solotripper wrote on Jun 21^st, 2012 at 2:17pm:

Quote: seems to me that any time I try trolling with big spoons, they start twirling and twist the hell out of the line - maybe ok if going really slow I had the same problem. I was told by a avid fisherman friend that to avoid that problem it was imperative you use a good swivel and not tie directly to spoon? Is he right?

Definitely.
Anytime I use a spoon or inline spinner I use a good quality ball bearing swivel.
I add a split ring and a ball bearing swivel to all my inline spinners and spoons right out of the package even though I use a steel leader that may have a swivel on it as well.

I don't use snap swivels at all, unless you count steel leaders with a snap on one end and a swivel at the other.
A plain snap is good for switching crankbaits quickly, but adding a swivel to it just adds weight at the point that it kills the action of the bait the most. A 5-6" steel leader puts the swivel far enough away from the bait.

When I troll inline spinners like a Mepps I always add a small (or large if going deep) keel sinker a couple feet in front of the bait. Failure to do that has resulted in epic birdsnests appearing in my rod guides and on my reel. Plus it lets you troll a bit faster while keeping the bait down.

I am going for big fish on this trip, not looking for numbers. I'm looking for 40" plus pike and two handed lakers. That's the reasoning for the big baits. I've fished big baits up there before, but only big spinners for pounding deep weed edges for pike. Tried big 2 Oz Daredevil spoons on Basswood before but only caught about a dozen 5-6# sheepshead and no pike.