WalMart $1 Spinnerbaits - Anybody Use 'Em?

[Goose52]

With water temps getting colder, I grabbed some of the $1 Walmart spinnerbaits the other day to use deep and slow - if I hung one up on a rock ledge or whatever - it wouldn't bother me as much as losing one of my premium spinnerbaits.

Dang, I'm catching fish on these things. Last week, I got an 18", 2.87lb LMB on one, then today I got a 15" and a 14" LMB, and lost another fish that was about the same size. I've only fished them a few times and they've produced some quality fish. Considering that the bite has slowed WAY down here, I'm pretty tickled about these things (I just love value as evidenced by performance vs. cost!).

Anybody else use these - or will admit to using them ... ;D

[K_Mac]

Goose I've tried them a few times over the years, but never had much success with them. Sounds like they are working for you. 8-) As you know I also appreciate good value. If $1.00 spinnerbaits or $99 BC reels get the job done I'm a happy camper.

[Goose52]

Funny thing is that I bought these to fish deep (and have lost one on deep rock already) but all these fish have hit in less than 3 feet of water - and the water here is extremely clear so they had a good look at the bait....

[OHIO]

Everyone talks about these $1 spinnerbaits at Wal-Mart. I have yet to see them.

Are they Wal-Mart brand or something? Mine carries Strike King and some other brands, but none of them are $1.

[Goose52]

WalMart calls them "Promo" baits and probably has them made for them. They also have buzzbaits at the same price. They have several configurations of the spinnerbaits - a single big honking Colorado blade, a willow and small Colorado, and I think a single large willow. The photo shows several of them. Note that there is no packaging - they are just hung on pegs in the bait section of the fishing aisle.

[SDoolittle]

I caught my personal best largemouth on one of those $1 Wal-Mart spinnerbaits several years ago.

[Goose52]

I caught my personal best largemouth on one of those $1 Wal-Mart spinnerbaits several years ago.

Love it !

[Carrington]

i personaly dont like them due to the fact that i think they use cheaper parts and also they dont look as real.

[Goose52]

i personaly dont like them due to the fact that i think they use cheaper parts and also they dont look as real.

Of course they use cheap parts - they're only a dollar! They're not $4 to $7 (or more) that you pay for mainstream spinnerbaits.

The question is, are people catching fish on them...

[Jeff H]

they dont look as real.

As "real" as what? Thats one of the most confusing statements I've read here??  They don't look as real as a real spinnerbait or....

[SDoolittle]

they dont look as real.

As "real" as what? Thats one of the most confusing statements I've read here?? They don't look as real as a real spinnerbait or....

I was thinking the same thing, but you beat me to it. They are cheap, the skirts suck, and they get bent out of shape easily. I haven't used them for years, but I used to catch plenty of fish with them. I think I still have a couple somewhere. I never liked the $1 buzzbaits though.

[SirSnookalot]

I've used them and have caught plenty of fish on them, just as many as any other spinnerbait.  Walmart used sell to a jerk bait called a renegade for bass, I used them for snook and they were dynamite, especially for less than $2.00, too bad they don't sell them anymore.

[SoFlaBassAddict]

They don't look as real?  I haven't ever seen a spinnerbait that looks real to me.  Most of them look like some of the earrings that women wear down on South Beach on the weekend nights.

[gotarheelz14]

This was this past summer when I was first starting out with fishing. I spent all my money on a brand new rod (croix avid) and so I didn't have any money for lures. One day as opposed to losing something :, I actually found something sitting by the edge of a bank. It was one of the dollar spinnerbaits but someone had taken the smaller colorado blade off of it. I gladly took it as I didn't have any money for lures and this became the second spinnerbait in my tackle box. The backup by default, if you will.

I ended up going to the Potomach later that week when I was visiting one of my friends. I tied on a Booyah spinnerbait and got a LM on my first cast. I ended up losing that spinnerbait---snagged at the bottom of the river on some rocks.

