The first Bottle Cap Derby

[Roper]

Yeah, that ought to peak your interest. At our annual spring get together at the ranch @Tim L came up with a crazy idea. Take a simple bottle cap flatten it, bend it in half, flatten it, and turn it into a lure. The addition of a hook, barrel swivel, and split ring, completes the lure. He tested these in his home waters and found that it would work. So he brought swag bags to each of us, including some bottle cap lures. We headed to the local lake up in the Highlands and gave it a whirl. It turns out that yes, these things do work. They actually work pretty well. The Derby was off and running and one of us actually caught quite a few fish minus the on and off fish. I love the combination of ingenuity and creativity that came up with us. There was a winner and appropriate awards were handed out. So if you ever get in a funk and can’t seem to catch fish, smack a bottle cap, put it together and give it a try.

 

[Salmo_g]

When aluminum pop & beer cans first became a thing, the first generation pull tabs made pretty good small spoon of the Dick Nite variety.

 

[Phil K]

When aluminum pop & beer cans first became a thing, the first generation pull tabs made pretty good small spoon of the Dick Nite variety.

Stepping on one during a drunken college card game could give you nasty cut on the foot though. Take it from someone who knows.

'Looks like a nice fishing trip!

 

[Scudley Do Right]

Before I was born my dad made a spoon out of a piece of 30-30 brass. He swore it out fished everything else.

 

[Zak]

There's a story of Vermont's Governor Aiken fishing for trout with a "church key" as a spoon, just threading the hook and line through the holes.

 

[albula]

There's a story of Vermont's Governor Aiken fishing for trout with a "church key" as a spoon, just threading the hook and line through the holes.

View attachment 186035

Now there was a slap head moment. George Aiken was the grandfather of my best friend and ski team partner in high school in Montpelier. I remember one day hanging out with Burr at the family dairy farm we were in the barn and there was an old guy in filthy overalls mucking out some of the stalls. Burr exchanged obviously familiar pleasantries with him and off we went to go fishing in the brook that ran through the farm. Later that night at dinner as we sat at the table there was knock at the door and when it was opened there stood in full uniform an extremely impressive Vermont State trooper who said "tell the Governor I am here." Burr's mom yelled up the stairs. Shortly thereafter down the stairs came a distinguished looking gentleman in a 3 piece navy blue suit and I realized it was the old guy with the stained coveralls and the shock of bushy white hair that I had seen earlier mucking manure in the family barn. It was Senator George D. Aiken, dean of Senate Republicans and a man who never forgot his roots. Thanks for the reminder. Hadn't thought of that day in years. I am sure "the Governor" would not look kindly at the sheer idiocy that we now see in the nations capital. I doubt he would have been invited to witness the happy birthday cage fight scheduled today on the front lawn of the people's house.

 

[G_Smolt]

Dimes work great as well.

 

[BriGuy]

Spoons from the high school caferia, cut, drilled and painted with model paint worked well, too. Or, so I heard.

 

[Shawn Seeger]

Well, I happened to be gifted a "bottle cap fly" from one of the attendees! I put it with the "Flybrary" I installed up in that neck of the woods! If you find my "Flybrary" take a picture and send it to me, the first one will get a prize!