Finesse-Fishing.com has closed and has nothing left to sell, other than a few used books. I have decided to leave the website up as a resource for people interested in fishing with light rods, light lines and light lures - true finesse fishing.

Smith D-S line Spoons

"S" bend of Smith D-S line spoon"S" bend

The Smith D-S line spoons have a more pronounced "S" bend than many spoon designs. This shape gives it good movement at a low retrieve speed. The raised front will also make it dart one way or another with slight pulses of the rod tip. The "D-S" might or might not stand for "Dart and Swim," but the shape does allow more manipulation than you could ever get with the familiar US spoon brands. On the other hand, the D-S could stand for Deep S-bend, which you also won't get with familiar US spoons.

Photo shows Bite Marker and Sight Marker brightly colored dots on back of spoon.Bite Marker, Sight Marker

The back of the spoons have orange and chartreuse dots. I have not yet had a chance to fish with them, so I cannot confirm if the Sight Marker actually does allow you to see the spoon more easily during the retrieve, or if the Bite Marker actually does give the fish a target to bite.

It is the face of the spoon that intrigues me. The Smith D-S line spoons have a crosshatch either machined or stamped onto one side of the spoon face. It definitely catches the light as you move the spoon.

 The image of the Yamame Silver spoon (below) shows a highlight along the crosshatching, and a darker area below that. The darker area is just how the light plays on the very shiny silver. There is no gray paint on the spoon. There is some white paint along the edge opposite the crosshatching. It is very similar to the orange paint that is more easily seen along the edge of the Yamame Gold spoon.

  • Light-catching cross hatching
  • 3 grams (roughly 1/10 oz) or 4 grams (roughly 1/8 oz)
  • Single Micro Barb Hook
  • Split rings for maximum action
  • 1 3/16" x 3/8" (3g) or 1 3/8" x 3/8" (4g)
  • Good action with slow retrieve

I think many people, perhaps most, fish lures too fast. Some of the underwater videos I have seen of Japanese anglers fishing minnow plugs are perfect illustrations. The plugs dart too and fro in such a quick, crazy way that it is surprising any fish are prompted to strike at them. As the videos often show, many of the attempted strikes are misses because the lure zigs just as the trout zags.

Watch the video below, for a good illustration of an almost lazy retrieve that looks much more like an injured or disoriented minnow, and also makes it much easier for a trout to catch the lure.

The Smith D-S line spoons, with their pronounced S-curve, have very good action with a slow retrieve.

""Red-Gold
""Gold Yamame
""Silver Yamame

Warning:

The hooks are sharp.
The coffee's hot.
The fish are slippery when wet.