Spoons

[Chris Hammond]

I recently lost my two large spoon lures in consecutive casts to unseen snags at the bottom of a fen drain. I had an idea for some home made spoons I’d been meaning to try so I’ve knocked one up to test prior to fishing.

I have a large quantity of zinc roofing off cuts I’ve been using for predator guards on bird nesting boxes. It’s maleable to a degree but stiffer than lead. I’ve doubled it up to give it a bit more strength, and fashioned a basic spoon shape.

I’m going to test it to ensure it is strong enough before trying in the river, but was wondering where I can get lure strength split rings large enough to furnish it. Anyone got any recommendations, or any thoughts as to the suitability of the material?

[andrew_nagel]

Chico might well be your man for the split rings. I got some big ones from him for spoons a while back. If not try UK Hooks online. I think they are based on one of the channel islands. I've had good big stainless splits rings from them in the past.
Mark Houghton used to make some whopping big spoons in the 80's when he was working as a sheet metal worker. They worked well. Try asking him. He's the helpful sort and there's no BS from him. He know's a thing or two about making lures. I've been buying spoons for salmon trolling recently and most of those are in stainless or lacquered copper as they'll be used in brackish water. I'd imagine if you wanted to form the concave/convex profile it could be an idea to carve the concave form into a piece of very dense hardwood. Then place a metal blank over it and beat/tap it into form with a small ball hammer. It might help to drill the holes at either end of the blank first and put corresponding pins into the hardwood form. Then the blank will be held in place while you knock it into the form.

[Chris Hammond]

Chico might well be your man for the split rings. I got some big ones from him for spoons a while back. If not try UK Hooks online. I think they are based on one of the channel islands. I've had good big stainless splits rings from them in the past.
Mark Houghton used to make some whopping big spoons in the 80's when he was working as a sheet metal worker. They worked well. Try asking him. He's the helpful sort and there's no BS from him. He know's a thing or two about making lures. I've been buying spoons for salmon trolling recently and most of those are in stainless or lacquered copper as they'll be used in brackish water. I'd imagine if you wanted to form the concave/convex profile it could be an idea to carve the concave form into a piece of very dense hardwood. Then place a metal blank over it and beat/tap it into form with a small ball hammer. It might help to drill the holes at either end of the blank first and put corresponding pins into the hardwood form. Then the blank will be held in place while you knock it into the form.

Thanks Andrew. It doesn’t show in the picture but I’ve put a slight dish in it by forming ut around a curved bit of wood.
I’m pretty confident that it will ‘work’ , but want to make sure that the split ring can’t be torn through the zinc under extreme pressure.

I have ordered the appropriate split rings now following a recommendation via pm from another poster.

Ps this one is about 125mm in length, but I will make a few at larger sizes if it works.

[paintman]

Bag of sand & a ball pein hammer would help you dish the spoon.
Usually the bags are leather but for light use I'd have though strong material would work.

[Chris Hammond]

Bag of sand & a ball pein hammer would help you dish the spoon.
Usually the bags are leather but for light use I'd have though strong material would work.

Cheers P.

[Oldskoolfool]

Used to have wooden block and round head hammer - most of my spoons were from scrap copper pipe or other suitable metal.

[Joepiker]

Quite rigid, so makes it hard to work with, but chrome coated copper pipe is great. If you don’t like one side being copper, then some silver tape as used by sitters is the job, then a light layer of clear nail varnish protects that.