Captain Ron's Guide to Summer Spoon Fishing: When and How We Fish the Boss Hawg and Fat Hawg Spoons

If there's one mistake I see anglers make every summer, it's thinking stripers will only bite live bait.

Don't get me wrong—I love fishing bluebacks. We catch plenty of fish on them every season.

But some days, the fish are telling you they want something different.

That's when I'm reaching for a spoon.

A spoon isn't meant to replace live bait. It's another tool that often triggers bites from fish that you know are there but just aren't committing. In fact, we've had plenty of guide trips where clients watched fish on the graph ignore a downline, then crush a spoon just seconds later.

If you aren't carrying a couple of spoons in your tackle box during the summer, you're missing opportunities.

Summer Fish Are Predictable—If You Know Where to Look

One thing I love about summer fishing is that the fish become pretty predictable.

By July, most of our stripers have settled into deep drainages, creek channels, and the river channel following schools of blueback herring.

Early in the morning we usually find them 40 to 60 feet down. As the sun gets higher, they'll often slide deeper into that 80 to 100-foot range.

The hard part isn't usually catching them.

The hard part is finding them.

That's why I spend so much time watching my electronics. Side Imaging, Down Imaging, and forward-facing sonar have completely changed how we fish. Once I locate bait and see stripers nearby, I know I'm in the right place.

That's when the spoon comes out.

Why a Spoon Works

Stripers are predators.

Even when they're not actively feeding, they're programmed to chase something that suddenly appears to be getting away.

A spoon creates flash, vibration, and speed that looks like a baitfish making one last desperate run.

I've seen schools that looked completely inactive suddenly light up on down imaging after a spoon started moving through them.

Sometimes that's all it takes.

The Biggest Mistake I See

One of the biggest mistakes anglers make is dropping a spoon down and slowly dragging it back.

Summer stripers usually don't want slow.

When I'm spoon fishing, I want that bait moving with purpose.

Drop it well below where you're marking fish, then reel it back through the school with confidence. If they don't react, I'll change my cadence with a sharp lift-and-fall retrieve before moving on.

Most anglers don't fish spoons aggressively enough.

When I Pick Up the Boss Hawg Spoon

The Boss Hawg Spoon has become one of my confidence baits.

I like it because it's incredibly versatile. Whether I'm dropping directly on suspended fish or working through scattered schools, it has the size and action that consistently gets noticed.

If clients ask me which spoon they should own first, the Boss Hawg is usually where I tell them to start.

It simply catches fish.

When I'll Switch to the Fat Hawg Spoon

Sometimes the fish want a smaller profile.

When we're seeing bigger bluebacks or I simply want a smaller profile in the water, I'll switch to the Fat Hawg Spoon.

Its shorter body gives fish a different look, and there are definitely days when that shorter profile outfishes everything else in the boat.

That's why I keep both spoons rigged.

The fish will usually tell you which one they want.

Let Your Electronics Guide You

I tell people all the time that electronics don't catch fish.

They help you find fish.

You still have to make them bite.

That's where a spoon becomes such an important part of the equation.

If I can see fish suspended on my graph, I know exactly where to put my lure.

Instead of waiting for a live bait to drift into the school, I can put the spoon right in front of them and make them react.

It's one of the fastest ways I know to find out whether a school is ready to bite.

A Few Tips That Will Help You Catch More Fish

Here are a few things I've learned after years of guiding on Lake Lanier.

Fish where the bait is. If you don't see bait, keep looking. Stripers rarely stay far from their food.

Don't fish above the school. Get your spoon down to the fish or even below them before starting your retrieve.

Pay attention to your electronics. If the fish move deeper, adjust immediately.

Don't be afraid to retrieve faster. Many anglers are surprised by how aggressively stripers will chase a spoon.

Keep both spoons ready. Sometimes changing nothing more than the profile is enough to turn a slow day around.

Final Thoughts

Every guide has a few lures they trust when things get tough.

For me, the Boss Hawg Spoon and the Fat Hawg Spoon have earned that spot.

They're not magic, and they won't catch fish if there aren't any below the boat.

But when you've found a school of summer stripers and need something that will trigger a reaction, they're hard to beat.

The next time you're out on the lake, don't just watch fish swim across your graph.

Drop a spoon down to them.

You might be surprised how quickly a school that looked inactive decides it's time to eat.

Watch this video to learn how Captain Ron uses spoons in the summer.