Spoonplugging - Right or Wrong? 2024
ApexAngler reply :
I'm 3/4 of the way through Buck Perry's book, Spoonplugging, and I'm asking myself why I've never seen anyone fish like ol' Buck recommends.
Oh, sure...we all know about structure and migration paths and the importance of breaks and whatnot, and this may be Perry's lasting legacy to the sport. However, when was the last time you saw VanDam or Swindle or Iaconelli REALLY work a piece of water in the methodical fashion described in this book? Or is it that David Fritts and some of the other crankbaiters are working the water column slowly and carefully while the other guys are running and gunning? If so, not much of that translates to the Saturday morning TV shows.
I'm a non-boating member of a local bass club, so I fish the monthly tournament from the back of the boat. Most of the guys have their trolling motors set on high, and we're beating the banks about as fast as we can go. I never get more than a couple of casts at a laydown or a stump before it's out of reach. When I'm walking the banks of the local lakes and ponds on my own, I'm waaaay more methodical in my fancasting than when I'm just along for the ride.
My question is this: was Buck Perry right in his approach to catching bass or have today's tournament pros figured out something that he never understood?
Frankly, I don't think I've ever read a more carefully-reasoned and detailed explanation of how to fish for bass...I'm just wondering if what I'm reading is actually CORRECT.
Matt Fly reply :
I am not familar with this book, but would like to say that what we see on TV is editted. We catch the good stuff and not the boring details. What I do know of Buck, lures and their capabilities have changed. The trolling motor is more powerful now days. He references using the big motor for trolling which is against tournament rules these days. And Sonar are unlimited in what they can show, or what you can down load into them. Most of Mr. Perrys books I have seen are correct, for those times. I think technology of today is why.
With his elemental approach, and todays technology, If Buck was a young man, he would be a force to be dealt with on the pro tour. I know he passed away this year. I would recommend alot of his books to beginners, they do seem to be right on target with his approach and methods for prefishing and finding fish.
guest reply :
Wow! This is term I havn't heard in years! Years ago you could buy a spoon plugging kit that had the different depth lures in it. This is primitive technology. I think there must be colletor value in this book and the lure kit but as a method for catching fish your talking fishing with the dinosaurs.
preach4bass reply :
I'd like to read the book, where did you find it?
Glenn reply :
Just do a Google search for "Buck Perry" or "spoonplugging" and you'll have your selection of sites to choose from. 
Chris reply :
I think it is a little of both. I fish slow, I always have. I am more than happy sitting on a tree and pick it apart until I am sure they are not there to bite. I then come back to see if anyone has changed their mind. I am the kind of fishermen you don't want to fish behind because I don't leave many fish. There are times when you can isolate where the bass are hanging on cover or structure and you manage your time you spend on them accordantly. Buck is known for controlled depth fishing. Many of the things he said in his book and many articles there after still holds true today. As a tournament fishermen you don't have time to waste on waiting for the fish to bite. I say this because most of the time there is active fish that are easier to catch. Most tournament fishermen know this and try for a easy bite. Very few know how to fish deep or fish deep effectively because they don't understand controlled depth fishing. That was what that spoon plug was all about because it ran at a predictable depth. Today a Carolina rig replaced most deep tactics for tournament fishermen because they don't understand deep cranking for example or drop shot or deep spinner baiting. If you hand a normal fishermen a deep crankbait and say here go get 'em they don't understand what true depth that bait will run with what distance cast. Also you take the same fishermen and tell him to fish for a group of suspending fish they would have a hard time reaching the fish or understand what it would take to get to them. The problem is if your not a crankbait fishermen and not a deep water crankbait fishermen you would be lost. The same holds true with other baits under the same situation. That's why some guys fly at full speed or fish different than you do either they figured them out and don't need to waste time or they are limited to what they feel comfortable fishing. Sometimes guys panic and don't realize that they are fishing like they had to much coffee.
FlyRod reply :
I recall that Spoonplugging was a big deal among a VERY limited number of anglers here in the San Antonio area, circa late 70's. There was at least one Spoonplugging club formed here. It did not last long.
In those pre-Walmart days, there were numerous independent tackle dealers in our fair city. Some of them loaded up on Spoonplugs... and some later ate them 
I was invited on a Spoonplugging trip during that time; Borrrrrrrriiiiinnnnggggg!
After the 'pluggers got tired of replacing their weaponry that had been lost to trees, rocks, etc, (and that didn't take long) the club faded away along with fad.
To me, trolling is something you do in the deep blue sea (They never have eliminated the difficulties involved in casting lures with a 9/0 Penn Senator) OR if desperate for a fish and/or would rather drink beer/fondle Cynthia as you drag hardware through the water.
Buck was scientist, after a fashion, and is due respect for the manner in which he developed the system and application. For all that, however, a TRUE fisherman/woman, seeks his/her quarry one-on-one, hand-to-hand. To hook a fish with a rod in a holder, missing that wondrous sensation of a strike, is to surrender a thrill like no other.
F.Rod
guest reply :
Flyrod waxing poetic. I love it.
I never tried the technique but I did look into it. I remember being turned off by the lures. They were ugly things that looked like something made in a high school metal shop.
