One lure that has endured decades of use and has caught millions of fish is a gold spoon.
Story and Photography by Robert Sloan

I can’t remember a day that lures didn’t fascinate me. Not too long ago I wrote about soft plastic jigs as being the ultimate lures. That’s probably true, but one lure that has endured decades of use and has caught millions of fish is a gold spoon. And one of the all time best is the Johnson Silver Minnow. This is truly a go anywhere, catch anything lure. The reason why is simple – it’s idiot proof. To catch a fish with this lure you tie it on, cast, reel and sooner or later you’ll catch a fish just about anywhere on Earth.
One of my very best days of fishing was about 10 years ago out of Port O’Connor. I was fishing with outdoor writer Joe Doggett, Forrest West who owned and operated Los Patos Lodge for years on Bolivar Peninsula and Dave Kveton a veteran guide who also owns and builds El Pescador boats. All longtime friends we had gathered at Kveton’s lodge for a few days of fishing.
The second afternoon we hit the honey hole. It was off of a point on a place called City Slicker Flats. We tied on 1/8-ounce gold spoons, ambled out of the boat and waded across a flat that was loaded with hungry reds. It was an all-time wade with good friends, gold spoons and more redfish than you could shake a stick at.
What makes gold spoons so unique? The main reason is that redfish love the flash and will hit them all day long. Plus, a red is the number one target fish for thousands of anglers. But other fish will eat them as well.
Over the past five decades I’ve caught fish on gold spoons from Galveston to East Africa. In fact, while fishing a reef off the coast of Tanzania in the Indian Ocean I hooked and landed a yellowfin tuna that ate a ¼-ounce gold spoon tipped with a yellow bucktail teaser.
Gold spoons will fool largemouth bass and white bass, as well. Back in the 60’s we didn’t leave the house without a selection of gold spoons. Talk about fun, try fishing a weedless spoon with an Uncle Josh pork frog trailer over lily pads. That was a go-to pattern for taking numbers of largemouths on Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend.

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