Spinnerbaits

[bigbill]

This post is for the ones who are having problems with using spinnerbaits. I was very spinner bait ignorant till Glenn here told me to stay using it. I never gave up. After I had one of the best teachers here pushing me.

Spinnerbaits?? I can understand this can be a sore subject with some fisherman. Heck

the only time I witnessed them working is when I was using one. I see so many guys making cast after cast the whole time, even for hours for nothing. They show up with one lure only and hammer it to death. I'd like to know the mileage on some of these lures.

Fishing from shore I been using the smaller spinnerbaits in white or chartreuse skirts with a Colorado or Indiana gold colored blade. The 1/4oz Mann's classic in white or chartreuse colored skirt, with the combination of the Colorado and a Indiana gold blade is one of the hottest spinnerbaits to me. The trailer setup is the key to me.

I use the mister twister 4" split double tail grub trailer. This split double tail grub actually looks alive and it's swimming when it's moving. I make sure it's put on the spinnerbaits exactly straight so the spinner bait will run vertical and true.

Once the trailer is on I add a 2/0 trailer hook. Add a shot of YUM shad scent and your good to go.

My setups are;

Mann's classic 1/4oz white skirt gold Colorado/Indiana blades spinner bait.

Skirt- Blue Glimmer

Trailer- mister twister 4" split double tail grub in white.

Trailer hook- 2/0

Scent- YUM SHAD

Mann's classic 1/4oz chartreuse skirt gold Colorado/Indiana blades spinner bait.

Skirt-Hot Chartruese

Trailer- mister twister 4" split double grub tail trailer in chartreuse.

Trailer hook- 2/0

Scent-YUM SHAD

The micro and mini spinnerbaits work when setup this way too. You may need to trim the length of the 4" grub trailer. I try to use the larger skirt giving the smaller spinner bait more bulk.

These setups work awesome for me from shore. But the presentation is another key to the puzzle to success. I make very soft side casts so the spinner bait goes into the water like a pro diver with a little splash rather than slamming the water spooking the fish.

Now depending on lure speed adjusts the depth where the spinner bait will run at. These is what we call the sight line. A faster lure speed we can see it running just below the surface. This is above the sight line. Remember if you can see your lure the bass can see you too. I find the bass will be shy at times to strike above the sight line. Now when we slow down our lure speed down just enough so we can't see it, it's below the sight line. It's more in the target and comfort zone of the bass. Most of my fish are caught below the sight line but all my first casts are above the sight line just to make sure my spinner bait is running vertical and to see what mood the bass are in too.

If you hold your rod tip up and let the blade arm with the blade run up out of the water by adjusting your reel speed letting the blade slap the waters surface while reeling it were using the spinner bait as a topwater surface lure. Again it's awesome action. This works great over submerged weeds and over open weed pockets too.

So far the gold colored Colorado and Indiana blades seem to have more thump whether there used single or double.

You can try different trailers if you want too. You can take my suggestions as a starting point till you figure out what works in your area.

All I can say is when there running vertical and set up right I catch fish.

Like Glenn told me stay throwing it till it works.

I'm a lure color freak so I purchased well over 100 different colors and sizes of spinnerbaits. I'm sure all the other colors work just like the crankbait colors work too. I wouldn't go crazy on different colors but the basic colors of Blue Glimmer or Hot Chartruese seem to be my hottest colors so far.

It's not luck in fishing it's skill.

[einscodek]

All good.. If you are learning it, I'd say yea take your best spinnerbaits and one rod and take your shot.. gotta trust the lure.. and it does work at times

I'm not of the opinion you keep tossing SB at the same place all day if theyre not hitting.. I'd move around.. SB for me when they are working are searchbaits just off the surface and abit more subsurface.

Otherwise like any tool in my box, when they are not working as efficiently, they're gone.. and the search for a better tool begins..

Right now my spinnerbait bite is going.. I'm on swimbaits.. shortly I will be on worm and jig

[bigbill]

Every new lure and presentation we learn is one more pattern we add to our arsenal of baits. It really pays off when we stay switching lures till we get action. The more baits we learn the more chance of success we will have.