JerryL reply :
I was a religious '' spoonplugger '' from 1974 - 80 It's nothing more than a scam with a very small cult following, designed to sell spoonplugs and tons of '' instructional '' material. Its theories have been disproved by modern tracking technology and modern fishing techniques, primarily by the '' flipping '' method that proves fish do not go deep after cold fronts as buck perry claimed -- to just cite one example. I won't say any more, serious anglers can and will disprove the rest of perry's bogus claims.
frogflogger reply :
I use to use the few deeper running crank baits available to troll - I read Buck Perry and the knowledge I gained from trolling different depths taught me more than a lifetime of casting could - on a very miserly lake I would routinely catch 30 - 40 bass a trip where catching 5 could be difficult for bank beaters.
Never thought of it as a "cult" but just another approach -
Tournament fishing has influenced bass fishing to such an extent that trolling has become a lost art on bass lakes - but I don't think it should be "poo pooed" - Particularly for those that cannot afford a rigged bass boat it offers a valid opportunity to locate and catch bass effectively.
Bass are such amazingly diverse creatures that they can be caught in all kinds of different environments on the same body of water. You can flip up a five pounder in 2' of water or catch one 25' deep trolling a swimbait (or spoonplug).
It's all bass fishing and it's all fun.
papajoe222 reply :
On 5/3/2019 at 11:08 AM, JerryL said:the '' flipping '' method that proves fish do not go deep after cold fronts as buck perry claimed -- to just cite one example. I won't say any more, serious anglers can and will disprove the rest of perry's bogus claims.
Buck never said all fish go deep after cold fronts. Just because a small percentage of fish seek the security of holding tight to cover doesn't disprove his theory that fish will seek security under cold front conditions and deep water offers security. I consider myself a serious angler and I've caught hundreds of bass under cold front conditions fishing deep structure. IMO the addition of down and side imaging units have actually proven Perry's findings to be accurate. What has been removed from his system is the methodical approach to covering the water column.
If, as an angler, you are content fishing shallow water cover, do so. If, on the other hand, you want to understand the fish migration patterns and become a more versatile angler, don't discount the knowledge Mr. Perry has passed on as bogus.
JerryL reply :
I studied perry extensively and never read or heard him say some fish seek security of shallow cover while most go deep to escape the effects of a front -- if that's what you're saying. In his '' green book '', ''spoonplugging - your guide to lunker catches '' he said fronts drive them deep.
The main thing perry was wrong on was that fish make these drastic depth changes in a matter of minutes in their '' migrations '' to and fro shallow to deep. Modern tracking methods show they stay very much along a stratified plane in all their movements... and he said when they move from their '' sanctuaries '', they first come to their '' contact point '' on '' structure '' then proceed along deep '' breaks and breaklines '' towards the shallows eventually to a '' scatter point '' where, if conditions allow, they spread out somewhat. These movements only last for 10 to 15 minutes at a time and the'' spoonplugger ''has to be waiting for them in a casting position to cast bottom-bumping lures to rake them in by '' keeping them in a frenzy '' before they scoot back down.
Perry nor any other spoonplugger, to my knowledge, ever demonstrated such claims with actual video proof ( they just show fish pictures )... and that's the main reason I completely regard perry and his '' instructors '' nothing more than hustlers out to sell fishing equipment and tons of '' teaching material ''.
Tim Kelly reply :
Spoonplugging should be required reading for all anglers. Sure, some of it is probably a bit inaccurate or fanciful, but it offers a very useful incite into general bass movements and understanding of structure and it's importance to bass and other species. If you use the general information and add in modern sonar it can help you understand lakes much more quickly than miles of trolling could.
A-Jay reply :
@JerryL Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~
Interesting premise regarding Mr Perry & his teachings.
Clearly this is a older thread and Spoonplugging itself has come & mostly gone, quite a bit of what was initially offered in his writings is IMO applicable today.
While I do not fish his baits, I can not completely discount the approach.
A-Jay
frogflogger reply :
If Buck was a "hustler" he sure hustled a lot of fish. Like Billy Westmoreland ("smallmouth don't suspend") some of his conclusions have been proven incorrect but all pro's and knowledgeable fishermen today are well aware of "funnels" and routes and timing. I think for some of us this knowledge started with reading Buck's theories.
With the advances in tech many ideas about bass behavior are being rethought. But if a guys ideas help me catch fish I'm all for it-
Catt reply :
I'm a devout student of Buck's teaching on structure fishing but my understanding of structure fishing did not end with he's teaching!
Team9nine reply :
Speaking of good trollers... ????
scaleface reply :
I never read the book but Fishing Facts magazine had a lot of articles about Buck Perry and Spoonplugging . Never tried it myself . Looks to me like it would be a hassle , getting snagged a lot . I watched two in a boat doing it at Mark Twain lake and they were catching bass . I talked to them for awhile and they stated they do it successfully in lakes all across Missouri .
