Nighttime Spinnerbait Lesson

[bigbassctchr101]

I think I am putting a little too much thought into this and its starting to drive me crazy.

 

I should start off by saying, I am not very good with a spinnerbait. 

But I have been shown how to use one by 2-3 guys that have been extremely successful with it.

I think they were all the type of guys that would rather catch them on a blade or just not catch anything at all when it comes to night fishing.

They gave me different retrieve suggestions:

yoyo, stop and go, bumpin bottom, parellel bluffs or steep banks.

 

Then they would mention how much color (even in pitch dark) mattered.  (Skirt and blades (nickel, black, brass)  If I would have not been there to witness the truth in this, I still wouldn't believe it myself.  He finally figured out a skirt color combo/blade color combo and started catching fish. Then switched rods with me and I started catching fish.  A couple strands of chartruese or pink is all that was changed. 

 

How do you guys decide when its best to throw a blade at night? 

What signifies when you should change up your colors?

When do you stop looking for a correct combo and just start fishing a jig?

 

I know most answers will be, you have to let the fish tell you.  I think that may be a thing bothering me too.  Right now, our tournaments are being won pretty much by whoever gets a limit.  It is so tough that it doesn't have a whole lot to do with culling out your big ones...its just catching five.  So the fish aren't exactly telling much right now.    So...when do they just not want you spinnerbait? Or when do they just not want to eat at all?

 

 

 

 

[einscodek]

I dont fish nights often cause I catch them well during the day but when I do usually near a full moon I'm going bladed baits slow and steady

I know guys tell ya to use black or blue at night but frankly I've had no problem with the same spinners I use during the day..I may try colorados abit more.. of course all this depends on how bright the moon is under which you are fishing.

I use spinners year round and yes there are days and times of the day when they are more tentative and you need to back off.   You can usually tell when you toss the spinnerbait and you see them scurrying or see swirls .. get your more finesse baits out.

[roadwarrior]

Glenn put together a GREAT video and here are some others:  http://www.bassresource.com/content/search?SearchText=spinnerbait&BrowsePageLimit=30

 

 

 

[ClackerBuzz]

keep in mind those guys are spinnerbait disciples. it's their confidence bait that they studied front to back.  most guys become masters with one or two techniques and generally knowledgeable about the rest. they took SB's to the next level which even makes my head spin . i only own a few colors of SB and even fewer blade combinations. in my experience making contact with cover (ie bouncing a spinnerbait off a log) is far more important than retrieve/skirt colors/ or blade combination. in fact bass will usually hit anything that bounces off that log. the majority of the time it doesn't matter if it's a crankbait, spinnerbait, chatterbait, swimjig etc. probably the number 1 mistake most guys make with SB is only working the top or middle of the water column. sometimes burning subsurface gets a strike but most times keeping bottom contact and bouncing off cover is the ticket. i catch much better quantity and quality fish on a jig compared to a SB. so i'm fast to put down the SB and pick up a jig. if the reaction bite isn't on i don't try to force it, cast for 5 hrs waiting for it to turn back on or add pink skirt strands trying to figure it out b/c i can more easily catch fish on a jig or drop shot (slow bottom contact/finesse techniques). really it up to you to decide which techniques you want to specialize in. you'll slowly start to see how they complement each other.

(i like SB more than crankbaits b/c a SB can stay on the bottom the entire time for a 100ft cast.  whereas a crankbait might only be making contact 50ft of the cast and diving 25ft/rising 25ft. and I like jigs more that SB b/c bass are neutral and negative more often than aggressive).

 

over all night fishing is the same as day fishing. 

i'll try 4 lures at 2-3 promising locations.  if i don't catch anything it's time for dramatic retrieval experimentation (trying speeding way up and also slowing way down).  and possibly add one or two new lures to the mix (the 4 lures cover top, middle, bottom of water column; and both horizontal and vertical retrieves).

i can then either move to new spots or revisit the previous locations with the new lures/retrieves.

I'm def taking off the spinnerbait for awhile if i hit 4 good locations and not even a strike. i might be quick to put it down but i'm just as quick to pick it up and try again an hour later.

Edited September 22, 2014 by ClackerBuzz