LOONY SPOONS USA, A SPIRIT LURES PARTNER

Fishing guide · Trolling spoons

Best lures for salmon & trout

The Loony Spoon is the go-to lure for salmon, trout, walleye and char — bright flash, crippled baitfish action, and a dance that predatory fish can’t leave alone. Here’s how we pick the right Loony Spoon for the water you’re fishing.

WHY DO SALMON AND TROUT LOVE LOONY SPOONS?

The Loony Spoon imitates a wounded, crippled baitfish — the one meal a salmon or trout never refuses. The Loony Spoon Max is an all-stainless-steel spoon with welded rings, a 3D UV scale pattern and pearl white glow, finished by hand and rigged with a Mustad 9510XXXS stainless steel siwash hook. It runs true at trolling speed and works in fresh and saltwater.

Loony Spoons have enough action of their own to fish with or without a flasher — more on that below. They start to dance around 2.5 to 3.0 mph.

Match the size to the species

Four sizes cover everything from kokanee to staging chinook:

  • Winter Chinook feed on sand-lance, needlefish and other small baits — a Size 3 (3") is ideal.

  • Fall Coho aren’t feeding and prefer faster presentations — Size 3 and Size 3.5 (3.75") are great.

  • Summer-run Chinook prefer slower baits than coho — Size 3, 3.5 and 4 (4.5").

  • Staging Chinook want large, slow presentations — try a Size 4.

  • Trout and Kokanee hit lures up to 3" — Size 3 is ideal.

  • Trophy trout feeding on shad, smelt and kokanee — try Size 3, 3.5 and even Size 4.

Colors for the conditions

  • Some colors work in any condition:

    • Herring Aid, Green Hornet, Cop Car, Night Magic and Supermelon

  • Brighter lures for brighter days and clear water:

    • Lemon Lime, Dorado, Pearlbread, Purple Dawn and Watermelon

  • Darker lures for darker days and stained water:

    • Night Magic, Herring Aid, Green Hornet and Cop Car

  • Glow and silver for fishing depths greater than 100 feet — every Loony Spoon qualifies.

Trolling speed, flashers and leaders

  • Troll your Loony Spoons at 2.5 to 3.0 mph before they start to dance.

  • With downriggers, keep the cable at roughly 45 degrees — a little less for lethargic fish like staging chinook, a little more for aggressive fish like winter chinook or fall coho.

  • Most salmon spoons need flashers for the right action. Loony Spoons have awesome action on their own — we recommend trying them without flashers. You’ll likely land more fish, catch bigger fish, and the fight is awesome.

  • If you do run a flasher, start with 24 to 40 inches of leader for coho and 36 to 72+ inches for chinook.

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More questions? Read the Loony Spoon FAQ.