Magnum Or Regular Spoons

[GLF]

How do you know when to fish a magnum or regular size spoons? Regular in the spring, magnum in the fall? Or, do we check the bellies of our catch and base our decision on that?

[HitMan]

We never use many Magnum spoons anymore. Since Stinger has come out with the Stingray size, I think all you need, everyday, all year-long, is the regular-sized Stinger and Stingray, at least in our case and point of view. We use exclusively Stinger Spoons so I don't know about all the other brands and sizes of spoons. The Stingray size is inbetween the regular-sized Stinger and the Magnum.

Usually, regular-sized spoons are used more in the Spring and when fishing in the top 30-40 feet of the water column. Regular-sized spoons also work well on surface boards and for steelhead in general. The last two years we have used the larger Stingray sized spoon on our Lead Core and Copper Rigs all year long, instead of later in the summer. We have completely gotten away from the Magnum, because of the great success with the Stingray. Lots of fellow anglers tend to use the larger-sized spoons on their Lead Core rigs as well. We always use regular-sized spoons on all fixed sliders on the downriggers. Stingray sized spoons and regular-sized spoons are used on the main line, depending on time of year, etc. The larger spoons are generally used at deeper depths on the downriggers. We also always use regular-sized spoons on our High Divers, or setting 3 divers, because these are shallower in the water column.

If the fish are very picky, we then begin to look in their stomachs, but overall the logic of smaller spoons in the Spring and then larger spoons as the year progresses, is generally true. We, personally, have just gotten away from Magnum spoons and concentrated more on the inbetween size that seems to fit well. It seems to work a lot more, at all depths and times of the year, than the Magnum-sized spoon ever did. It seems like a great compliment to the average sized alewife and bait we have begun seeing all year long, the last few years.

[Josh]

I try to match the size of the bait, which usually means magnums early in the year and smaller sizes later on once the young of the year baitfish show up. I usually run a mixture of both, however and then switch over to whatever the fish tell me they want that particular day.

[CaptLevi]

I also prefer a larger or magnum size early in the season with a mixture of smaller spoons mixed in. I transition to a more small to medium size with a few mags mixed in later in the season.

[Steve Arend]

I'll start with Mags on the main lline and standards on the sliders and then let the fish tell me what they want. If their hitting the main line all the time then I'll through down all Mags. If they hit the slider then all standards. I run the same color spoons for the main and slider.

[Blue Knight]

Well the old saying was start small & work up & that used to work great. The last few years it's been mags especially this year since the mild winter. Lake Ontario Kings must have been gorging themselves all winter because this spring they're much bigger. The biggest caught in the Spring Scotty was 27lb. I usually run regulars on the sliders & mags on the main lines. We never used to run Mags on the north side of LO until mid or late July but that's gone by the wayside now.

[Priority1]

Magnum Or Regular Spoons, Yep that's what I use. LOL Find out what they want and spoon feed em.