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Fishing lures come in many
different types and sizes from deep diving crank bait
fishing lures, to mid range spinnerbait fishing lures, to
top water fishing lures. We provide information on most if
not all the available fishing lure selections available to
fishermen. We don't provide information on collectable
lures, only Lures That Catch Fish. We're not
recommending any particular fishing lure manufacture, nor do
we receive big endorsement contracts from lure manufacturers
to sponsor their lures. Lures That Catch Fish does
evaluate many fishing lures and recommends them on our
Lures That
Catch Grouper,
Lures That Catch
Trout, Lures
That Catch Bass,
Lures That Catch
Snook, Lures
That Catch Tarpon and
Lures That
Catch Redfish evaluation pages. We are adding fishing
lure evaluations for more species every day. We also offer
Strategies and Techniques for using fishing lures and have
many FREE web pages with fishing lure information to
fishermen.
Spinnerbaits are the
most versatile and adaptable lures on the market.
You can change the blade size, shape and color. You
can change the skirt size, shape and color. You can
fish the lure deep, shallow, fast or slow. The
spinnerbait can be fished in grass, weeds, submerged
trees and logs. You can fish a spinner bait all
seasons of the year and all fishing conditions. I
can't think of another lure with the flexibility and
effectiveness of the spinnerbait. The spinnerbait
can be fished in virtually any fishing situation.
Spinnerbaits come in many sizes from 1/8, 1/4, 3/16, 1/2,
3/4 and 1 ounce sizes. The most difficult part of
fishing spinnerbait lures is determining the size,
color and blade configuration for the water
conditions you are fishing. Muddy water is an ideal
condition to fish spinnerbaits as you can use
lighter lures and big Colorado blades for more
vibration and a slower, higher riding presentation near the
surface. Spinnerbaits account for a large percentage
of the of the Bass Master's Tournament wins and many
local tournament wins.
The Spinner
Bait Arm Assembly
The spinnerbait arm is not the most
important part of the lure as the lure size, blade
size, skirt and trailer will affect the lure
characteristics most. The arm of the spinner bait
should be made out of a durable material and strong
enough to last for years. Some of the spinner bait
manufactures use a thin gauge wire for this and the
result can be a shorter life for the bait as it will
bend easier and lose some of its functionality. One
important feature of a great arm design is that the
trailing blades are directly over the hook shank. I
have had issues casting in windy conditions with the
line wrapping around the eyelets of the closed
and looped twisted eyelets, so I prefer the open
eyelet for attaching my line to the bait. Make
sure your spinner baits have strong bodies to
withstand pounding for multiple uses. Some
manufacturers will argue that thinner wire frames
produce more vibrations and hence more strikes.
There's probably some truth in that also.
Spinnerbaits come in three distinct categories. A
Short Arm design where the top part of the wire
frame is shortened. This configuration works well
with the fluttering spinnerbait technique, but is
not well adapted to fishing thick weeds or grass. A
Long Arm with the top part of the spinnerbait
frame lengthened. This design is ideal for fishing
brush and thick grass as it maneuvers through the
structure better. A third design is the Dual spin
and is best for slow rolling the bottom or pitching.
The Spinnerbait
Lead Head
The lead head is the most straight forward part
of the lure. The heavier lures are better to fish
the depths and the lighter lures are best for
shallow conditions. There are different lead head
shapes such as round, blunted, flat or rolled. I
prefer the rolled head as it "rolls" over underwater
branches better. However the flat and the round also
have applications where they work well, like bottom
dragging.
The Spinner
Bait Blades
I could not believe
how difficult it was to locate Gold Blade Spinner
Baits in the stores. Apparently spinner bait manufacturers do not
stock these. Most have to be custom ordered. I
ordered a gold blade kit so I could make custom
changes to my spinner baits on the fly. The most
important thing about the spinner bate blades is
that they start moving as soon as the lure is
retrieved and that they operate while moving the
bait slowly. One of the most effective spinner bait
techniques is to thump the bait along the bottom.
