Spinner Baits
In this article, I am going to go through the
Spinner Baits: When to use them, what blades to use, and in my book I always recommend using a
trailor.
There are so many companies that make Spinner
Baits but the one that to me holdsthe title KING of KINGS is got to be Strike King. They
have the Premier, Redeye,and the Midnight special. Those are the
ones I use most often.
I know at Bass Pro they have a whole aisle dedicated to Strike King
Spinner Baits, and I will not even go into the colors. I will put it this way. If
you have a special color, I bet Strike King has it.
I've had good results landing the bass hogs with the Premier
Spinner Bait. Below you'll see the anatomy of a spinner bait with the Premier used as the
example.
The only thing I got to say about the Mid-Night
special. It is Black/Blue and has a large Colorado black blade on it and makes plenty
of vibration after dark. Try one and see if you do not keep a few secrets to your
self.
The Red Eye Spinner Bait that has caught on
real good. It seems like there has to be Red on it like it is
injured.
If you recall in an earlier article I wrote, I
said that any lake I go to one of my rods will have a Spinner Bait on it. These baits are what I
call fish finders meaning they cover a lot of water fast and are very effective on
getting some hogs. In Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, always keep one tied on a 6 ft 6' Med
to the Med Heavy Rod.
Use of a Spinner bait would
be my first thing to throw beside a log or wood that is laying in the water, in and around a
dock, pier, or marina. My, and many other fishing folks, favorite color has to be a toss up
between a White or White and Chartreuse. These bait are
also very productive on a sloping bank, and on what I call a stair step bank. Make
sure you make contact with each step depending on which level the Bass Hogs are
hanging out on. Grass is another place that is great for Spinner
Baits.
Story TIME: Last October, I was pre
fishing for a tournament at Pickwick Lake. It rained all week, but the second day I figured
out the pattern. The bass were holding in the grass and wanted the spinner bait
to come ripping through the grass and they would hit it.
I would cast up to the bank and on the retrieve
I would let the Spinner bait go just under the
surface and just on top of the grass. Just before I cleared the grass, I would
drop the Spinner Bait into the grass then rip it out. That is when I was
getting my strikes.
I was using a 1/4 ounce Spinner Bait and it was a quad blade
(4 Blades). The first one was gold willow leaf and the other three were
silver willow leafs all on the arm. During that week, I caught over 60 pounds of bass
using the Spinner Bait.
Okay, back to the anatomy of a spinner
bait.
Anatomy of a Spinner Bait
The spinner bait is comprised of five
parts.
- Number 1 is the head that is the weighted part of the
lure
- Number 2 is the arm/wire
and some folks call it the safety Pin frame to which
the blades are attached
- Number 3 would be the blade/blades to cause
vibration and flash when you are reeling it in
- Number 4 is the skirt can be either rubber or
a synthetic dressing hiding the
hook
- Number 5 is the trailor
which can be a pork/plastic material. All this does is
add attraction to the bait or make it fall slower in the water depending on how you
are fishing it.
Something else, they do make trailor hooks and my advice is use
them. I get a lot of short strikes and this hook that is behind your Spinner
Bait will still catch the fish.
The blades I go with are three different
types:
- Number 1 would be
the Colorado it is rounded and heavy cupped. This is
the blade that will deliver Maximum Vibration. I would use this in muddy
water or maybe even at night when I want the fish to hear this bait and
it would help them find it.
- Number 2 is the Indiana Blade it is tear drop
shape and another good blade for stained water, usually you will see
more than one Indiana blade on the arm.
- Number 3 is the Willow Leaf Blade Thin long
and just a slight cup to it. This is the blade I
would use when I want Maximum Flash; probably the closest thing to a real live
bait fish. Best if used in clear water.
Retrieve Tips:
Retrieves will vary depending on what the bass
are telling you. Some like it fast while other bass like it slow. That is
where you hear the saying "slow roll". It means let the spinner bait sink and do a very slow
retrieve. Sometimes I will pause it just to give the spinner bait the looks of a injured
bait fish; sometimes that is all it takes.
When To Use A Spinner Bait:
Fish them early in the morning and late in
the evening, but don't forget what I have told you;
Let the bass tell you what they want.
Get out in the back yard and with a practice plug
throw at different things so you can get your target dead on when you Go to
the Lake.
Good luck and let me know how you
do.
Keep the Hooks Wet
Steve McGoldrick
|