
John, Just a suggestion on the use of the big spoons. In our lakes around NC and SC we use a system called power reeling. Upon the spoon hitting bottom, you just reel the spoon straight up about 20 feet or so. If no bite just drop the spoon back to the bottom and repeat. Many times we catch more fish power reeling over jigging the spoon. Might want to try if for a few minutes next time. Great video.
Excellent comparison! Thank you so much!
Hey John, as stated below, TH-camr mike smedley (a legend in my local fishery the Raritan Bay NY/NJ) A ball bearing swivel added between the hook and spoon is THE modification you need to try out. Get Split rings For cheap on Amazon. It’s annoying as Gigliott stated below. He also swears by the Ben Parker spoons, which is what we’ve been using down here just west of you!
Thank You for Another Amazing Vid Mr. Skinner🙌🏼🙌🏼
After watching your other spoon video, I ordered a few spoons for the Fall Run !
Tight Lines 🎣 🐟🐟🐟🐟
The calmest I've ever seen the gut are the two videos you just posted. Every time I'm there it's like a scene from A Perfect Storm.
Such a nasty place.
Man, that looks fun.
Wow, I am really surpised at how well the rod preforms on bigger fish, that's great to see. I will have to try this for sure. Rick was really pumping the fish with ease.
That was too much fun yesterday! Thanks again!
@@JohnSkinnerFishing hey man.... you got the magic stick. Nice work, this will be an annual thing. Independence day is a special holiday to me and it's nice not to have to be responsible, relax and enjoy fishing while reminding Halkias to point us at the light house lol. Good times.
Hah! "Just aim at the Lighthouse John." I was saying that in my sleep last night.
Bought my first Nichols spoons about 2 weeks ago. Havent used them yet. Nice to see them doing the job. Great video.
Fishing like that is way above my pay grade but boy, is it exciting and rewarding! A pleasure to watch :-)
great vid as usual.
Add a swivel to the hook so the hook hangs a little further away from the spoon and the bass wonxt use the spoon as leverage to pop the hook out by the boat. 👍
posted this before you mentioned the swivel. 😅
Been following you forever John! Love all your videos always informative and entertaining! Wish you nothing but continued success in your fishing endeavors and TH-cam “fame”
Another trick is to add tandem/assist hooks to the top IF you're getting hit but missing the set. They sometimes bite the top of the spoon. Again, heard about, can't wait to get out and try it! Love the vid!
2 in a row on the spoon vids today for me. Great vids.
Thanks for another awesome video 🙏🏻
Skinner always brings the heat.
We tend to use spinning gear for spoons that’s us. Also in the fall we add assist hooks on top.
Some of us fish with no barrel swivels and some fish with two barrel swivels.
fished with the 8’ nichols spoons for years with an added swivel between spoon and treble. Two things I’ve learned:
1: once every 10 drops or so, a hook barb will “ fold back” get caught up in the eye of the swivel or in the split ring on the spoon. I
2: the stripers tend to follow a hooked fish as seen around minute 14:00 of this video. Drop your spoon near the hooked fish and you’ll catch one of those “followers”.
In addition to a swivel you can probably add a single assist hook near the head. Increases your hookup
Using the Nichol spoons a lot, my opinion on the high amount of lost fish is that they are foul hooked. A large percentage of bass I've caught with them are foul hooked either under the chin in the head and also the body. I started putting assist hooks on the top split ring and you'll be surprised how many you'll get on the assist hook. It increases better hook ups.
Older thread, but I too use assist hooks and I also use a swivel.
A swivel on the hook and, instead of the treble that comes with the spoon, I would try a triple grip treble hook to improve holding the fish... you still had a really good day even with the losses
Ive added a sm stick on weight to the hook of the spoon helps with the drop and in a jigging motion itll dart down 1-2 ft then flutter. Its my go to for working bass under pogies. Also help keep it from wrapping up if casting
wow john!
I just make sure to use two split rings on the bottom of the spoon where the hook goes and u get way more spin on the hook and less chance of fish getting leverage on ya seems to help without being too much.
Been using flutter spins since last Spring in NJ. The manufacturer hardware is pretty bad…I changed the top swivel, split rings & trebles for stuff more suited to fight 40-50 lb fish. I’ve noticed the hookup and drop ratios improved as well.
It takes time to get used to the fight on those spoons but I’ve also noticed you don’t catch bluefish on them. I think it’s bc they feed differently than bass, who swallow everything whole.
