Iron Needle

[RB2]

Anyone fish with Iron Needles? Thinkin about trying some on my trip to Nootka in 2 weeks. Just looking for some feedback, gonna buy a couple anyway.

[Skillet]

I'm thinking of checking them out too!
with all the pinks out there it might be a good one to try

[CBH]

RB2 and Skillet,

Check out this link for tons of information on Iron Nog's Needle Lures...

http://www.sportfishingbc.com/forum/showthread.php?30019-Iron-Needle-Lures-Now-in-full-COLOUR!

[Knute]

Does anyone know the weight of these spoons?
I'd like to have my grand kids be able to chuck them with a spinning rod from shore.
I know they're not primarily a casting spoon but I think I read somewhere they might be heavy enough to cast?

[Sofa King]

whats the pricetag on them?

[guest]

They retail around 17 bucks each...... They are quality construction, pricey like a tomic plug. I wish they were here in Langley ........ A and N would be a good place.

[Vladimir Poutine]

They retail around 17 bucks each...... They are quality construction, pricey like a tomic plug. I wish they were here in Langley ........ A and N would be a good place.

Not too many retailers have them. Nog's site will tell you where he has them and you can order online.

[MB_Boy]

Gonna be trying a couple and some of the new Sitka Sand Lance spoons in Kyuquot in a couple weeks...haven't tried them yet locally as bait is generally our go-to this time of year.

[Sofa King]

They retail around 17 bucks each...... They are quality construction, pricey like a tomic plug. I wish they were here in Langley ........ A and N would be a good place.

holy F!!
that's crazy.
no shit they are quality construction, what are they? platinum?
is that the non-res pricing?

[RB2]

Thanks CBH, 17 bucks is step, but what isn't these days. Seeing that Tomic is painting them, anyone know if Critter Cove is carrying them?

[guest]

holy F!!
that's crazy.
no shit they are quality construction, what are they? platinum?
is that the non-res pricing?

I like they are made here in BC and are designed and built well.

from what I see and hear, they are not like the pieces of crap metal like a modern Luhr Jensen Coyote ..... They are made to with stand a big smiley on the hook. They have solid rings ...... A good hook too unlike the CRAP quality of a Coyote. Your lucky to get one season out of the modern Coyote, and change the hook when new.

all this said I'm not driving all over the countryside to find the Needle ........ Got too much gear already.

Army and Navy is Canadian owned and these spoons should be there.

[MB_Boy]

I agree with you Curly! Trade off is a quality made product from Canada. I have a couple and they are solid; feel way more durable than any of the lures made "offshore" these days.

There is a list of retailers on the home page here. http://www.ironneedlelures.ca

[gunsandhoses]

We fished them last year, they work great and are worth every dime!

you get what you pay for - in this case it means quality!

[Salty]

holy F!!
that's crazy.
no shit they are quality construction, what are they? platinum?
is that the non-res pricing?

Shooting from the yap without knowing anything usually doesn't get a guy far SK just sayin. Maybe spring for one and see what it is before you make such proclamations. Or just go buy flimsy Coyote spoons or whatever for 3/4 the price and hope you don't ding one against the rocks or anything.

Knute I don't see them as a good casting lure they're big and will make a splash and a half when they land. Ker-ploooosh! lol. They'd make quite a commotion landing and swimming in smaller water where a person would be casting. Pretty much meant to resemble big bait acting how it would in big water IMO. They do troll on their own quite well though without weight which makes a good 'top rod' bait between the downriggers when conditions are right. Hopefully Iron Noggin will chime in if he's not out fishing!

[Sofa King]

Shooting from the yap without knowing anything usually doesn't get a guy far SK just sayin. Maybe spring for one and see what it is before you make such proclamations. Or just go buy flimsy Coyote spoons or whatever for 3/4 the price and hope you don't ding one against the rocks or anything.

Knute I don't see them as a good casting lure they're big and will make a splash and a half when they land. Ker-ploooosh! lol. They'd make quite a commotion landing and swimming in smaller water where a person would be casting. Pretty much meant to resemble big bait acting how it would in big water IMO. They do troll on their own quite well though without weight which makes a good 'top rod' bait between the downriggers when conditions are right. Hopefully Iron Noggin will chime in if he's not out fishing!

shooting from the yap without knowing??
wtf is that about?
I didn't say I knew, I was actually asking?
and if I think that's pretty expensive, that's my opinion, and it's not wrong either.
I didn't say they aren't worth it, and also didn't say I won't buy one.
jump to conclusions much? sheesh!!
don't get so defensive over something that was nothing.

are they expensive? damn right they are.
are they quality construction? that's been stated that they are, and I agreed with that.
I really don't see the reason for your post.