It's more skill in catching fish than its luck.

[Fishes in trees]

I'm not a big fan of trailer hooks.   It seems where I fish the incidence of increased snags versus increased bites isn't worth it.  For me, I use a spinner bait in pretty much the same water conditions that I use a square bill.   3 to 7 feet of water, moderate cover/structure  and a secchi disc reading of 4 or less.  The past few years, I have been choosing a square bill over a spinnerbait.  No real reason except I think I have a better chance at  bigger fish using a square bill.

 

I agree mostly with the notion that to find a spinner bait bite , you have to commit to a spinnerbait for a period of time,  just that over the past few years I've had issues doing that.  I come upon an area that I would consider prime spinner bait territory, 4 or 5 casts, if no takers the jika rod or bubba drop shot rod is back in my hand.  This has been a year where soft plastics and diligence have caught me more keepers than cover the water search baits.

[JWOA]

  Do you suggest using scent...and Im switched my rod to  fiberglass rod...i was using a graphite rod...

[roadwarrior]

We all have our favorite "collectables", but for those simply adding to the arsenal,

you don't really NEED 100 spinnerbaits. My overall preferences are 1/2 oz white

only, white and chartreuse and chartreuse only skirts. With a white skirt, I generally

fish silver double willow blades. For chartreuse only, I like a single Colorado blade. 

I fish both the MegaStrike Strikeback and the Siebert Outdoors Cosmic Spinnerbait.

[Insanity]

Thank you Big Bill!

That's who made the trailers I used to buy at Wallmart years ago.

Couldn't remember the name.

Been looking for some locally for years now. No one has them here. And if you don't no the brand name of the product your looking for it doesn't help.

They make a heck of difference in getting bit or not, don't they. Lol.

Been preaching this for years. I don't use a spinner bait with out one.

You can drop the trailer hook. You don't need it with the white trailer trust me.

Lucked up and bought a bag of 30 last week from eBay. $4 plus $4 shipping) No name specified. Might be hand pores. But when they arrived I was surprised there better looking then in pics. Slick and shinny. A little thin in body. But better action the way there made I'm sure. The guy had another bag up for grabs.

After I ordered those I stumbled onto Zoom they make some. From there description they sound right.

Encase you have trouble finding the twisters like myself.

Possible tip. Paint black or cut the paint off the head on one and see if it doesn't make a difference. I Used use cheap ones and when the paint came off the bite picked up.

Thinking the head being a different color then the skirt gets to them. Lazer eyes and fancy paint is to catch us not fish. Lol

I prefer 1/2 oz as the above poster. White and blue/yellow are my favorites. And pretty much only colors.

[Mxtaylor]

You guys convinced me. I've never really fished spinnerbaits and the one that I do have is a 3/4 oz Firetiger.. I think maybe a little too big for my waters.

 

Just ordered some 1/2oz Cosmics from Siebert. Chartreuse, White, and Chart/White. Been skunked the past few times I've been out and looking for other ways to catch 'em. What all do you guys use for trailers? I have some 3" salt'n'pepper split tail grubs?

 

Thanks for the advice!

[einscodek]

Mxtaylor,

You may even consider using 1/4 and 3/8 as well and initially w/o trailer just so they're more subtle and wont spook the fish as much to gain confidence.  My fav trailor is a bream striped trailer on a 1/4 oz spinnerbait.. dont think the smaller SB cant get big fish the quarter oz landed me some big fish.. plus the 1/4 oz had a trailer on it so the profile is actually bigger.

Also, depending on your weather over there in Kansas the spinnerbait bite may be going.. lotsa inactive fish over here begging for finesse baits..

[JWOA]

  Thanks BigBill Ive been catching some today on...my first fish on  a spinnerbait....backed down went to a 6'6'' fiberglass rod and went with 10 lbs mono line. On a 7.1:1 rod.