Some absolutely beautiful stripers!
man that looks like fun!!! I wish i could come up and do some of that!!!
Both Lures have a crane swivel to attach your line to which will help avoid line twist but the actual hook should have more than just a standard heavy duty split ring.
A link of split rings helps cut down on the fish leveraging the lure off works for Sea trout here in Ireland.
a nice smooth day on the water is more like it..
This is great information
They will come off right at the boat like that if you don't add a ball bearing swivel to the bottom to the hook. Also I even signed adding a cyst hook at the top improves hookups that's just my personal preference
That is true it is swivel between the spoon and the hook you won't pop them off I learned that the hard way
Slow Pitch JIgging- but with spoons that aren't slow pitch jigs but close to it. Speaking of which your going to have to try it when you hit Florida this winter. Ditch that Squall though an amberjack will will shatter that level wind lol. Saltiga 15 or a Lexa 400 would be a much better fit on that rod.
I always add the swivel and stinger hooks on the 8“+ spoons
I'm definitely no expert but I wonder if a large split ring with an XL single inline hook might assist with hookups and prevent the leverage issue. Basically like trout and reds on a topwater once they start flipping around and twisting. Another trick is to do away with the split ring and use 100lb+ braid and a loop knot. Either way looks like a good time even if you lose a few. Loved the video.
You are correct re a single hook in reducing leverage. I rig several of my spoons that way.
Used the swivle on the back hook, definitely kept more fish pinned but didn’t fix the issue completely, at the end of the day your gonna lose some fish but definitely more than usual on spoons
I wonder what you could catch working a big flutterspoon down on the reefs you were fishing in the Florida videos. Good stuff John.
Agreed!
What would happen to me would be: I spend the $40 on the spoon and take the time to swap out the treble hook for a 10/0 O'Shaughnessy with a nice ball bearing swivel and stainless steel split rings.
Then,first cast,if it doesn't get bitten off by a bluefish it bites into a wreck and takes half a spool of braid along with it.
Coupled with the party boat fare and tips,pool, gas to drive to the shore,etc... I'll have to unretire.
I'll probably prove it Thursday.
Rod eyes makes sense,. the offset reduces torque on the reel. Spoon wise you could add a ringed hook .
John, my spoons will be available beginning of September. You won’t lose fish with mine, plus they’ll be the most affordable!! Check out Justin’s tackle. I’ve just started to put together some content using the spoons
So Skinner is having trouble with his line and the lure dangles in the water and he catches fish...yup, that's how to do it folks
You gotta come to SF bay and Sacrimento delta. They don't bite anything but a white bucktails and cut/live anchovy
Change the split rings on the Parkers, they rust right away. Nice video John.
Hi John, love the channel and content for a long time. I make flutter jigs, up to 5 ounces, and they are terrific fish catchers. I would like to send you a 5 ounce one to use exactly as you are using the spoons. They will sink a little better, and I believe they will catch the big stripers very well. I have great luck with them on big lingcod and rockfish here on the West Coast. If you are interested, just let me know where to send them. Mack
i add ball bearing swivels to all of my salmon spoons between spoon and main line. this reduces loss of hooked fish.
Out of curiosity, is there a reason you cant rig these spoons with assist hooks rather than a treble?
I seen them add ball bearings swivels on both ends
You can replace the treble hook with a single to reduce the leverage a fish has and i also know some good angler who will add an assist hook to the top end of the spoon.
Bigger hooks 👍👍👍
Have you tried the quantum smoke HD bait caster reel?
Check out mike smedleys video he made about how to modify the nichols spoons. U will lose a lot of fish with the spoon straight out the package.
Hi John nice fish
Marked a bunch of fish but no bites on the spoon. Overcast conditions with gold spoons. What am I doing wrong?
Strange question to ask but I've noticed most people using the flutter spoon when using a conventional reel, do they work better with that type of reel vs spinning? And another question is, would this be a good thing to carry on kayak trip or am I biting off more than I can chew when it comes to landing it.
I’ve been using them for years on a spinning reel fast action rod. IMO much better than conventional reel. I would definitely use on kayak. I also add a small swivel between spoon and hook. You will lose less fish. Gold color to me works the best…hope that helps
Hey John another great video! Which model reel did you pair with your rod in video??
I have one set up for fluking already. just purchased another rod from J and H. Looking to have a set up for bass like yours. There are a few models on amazon from your link in description.
