The Flutter Factor
John McKean
"How many didja git yesterday, anyway?" came the gravelly voiced query from the familiar old Italian boater. I knew he’d had his eye on me the previous day; the crafty outdoorsman SEES everything!
"Thirty-seven rainbows by mid-morning," I replied "but had a bunch jump off, and I don't even know how many crappies grabbed on."
Ole Mike just let out a low whistle, sufficiently charged up to begin rowing his small, well rigged jon boat out to the deeper main lake for a renewed assault on his beloved trout. Of course, before he left, the well weathered veteran, a veritable fixture on the lake during early season, just had to see if he could sweet talk me out of what he named, sight unseen, my "crippled killer"! Yeah, I was more than happy to share lures with the perceptive old rascal, but darned if he was going to beat me out of my prized Emmrod, despite much friendly bantering about my unusual equipment!
I've been having a blast this season using the new Packrod Pole to lure in big catches everywhere, with what I call "the Flutter Factor." Starting with trout and panfish this spring, I employed a wispy, lightweight "Microspoon" to work mostly a pure vertical style of "retrieve." That is, I let the tiny spoon, tipped with a fresh wax worm, merely sink and flutter straight down on its own. No twitches or other enhancing action offered by me, I only awaited the tap from intercepting fish. Rainbow, brown, and brook trout, in particular, seemed powerless to resist this "crippled killer"! Yet, later on, when I flutter-fished a stone pier on massive Lake Erie, 11 different species fell prey to this relatively lazy tactic during a short weekend! What’s cool is that while relying on the sensitive feel of a 22" Emmrod in the Great Lakes, the next tick could be a 15 pound steelhead or a small but feisty white bass, while a subsequent flutter could yield a behemoth, hard diving freshwater drum!
Perhaps any small spoon will allow varying degrees of effectiveness with my flutter tactic. However, most drop way too fast and lack the drawing power of a delicately descending, quivering sliver of brightly colored metal. One small Gainesville, Georgia based company (www.microspoons.com) has thoughtfully addressed this problem by handcrafting perfectly balanced, superbly painted ¾” to 1 1/2” willowleaf blades fitted with permanently soldered, single light wire hooks.
I generally outfit my ultralight Emmrod spinning reel with thin 4 pound test mono and easily cast the Microspoon over deep lying rocks or weedbeds from various shoreline positions. Even with these lightweight 1/32 oz lures, a Packrod flings ‘em right out there, usually amazing onlookers. Most don’t realize the thrusting power of the short rod’s coils, or the aerodynamics of a well balanced spoon! Then I just tighten the line a wee bit (a moderate amount of slack line helps) and wait, as the flutter factor kicks in. A Microspoon sure takes its good ole time rocking the way to bottom, with anxious fish getting an exciting eyeful! With any perceived twitch I “wrist” the downward pointing Emmrod slightly to the side for yet another spoon-fed monster (they ALL feel big on the new Packrod!). If my spoon reaches bottom untouched, I reel maybe two yards of line and set it into its dropping dance once more. Be alert!! Sometimes a fish will streak after the moving spoon and nail it the INSTANT it begins this new plummet!
Summer bass and panfish, I’ve discovered, are very susceptible to the downward drifting, wobbling Microspoon while dwelling in weedy hideouts. It’s just a matter of seeing the openings among surface weeds, casting just beyond, and retrieving right up to these holes – then let the fluttering begin! The minimum length of a Packrod allows exacting casting accuracy for pinpoint behind the hole placement, while the small upright hook of a Microspoon, shielded by the metal body, is practically weedless when pulled across grass or on the drop. Again, don’t let your guard down – a hungry largemouth may not wait for the weed-crawling spoon to reach the hole; if that green canopy explodes, be prepared to “haul bass!”
I often tip my larger Microspoons with a two or three inch section of plastic worm during summer. You’ve never seen a plastic shimmy like this! On those tough “dog days,” allow your spoon and worm to amble all the way to bottom through weed or pad openings. Then let it sit for several seconds (this lure always glides to bottom to rest hook up) – often the flutter fascination will goad a wary, lethargic bass to lap up the “dead stick” bait!
Tired of the hassle of constantly casting and retrieving, or racking your brain for new twitches, jerks, or other unnatural imparted actions? Learn to relax and enjoy your fishing again with easy, efficient flicks of your Packrod, and let the flutter factor do the fishing for you!