[Salty]

holy F!!
that's crazy
what are they platinum?

That ^ is asking?
You trash talked the work of a member here dude, which is par for the course pretty often. ..

[835]

I think Knog tested them on a commercial level..... but i dont know if he Flased them or not? i do know we used to run plugs then spoons without flashers then hootchies...

i guess you could fish them either way?
i know a few guys bought them here but havent hear how they did........

I have wanted to get my hands on some of those big ole spoons we used back ing the day..... but i cant remember what they were called... and never see the big brass or chrome, or both spoons anymore.... everything has some paint job now..

[Philcott]

835 were those Tom Mack spoons? I still have a couple some where.

[charlie_horse]

Going to be trying them out of hardy starting next week, I'll let you know how they perform against chovies

[guest]

I think Knog tested them on a commercial level..... but i dont know if he Flased them or not? i do know we used to run plugs then spoons without flashers then hootchies...

i guess you could fish them either way?
i know a few guys bought them here but havent hear how they did........

I have wanted to get my hands on some of those big ole spoons we used back ing the day..... but i cant remember what they were called... and never see the big brass or chrome, or both spoons anymore.... everything has some paint job now..

as philcott said maybe Tom Mack, or Cowichan or Stewart's ....... I have them all, some of them are HUGE !

[835]

Tom mack is ringing a big bell... im going to google!
anyone know a Victoria retailer? Trotac still sell old commie gear?

[MB_Boy]

Tom mack is ringing a big bell... im going to google!
anyone know a Victoria retailer? Trotac still sell old commie gear?

For some reason I think I have seen them or something VERY similar at PN&T in Parksville...may want to give them a ring.

[835]

i just like to "Go retro" every now and again.....
We nailed more slabs on them old spoons back in the day...... maybe its just because there were more fish then? maybe not...

[MB_Boy]

i just like to "Go retro" every now and again........

Haha.....me too! That is why I plan a freshwater trip once a year. :razz: :wink:

[835]

lol,,,
ya im the oposite! Retro was last saturday.... Red Hotspot and a pink Squirt...... one gues what i was fishin'!
ended with a 8# and a 2" pink spoon..... oldschool was WAY TOOO FAST!

[lip_ripper00]

I went over at lunch time to have a look at these I am impressed, we will see how they fish.

[Jetboater]

Freds custom tackle has them in abbotsford. I'm a fan of the Gibbs skinny g spoons. Fish them at a regular pace. Verses the iron needle. With the skinny g you can fish a different spoon on the other side without having to change your speed.

[edg]

Anybody even use a Dodger any more? I got a stack of them. Dodger with a Tom Mack was the gear back in the 70s.

[Salty]

Anybody even use a Dodger any more? I got a stack of them. Dodger with a Tom Mack was the gear back in the 70s.

On a whim I tied an octopus hoochie with a short leader maybe 2 feet on about a 2 foot long chrome Abe and Al I think.. old school dodger anyway; in Quatsino sound about 10 years ago. I normally just buz bomb. Anyway I could not keep the coho off that sucker as you can imagine a pretty lively action as the short leadered hoochie gets yanked hard and fast side to side. I rolled it up and kept it in my skiff and if I ever felt like trolling a bit I'd throw it on no weight nada just 50 pulls and a medium slow troll, always produced but only for coho. Used the same set up for a couple years even all dulled and beat up never even retied it. lol

[MB_Boy]

Freds custom tackle has them in abbotsford. I'm a fan of the Gibbs skinny g spoons. Fish them at a regular pace. Verses the iron needle. With the skinny g you can fish a different spoon on the other side without having to change your speed.

Going to grab some as well to try!

[Sofa King]

holy F!!
that's crazy
what are they platinum?

That ^ is asking?
You trash talked the work of a member here dude, which is par for the course pretty often. ..

wow, you are pretty sensitive if you view that as "trash-talking".
but you are wrong, I didn't trash anything.
I personally find $18 for a spoon very expensive, actually "extremely" expensive.
hence the "holy F, that's crazy, what are they platinum?".
see that squiggly line with the dot below it at the end of that sentence? oh...there it is again.
that's called a question mark, and hence the name, it makes the sentence a question.
so ya, that IS asking.
I'm guessing you are reading things with perceived tones and inflections, which aren't there.
I can't believe you make such a big deal out of nothing.

funny, someone only a couple posts before me also commented on them being pretty pricey.
yet you said nothing to them?? hmm.
howzabout showing me all this trash-talk of member's work?
I don't even get into the name-calling crap on here, even though I'm the recipient of it constantly.
I've had threads closed because of it.

you over-reacted to nothing.
why not keep the thread going in a positive direction and respond to my shock at their price by helping me understand that price.
what are they made of? and yes, I'm seriously asking again, that was a question, again.
is it simply that that is what it costs to have a lure made locally?
is it the tomic colours that then makes them expensive? I would guess it definitely adds to the cost as opposed to having inmates paint them.
I've seriously never seen an $18 spoon before, maybe that's just me though.

