Spinners, Spoons, and Steelhead: The Hardware Fishing Tactics You Need to Know

Mastering Steel: A Complete Guide to Spinner and Spoon Fishing for Steelhead

When it comes to chasing steelhead with hardware, few approaches ignite the kind of passion — and debate — that spinner and spoon fishing does. In a recent deep-dive session from the Addicted Fishing crew, hosts Marlon and Jordan sat down to break apart the nuances of hardware fishing for steelhead, covering everything from body styles and rigging to reading water and selecting the right weight for the right conditions. What emerged was a masterclass in a technique that remains one of the most exciting and underutilized methods in the steelhead angler's arsenal.

Why Hardware? The Case for Spinners and Spoons

In an era dominated by float-and-jig setups and bait presentations, hardware fishing can feel like a throwback — but that perception couldn't be further from the truth. Marlon made the point emphatically when recalling a recent trip with fishing friend "Bad Ash," where one of the biggest fish of the outing came from a spot that simply couldn't be reached any other way.

"We went out with Bad Ash and one of the nicest fish of the trip came out of a very peculiar spot that wasn't fishable with any other tactic or technique. That's why I fish spinners — why anybody should fish some sort of hardware."

The appeal of spinners and spoons isn't just about productivity, either. Jordan, who made no secret of his love for the spoon bite, summed it up simply:

"I really like fishing spoons — not just because you catch a lot of fish with them, but because I enjoy a spoon take. They're a super fun way to fish."

Hardware fishing rewards anglers who understand water, current, and depth — skills that translate across every other steelhead technique. For those willing to put in the time, it can become one of the most satisfying methods on the river.

Spinner Body Styles: Choosing the Right Tool for the Water

One of the most common mistakes hardware anglers make is treating all spinners as interchangeable. Marlon laid out a clear framework for understanding the key body styles and when each shines. Having a well-rounded selection isn't just a luxury — it's essential.

"As you see in my box, I have every single one of them, and they're all really useful for that certain kind of style of fishing."

Bell Body Spinners

The bell body is perhaps the most recognizable spinner style on the market, and the Blue Fox is the quintessential example. Lightweight and highly mobile, these spinners are built for faster, shallower water where sink rate needs to be controlled. If you're working a fast riffle, a boulder garden, or anywhere snags are a persistent concern, the bell body is your friend. Classic sizes like the No. 4 and No. 5 Blue Fox have been catching steelhead and salmon for decades and remain a staple for good reason.

Torpedo Body Spinners

Torpedo body spinners, like the Steelhead Slammer, are designed with a more streamlined, elongated profile. The reduced water resistance allows them to cut deeper into the current, making them an excellent choice for runs with moderate depth and steady current. They maintain the classic French blade spin while offering the angler more control over depth presentation.

Heavy Lead Body Spinners

When the fish are holding deep in dark, slow-moving runs and nothing else will reach the bottom, it's time to reach for heavy lead body spinners. Products like the RB Extra Heavy No. 5 — which adds roughly an eighth of an ounce over a standard bell body — or the Northwest Extreme Outfitters spinner, built around a nine-millimeter lead bullet for a weight exceeding half an ounce, are purpose-built for this scenario. As Marlon explained:

"Getting down into those deep dark runs that you can't hit bottom with any other style of spinner — that's when you go with these. You've seen me catch chinook, steelhead, anything on these out of some really weird water."

The Takeaway on Spinner Selection

The governing principle is straightforward: match the body style to the water type. Fast, shallow, rocky water calls for lighter bell bodies that resist snagging. Moderate, mid-depth runs favor torpedo bodies. Deep, slow holes demand the weight of lead body designs. Having a selection that spans all three categories is far more valuable than stocking up on four identical versions of the same lure.

Hook Choice: Why Single Hooks Win

Marlon's stance on treble hooks is unambiguous — he cuts them off. Almost without exception, every spinner in his rotation is fitted with a single hook, and he offered two compelling reasons for making the switch.

"I almost always cut off my treble hooks. One, because you can fish them a little bit better — they don't get snagged as much. And two, I feel like you get a better hook-up ratio with that single hook if it's fished correctly."

For anglers fishing rivers with catch-and-release regulations or artificial-only restrictions, a single hook is often required. But even where trebles are permitted, the reduction in snags alone can make a meaningful difference across a full day of fishing — particularly in technical, structure-heavy water.

Spoon Fishing: Shape, Weight, and the Double-Stack Technique

Spoons occupy a unique and deeply satisfying niche in the steelhead hardware world. While spinners rely on blade rotation to generate flash and vibration, spoons produce action through wobble and thump — a subtler, often more erratic movement that can be devastatingly effective, especially in slower or deeper water.

Shape Matters More Than Brand

When it comes to spoons, Marlon's preference is clear: the classic, elongated teardrop shape — most associated with BC Steel and originator Bill Herzog — consistently outperforms wider, heavier profiles in his experience.

