Is Something Wrong With Me

[swagkid300]

I just realized i have never caught any fish with a spinner bait.

And i have about 15 different spinners

Are there any tricks to it?

 

[NorcalBassin]

I may have come down with the same illness. Back before I "knew" anything about bass fishing the only time we'd chase them would be early summer beating the banks with spinnerbaits. Seemed like pretty much every cast we'd get a fish or hit and now that I've been primarily fishing for bass the past few years I can't seem to catch one on a spinnerbait. Go figure.

[CayMar]

I'm in the same boat as you guys. I have several and I do use them but I don't think I've ever gotten a second look from a bass.

[swagkid300]

I may have come down with the same illness. Back before I "knew" anything about bass fishing the only time we'd chase them would be early summer beating the banks with spinnerbaits. Seemed like pretty much every cast we'd get a fish or hit and now that I've been primarily fishing for bass the past few years I can't seem to catch one on a spinnerbait. Go figure.

 

 

I'm in the same boat as you guys. I have several and I do use them but I don't think I've ever gotten a second look from a bass.

 

Bass hates us

[spartyon8]

Same here too.

[Sam]

Spinnerbaits are simple and at the same time difficult.

 

Blade sizes and styles dictate when to use them and how to present them.

 

May I suggest searching this Forum by using the word spinnerbait and to go to articles about spinnerbaits in the Fishing Articles section at the top of this page.

 

You may want to invest in anyof these videos:Hank Parker's Ultimate Guide to Spinnerbaits; Kevin VanDam's Proven Spinnerbait Techniques; and VAnDam's Advanced Spinnerbait tactics.

 

The last two are productions of Bas Pro shops. Give them a call at 800.227.7776 to find out if they are still being offered.

 

Go to Hank Parker's web site and see if he has his production still for sale. If not, try to contact him or his people.

 

In the meantime, go to YouTube and pull up the spinnerbait videos and watch each one.

 

Always use a trailer hook when fishing spinnerbaits unless you are throwing into the grass and wood and the trailer hook keeps getting snagged.

 

You need to know how to present spinnerbaits as they are proven bass catching baits and another part of your arsenal that can prove to be productive.

[basshole8190]

I've caught plenty of fish with them trick is to cover a lot of water with them throw them over grass or weeds around cover. Vary your retrieve speed. white or white chartreuse skirts are my most successful colors

[CayMar]

I'll do my homework.

[Bankbeater]

For me, this past year was a terrible spinnerbait year.

[Tlaz]

_{Same here. I gave up on them years ago. Maybe only caught 1 or 2 on a spinner bait. I dont like them.}

[lmbfisherman]

I love Spinnerbaits, they are my favorite search bait.  The criteria for me for spinnerbaits are the following:

 

1. White/Cht - Hands down for some reason I have the most success with this color combo, no matter clear or dirty water.

2. Double Willow

 

How I fish them?

 

1. Steady retrieve

2. Varying retrieve

3. Slow roll them....

4. Stop and go

5. Steady retrieve and pop them once in awhile

6. BURN them so they stay close to the top of the water.

 

Really there is no wrong way.

[Fishes in trees]

Over the past few years I've been more likely to throw a square bill or a swim jig or a chatter bait in places where previously I would throw a spinner bait.  I've got a bunch of them, but I didn't get them wet very often last year.  I probably need to remind myself to use them more.

[Dr. Watson]

On top of what others have said about research, varying retrieve speed, color and so on; it will also depend on how heavy your area is fished with spinnerbaits, if enough people are catching fish with them, there is eventually going to be a period of time where they won't want to bite on a particular color or type of spinnerbait cause those fish associate that profile of bait with the stress of being caught. Now, this is of course not going to particularly pertain to every place you fish, but has been known to happen from time to time.

[rmcguirk]

I've gotten away from spinnerbaits in the last couple of years, though I think I'm going to get back to them this spring.  It just seems that, more than any other bait I throw, using a spinnerbaits is ringing the dinner bell for pike. 

[Zach P]

Spinnerbait = my go to bait.

 

Now with that being said a lot of fish across the country have become conditioned to them because they have seen them so much. With this being the case you have to try different cadences with your retrieves, try running them at different depths, try changing the blades, change the trailers, trim the skirt.

 

Another thing that may be happening is the fish are following but not committing, or they are short striking and stopping their attack right behind the bait. To avoid short strikes add a trailer hook.

 

Hope this helps.

[JayKumar]

Never have bonded with a spinnerbait. Kevin VanDam on the other hand....

[Scott F]

On top of what others have said about research, varying retrieve speed, color and so on; it will also depend on how heavy your area is fished with spinnerbaits, if enough people are catching fish with them, there is eventually going to be a period of time where they won't want to bite on a particular color or type of spinnerbait cause those fish associate that profile of bait with the stress of being caught. Now, this is of course not going to particularly pertain to every place you fish, but has been known to happen from time to time.

 

I agree with this. I frequently fish spinner baits for both large and smallmouth  and do quite well. The lakes and rivers I fish do not get much pressure from other bass fishermen. I nearly always use a 3/8 or 1/2 oz white bait with a single Colorado blade. I call them "thumpers". It seems the single Colorado blade styles are out of fashion. Of the hundreds of spinnerbaits at my local Bass Pro, almost none of them are that style. I use them for pike too so I get them from a guy who makes them for me with the closed loop to tie on to for when I use a steel leader.