I can't help but think that lines are snapped once in awhile.
a nice tyee, nick in the line, etc.
losing a $20 spoon ain't gonna feel too nice compared to a $7 one.

[Vladimir Poutine]

wow, you are pretty sensitive if you view that as "trash-talking".
but you are wrong, I didn't trash anything.
I personally find $18 for a spoon very expensive, actually "extremely" expensive.
hence the "holy F, that's crazy, what are they platinum?".
see that squiggly line with the dot below it at the end of that sentence? oh...there it is again.
that's called a question mark, and hence the name, it makes the sentence a question.
so ya, that IS asking.
I'm guessing you are reading things with perceived tones and inflections, which aren't there.
I can't believe you make such a big deal out of nothing.

funny, someone only a couple posts before me also commented on them being pretty pricey.
yet you said nothing to them?? hmm.
howzabout showing me all this trash-talk of member's work?
I don't even get into the name-calling crap on here, even though I'm the recipient of it constantly.
I've had threads closed because of it.

you over-reacted to nothing.
why not keep the thread going in a positive direction and respond to my shock at their price by helping me understand that price.
what are they made of? and yes, I'm seriously asking again, that was a question, again.
is it simply that that is what it costs to have a lure made locally?
is it the tomic colours that then makes them expensive? I would guess it definitely adds to the cost as opposed to having inmates paint them.
I've seriously never seen an $18 spoon before, maybe that's just me though.

I can't help but think that lines are snapped once in awhile.
a nice tyee, nick in the line, etc.
losing a $20 spoon ain't gonna feel too nice compared to a $7 one.

It would be more than inmates not painting them that would add to the cost. People have to live and eat no? Most of the flies that you get for $5 a dozen are done by some kid in a third world country. A large # of people talk about what a deal they got on this or that, and in the next breath are going on about how expensive an item is that they just bought.

Nog has taken the plunge with his item. The price for the spoon is higher than most, but I would rather support locals than some mass produced POS that has a recognizable name made in China.

Tomics used to be $4 each at Nikka on Powell. They got popular and now they are what they are. They're still made in BC. Works for me. You don't likee the pricee go to Wally's World.

[Salty]

SK I'm not sensitive no worries there I'm just making an observation. If you enter some kind of small business venture post about it here and I'll shit all over the idea and your price. Maybe then you'll understand what being a dick is? But yeah you're right 17 bucks is huge money for salmon fishing. Best to whittle plugs and fish for trout in duck ponds in your row boat or whatever. ha ha. Personally I'll buy more of Nog's needle fish when I loose the ones I have and won't bat an eye. And it'll only be if I loose them cause they won't be wearing out or breaking. Unlike cheap split rings solid hand soldered rings are up for way more than the task ;) and there's so much meat on them they won't be getting bent or dinged.

[.264winmag]

haven't read the rest, but $10 pack of anchovy yielded 8 Chinook in the boat by 09;30 this morning.no artificial will do that inshore...

[.264winmag]

I like they are made here in BC and are designed and built well.

from what I see and hear, they are not like the pieces of crap metal like a modern Luhr Jensen Coyote ..... They are made to with stand a big smiley on the hook. They have solid rings ...... A good hook too unlike the CRAP quality of a Coyote. Your lucky to get one season out of the modern Coyote, and change the hook when new.

all this said I'm not driving all over the countryside to find the Needle ........ Got too much gear already.

Army and Navy is Canadian owned and these spoons should be there.

this... coyote's are garbage, they work but junk quality. A good plug is also pricey but has its place offshore or close to river mouths. $17 is pricey but so is a flasher! Fed a couple of those to seals' yesterday morning. If it fishes and is twice as durable as a coyote its a bargain...My experience offshore is when they're there they'll bite anything but some lures tend to keep shrapnel off and good Nooks' on, inshore you need bait. I want one...

[Squire]

haven't read the rest, but $10 pack of anchovy yielded 8 Chinook in the boat by 09;30 this morning.no artificial will do that inshore...

I would agree that 'meat' will out fish artificials but I just got back last night from fishing Esperanza for a few days both offshore and inshore and we couldn't go more than 5 to 10 minutes without the 'Needles' getting hit. Eight Springs by 9:30 was easily exceeded.

