This has been asked here before, but not in a while, and because trolling bunker spoons is becoming increasingly popular, I'm thinking that there might be some more current information out there. Evidently you need a very specific blank for this type of fishing -- if the spoon doesn't wobble and flutter properly, its fish-catching ability is drastically reduced.

Does anyone have any recommendations for a bunker spoon blank? Bunker spoons get trolled for stripers and bluefish, typically in the Northeast, and most commonly in the fall. What length works best? What material? Do they have to be trolled with wire lines, or can you use mono? A spiral seems to me to be a natural for a bunker spoon rod, but has anyone ever had a problem with spirals on these types of rods?

I'm really starting from zero here, so any input -- blanks, componets, reels, etc. -- would be appreciated. Thanks.

I have sold a bunch of the Batson/Forecast SWB70H for this technique. I have never fished them though so thats about all I can offer you.

Karry Batson
Batson Enterprises Inc.
Ph: (877) 875-2381
Fax: (360) 683-3579
karry@batsonenterprises.com
www.batsonenterprises.com

Lamiglas BT 96 3M, 8', or a BT 108 3M, 9'

Hi,

As I understand it Bunker Spoon rods were made from fiberglas antennas. The longer the rod the more action is imparted to the spoon. Years ago this type of rod was about 10' long.

Ernie is on the money as the Lami BT 108 3m is the classic bunker spoon blank of old.

I have often wondered if a spiral wrapped @#$%& rod would create action like a conventional wrapped @#$%& rod. Since the spiral wrap takes the twisting out of the rod I assume it will not create as much action. Remember this is an assumption. I have not had the opportunity to build spiral wrapped @#$%& rods.

7' Umbrella rig rods will not work. You need a long rod with lots of flex.

Bunker Spoons can be tuned. Unfortunately I can not give you any info on that as I do not know how to tune one.

Bunker spooning is very effective and catches big bass. We have so many stripers around these days that anglers have many other ways to catch them. This type of trolling is becoming a lost art at least in my area.

The lamiglas bt1083m is pretty much the standard . Last season just as an experiment I tried building one of the Batsons mentioned above and spiral wrapped it. Instead of wire, I tried trolling power pro line with a 6 oz. drail and about a 10 foot leader. The action with the bunker spoons was amazing, and at times seemed to be out fishing my traditional lamis, using the same size and color spoon on each. The big difference was in fighting fish, with a huge advantage going to the shorter and lighter batsons with the spiral wrap. I haven't perfected controlling the depth with this setup yet, but know the spoons are running deep as I landed about an 8 lb. fluke trolling in 60 feet of water .

Chris, Here in Raritan Bay (NJ) a 9' one piece soft blank is the ticket. When a spoon is in tune it has a mind of its own and the blank will telegraph its message to everyone onboard. The problem is finding that blank. At one time AMTAK sold a blank that was ideal for this porpose ,But for some reason has dropped them from their line. It was an E-glass blank #ESW761 H. I have a few left in my rod stock ,but are spoken for at this time. I have a compoent list which will put you on the right track if you can find a replacement for the ESW761 H.

And here it is: PAC-BAY guides 1-#20 BBSG
!-#16 BBSG
3-12 BBSG
4-#10 BBSG
1-#14 RTB (roller top) Large head to pass hardware
1- Stewart "TUFF BUTT" #STB 2 a great handle system for these rods,
comes complete with reel seat,sleeve, and gimbal.
Note: normaly built in pairs with matching PENN 113 H reels with nickel spools to handel wire line.
Also , If anyone has a replacement for the ESW761H please let me know about it.
Any questions, e-mail me!
Thank you, Dennis J. Danku aka YOGI

Thanks for the input, guys. It looks like I'm going to have some fun experimenting, but these are great tips to get started. Cheers.