Best Lake Michigan Trolling Spoons- Last Season's Best Sellers
Share
Last season on Lake Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin customers made their picks clear. Here's a breakdown of my top-selling Lake Michigan trolling spoons from last season, based on sales data. If you're building your spread for the upcoming season, this is a good starting point.
Why Glow Matters on Lake Michigan
Kings spend a lot of time deep, often below the thermocline where light penetration drops fast. Couple that with the fact that they are low-light feeders and you'll often find a spoon that glows bright outfishes the one that fades out after a few minutes. My SuperGlow and UltraMega Glow finishes are engineered specifically for this- charging fast and holding their charge longer than standard glow spoons. In side-by-side video tests, UltraMega Glow outlasted every major brand it ran against. Be sure to read my "Can You Have TOO MUCH Glow?" blog and check out the videos for info on charging and fishing glow lures.
Last Season's Top SuperGlow Lake Michigan Spoons
#1 - SuperGlow 'Bloody Zombie' The surprise #1 last season - Bloody Zombie jumped to the top of the Lake Michigan charts and stayed there. Kings were hammering it all season long for Michigan and Wisconsin anglers.
#2 - SuperGlow 'Green Eyes' A perennial Lake Michigan staple, with three hot-green glow eyes on a green glow base - something about eyes is just deadly in low-light. One of the most consistent producers I make for the big lake.
#3 - SuperGlow 'Kevin's Carbon' This one remains a must-have. The gloss black back with glow/green/black accents on front is a proven trigger for big chinook. Don't leave the dock without it.
#4 - SuperGlow 'Pearl Zombie' White can be a fantastic color and this one did well last season on Lake Michigan.
#5 - SuperGlow 'Big Puddin' A consistent top-five finisher for Lake Michigan, Big Puddin delivers a bold pattern that stands out in a spread.
Last Season's Top UltraMega Glow Lake Michigan Spoons
#1 - UltraMega Glow 'Green Eyes' Not really surprising: Green and Eyes. The 'eyes' have it again!
#2 - UltraMega Glow 'Green Scooter' Another green/black/glow spoon catching kings? Who knew 😊
#3 - UltraMega Glow 'Bloody Guppy' Blue glow base with a fire red tip - this one was a top catcher as well.
#4 - UltraMega Glow 'Pinkie Toe' This glow pink spoon is normally a killer in the spring but it went on to catch fish all season.
#5 - UltraMega Glow 'Blue Eyes' Another eye pattern showing kings prefer dots. This one is on a blue glow base.
Also worth running: 'Green Zit Ripper', 'Green Zombie', and 'Black Zombie' all cracked the top ten last season. For UltraMega Glow, 'Fire Toe', 'BlackTip' and 'Black Gunnship' led the pack.
What Size Spoons Work Best?
My spoons come in Regular (3.78 in) and Magnum (4.70 in). It SEEMS like in the spring fishing smaller (reg's) spoons can be more effective and then as the season progresses and the bait and salmon get larger you change to larger (Mag's) spoons. This is the 'Match-the-Hatch' theory...but does not always hold true. There are previous years alewives around (so biggies) all the time and many guys fish mags season long and do well. And many guys fish regs all season and do well. But I have seen preference for size many times so...this is a tough one to answer. The answer is "The one that the fish are biting!" And it really comes down to what you're confident running.
How to Run These Spoons
Downrigger
Generally 17-20lb mono or fluorocarbon leader, 10-40ft from your downrigger release.
Diver
Most common is a manageable length...usually the length of the pole. Or extend your leader to 8-10 ft (or longer) to give the spoon room to work behind the diver's turbulence. OR shorten it up to 4 ft to get some of that turbulence. Yet another variable in the salmon puzzle!
Lead Core
Run the spoon on a 15-30 ft leader off the lead core.
Trolling Speed
2-3.0 mph is the sweet spot for most conditions. A steady sway back and forth with an occasional 'kick' 360 rotation is what you are shooting for most often. But don't be afraid to speed up or slow down- keep varying your speed. Change provokes strikes. Let the fish tell you what they want.
Proper Spoon Attachment
The spoons should be attached with a ball bearing snap swivel to reduce line twist. You can also attach a ball bearing swivel and then 3-4 ft of leader and then a clean wire snap. This keeps the weight down at the actual spoon and helps it kick at slower speeds.
Closing
Last season Bloody Zombie led the charge, Green Eyes and Kevin's Carbon held their ground, and the Zombie family owned Lake Michigan. Stock up on last season's proven producers and you'll be ahead of the game. Shop my spoons here - SuperGlow Spoons and here - UltraMega Spoons.