The SideWinder spoon comes complete with a leading O-ring to attach your line or leader, but the Johnson Sprite and the Mr. Champ spoon don't. Then an improved clinch knot, palomar knot, or other reliable knot for attaching terminal tackle can be used to attach the spoon directly to the monofilament line. Not only are the shiny leaders more conspicuous to the trout, mackerel and blues will oftentimes strike at the shiny barrel swivel at the top of the leader, severing your line in the process. With a long history of successful fishing and with so many good spoons available to today's angler, it is difficult to understand why more fishermen do not switch to this terrific bait. This feature alone should make it popular with trout fishermen in the surf that prefer to keep their pinkies in the dry sand and away from the likes of sharks.
Spoons are also among the least expensive and most indestructible of all artificial baits.
And its finish can be easily restored with a piece of steel wool and some metal polish. Finally, as pointed out here, fishing a spoon requires virtually no skill. The weight of the lure will take it to the bottom where the fish are lying, almost in spite of the overzealous fisherman that retrieves his bait at breakneck speed. Even as the spoon sinks to the bottom, its built-in action and shiny finish flashes like a beacon to feeding fish. Furthermore, during most times of the year, a spoon can be fished in such a way as to resemble any of the many small prey species that predominate coastal shallows - anchovies, Spanish sardine, menhaden, and the like.