Single Blade
- Use single blade setup in deeper, clearer water or
low light, shallow and stained waters. This is a
good time to try a 3/4 to 1oz spinnerbait with a #7
or 8 Colorado blade.
Dual Blades - This is a good selection
when fishing muddy water with thick grass or hydrilla. Many fishermen use two different color
blades, like silver and Gold for maximum flash for
the low light conditions.
Willow
Blades - These blades have the most flash
and can be retrieved the fastest through the water.
They are available in Gold, Silver and assorted
painted colors. I like the Gold blades on cloudy
days or when the water is muddy. I like the silver
blades in clear water and sunny days. The silver
blades will produce the most flash in this
situation. Willow blades work best in grass and
weeds as the blade will pull right through. The
willow blades come in sizes #2 through #8. I like to
have a willow on top and a smaller Colorado blade
below in gold or silver. . The willow blade is the
best for fluttering the bait (helicopter).
Colorado Blades
- These blades produce the most vibration and are
great in muddy water where visibility is not the
best. The Colorado also provides the greatest lift
allowing a slower retrieve. Using a Colorado blade
and light weight 1/8 to 1/4 ounce lures enables you
to keep the bait near the surface in muddy water. These blades need to be fished slowly, giving
the fish more opportunity to locate the lure. Use
Gold blades on cloudy days with muddy water and
silver blades in clear, sunny days. This is the best
blade to use when Slow Rolling the spinnerbait
on
the bottom. The Colorado setup is also great for
night fishing with a black or purple colored shirt.
Also a great setup for fishing deep, murky waters.
Indiana blades
- These blades are a trade off of the Willow and the
Colorado. The Indiana blade produces more vibrations
than the Willow but less than the Colorado and more
flash than the Colorado but less than the Willow.
Indiana blades are great choices for stained water.
Colored Blades
- These blades reduce the amount of flash and are
great for clear, shallow water fishing. White blades
are great selection in clear water and bright sun.
Also try the red and orange blades as these bright
colors as the bass love them at times. Normally I
would only fish a bright colored spinnerbait like
this at night or real murky, low light conditions,
but reports have been coming in from fishermen
having success fishing them at all times of the day
and water conditions.
There are other blade types such as the
Indiana, this blade is a trade off between
the Willow leaf and the Colorado blades. It
produces more vibrations than the Willow and can be
retrieved faster than the Colorado blade.
Spinner Bait Skirts
Spinner Bait Skirts
come in silicon, plastic and rubber. I prefer the
rubber for many fishing conditions but they do tend
to stick together and to other lures so you have to
use and store them carefully. The silicon seem to
store better than the rubber and are very effective
at catching fish. I have also experimented using
other material for the skirts.
Best
Spinnerbait Colors
The spinnerbait color to use will depend on the
water clarity. Use white, translucent or shad colors
in clear water and Green, Chartreuse, Red and Orange
in muddy water. Muddy water is anytime you have less
than one foot visibility. Also use gold spinner
blades in muddy water and silver spinner blades in
clear water. On lake Arenal the water can be from
clear to muddy depending on the rain and the season.
White spinnerbaits will usually work very well, if
they are biting anything.
For Muddy Water
For Stained Water
For Clear Water
Don't Forget The Hook
This may be the most important part of the
spinner bait. The hook needs to be sharp and remain
sharp. I always carry a small sharpener when I
fishing so I can keep the point of my hook sharp. A
sharper hook will also penetrate quicker and farther
into the fish's mouth during the hook set. Try to
purchase a spinner bait with a name brand hook. If
the manufacturer has a quality hook it will be
listed on the package. Hooks are an expensive part
of the manufacturing process.
Some Advice On Fishing Hooks
I recommend removing the barb from
your hooks on all your lures. I catch 30 lb Grouper on
barbless trolling plugs and jigs, and largemouth
bass on barbless top water, spinner baits, worm rigs
and crank baits. I've never missed a fish on barbless hooks.