"I really prefer this style. I think these guys were kind of some of the originators of it — BC Steel, Bill Herzog. It just seems to get the best wobble and produce the most fish."

Contrasting that with wider, thicker spoon designs like the Steely, he noted the difference in action is immediately apparent:

"This one seems to like thump — it's got more mass on the body, so the thump is totally different. This one has more of a wobbly thump, while the wider one has a big, big vibration."

Other manufacturers producing quality spoons in the preferred elongated style include River Fisher, Little Cleo, and P-Line, giving anglers plenty of options at various price points.

Rigging Spoons Correctly: Ditch the Factory Clevis

Many spoons come from the factory with a clevis attachment at the line-tie end — a weak point that Marlon has seen fail too many times to trust.

"I've seen these clevises break way too many times. So I always take this clevis off for sure, and then I'll go to a split ring and add a barrel swivel."

This simple hardware swap dramatically improves the connection's reliability and, just as importantly, gives the spoon the freedom of movement it needs to produce its best action.

The Double-Stack: Adding Weight, Action, and Color

One of the most interesting techniques discussed was the double-stack spoon rig — layering two spoons on the same presentation. Marlon traced the practice back roughly seven or eight years in his own fishing, initially using it as a weight-balancing method before discovering additional benefits.

"You could take a two-and-a-quarter-ounce spoon and add a quarter-ounce on top and it would fish perfectly. But you can also start playing with different colors — like chrome silver on top and gold on the bottom. And just like Jordan said, it adds a little more vibration, a little more noise in the water. You can see as these two things kind of smash together — it works really, really well."

The result is a presentation with a unique sonic and visual signature — a combination of color contrast, additional flash, and a subtle clinking vibration that can trigger fish that have grown wary of more conventional presentations.

Spoons Are an Experienced Angler's Tool

Both Marlon and Jordan were candid about the learning curve that comes with spoon fishing for steelhead. Unlike spinners, which are relatively forgiving in execution, spoons reward anglers who have already developed a feel for current, depth, and the patience to work water methodically.

The technique demands that an angler understand how to read holding water, how to modulate retrieve speed across varying current seams, and how to detect takes that can range from explosive to almost imperceptibly subtle. For beginners, the advice is to build a foundation with float fishing and jigs first — and then add spoons to the toolkit as confidence and water-reading ability develop.

Reading Water: Knowing Where to Fish Your Hardware

Throughout the discussion, both hosts returned repeatedly to the idea that hardware fishing — more than almost any other steelhead technique — is inseparable from the ability to read a river. Spinners and spoons are searching lures. They cover water efficiently, but they only produce when that water contains fish.

The general rule: spinners thrive in walking-speed current at six to eight feet of depth — what experienced anglers describe as "perfect" steelhead holding water. Go shallower and faster, reach for a lighter bell body. Go deeper and slower, reach for the heavy lead. Spoons, meanwhile, excel in slightly slower, deeper runs where their wobble can breathe and their thump can carry through the water column.

For anglers looking to apply these lessons to new water, Marlon offered one deceptively simple piece of advice:

"Drive the river on a Saturday morning and see where everyone's at. That's the best place you can start if you're just trying to learn a brand new river."

Building Your Hardware Box: Practical Takeaways

The most actionable lesson from this entire deep dive is one of variety and intentionality. A well-stocked hardware box for steelhead shouldn't be filled with duplicates of a single proven pattern. It should represent a range of weights, body styles, and color combinations that allow an angler to adapt to whatever the river presents on a given day.

Key brands worth exploring based on the discussion include Blue Fox for classic bell bodies, RB Spinners for heavier bell and torpedo styles, Northwest Extreme Outfitters for lead body depth work, Steelhead Slammer for torpedo-style presentations, and BC Steel, River Fisher, and P-Line for spoons in the preferred elongated profile.

Pair that hardware selection with a commitment to single hooks, proper swivel-and-split-ring rigging on spoons, and a genuine investment in learning to read the water — and you'll have the foundation of a hardware fishing approach that can produce fish in conditions and locations that other methods simply can't reach.

The Enduring Appeal of Hardware Fishing

There's something deeply satisfying about fooling a wild steelhead with a spinning blade or a wobbling piece of stamped metal. It's a technique rooted in simplicity but refined through decades of river time, experimentation, and hard-won knowledge. As Marlon, Jordan, and the broader Addicted Fishing community continue to explore and share what works, one thing remains constant: the angler willing to diversify their presentation and put in the time to understand their water will always find opportunities that others walk right past.

Whether you're threading a heavy lead body spinner through a deep winter hole or swinging a double-stacked spoon through a classic steelhead run, hardware fishing offers a connection to the fish — and the river — that is genuinely hard to replicate any other way.