[McAlpine]

Spinnerbaits have been my go to lure for years. Think of them like a jig, extremely versatile, best used around cover and you can vary the retrieve based upon the conditions.

 

To me, the best time to use a spinnerbait is when you have some chop on the water, overcast, active fish.  Tough to beat under these conditions.  It's the precursor to the castable umbrella rig but small enough to be worked around stuff.

 

Hot bite: Throwing around cover, bumping into the cover, let it die, vary your retreive, put in some jerks here and there with a drop.  If you watch KVD's hands when he is fishing a spinnerbait you will know exactly what I am talking about.

 

Slower bite/Summer:  Slow.  Big blades, light weight head.  Let the bait float like a buzzbait slowly working it at an even pace.  Come up to a weed bed and if you can see the "lanes" through the weeds and pads then you can see where you need to work that spinnerbait through.  Throw it at logs and float it by lengthwise, let it die at the end and then zip it back.  This is the time to work "edges". I have found many times that if you get the bait down to the fishes level you will do better at this time than if you float it at the top of the water.  My personal guideline is to just barely let the bait sink to where I can't see it or can barely see it then retreive on that plane.

 

Winter:  Slow roll near the bottom, Yo-Yo retreive, etc.  Again, big blades but this time heavier head.  Get a good thump going and run it sloooow.

 

Dirty water: White, White/Chartruse, Black.  Painted blades, big blades.

 

Clear water: Silver and Gold willow leafs, get more creative with your colors if you want.  Try to match balls of forage baitfish.

 

Always use a trailer hook unless you are running in cover so dense that it keeps getting fouled.  However; if you are in cover that dense, a spinner bait is probably not what you want.

 

Trailer soft baits are good at times if you want a larger more dense presenation.  A simple curly tail grub works great.  But to be honest I rarely use anything. 

 

I dont know if it matters but I am picky about my skirts.  A good skirt is as important as good blades.  I use silicone only and try to match prevailing forage colors unless water clarity calls for something else.

 

If your starting out and have not yet learned what to throw when, then smaller is better than bigger.  A 1/8th or 3/16th oz spinnerbait will catch you a TON of fish.  Leave your manly-man I can chuck an ounce of lead ego at home and try them out.

 

Good luck. 

[Christian M]

Over the years I've added a lot of techniques to my fishing arsenal, from tiny finesse to obnoxious power baits, but man I couldn't imagine fishing without my spinnerbaits!

[lmbfisherman]

I've gotten away from spinnerbaits in the last couple of years, though I think I'm going to get back to them this spring.  It just seems that, more than any other bait I throw, using a spinnerbaits is ringing the dinner bell for pike. 

HAH yeah, last season I lost a few SBs because of those toothy monsters.  Still my go to search bait for bass.  Then again, Pike will attack anything. 

[BassmanDan]

In the lakes around here where shad are the primary forage a spinnerbait catches many of the biggest bass I've seen or heard about. There's nothing like an eight pounder crushing a big spinnerbait...gives me chills.

[smalljaw67]

A spinnerbait is my favorite bait, it is the bait that inspired me to make my own so that I could build them for very specific techniques like burning or slow rolling. For you to have success with a spinnerbait you have to have confidence and with every fish you catch on one your confidence will increase but first you have to catch one. When I was teaching my grandson the spinnerbait I didn't want to overwhelm him with information so we kept it simple and I suggest that for you guys that never got bit using them. Start with a 1/4oz tandem spinnerbait, or a double willow, both work fine but the tandem if more versatile. The tandem is a willow leaf blade on top with a small Colorado blade underneath, throw this in mid spring when the water temp hits 60 degrees, make a cast past the target you want to fish. for example, if you see a laydown near the bank, make a cast 15 feet past the lay down and reel the bait right past the laydown, if a bass is there it will ambush the spinnerbait and you will be on your way.  My favorite thing to do with a spinnerbait is to burn them in the river for big smallmouth, nothing like slinging a 1/2oz burner spinnerbait a good distance and burning it back, the water is crystal clear and you are close to the surface but is just deep enough that it doesn't make a wake. You get half way back to the boat, your heart is beating faster in anticipation for the moment the bait gets near the boulder you targeted and as it is going by you stay focused on the bait flashing and the skirt pulsing and then all of a sudden the bait disappears, there is a big swirl on the water and then it feels as if someone is trying to yank the rod from your hands!!!! It happens in the blink of an eye but it seems like it happens in slow motion, I never get tired of that and you won't either once you gain a little confidence.

[Ratherbfishing]

One can, I suppose, go through life without ever fishing a spinnerbait.  I'm sure it's happened.  Spinnerbaits do not ALWAYS work but I'd be hard pressed to be able to say anything different about any other bait.  They are great search baits and, because of their flash and vibration, they are especially good when the water is murky.  If I had to guess, your 15 spinnerbaits do not get a lot of honest to God game time.  Or, possibly, you are not use them when or where they (pardon the pun) shine their brightest.

[ww2farmer]

Yeah...........your not doing it right.

[bartdude186]

same for me, my first bass when i was 5 was on a spinnerbait and if i recall correctly, that was the last haha. But i honestly don't fish them much at all,another thing to work on this year.