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hopkins spoons

post #1 of 22
9/1/10 at 12:13pm
Thread Starter 
I am wondering where is the best place to order these spoons with the bucktail ?
How would you guys reccomend fishing them ?

Thanks again
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post #2 of 22
9/1/10 at 12:33pm
Hi Scottsman,

There are wonderful outlets on line and ebay that discount them from time to time. A nice google search or one of those "price comparison" searches should turn up a few places running current sales ...

There are many ways to use a hopkins the bucktails version is excellent for cast and retrieve high or low water column but the "plain" treble is the preferred tail for vertical jigging which is a deadly technique.

using a hopkins is a "feel thing" and is an acquired skill that comes with time..
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post #3 of 22
9/1/10 at 2:25pm
hopkins, fast for blues, moderate to slow for bass, bounce em off the bottom/jig from a boat. Very versatile lure
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post #4 of 22
9/1/10 at 2:42pm
Love my Shorty with 5/0 vmc siwash. Besides blues and stripers, I jig the spoon along the bottom and got lots of flukes from shore.

BTW, you also can use it as a top water lure.
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post #5 of 22
9/2/10 at 12:05am
They may be made out of stainless steel but they are still tins. The spoons most often used by surf casters are called Gators and Krocodiles.

Peace
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post #6 of 22
9/2/10 at 6:35am
yep, hopkins aren't spoons, they're 'tins' or 'jigs', like diamonds. you need to create action in this lure, won't do it by itself. a true 'spoon', like a krocodile or pet or daredevil, will wobble, flutter and spin on its own, since it's got some curve built into the outline ... kinda like a real spoon. a kastmaster is is 'flat spoon' - the non-curved, graduated and sloped flat sides add flutter and wobble. spoons and jigs are a staple for surf or boat.
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post #7 of 22
9/2/10 at 12:05pm
Thread Starter 
Thanks guys..Been having a look at gators and krocodiles online and there is such an array of sizes and colours i was wondering if you can suggest which best suit my needs from shore in costa rica for roosterfish jacks etc.
,
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post #8 of 22
9/2/10 at 12:35pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by hairyscotsman View Post
Thanks guys..Been having a look at gators and krocodiles online and there is such an array of sizes and colours i was wondering if you can suggest which best suit my needs from shore in costa rica for roosterfish jacks etc.

,



do a search for 'roosterfish' and pull up those threads, then pm or email some of the posters that actively fish mexico.
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post #9 of 22
9/2/10 at 1:13pm
Thread Starter 
Thank you.
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post #10 of 22
9/2/10 at 1:51pm
I have only caught bluefish on hopkins'(because this is really my first year fishing lures) but I tend to disagree that you must impart your own action. I find the hopkins swims well on it's own with a straight retrieve. Maybe the bass don't think so, however, which could explain something. I am not trying to start an argument hear, as I would like to learn something myself and I am sure BeachBob and the other guys here have a lot more experience then I do. So,my question is why do you have to impart your own action? They seem to have a nice action to them with just a straight retrieve. Same thing with diamond jigs. I have caught a few bas and lots of blues on those with just a straight retrieve. They also seem to have good "natural" action. If I should be giving them their own action, what should I be doing?
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post #11 of 22
9/2/10 at 4:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by FishingMike View Post
I have only caught bluefish on hopkins'(because this is really my first year fishing lures) but I tend to disagree that you must impart your own action. I find the hopkins swims well on it's own with a straight retrieve. Maybe the bass don't think so, however, which could explain something. I am not trying to start an argument hear, as I would like to learn something myself and I am sure BeachBob and the other guys here have a lot more experience then I do. So,my question is why do you have to impart your own action? They seem to have a nice action to them with just a straight retrieve. Same thing with diamond jigs. I have caught a few bas and lots of blues on those with just a straight retrieve. They also seem to have good "natural" action. If I should be giving them their own action, what should I be doing?



straight, symetrical tins (hopkins, diamonds, etc.) retrieve fairly straight and don't "swim" unless you work the lure with the rod. if yer into a fish bite, particularly blues, no action is required, they'll attack anything that moves. when there is no bite happening, a lure than "swims" is more "lifelike" and more enticing than one with basically a straight retrieve. which is why i prefer to use pets and kastmasters - these are "swimming tins".
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post #12 of 22
9/2/10 at 6:25pm
I have Hopkins and Kastmasters. The Kastmaster is a great lure in the surf. The Hopkins is just a lump of metal and I have never caught Bass on it. Very expensive for what it is.

Mike
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post #13 of 22
9/2/10 at 6:32pm
keep in mind that hopkins, diamonds and all other straight tins were originally for boat bottom up/down jigging.



kastmasters, krocs, pets, and lotsa other "tins" are really wobble spoons meant for a "plugging" retrieve, for fresh and salt game fishies.
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post #14 of 22
9/2/10 at 7:09pm
We all look at things differently and I love Hopkins lures, often undressed….

They are a fundamental lure for me. Castmaster too, but I use that to fish a bit shallower and it snaps nicely just swinging in a strong current. It's also a tad better for Salmon in the surf. Both are made better for stripers with a teaser or dropper fly, or sometimes a trailer and I’d guess more than half my fish are caught with the dropper. But I’ve caught thousands of fish on the lure itself.

I think it helps sometimes to get the Hopkins very bright, which I do with a buffing wheel. Also, for the 3 ¼ ounces No=Equals, I thin the leading edge a bit, which can cause a bit more snap or “sashay.â€

A preferred retrieve for stripers, for me, is to moderately reel the lure in with the rod‘s tip in a normal and high surfcasting retrieve position. Then I jig the lure and immediately give another jig which causes it to dart well….sort of a double jig. But I’ve seen a lot of fish caught with the thing just retrieved raw.

Wouldn’t leave home without it. Interestingly, this was among the first casting lures used on the beaches of the West Coast for stripers.

Cheers, Roof
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post #15 of 22
9/2/10 at 7:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike Oliver View Post
I have Hopkins and Kastmasters. The Kastmaster is a great lure in the surf. The Hopkins is just a lump of metal and I have never caught Bass on it. Very expensive for what it is.



Mike



Quote:
Originally Posted by FishingMike View Post
I have only caught bluefish on hopkins'(because this is really my first year fishing lures) but I tend to disagree that you must impart your own action. I find the hopkins swims well on it's own with a straight retrieve. Maybe the bass don't think so, however, which could explain something. I am not trying to start an argument hear, as I would like to learn something myself and I am sure BeachBob and the other guys here have a lot more experience then I do. So,my question is why do you have to impart your own action? They seem to have a nice action to them with just a straight retrieve. Same thing with diamond jigs. I have caught a few bas and lots of blues on those with just a straight retrieve. They also seem to have good "natural" action. If I should be giving them their own action, what should I be doing?



I'm not an expert or anything but the hopkins has caught me many bass. It is a very versatile lure. It can be retrieved slowly as it has its own action or you can impart your own action with the rod tip. I think after I cast it usually glides sideways into the water as I have had hits right after it landed in the water.







Didn't mean to poke it in the eye.
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