Salmon Buster Spoons: Rigging, Leads and Tips

Adapted from Capt. John King's Salmon Buster pages, Part II (November 23, 2014) and his tips and tricks log (April 2015), on MichiganSportsman.com. Originals: Part II · Tips and Tricks log · Part I.

LIFETIME GUARANTEE: Salmon Buster™ spoon bodies won't crack or split

Capt. John's original guarantee is still our policy today for standard 4.0" and magnum 4.65" spoons. LED spoons excluded. See guarantee details

Rigging

  • John ran his prototypes on 20# mono.
  • The spoons are designed for a standard coastlock snap swivel. Unlike older spoons, they don't need expensive ball-bearing swivels to work right.
  • For the surface program, see Surface Trolling with Salmon Buster Spoons.

Rigger lead lengths

During six months of testing in 2014, John never ran extra-long rigger leads. He stayed under 30' back at 50' down, and shortened leads as the riggers went deeper:

  • 100' down: the 4.65 caught fish on a 10' lead.
  • 90' down: the 4.0 caught fish on 12–15' leads.

Speed

  • Most bites came at 2.0–2.6 mph, with some from 3.0 to 4.0.
  • The spoons kept working down to about 1.3 mph. Their first prototype double header, on July 4, 2014, came at 2.5 mph and then again while barely moving during the fight.
  • With 100–120' of line out and no weight, the spoons fish right on the surface at 2.2–2.5 mph.

That pulsing rod tip is normal

Salmon Busters have a strong pulsing action, like a crankbait, that you can see in the rod tip on a rigger. "Don't let your rod's twitching action... fool you into believing you're towing a shaker. It's just the Salmon Buster spoon ringing the dinner bell."

April Browns: John's 2015 log

  1. Speed sweet spot: 2.4–2.6 mph GPS speed over ground.
  2. Lead length off big planer boards: 110–120' along the beach.
  3. Water temperature: 37–41°F the first two weeks of April, warming to 46–47°F.
  4. Line: 15# mono.
  5. Weight: a 3/8 or 1/2 oz bead chain keel sinker 5' ahead of the spoon.
  6. Best colors: gold and copper hyper-holographic tape. Mamba patterns took 75% of his bites.
  7. Hooks: he switched from size 1 VMC 9650 trebles to the light-wire 9649 for Browns on big boards and stopped missing hits. Not for Kings; the 9649 can bend.
  8. Watch for weeds: high water washed grass and roots into the lake in April 2015.

After 30-some years on stickbaits, John ran Salmon Busters against them in a controlled test. "My spoons took fish, while the Rapalas rode."

Design features

  • Lifetime guarantee: standard and magnum spoon bodies won't crack or split. John offered it from the start, and it's still our policy (LED spoons, hardware, hooks and lights excluded). Details.
  • Color molded into Lexan, so there's no paint to flake or plating to tarnish.
  • Won't bend, twist or kink like metal spoons.
  • Light passes through the body, an effect a metal spoon can't produce.
  • Stainless split rings and upsized VMC hooks; proof tested to 80 lb dead pull.
  • Every color matches one of John's flasher and meat rig colors.

Videos

Salmon Buster action video · Salmon Buster spoon action

Shop: Salmon Buster spoons · Glow spoons · Trolling supplies

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