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With so many spoons on the market it can be a tough choice on what flavor or what color to buy, but I've narrowed my "Winter Time Blues" down to a few that are worth giving a try. In my spoon list I have altered course a wee bit and included a Flatfish and Apex (in blue of course!) that has at times out performed the spoons, and are worthy of mentioning.

From left to right, Apex, Kroc, Coyote, Stewart, Flatfish, Len Thompson and Kit A Mat.  Now, as far as which is the best hook, I'd have to leave that up to the fish!  I'm not about to tell you that they all catch fish all the time or that one is way better than the other but, what I can tell you, is that they have all worked at one time or another.  While the main feed for the char and rainbows in Shuswap Lake are kokanee, I think there are definitely days when one hook outfishes another simply because of color and may not even look like a kokanee, while on another day it will be lure action.  I have found that blue, for whatever reason, is a definite go to hook during the winter months.  If you checked those bucktailer's gear I have no doubt you'd find a bucktail or two with some blue in them as well!  For those of you that have followed my web site over the years, you'll see that "lure tester/field consultant" Jim Sutherland out of Kelowna, has taken some huge rainbows on the big blue/chrome Len Thompson out of Okanagan Lake.  Blue is also one of those colors, along with green, that retains its color the longest at depth, while the other colors fade out, making it an excellent choice when putting it down on the rigger.  That bright red turns grayish down deep, as even does the bright yellows.  Fish, according to those experts I spoke of earlier, have excellent color perception, very similar to us humans!

How to fish them??  All of the lures will troll nicely in that 1.5 to 2.0 mph range.  Once you start getting above that the Coyote and Stewart start to loose their nice action while the Flatfish just goes plain nuts!  I was on Okanagan Lake one time with my buddy Greg and he stuck on a silver Flatfish while I went to a bucktail, and at about 3.5 mph his rod tip was just a blur with the action on it but, he caught fish and I didn't!!  The Len Thompson in the smaller #2 as shown stays true right up to 3.0 mph, and Apex is similar to the Flatfish but may start to spin or just go straight at higher speeds.  When that surface water temp drops down to where the fish are comfy, I always have a surface line and one down deeper on the downrigger.  With one of my reels dressed up with some 30 lb Spider Wire, I'll let out about 75' and then attach a small Walleye planner board, and then let out another 100'.  The planner takes the line out to the side of the boat at least 75' so when the boat passes over those surface fish and maybe spooks them, hopefully they'll swim out to the side and find that hook!  At the same time, with the rigger line set down to say 25', should the fish swim down to get away from the boat, that second line will be in its face!  With the lines out, its then time to troll your usual spots and, if no bites, try changing up speeds.  Many times the fish are just to lazy to chase a fast lure and pick on the slow pokes, and a half or one mph can sometimes make a huge difference.  The same goes for lure sizes, sometimes that wee 2" lure is the way to go rather than 3", subtle differences can change a skunked day into the best day of the year!

So, rather than loafing around the house and getting in the wife's way, get that boat cleaned off and get it winter worthy!  As long as you dress properly out there and keep personal safety in mind, I think you'll find that this winter stuff isn't all that bad and in fact, your wife and kids just might start to wonder what lit a fire under your butt to get you out in the cold every weekend!  If you have any questions about this article I'd be glad to hear from you, just email me at reelfishingadventures@cablelan.net  .  See you in the snow!!!