Gold Spoon, Golden Opportunities
Talk to anyone in a coastal town about the best bait for catching redfish, and they’ll tell you: gold spoon. Leading up to the preparation for this article, I had never caught a Red or a Speckled trout on a gold spoon. While that’s not entirely true, one of my go-to baits a soft plastic swimbait with a gold Colorado blade attached to the jighead. Redfish Spinner Bait from StrikeKing is a prime example of what I used when I first started fishing the flats on my boat, and I had this in every color I could get my hands on. This article is about the classic spoon style baits.
I fished each of these gold spoons in the same locations on the Texas coast. I did this for a three-day period on the water. The weather and water conditions didn’t change much over that time. The end of December on the Texas coast is hard to beat. The weather was mid-60’s to low 70 degrees Fahrenheit. The water was always clear, and the wind was out of the east, moving to the southeast. Since I didn’t have much experience with any of the spoons, I tested the water with live shrimp under a popping cork. If I was certain that I was on a school of fish, I would drop the power-poles and test my luck with the spoons. I fished each spoon on the same rod-and-reel setup using a braided line with a fluoro leader.
Johnson Silver Minnow
The first thing that comes to mind when I think of a gold spoon is the classic Johnson Silver Minnow Gold Spoon. I was able to find the three-quarter ounce version at a Walmart in Rockport, Texas. The three-quarter ounce size gives a nice flash in the water, and it definitely caught the attention of the fish. I had many bites, but the hookup ratio wasn’t in my favor. That could be because of a couple of different reasons, but with my limited experience with the bait, I believe it was due to size. I had plenty of fish strike it, or at least turn on the bait. The three-quarter ounces size is a big spoon, measuring in at two-and-three-quarters inches. I tend to get the same sort of response from the fish when I am fishing soft plastic, so I change to a smaller plastic, and I start catching fish. I believe that the size was just too big. I don’t fault the bait at all; I was able to get fish to turn and at least attempt to eat the bait. If I had that quarter-ounce version, I believe I would have had much better results.
The Johnson Silver Minnow gold spoon is a very durable bait. With its solid construction, it should last a lifetime, though some care is necessary because of the harsh salty environments you’ll be using this bait in.
I will probably seek out a smaller size to have in my tackle box. There’s plenty of action and flutter on the fall to attract the fish. When fishing the shallow grasses, I didn’t have a problem getting caught up in the grass with the weed guard. I now understand why this is a favorite bait for anglers.
Bomber Who Dat Rattling
The second spoon I would throw was the Bomber Who Dat Rattling Gold Spoon. I liked the rattle in this spoon, and I think that it would come in handy in cloudy water situations. Like the Johnson Silver Minnow Spoon, I was unable to successfully land a fish. The Bomber measures in at two-and-five-eighths inches and weighs seven-eighths of an ounce. That is the only size available. This spoon comes in two different gold patterns: a straight gold and a hologram gold, as well as several other colors. This spoon is not shaped like the Johnson Silver Minnow, and I noticed that there wasn’t much of a flutter but more of a rocking motion instead. I would alter the speed of my retrieve to try to change the action, but it would always be the same. It does have additional weight for the rattle to occur. Even though I wasn’t able to catch a fish with this lure, I did get plenty of action.
While the rocking motion wasn’t best, I think this has the potential to be an excellent bait. The weed guard worked, though hook placement did factor into some hookup problems that I experienced. I also noticed that my line got looped around the weed guard. My second issue with the Bomber Who Dat Rattling gold spoon is that it is labeled as a saltwater grade bait, and as you can see in the photo, it doesn’t hold up very well with speckled trout. I don’t believe that I had a redfish turn on this spoon, though it is entirely possible. None of that damage that you see is a result of oyster beds or rocks of any kind. Please take it as a positive that there is evidence that this spoon caught multiple fish’ attention.
Nacho Daddy
The third spoon I would throw was a combination of two different spoons that I picked up from Nacho Daddy Lures. I came across these spoons when I was building my lure collection for the coast. However, they have gone unused since I bought them, and I never properly gave them a chance. These spoons come in two different sizes. The ones I have are the quarter-ounce variety. I have many colors, but the ones I used for this particular comparison were the Gold Dust and the Gold Hologram. They are hand-made out of resin and epoxy.
I think it was the smaller sized bait that helped me land the fish that I did. I was able to catch both speckled trout and redfish on the Nacho Daddy spoon. Flutter and action are what you would expect from a spoon bait. Like both of the other spoons I fished, I experienced no issue in the grass with the weed guard. Nacho spoons come in multiple color choices as well.
I now understand the hype and why the gold spoon is a go-to for people catching redfish on the flats. It works. It is an easy bait to fish, and it produces. All of the options I tested have the capability to catch fish. If I had to pick a favorite of the three, the Nacho Daddy spoon gets my pick. I will have one tied on for use at any time moving forward.
Based out of Austin, Jeremy has been fishing for 30+ years. Originally from Southwestern Pennsylvania, growing up fishing small creeks and lakes with family, moved onto to fly fishing the Colorado River outside of Granby, Colorado. Now being in Texas, the gulf coast has captured his attention and where he enjoys spending his time on the weekends. Articles range from product reviews, comparisons, catch and cooks, personal learning lessons, fishing journals, and more.