Summer Flutter Spoon Patterns & Techniques

When it comes to mimicking a shad on its last legs, there are few techniques as convincing as the Flutter Spoon. Baitfish are plentiful during the summer months, and the Flutter Spoon offers an excellent way to match the hatch and capitalize on bass gorging on this forage. In addition to the ledges, steep drop-offs, and dock-flipping this technique is typically associated with, summer is also a great time to start navigating shallow water to seek out those schools of biters. The Flutter Spoon is not only known for bagging impressive numbers of fish, but it is also notorious for bringing in those giant bass that spark stories around the campfire.

Flutter Spoons range in size from small to ultra-magnum and necessitate matching rods to handle them. The full spectrum would include standard casting outfits all the way up to specialized heavy swimbait rods. That being said, a majority of anglers opt for Spoons in the 4” to 6” class and simply utilize a Jig Rod or light Flippin Stick from 7’5” to 7’8”. A medium-heavy to heavy action combined with a fast tip provides the strength to work the Spoon properly and the sensitivity to feel when a bass grabs your fluttering baitfish imitator on the fall. Many anglers would agree that a longer rod handle with its increased leverage is critical for this technique to help snap the Spoon off the bottom and work it aggressively through the water column.

Speed is vital in this technique, so be sure to use a reel that can keep up! Between the slack in the line created while hopping the Spoon and the tendency of bass to ravage your lure on the fall, anglers are plagued with situations where line needs to be picked up in a hurry. A reel sporting a 7.6:1 all the way to the burner 8:1 gear ratio (or higher) will provide the extra speed necessary to help get a hook in some of those otherwise missed fish.

Fluorocarbon provides a couple of key attributes that help ensure success in this exciting technique. Grab a reel that has your favorite fluoro from 17- to 25-lb test, as it not only offers a level of invisibility but also incorporates enough stiffness to help prevent the Spoon’s treble hook from grabbing and tangling with your mainline as it flutters and dances toward the bottom.

To maximize attraction and increase action, upgrade the stock treble hooks with feather-dressed options, as this change can be the final bit of deception needed to convince a skeptical bass to charge at your Spoon. Additionally, adding a swivel greatly reduces line twist and frustration on the water; no one likes wasting time on tournament day constantly re-tying due to compromised fluorocarbon.

If you find you aren’t connecting on strikes, try adding a stinger hook either to the nose of the Spoon or directly to your line secured with a bobber stop. This will help you button up some of those fish that can’t seem to find your Spoon’s treble hook. It is important to be aggressive with your Spoon during the summer months. Working a Flutter Spoon can be exhausting, but you’re trying to surprise a fish out of the school and trigger its instinct to bite.

A year-round favorite color for Flutter Spoons is Chrome. Chrome easily matches a variety of baitfish and provides added attraction by generously reflecting light as it wobbles and flickers its way through the water column. Shad patterns can also be a great option in shad-dominant lakes, while Spoons sporting bright Chartreuse highlights can be particularly effective in heavily stained water.

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