I went to my tackle box and tied on the shoddy looking Wal-Mart $1 special.

In about 45 minutes, I managed to pull in 5 more fish. All of them over a pound some 1.5-2lbs. The skirt on the spinnerbait got pretty much torn off after the time was up. I would think that the Booyah spinnerbait, with its better skirt, would have probably lasted for a couple more fish. But then again I can't know for sure because I never slayed them like I did with the Wal-mart one!!!! ;D

So what did I take from this? Those Spinnerbaits will get them just about as good as the rest of them. You can't expect upmost performance, they only come in a very few sizes, the materials are not the most etc etc etc...

But for for $1?!?!?!? I'll buy 6 of those and catch another 36 fish when the bite is on or when I don't mind losing and shredding spinnerbaits hahahha! ;D

[tholmes]

I've used (and caught fish with) Wally World's $1 spinnerbaits too. On some of them, I replaced the cheapo barrel swivel with a ball-bearing swivel. That makes the blade spin much better.

Tom

[Grey Wolf]

i personaly dont like them due to the fact that i think they use cheaper parts and also they dont look as real.

I'm glad the fish don't think like you do.

[Jigfishn10]

I picked a couple up because I knew I would be fishing in some salad. I figured if I was fishing the junk then losing a buck in the junk won't bother me as much. I ended catching a lot of fish (about 12) for a half day, but the shirt was pretty much gone. I ended up tying on a new skirt, sharpened the hook and caught this years PB on it later in the season.

Heck, for a buck, you can't beat it. I ended up buying about a half dozen more. I like the head design on it. It really comes thru the weeds with a single blade. MHO

I do like ball bearing swivels on my spinnerbaits, personally, but those crane swivels that came with it has not been a problem with me.

[Goose52]

On Carrington's "real" statement, I think he just meant that the WalMart baits don't have the level of detailing that the higher-end baits have - muli-colored high-quality skirts, detailed heads, better hardware, etc. as shown below.

I'm sure some of that detail and quality translates to some percentage of increased fish catch...but some of it is probably to increase the "catch" of the angler's dollars ... ;D

I know one thing, I don't fish those bluegill-pattern spinnerbaits in the photo in risky water very often - they're $7 baits - I don't want to lose them...hence the use of the WalMart baits :

[Catt]

Bass aren't real brand oriented as we anglers are

I've used Wal/Mart's Renegade brand worms & jigs with excellent results; one of my biggest tournament stringers (28.5) was caught on Renegade 6 worms.

[Jaheff]

I use to use them all the time, cause where i used to fish there was alot of stickups to get hung on.

I picked some up one day, then had to stop at another sporting goods store for line. Looked at spinner baits, and sure enough the Strike Kings were exactly the same ones, only cost more. So i figure they were made in the same factory in China?

[NateFollmer]

I'm pretty sure they are the same as the Dick's cheapo spinnerbaits that Strike King makes. I never had much success with them and they would always get all bent and mangled. I personally hate them, but if they work, they work, so buy them

I should add, I think the only reason I couldn't get anything on them was because almost all of my spinnerbait fish come on dual willow blades, maybe I should try adding a blade....

[Jigfishn10]

I use to use them all the time, cause where i used to fish there was alot of stickups to get hung on.

I picked some up one day, then had to stop at another sporting goods store for line. Looked at spinner baits, and sure enough the Strike Kings were exactly the same ones, only cost more. So i figure they were made in the same factory in China?

The one's I purchased were from Costa Rica.

[Goose52]

The one's I purchased were from Costa Rica.

Yep - mine too...

[Dave P]

6.13 on the willow leaf blade. I had a different skirt on it though, blue and chartreuse.

[Goose52]

6.13 on the willow leaf blade. I had a different skirt on it though, blue and chartreuse.

Hmmm - $1 bait (plus a new skirt) bags a 6.13 fish - sounds pretty cost effective to me... 8-)