Fishing
Spinnerbaits
Before you reach into
your tackle box and grab the first available
spinnerbait stop and study the water you're
going to be fishing. Analyze what depth you will
need to fish depending on the water color, the
wind, the temperature, the sun and the structure.
Select or assemble a custom spinnerbait in the
appropriate blade color, blade shape, blade size,
lure weight, shirt color and blade configuration to
make the proper presentation to the fish with your
lure. The biggest reason that most beginning
spinnerbait fishermen are unsuccessful is their
failure to properly evaluate the waters they are
going to fish before reaching for a lure. It's
similar to fly fishing where you have to match the
hatch with your fishing flies.
Buzz -
This is where you hold your rod high on extended
arms over your head and crank the spinnerbait on the surface of the water.
The spinnerbait should be on the surface the whole
time. The blades
will rotate while under the water, but then skip or
jump across the air to the water again, sometimes
rolling the spinnerbait over on it's side. This looks
just like a small bait fish jumping in the water and
being chased by a larger bait fish. This will induce
a strike many times. Some fishermen bend the willow
blades to produce more erratic splashing to emulate
a wounded bait.
Bulge -
This is where you hold your rod high and crank the spinnerbait
about six inches or so
under the surface of the water. There will be a
small wake or bulge produced by the spinnerbait as it treads
through the water. You can also occasionally let the spinnerbait break through the surface
and make splashes. This method will really turn the
bass on.
Slow Roll
- Let the spinner sink close to the
bottom and start slowly retrieving until you feel
the blade kick in. Maintain a steady retrieve and
let the spinner bait slow roll along close to the
bottom with the blades turning as slowly as
possible. The blades will be make deep vibration
sound, especially if you go to the #8 size Colorado
blades. Colorado blades work best for this
method of fishing. These blades are huge and make a lot of
flash for slow rolling along the bottom. You will
need a larger size spinnerbait for this like a 1/2
to 1 ounce spinnerbait.
Thump - Every time you get the opportunity
to bang your spinner bait into a stump or tree - Do
It! This drives the fish crazy. Try to cast your
spinner bait past the stump in such a way that it
glances off the stump or log as it passes and look
out.
Flutter -
Cast your spinner bait up to a stump, a
submerged log or a dock and let it flutter and sink
to the bottom with it's blades counter spinning and
making all kinds of flash. Again - Look Out! This is
a sure fired way to get bass excited and in a
feeding frenzy. Keep your line as tight as you can
without affecting the bait's natural sinking. If you
notice your line moving to the right or left, crank
in your slack and set the hook hard. This method
works best with a short shank spinner bait.
Drag -
Fish the spinner bait like a rubber worm.
Cast it out and let it sink slowly and settle to the
bottom. Let the lure lay there for a few seconds and
then drag the lure forward on the bottom slowly
letting it bump into bottom structure. Use a big
Colorado blade for this application. You can also
try variations such as jerking the rod a couple
times quickly and letting the lure settle back to
the bottom. The slow drag can be very effective at
times.
Pitching -
Another popular is to pitch the spinnerbait into
thick grass brush or submerged trees and let it sink to the bottom,
then after a short pause jerk the bait off the
bottom a couple times and set it settle back down.
This is similar to the technique of pitching worms.
Also try pitch the lure into a dock, tree stump or
structure and pop the lure a couple times to get it
fluttering and looking erratic.
Burn -
A method I like to use when nothing else
is working is what I call Burn It. I crank a
large
white spinnerbait with a white painted willow blade
as fast as I can a foot or so under the
surface. Another adaption to this method is to
replace the blades with much smaller blades allowing
you to crank the bait faster. This method works on those hot muggy days
when the sun is bright and the wind is calm. Give
this a try when nothing else works.
Trolling -
This method of spinnerbait fishing is usually
overlooked by fishermen, but the spinnerbait can
be a very effective trolling lure as well.
Depending of the speed and depth you intent to troll
you may want to decrease the blade width and
overall size and go to larger heavier
spinnerbaits.
