The Slender Spoon is an ultralight ice fishing spoon made by the Custom Jigs and Spins company of Iowa. As the name suggests, the Slender Spoon is a small lure constructed of thin metal. The lure flashes and flutters in the water in a way that entices fish to bite.
The Slender Spoon is incredibly effective for a wide variety of fish. I have caught countless trout, bluegill, crappie, perch, and chain pickerel through the ice with these lures since they first became available a few years ago. They would certainly work for a number of other species too.
How to fish with a Slender Spoon
Before I tell you about fishing with this lure, I want to let you know that I may earn commission when you make purchases through links on this page. This commission helps support my website, but it does not influence what I write. I only recommend products that I have found to be effective.
The Slender Spoon is a very straight forward lure that is easy to use. In fact, it would be pretty hard to go wrong with this thing. What I mean is that you can fish on the Slender Spoon however you use it. There have been times when I dropped a rod rigged with a Slender Spoon to go attend a tip up and fish hit the spoon while it sat stationary in the water. The flash and subtle movements were enough to bring in bites.
Rainbow trout love the Slender Spoon
Of course you can give the Slender Spoon some action, and in most cases you should. Typically that means dropping the lure down to the bottom then reeling up a couple of feet. Then you can jig the spoon and let it flutter back down. You can catch fish on the up pull, on the fall, or when the lure returns to its original position. Vary your approach and try different things. Sometimes you can draw in fish from far away by making a couple of big dramatic movements with your rod. Other times you can coax a bite out of tight lipped fish by wiggling the rod tip every so slightly.
No matter what action I use, I normally tip the Slender Spoon with a maggot or wax worm. This adds some scent and flavor to the lure, which certainly does help. You could also add a piece of minnow or scented soft plastic, but be careful. You don’t want to put something too big and throw off the action of the lure. The hooks on these lures are somewhat small on comparison to the lures themselves. But they are plenty sharp and strong.
The Slender Spoon comes in many colors and sizes. There are also basic and more intricately painted “pro” models. The pro lures do look good, but I’ve caught more fish than I can count on the basic lures in colors like Gold / Chartreuse. Pro lures with colors like Gold Electric Perch definitely work, but don’t be afraid of the cheaper more basic spoons. They all catch fish.
Where to buy Slender Spoons
A good number of retail stores carry Slender Spoons. Some independent tackle shops have them in stock in the fall and winter. I’ve even seen in them in some of the big box stores like Field and Stream and Gander Mountain (which is now known as Gander Outdoors) at times. Of course ice fishing lures are easier to find in the ice belt than they are in the rest of the world. So if you’re in a place like Minnesota or Wisconsin you have a much better chance of finding a Slender Spoon than another person shopping in Mississippi.
No matter where you find yourself, you can order Slender Spoons online pretty easily. Companies like Fish USA have a good selection of Slender Spoons. You can also order Slender Spoons on Amazon. You can find a lot of different sizes and colors there at a good price.
You can also order the Slender Spoon direct from the Custom Spins company. They have the full line on their website. They even have some colors and assortments I haven’t seen elsewhere. So it doesn’t hurt to go straight to the source.
No matter where you get the Slender Spoon you should definitely try this lure the next time you go ice fishing. Like I said, I have caught a whole bunch of fish on these things. It’s one of my go-to lures whenever I am starting out a day on the ice. A lot of times it’s all I need to catch fish. It works very well for others too. Give it a shot.