Tennessee Boy reply :
I was reading something recently that had been heavily redacted (I won’t mention what it was as that’s not relevant to this discussion ????). That got me thinking that if someone went through Buck’s book and redacted everything that has been proven wrong through scientific study and everything that is no longer relevant due to advances in technology, not much would be left. About the only parts that would remain are the parts that tell you how to locate fish. If you’re interested in locating fish, then I highly recommend the book. Otherwise don’t waste your time.
J Francho reply :
On 5/5/2019 at 11:37 PM, Team9nine said:Speaking of good trollers... ????
Fourscore and 14 years ago.....who knew someone would sign up to dig up and trash decades old threads about spoonplugging.
JerryL reply :
On 5/8/2019 at 10:46 PM, J Francho said:Fourscore and 14 years ago.....who knew someone would sign up to dig up and trash decades old threads about spoonplugging.
It's about time someone took a real stand against the scam, the cult of '' spoonplugging ''. I was a victim of it for 6 yrs.-- a complete waste of my fishing... but at least I had the ability to get out.
On 5/5/2019 at 11:03 PM, frogflogger said:If Buck was a "hustler" he sure hustled a lot of fish. Like Billy Westmoreland ("smallmouth don't suspend") some of his conclusions have been proven incorrect but all pro's and knowledgeable fishermen today are well aware of "funnels" and routes and timing. I think for some of us this knowledge started with reading Buck's theories.
With the advances in tech many ideas about bass behavior are being rethought. But if a guys ideas help me catch fish I'm all for it-
When did you see buck catch a lot of fish ? Where did you see him make '' lunker catches '' from the casting position like he claimed he could -- video not fish pictures ?
Perry was wrong on practically everything, and was not original in any way as to the very few things ( if any ) he was right on.
JerryL reply :
On 5/5/2019 at 11:35 PM, Catt said:I'm a devout student of Buck's teaching on structure fishing but my understanding of structure fishing did not end with he's teaching!
My fishing greatly improved when I learned the REAL definition of '' structure '' -- not perry's.
On 5/8/2019 at 8:38 PM, scaleface said:I never read the book but Fishing Facts magazine had a lot of articles about Buck Perry and Spoonplugging . Never tried it myself . Looks to me like it would be a hassle , getting snagged a lot . I watched two in a boat doing it at Mark Twain lake and they were catching bass . I talked to them for awhile and they stated they do it successfully in lakes all across Missouri .
It's more than a hassle. It doesn't work because it's a scam.
On 5/8/2019 at 10:29 PM, Tennessee Boy said:I was reading something recently that had been heavily redacted (I won’t mention what it was as that’s not relevant to this discussion ????). That got me thinking that if someone went through Buck’s book and redacted everything that has been proven wrong through scientific study and everything that is no longer relevant due to advances in technology, not much would be left. About the only parts that would remain are the parts that tell you how to locate fish. If you’re interested in locating fish, then I highly recommend the book. Otherwise don’t waste your time.
So, how do YOU locate schools of fish ?
On 12/17/2005 at 4:26 AM, Matt Fly said:I am not familar with this book, but would like to say that what we see on TV is editted. We catch the good stuff and not the boring details. What I do know of Buck, lures and their capabilities have changed. The trolling motor is more powerful now days. He references using the big motor for trolling which is against tournament rules these days. And Sonar are unlimited in what they can show, or what you can down load into them. Most of Mr. Perrys books I have seen are correct, for those times. I think technology of today is why.
With his elemental approach, and todays technology, If Buck was a young man, he would be a force to be dealt with on the pro tour. I know he passed away this year. I would recommend alot of his books to beginners, they do seem to be right on target with his approach and methods for prefishing and finding fish.
Fishing tournaments were around when perry was young so he had ample chance to prove how good he was. Did he ? Not that I can find.
frogflogger reply :
There were many reputable writers of his day who fished with him and photographed him catching lots of bass. He fished with one while there was a tournament on the lake - if Buck had entered he would have won according to the writer.
With todays accurate running crankbaits you can troll his pattern of shallow to deep and probably catch more than the spoonplug ever could
Tennessee Boy reply :
On 5/21/2019 at 4:53 AM, JerryL said:
It's about time someone took a real stand against the scam, the cult of '' spoonplugging ''. I was a victim of it for 6 yrs.-- a complete waste of my fishing... but at least I had the ability to get out.
???? I just have to ask. During your six years in the cult, did you catch any fish?
Team9nine reply :
On 5/21/2019 at 8:54 AM, Tennessee Boy said:???? I just have to ask. During your six years in the cult, did you catch any fish?
Apparently not, this despite the fact that he obviously became one hell of a troller in those 6 years 
Catt reply :
On 5/21/2019 at 5:04 AM, JerryL said:My fishing greatly improved when I learned the REAL definition of '' structure '' -- not perry's
ROTFLMAO ????
J Francho reply :
Quoting 15 year old posts, trashing a dead guy, whose ideas about structure still hold true, refuting some dang good fisherman here, no proof of anything, just viscous dialog...We're done here. More of this, and so are you "JerryL." Why don't you man up, and start YOUR OWN thread about how to catch fish. I'd like pictures.
I've caught a few bass; here's proof.
related General Bass Fishing Forum topic
most viewed General Bass Fishing Forum topic
© 2024 - fishing.qciss.net. All Rights Reserved.