Metal, from Tins to Jigs to Casting Spoons- Everything You Need to Know

[CaryGreene]

That's the way you want it M, having some projects to keep you busy also keeps you out of trouble!

[Noodles]

I typically fish from a pier so I have used metal very rarely. Spoons just dont work that well from high up. That said, the only thing I have ever caught was a ribbonfish on a blue/silver little Cleo. Hard to surf fish here with all the tourists.

[BrianBM]

Nothing like an pretty, open beach to challenge you. I love it when fish show up and then come back around again. How fun. Wow, I think it's time to get out there, I'm ready!! Tired of being cooped up. Great points about getting better action with a loop knot and dealing with the potential line twist by using the swivel a ways back.Hope you have a great season Brian!  

 

Thank you, I hope to do so.

 

A single swivel has little effect on line twist.  It's a convenient attachment point, no more. To deal with line twist you'd need a keeled sinker between the payload and the running line, and while that's practical for a troller, it's impossible for casting. A swivel is a good point from which to use a tag end for a teaser, though I've pretty much stopped doing that, but otherwise it's just an easy thing to which to tie a leader. The good news is that with a slowly retrieved, keeled tin, line twist really doesn't happen enough to matter. The tin will oscillate back and forth, and while it might spin a bit on the drop, it's not all that much. (Lateral current can mess that up, of course, which would change my approach a bit.) 

 

Line twist becomes significant when you add a tube tail. People reach for diamonds with tube tails very quickly when there are sand eels in the water.  They certainly do produce, but I'm usually content with a very skinny, keeled tin. Pt Jude had, and may still have, some slightly curved tins with a skinny profile that are dandy sand eels.  (I think it was Pt Jude, anyway.) Spoon-shaped jigs will twist line too.

 

No great matter. Any lure that catches fish is worth whatever peripheral nuisance (line twist or whatever) comes with it, so we're all happy.

[BrianBM]

Also great to know Brian. Have you tried the little sized Diamonds much? They are really good. Slowing them down from shore makes good sense. 

 

Not enough to matter, but between you, me and the rest of the Forum, most payloads work best on a slow retrieve. Even bluefish, IMHO, are fine with slow retrieves. They will chase a lure moving at speed where a bass won't, but does that mean they insist on speed?  I think not. Reasonable minds may differ.

[Slaptail]

Thanks for this CaryGreen, well done.

[CaryGreene]

Hi Slaptail!

 

Absolutely my pleasure. All I did was get us started. Glad you enjoyed it. Do you have any interest in Metals or have you fished them at all? What kind of waters do you fish.

[Southcoastphil]

CG,

 

After studying many of the posts that you've started, I think that I have figured out your approach:

 

You get an idea about a topic that you

A.  Find interesting and

B.  About which you have a significant core of knowledge.

 

You pull the pin from your "core knowledge" grenade and proceed to throw said grenade into our community.

Whereupon that grenade explodes upon members' thought processes and experiences, thus igniting a long series of thought fires, as evidenced by members sharing the aforementioned experiences and thought processes.  Differences in opinions ignite yet more fires.

 

Which results in a greater knowledge base for all.  Don't stop!!

 

Edited April 1, 2016 by Southcoastphil

[ZAFisher]

Metals are popular and widely used in South Africa, might have to do with our generally rough sea conditions that dictate distance as a prerequisite.

One venue I fished requires you cast from around 30-40m back from the breaking waves purely because if you go any closer you are likely to get washed off the rocks.

Throw 100m and you get 50m of retrieve before you need to start worrying about getting your lure up and stop it washing into the bricks - long throws are mandatory.

CID Iron Candy spoons are a local development, but I see they are available in the US too.

The Couta Casting in either 1.5 or 3oz throw very well with a nice darting action.

 

 

 

[sytheteacher]

All year long I throw metal. The motor movement keeps me in shape. Consecutive throwing motion eventually stretches  every muscle in your body besides catching fish... 

[CaryGreene]

Not enough to matter, but between you, me and the rest of the Forum, most payloads work best on a slow retrieve. Even bluefish, IMHO, are fine with slow retrieves. They will chase a lure moving at speed where a bass won't, but does that mean they insist on speed?  I think not. Reasonable minds may differ.

Yes, I fish Off The Jetty in my avatar a lot and it's pretty much sight fishing for very big blue fish I use flies mostly or very small baits and once I see then veer off because the bait got their attention, I , just impart a little life to it well let them come and take it it's very easy to read something in too fast. I let tins flutter very slowly usually. It's probably good that you mentioned this tactic in your post because many readers will be new to tis or possibly surf fishing in general and a slow retrieve is often very deadly. Of course there are times you can't move a little fast enough but usually you're not targeting Stripers when this happens.

[CaryGreene]

CG,

 

After studying many of the posts that you've started, I think that I have figured out your approach:

 

You get an idea about a topic that you

A.  Find interesting and

B.  About which you have a significant core of knowledge.

 

You pull the pin from your "core knowledge" grenade and proceed to throw said grenade into our community.

Whereupon that grenade explodes upon members' thought processes and experiences, thus igniting a long series of thought fires, as evidenced by members sharing the aforementioned experiences and thought processes.  Differences in opinions ignite yet more fires.

 

Which results in a greater knowledge base for all.  Don't stop!!

 

Yes and hopefully I learn too. The results of the group always are superior to the results of the individual! There are many threads around here when people chime in and say I like this or I use that and they don't say anything more. It makes for simple reading and what I'm shooting for is a little bit of a learning experience for all of us maybe. Look where this trend is already it's far superior than what I started it off with. We're only getting started too!

[CaryGreene]

Metals are popular and widely used in South Africa, might have to do with our generally rough sea conditions that dictate distance as a prerequisite.

One venue I fished requires you cast from around 30-40m back from the breaking waves purely because if you go any closer you are likely to get washed off the rocks.

Throw 100m and you get 50m of retrieve before you need to start worrying about getting your lure up and stop it washing into the bricks - long throws are mandatory.

CID Iron Candy spoons are a local development, but I see they are available in the US too.

The Couta Casting in either 1.5 or 3oz throw very well with a nice darting action.

VERY COOL ZA. You have to put some more photos up and give us some advice this is really near to see.

[CaryGreene]

All year long I throw metal. The motor movement keeps me in shape. Consecutive throwing motion eventually stretches  every muscle in your body besides catching fish...

 

In that case I better get out soon! burp!

[sytheteacher]

STOP being a couch potato and  start throwing lures!!!!

[beached again]

Just for the record my biggest fish ever was on a white 4oz.crippled herring. Jones beach field 6, early fall a few years ago. The fish in my pic is a sturgeon that measured just over 6 feet. According to charts a fish that size ranges from 100 to 120 pounds. Metals are my go to in the surf.

 

Cary I'm working on a friend of mine that has a collection of Charlie Pasquale tins. I'll be in touch if I can get him to part with some.