Thanks again!
For bass I'm using a Penn Squall 15 LW spooled with 30#.
John how did you decide on the leader size?
straight braid to spoon? or fluro/leader?
4-ft leader of 80 fluoro.
Which go pro do u use and what are ur settings
I’m confused, I tried these Tony Majas up here in Rhode Island at block island. Plenty of fish on the screen. I just couldn’t get it down to the fish. I think I came close because o did have a big bass come up when I was reeling it in. But my line was almost straight out at a couple points. I have been killing the big bass trolling up here and I was excited to try this out. Idk I’ll definitely try again
Try thumbing the spool lightly to get it to orient vertical so that it cuts its way to the bottom instead of fluttering.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing ok got ya, yea I’m definitely not done working these. Thanks for reply
Would you consider changing out the treble hook with a single hook?
I have heard it doesn't work well on the big spoons because the hook folds against the spoon.
how would you compare your skinner rod to the tsuanmi trophy ive seen you use in older videos?
It was a Tsunami Classic. This one is built with better components and has a slower taper, is spiral wrapped, and has a very well thought out non-slip handle. It's also more versatile.
I would take two 2/0 in-line single hooks that swing opposite m, like some offshore trailers. loose the trebles.
Add the swivel ,it works.
Would be interesting to see how diamond jig would perform side by side.
We tried on the first trip and the spoon did much better.
Can you eat those big stripers? Any advisories most of the lakes in Texas have heath advisories on stripers… of course that’s fresh water at least in central Texas it mercury
We can keep 1 between 28 and 35 inches. I release all of mine.
How do you think this technique would work in shallow water?
I hear they work fine in 10-feet.
am i seeing correct 1 eye up and rest down?
Look up "spiral wrapped" or "acid wrapped". This reduces torque and is found on a lot of the better rods.
hello john where can i order some of theses big spoons
There are links in the video description.
I've found single hook spoons have a tendency to spin rather than flutter. another great one !
Thanks for that input.
Where was this?
Eastern Long Island NY
70 swivel experts. Lol
Newbie here. In John’s surf casting course for strippers he mentions that stripper fishing is best done around dawn or dusk. I’m curious what time of the day this is and if you have success with strippers off of the boat midday. I’m still getting skunked pretty often. Thx in advance and awesome content John.
It depends on the time of year. Early and late in the day are usually preferred, especially in summer. In the spring and fall you can sometimes get good day bites, and those will probably be tide-related. The best tides are spot-specific.
@@JohnSkinnerFishing Thanks for the quick response. I’m trying to absorb as much info as I can.
Where is this
eastern LI, NY
why aren't these painted Black??
Water is very clear here. I used black in turbid water. I will try though.
I need to get some spoons 😭
What's goin on with your line guides? They look misaligned. Nice upload, the big spoons strike again. Biggest spoon i throw over here on the west coast is a 3oz kastmaster or something of the like. Any chance we'll ever see you out here taking a crack at west coast surf casting?
Rod is spiral wrapped,
@@N2theBlue1 i've never seen such a thing 👀
Spiral wrapped. Many good rods are made that way to reduce torque.
@@reelyrealfishing2397 really common in deep water jigging situations, the theory is by transitioning the guides to the bottom of the rod it reduces side load induced by the line wanting to rotate the rod over when the guides are on top. So it’s easier to fight the fish.
I vote for less boat traffic and find the only other boat on the water is your brothers. I wish I could fish with my brother....may he RIP
change to a single hook
16:24 Stripper equivalent of a bitch slap.
Why are you comparing apples to oranges (Maja 9” 5 ounce spoon to a Nichols 8” 3.5 ounce spoon)-when you should compare the Maja spoon with the Nicolas 9” 4.5 ounce spoon .
I didn't want to compare two 9-inch spoons of different weights. I was more interested to see if the 8-inch would perform similar to the 9, which it did. I was especially interested to see if the smaller spoon got down, despite being 1.5 ounces lighter.
just so you no the spoons are tony maja pronounced tony ma like short for mom and ja so maja ma-ja
Thanks for that!
AAASAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH BANANA LURE AAAAASAAhhhh
I get it
Bass love spoons
Can you get back to catching doormats please?.....
Ditch that gear and go to power 3 slow pitch jigging outfit.
Every one of Ricks fish commit suicide on the hook.