The Kastmaster by Acme Tackle Company is another great spoon to have in your tackle box for almost any fishing occasion. They function as most spoons do, with an alternating swing during the retrieve to mimic a swimming bait. The treble hook is mounted to the aft as in most spoons and again like most spoons they come in a variety of color schemes, metallic colors, spots, stripes, split colors and more.

So why are these spoons so special?

Kastmaster spoons are designed in such a way that they prevent twist. While normal spoons spin and flip over and over, causing the line to twist and kink, the Kastmaster swings side to side rather than flipping over on itself. This also makes for a unique swim pattern. The ability to put a spoon out without a swivel means less hardware on your line and therefore less opportunity for your knots or line to fail when you hook up.  As you may know from my previous review posts, other spoons such as the Little Cleo, Krocodile and Phoebe require a swivel a few feet up the line to prevent this twist. But if you have to put a swivel in the line, you need to tie your line to the top and bottom of the swivel and again to your lure. That’s three places where your line could fail in a hook set or simply during a fight. With the Kastmaster, that’s no longer the case and you are able to focus on one good knot on the lure and go straight to fishing.

The Kastmaster comes in sizes from a 1/32oz. all the way up to a 3oz. and can have a plain treble hook (as you see here), flash tape, bucktail teaser (which covers the hook), a single hook, hammered surface (seen here), or may even include the Rattle Master. Acme Tackle claims that the finish on these lures retains its luster even in salt water use, and that these lures are useable in both fresh and saltwater. Assuming they are right and the finish holds, they would be a must for anyone trolling lines, be it coastal or inland.

I should note that the Kastmaster is a hefty lure. This makes casting it a dream. You can achieve awesome distance and accuracy with this lure and I personally find it great for reaching across the pond here at the River Reporter office. Depending on your speed it can be a deep diver but doesn’t dive too quickly on the retrieve causing snags.  The Kastmaster also comes in an XL size which is a longer more pencil like shape for fishing amongst thinner bait types. It can also be purchased with a tube tail, which is a strip of surgical tubing over a swiveled single hook. Both of these versions however are primarily for salt fishing and may not yield as productively for lake or river fishing here in the Upper Delaware River area. If you happen to try them with any success though, feel free to submit your results.

The Rattle Master version of this spoon is something I’ve been very excited to learn about. It is a small capsule on the belly of the spoon that holds a rattling ball. As the Kastmaster is pulled through the water, it rattles and calls attention to otherwise lethargic fish. Fishing on a straight Kastmaster then switching over to a Rattle Master on a sunny afternoon, I noticed a definite spike in strike frequency. While I caught fish on both, the Rattle Master seemed to really improve performance. I would give it a try if you’ve not already. I would also recommend this lure to beginners who haven’t quite mastered tying knots yet. Save yourself the aggravation of tying on extra swivels and just get something in the water, specifically the Kastmaster.

*If you have any luck with the lure of the week, feel free to email your pictures to events@riverreporter.com for an opportunity to share them on our website. If you have a favorite kind of lure we haven’t reviewed yet, feel free to send that lure to our office at PO box 150 Narrowsburg, NY 12764. We will add it to our weekly reviews and share the results. Check back each week on Mondays to see the new lure of the week!