Can You Have TOO MUCH Glow?! Glow Tricks for Spoons and Lures

When 5:00 AM hits, most salmon anglers reach for a UV light and blast their spoons until they’re glowing like a neon sign. But often times, if you want to catch more fish, you need to be more strategic with lure charging.  I will break down why "subtle" often beats "bright" and show you a few top-secret tricks to customize your lure patterns on the fly.

This post has content from this video: Tricks for Charging Glow Salmon Spoons

The "Subtle Start" Strategy

I never start the morning by glowing up every line in the spread. My go-to move is to run one fully charged, "blown up" spoon to see if it triggers an aggressive strike. Usually this is my first lure down.  The rest of the spread stays subtle: spoons charged the night before that have gone a bit dingy, or lures where I've only hit specific sections with light.  This glowing beacon spoon may act like an attracter bringing fish into the spread like a big flasher often does.

My Rule: Let the fish tell you what they want. If that bright spoon rips immediately, then start glowing the others fully. If not, stick with the subtle approach.

3 Pro Tricks for Custom Glow Patterns

You don't have to settle for a solid block of glow. By using a UV penlight and a little creativity, you can create patterns that stand out from the standard tackle everyone else is pulling.

• The "Barred" Effect: This is one of my favorites for flies and spoons. Simply place your fingers across the lure and run your light over them. Your fingers act as a stencil, creating a "barred" or striped pattern that fish seem to love.

• Targeted Accents: Instead of charging the whole spoon, just charge-up the eyes or specific spots/patterns. This gives the fish a distinct target to strike without blowing out the whole profile into one blob of bright light.

• The Squiggle & Strip: Using a UV penlight, you can draw squiggles or a single glowing strip down the center. It changes the "flash" of the lure as it darts, giving it a more erratic on-off look.

Using Templates (The "Show Off" Trick)

If you want to get really slick, you can use a templates. Hold it over your Fisher Tackle UltraMega Glow Spoon and hit it with your big light. You’ll get a professional, impressive pattern that isn't a "big blasted glow," keeping that subtle edge that can trigger salmon.  Give the UltraMegas a try, they proved to be the brightest, longest lasting spoons out of many brands tested...as seen in this video: UltraMega: Brightest on the Planet?

Final Thoughts

Whether you’re running an UltraMega spoon, SuperGlow spoon or a custom StripFly, remember that glow is a tool, not just a setting. Play with patterns, use your fingers as stencils, and don't be afraid to let them dim out a little.  More glow spoon info and examples in this blog article: UltraMega vs SuperGlow