Spinnerbait Fishing Tips
Of course you can just pitch it out and
crank it in at various speeds. You can also twitch
it occasionally to make the skirts fluff up or
breath. You can also pulsate you retrieve so the
spinner bait is pulsating through the water. You can
crank and stop, crank and stop, etc. You can
Yo-Yo the lure by lifting the rod tip. This method
is particularly successful fishing long sloping
points. There are
endless ways to retrieve a spinner and catch fish.
Because of the underwater trees and grass roots we
will probably be casting as close to shore as we can
and experimenting with the retrieve. Speeding up or
slowing the retrieve as we develop a pattern.
Another effective technique is to cast past a ledge
or drop off and pull the bait off the ledge allowing
it to drop and slowly sink to the bottom of the
ledge. Repeat this on continuing ledges all the
way down a sloping point. In line blades are best at
this than swivel attached blades. This allows the
blades to travel slower during the float to the
bottom.
Secrets Of Fishing
Spinnerbaits
Spinnerbaits have to be fished right up in the
weeds, stumps, bushes. You cannot cast the lure
around the outside edges and expect to be
successful. You need to cast your spinnerbait
past the submerged trees and pull it right through
the structure. Let your spinnerbait bounce and
glance off structure and then pause a few seconds
letting the lure freefall. This simulates a wounded
baitfish and induces the strike. Pull it right through
hydrilla and thick grass. The strike will
usually come as the spinnerbait is pulled through
and breaks free of the grass or after the deflection
from an underwater branch. Don't be timid about
throwing your spinnerbait into the thick of it.
The spinnerbait is designed to be pretty much weed
less as long as the blades are spinning. The
spinning blades will knock the lure away from
obstacles underwater.
On clear and warm days
use a fast retrieve and give the fish a
little time as possible to see the lure. The fish
will hit more out of instinct than for feeding. So
you want to induce a strike when the fish is
normally not feeding.
On colder days or in muddy water
use a slow retrieve giving the fish more time
to locate your lure. A fast retrieve here will blow
right by the fish. This is where you want a slow
retrieve and a large Colorado blade thumping out
vibrations to help the fish find the lure. On
days when the water is muddy the fish will be
tighter to the structure so you have to fish close
to the logs or stumps. Try large painted Colorado
blades in muddy water conditions. Bright Red
or Orange, Chartreuse or
Fluorescent colors are best in muddy water.
When setting the hook with a spinnerbait,
pause a second or two to allow the fish to
get the lure in his mouth. Many fishermen try to
set the hook to soon and pull the bait out of
the fishes mouth. The fish may only have the blade,
or the skirt in his mouth.
Also, I have caught very few bass on a
spinnerbait that is just thrown in and retrieved
back. Try to make the spinnerbait injured and
erratic. Try adding quick jerks with the rod
tip while you reel in the bait. Let it drop to
the bottom or let it sink occasionally and
retrieve again. This will make the skirt breath
and add life and the wounded effect to your
presentation.
Also be conscious of how
you are casting the spinnerbaits. Instead of
tossing your bait perpendicular to submerged logs,
cast parallel and close to the structure. Casting
parallel to structure gives you more strike time in
the zone. It keeps the bait in that zone longer than
fishing across logs.
Fishing
Spinnerbaits In Different Water Conditions
Clear Water - Use silver willow
leaf blades or white blades when fishing
clear water. On overcast days use silver blades and
white painted blades on sunny clear days in shallow
water. Use white or clear/translucent skirts.
Utilize a fast retrieve giving the bass a
shorter time to identify the bait and strike mostly
out of impulse. You might want to try the new
plastic clear blades in clear water to reduce the
flash some.
Stained Water -
In stained water conditions you have more options
with spinnerbait blades and colors. Here gold,
silver or painted blades can work at times. Tandem
blades may perform better than single blade
spinnerbaits in stained water. You should
slow down the retrieve a little in stained
waters also.
Muddy Water -
Use Colorado gold blades with more
vibrations and brighter color skirts such
as red, orange or fluorescent colors. Use a
slower retrieve to allow the bass to see your
bait.
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5 inches
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