Common questions about Spoon/Harness
How do you fish a Spoon/Harnesses?
A Spoon/Harness can be trolled in the same manner as any other conventional worm harnesses. In-line weights, bottom bouncers, jet divers, dipsey divers, downrigger, etc...
How fast do you troll with a Spoon/Harnesses?
Spoon/Harnesses can be trolled faster than a conventional worm harness. We typically troll a spoon/harnesses on dipsey divers while trolling crack baits on our planer boards, targeting speeds of 2 to 2.5 mph.
What's my favorite color of Spoon/Harness?
Colors vary day by day hour by hour. I fish Lake Erie, Central Basin, mainly in Pa waters. Most of our walleye fishing is done targeting suspended walleyes in depths of 25' to 55'. Due to the depth and light penetration, I have found color combinations of purple and chartreuse to be highly effective. That being said, Blueberry Muffin is a go-to bait on our boat.
Do you prefer the Large or Small Spoon/Harnesses?
I use both. I use small spoon/harnesses early in the season to match the smaller bait fish. However, I tend to subscribe to the big bait, big fish theory. The large spoon/harnesses also has a much larger profile, making it easier to see in dark water. If I could only choose one, it would be the large spoon/harnesses.
What length and size of leader do you use with dipsey divers?
I used to use light leaders but when the 2003 year class walleyes grew to the 6 to 8 pound range I started loosing to much gear. I ended up going to 20 pound test fluorocarbon. Fluorocarbon is extremely durable and can handle the day in day out abuse. My leader lengths are usually about a foot shorter than the rod, with 6' being standard.
Do you use snap swivels to attach lures?
Most of my trolling gear will be rigged with a light cross lock snap attached to the lure. On the other end of the leader I put a snap swivel. This makes setups versatile and can be changed from harness to crank baits without a lot of re- rigging. All spoon/harnesses, spoons and worm harnesses needs to have a swivel in the system.
How heavy is a Spoon/Harness?
Spoons on spoon/harnesses are thin flutter spoons. Spoon/harnesses needs to be fished in conjunction with weights or divers.
Common questions about Crushem Worm Harnesses
What are the benefits of the Crushem Worm Harnesses?
Crushem worm harnesses were developed and heavily tested in the summer 2018 on Lake Erie. Myself and a friend ,fellow fishermen, Doug Rodger, "Lumpy", developed this worm harness to catch walleyes in the shallow waters of Lake Erie's Central Basin. In late June early July the walleyes were either holding on the bottom or suspending 25' to 30'. We were in need of a worm harness that would float and not get hung up on the bottom or drag in zebra muscles. We also wanted harnesses that were durable and of a short length that could be changed out or stored relatively easy. Since water was relatively cold we needed blades that would work at slow speeds.
How do you fish a Crushem Harness?
In 2018 Crushems were tested heavily on two boats.
I fished them using in-line weights, snap swivel, 6' x 12# fluorocarbon leader and cross lock snap.
Lumpy used the same setup but used a bottom bouncer instead of the inline weights.
How did Crushems work?
The walleye fishing on Lake Erie in 2018 was phenomenal. Most fishermen were catching limits regularly on many techniques. What set fishermen apart in the 2018 season was how fast they caught fish and the ease in doing so. That's where the Crushems shined. We fished 15 days straight from June 30 to July 14 catching 350 walleyes almost exclusively on Crushems. During this time most of our fish came in 25' to 30' of water. When using a 3 oz in-line weight we only had to put out 65' of braid to get to the depth of the fish. Using such a small amount of line made setting lines very quick. Worm harnesses also track true leading to less tangles. This also allows you to keep planer boards in closer.
Smile Blade Worm Harness
What is the benefits of the Smile Blade Worm Harness?
Smile blade prototypes were tested by friend and fellow fishermen Doug Rodger, "Lumpy". Lumpy fished smile blades early June while water temps were cold. Lumpy was fishing Lake Erie Central Basin in Pa and Oh waters, typically 25' to 35' of water. Lumpy tested several brands of smile blade harnesses. Lumpy found the smile blades very effective at the slow trolling speed required at that time, less than 1.0 mph. To improve on designs we shortened the leaders up to 7" to make them easier to change out and store. Also used 20 lb test fluorocarbon leaders for durability.
How do you fish a Smile Blade Worm Harness?
In 2018 smile blades were tested using bottom bouncers with a 6' x 12# fluorocarbon leader and cross lock snap. Smile blades could be trolled in any application where a slow presentation is needed.
Spoons
What clear coat do you use?
In 2019 I wanted to start painting the spoons in house. While I still had lots of inventory from a very reputable painter, I started testing numerous paint systems. I wanted to ensure we would not loose any of the quality and durability of our products. In 2020 I took over all the painting. I have a very durable product that can withstand crazy amounts of abuse. However, I will not stop testing and trying to improve until I have the the absolute best product on the market. Much of my knowledge has come from professional painters giving me trade secrets.