I had no prior experience with these spoons other than reading about them on HBC and just thought I would like to try them. I hosted a group of twelve on a guided fishing trip and bought six of these Needles in four different colours to distribute among the guides. Only one boat had limited success and they were using it behind a flasher. The rest were more successful dragging one 8' behind a chain swivel about 25'-30' behind the downrigger release. I like to fish this way because you get a better feel for the fish without fighting the flasher. (We were also targeting Coho because the Springs were plentiful).

Some fished with anchovies as well as cut-plugs and the 'Needles' were edged out but not dominated. When you can only keep two Springs the difference between hooking up 20 times on meat or 15 times on Needles in one morning isn't really significant. The meat caught more Coho but the Springs didn't seem to care.

I didn't try it until day three after using anchovies on one side and hoochies on the other and getting lots of fish on each. Once I tried the Needle I just kept fishing it offshore and inshore because it was just as effective. Our inshore fishing was around 'The Garden' and 'Steamer' in Espiranza and we were sweating with the exertion of constantly fighting fish and getting the lines back in again. I am a new believer and the green and white which was my least favorite colour when I bought them was the best of the bunch. The shiny green and nickel wasn't too shabby either but they all caught fish.

[freonguy]

I bought half a dozen assorted Iron Needle lures and took them up to Haida Gwaii. Left some up there for my buddy and brought 3 back for use down here.

Well constructed, great shipping response etc.; they looked great in the water, but, alas, gave them a pretty good run up in HG, but not even a bite. The Springs had other ideas - we caught plenty of fish, but the Iron Needles weren't on the table ' this time '.

Yes, a bit pricey, but flashers are edging twenty bucks a pop - what isn't?

I bought them because they are BC made, and I know they will work well in the future.

Freonguy

[.264winmag]

I would agree that 'meat' will out fish artificials but I just got back last night from fishing Esperanza for a few days both offshore and inshore and we couldn't go more than 5 to 10 minutes without the 'Needles' getting hit. Eight Springs by 9:30 was easily exceeded.

I had no prior experience with these spoons other than reading about them on HBC and just thought I would like to try them. I hosted a group of twelve on a guided fishing trip and bought six of these Needles in four different colours to distribute among the guides. Only one boat had limited success and they were using it behind a flasher. The rest were more successful dragging one 8' behind a chain swivel about 25'-30' behind the downrigger release. I like to fish this way because you get a better feel for the fish without fighting the flasher. (We were also targeting Coho because the Springs were plentiful).

Some fished with anchovies as well as cut-plugs and the 'Needles' were edged out but not dominated. When you can only keep two Springs the difference between hooking up 20 times on meat or 15 times on Needles in one morning isn't really significant. The meat caught more Coho but the Springs didn't seem to care.

I didn't try it until day three after using anchovies on one side and hoochies on the other and getting lots of fish on each. Once I tried the Needle I just kept fishing it offshore and inshore because it was just as effective. Our inshore fishing was around 'The Garden' and 'Steamer' in Espiranza and we were sweating with the exertion of constantly fighting fish and getting the lines back in again. I am a new believer and the green and white which was my least favorite colour when I bought them was the best of the bunch. The shiny green and nickel wasn't too shabby either but they all caught fish.

Sure was a pile of fish from double island in eh!
When fish are stacked in there like they were at garden point etc. the artificials will definitely produce especially on a tide swing. After 20 years fishing out there I'm convinced that when them springs go off the bite bait has the edge if run properly. If it's not salted, soft, wrong roll for speed etc. they won't do near as well. Hardware is much less finicky which IMO is why it seems to produce as good or better. Funny though I quite often have much better success for coho with the hardware at a brisk troll.

[Squire]

Sure was a pile of fish from double island in eh!
When fish are stacked in there like they were at garden point etc. the artificials will definitely produce especially on a tide swing. After 20 years fishing out there I'm convinced that when them springs go off the bite bait has the edge if run properly. If it's not salted, soft, wrong roll for speed etc. they won't do near as well. Hardware is much less finicky which IMO is why it seems to produce as good or better. Funny though I quite often have much better success for coho with the hardware at a brisk troll.

There were lots of fish but they were smaller on average than my last trip there in 2012. I agree that bait is the most reliable especially when the fish are more finicky. The fishing changes from year to year and this just may have been a good year for the Needle.

[.264winmag]

Yup, they keep getting smaller every year! But they always bite the chovie:)

[Caribou_lou]

Going to be some larger fish next year. Lots of 4 year olds this year in the Skeena. 5 year olds next year. Should be lots over 35lbs.

[.264winmag]

Might have to drag the boat up to Rupert next year!