Spinnerbaits 101

What You Need To Know About Spinnerbaits

   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.

 

Components Of A Spinnerbait

 The Hook and Eyelet are In Line

      When I was fishing the Budweiser & Redman Bass Master Tournaments a few years back I noticed some of the spinner bait fishermen would bend the arm of the spinner bait with the hook downward to increase the hook setting ability of the spinner baits. With the newer advent of spinner bait fishing lures this is no longer necessary, but it is still important to inspect your spinner baits to make sure the hook is not situated above the eye where the fishing line attached. If the top of the hook is not in line with the eye of the lure, then the lure can be pulled out of the fish's mouth. If the eye is below the level of the hook, the hook will be pulled downward instead of forward during the hook set. If the eyelet is above the lure  the hook could be pulled upward. Ideally you want the hook to move forward during setting.

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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.

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 

   I have personally witnessed several cases where fishermen got nasty hooks in their fingers or hands and had to go to the emergency room to have it removed. So head's up, especially if you're hooked into a big monster Guapote Rainbow Bass, a Peacock Bass, A Florida Largemouth Bass, Saltwater Snook or Tarpon with a plug with treble hooks on it. When these fish are boated they will lay still until you reach for the lure to remove it and all of a sudden they jump and drive the lure hooks into your hand. Partner your fishing day is over and I hope you have good health insurance.

Be Careful Removing Hooks From Trophy Fish!

If this has ever happened to you - Watch This Video On Removing Hooks - Wow!

http://www.wonderhowto.com/how-to/video/how-to-remove-fishing-hooks-from-your-hand-159968/

 

 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.

 

Ways To Fish Spinnerbaits

 

 How To Catch Fish On Spinnerbaits

Buzz , Bulge, Slow Roll, Thump, Flutter, Drag, Pitch, Burn & Troll

          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.

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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.

 

Making Your Own Spinnerbait Lures

Many successful spinnerbait fishermen custom build their own lures from a collection of spinnerbait arms in assorted weights & colors, a collection of blades in different shapes and colors, and a nice assortment of skirt colors for all water colors. This way you can assemble the lure you need for any fishing situation with spinnerbaits. I always keep some scouting lures made up in various flavors so I can explore an area quickly to find where the fish are holding. For this "Scout Lure" I usually employ a 1/4 to 1/2 ounce spinnerbait with a single willow leaf blade and a white skirt. I prefer 1/4 ounce if I'm fishing shallow waters. If the water is muddy I will switch to a Colorado blade with a red or black skirt. I make quick casts and retrieve as quickly as possible for the water conditions. Once I start getting hits I grab another reel that I have rigged with a spinnerbait that is more appropriate for the fishing conditions and I fish every nook and cranny with diligence.

Cabela's has a nice 154 piece spinnerbait kit that will allow you to assemble almost any spinnerbait you will need. Spinnerbaits will work year round, but you do need to take your fishing conditions into consideration when selecting your lure.

 

    Spinnerbaits Selected For The Evaluation

     We visited the local Bass Pro Shops, Wal Mart, Target, Sports Authority and several local tackle supply shops looking specifically for white spinner baits with Gold Blades in 1/4 oz size.  As you can see from the collection of spinner baits we obtained, it's very difficult to get white 1/4 once spinner baits with white skirts.  We finally special ordered our lures below including the PERSUADER, TERMINATOR, MANN'S CLASSIC, BOOYAH, STANLEY WEDGE and LAZER EYE spinnerbaits in gold blades. We also ordered some white skirts extra so we can change the skirts if necessary. We were looking for these particular baits as we wanted a level playing field for all lures and because of the unique waters we will be fishing. We felt the gold blades would work best because of the overcast conditions often prevalent on the lake.

 

More On Assembling Your Own Spinnerbaits

   Putting together your own spinnerbait kit is highly recommended. The problem is you most likely will not be able to locate the exact lure you need for a particular fishing condition at the local tackle shop. We were looking for 1/4 ounce gold blade spinnerbaits with white skirts and below is as close as we could find. We will have to take all these spinnerbaits and add white skirts and in many cases change the blade also. You can assemble the lures your need for a fraction of the price of off the shelf spinnerbait lures. We were only able to locate one manufacturer that had 1/4 ounce spinerbaits in stock and those had the wrong blade types, colors and skirt colors.  Your spinnerbait will have to be designed around your current fishing conditions every time you go fishing. Sure you can just cast and retrieve it and it you get a bite fine and if you don't you switch to another type lure, but you're missing out on the powerful ability of the spinerbaits to catch fish in all fishing conditions. Provided you know how to make the correct changes in your bait and presentation.

NOTE - We were not able to locate any 1/4 ounce White Spinnerbait with Gold Blades locally or by ordering online.

* All the lures below are 1/2 ounce and above.

Our first Fish Catching Evaluation of 2010 will start on Feb 22nd on Lake Arenal Costa Rica and the kind of fish we are targeting requires a small bait as the local fish do not have bucket mouths like the largemouth bass.  This is why we need 1/4 ounce lures. Also the water can be murky so we wanted gold blades. The white skirts are what seems to work locally according to local fishing guides.

Spinnerbait Lures Evaluated

These are the spinnerbaits we will be doing the fishing trials with:

 

                     PERSUADER                                     TERMINATOR                     

  

                 MANN'S CLASSIC                                BOOYAH                     

STANLEY WEDGE                         BOOYAH                             LAZER EYE 

 

 

Here a nice 9.5 lb Guapote Rainbow Bass Caught On A Spinnerbait

 

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