Blade Bait V. Football Jig

[bushnaq]

Does anyone use a heavy football jig 3/4 oz instead of a blade bait when the time is right? does stroking a football jig work well for smallmouth bass  in place of blade bait?

[Bluebasser86]

I can't ever get bit on a blade bait so I almost always rely on a jig or a jigging spoon when fish are relating to the bottom in cold water. 

[Crestliner2008]

I can't ever get bit on a blade bait so I almost always rely on a jig or a jigging spoon when fish are relating to the bottom in cold water. 

The blade is my No. 1 "go-to" - IF the bottom content is not grassy. Can't tell you how many smallies and lake trout I've taken on blades over the years. If the bottom is snaggy and/or grassy, I will go to the jig however. But I'm normally fishing deeper water and the blade performs well 90% of the time. I'm just the opposite to what you've experienced Bluebasser86, in that I have had very poor results on jigging spoons! Go figure!

[Dwight Hottle]

I prefer a blade bait over the jig for vertical fishing. I use jigging spoons too. The blade bait gets the nod over the spoon about 60% to 40%. I think the blade works better because of the increased vibration.

[roadwarrior]

School me on fishing a spoon. I have several spoons that are several years old simply because 

they have never been fished. Life expectancy on the reserviors of the Tennessee River has been

two or three casts at best.

 

 

 

[Dwight Hottle]

School me on fishing a spoon. I have several spoons that are several years old simply because 

they have never been fished. Life expectancy on the reserviors of the Tennessee River has been

two or three casts at best.

 

 

 

 

 

The spoon might be ineffective if you are constantly dragging it in river current. It works best vertically. Fishing bottom or in your case ledges in water deeper than 10 feet up to about 40 feet. I like to use it over marked fish on bottom and drifting to cover water. I use light braid tied to a very small swivel then 10-15 mono from the swivel to a snap. The mono leader is only about 2-3 feet. If your fishing over rocky bottom and snagging a lot try just touching bottom then jig just off bottom letting the spoon touch down very occasionally. The fish usually hit on the drop after  the jigging up stroke. If still snagging try replacing the treble with a single hook. Spoons & blades are like jigs in the success category. You won't believe in them until you have your first success then it can be a lights out. For me in deeper water I prefer spinning tackle over baitcasting for dropping the bait in the water column. If  you get bite on the drop & forget to engage the spool you will have a serious birdnest. Just another tool in the box to make your day on the water better.  

[Crestliner2008]

I also find that it takes a lot more work when fishing a spoon; in that you have to keep jerking it aggressively off the the bottom to create the desired flash. You also cannot let it sit on the bottom for any length of time. I've tried letting it sit for long and short periods of time. Have my best results when jerking it rapidly off the bottom immediately after touching down. But that may just be me!

 

The blade on the other hand is less strenuous to work. I just let it touch down, then barely twitch it off the bottom, feeling the vibrations start. Then I kill it again. After ice out I may let it sit for a few seconds longer on the bottom, between twitches (this can be dynomite!). This depends on the fishes activity level of course. With either the spoon or the blade you have to be constantly experimenting with the presentation to get the best results for the time & day you are on the water.

 

One final thing. I remove the front treble on a blade bait to minimize hang ups on the bottom and to more easily free the fish once landed. Seems to be working well for me during this season. Has done nothing to minimize takes, as compared to my partner who still uses two trebles. Next season I'm going to switch out the treble to a Siwash hook to further minimize hang ups and facilitate easier unhooking of landed fish. We'll see how that works out!

[Bluebasser86]

School me on fishing a spoon. I have several spoons that are several years old simply because 

they have never been fished. Life expectancy on the reserviors of the Tennessee River has been

two or three casts at best.

 

 

 

I actually fish a spoon by making cast a lot of the time. Most cast are pretty short but I'll make really long cast at times if need be. I just let it sink to the bottom on a slack line until it hits bottom. Once it's on the bottom I start snapping it off the bottom and letting it fall on a semi slack line, repeat all the way back to the boat then I'll jig it vertically under the boat for a minute or two in case I had a fish following it. Some bites are very hard "ticks" on the drop, but more often than not they're just there next time I go to snap it. Normally, I'm targeting fish I've seen on the finder but sometimes I'll target likely, deep water area. 

 

Has anyone ever tried a Rapala Jigging Rap for open water, vertical bass? It's become a popular bait for walleye guys in open water, I'm assuming it would be a really good bait for bass in cold water too. 

[ww2farmer]

I have not yet dipped into the realm of blade baits, save for tying one on and just playing with them in the water. I know a guy who uses them effectively in cold water, while I am using a football jig, tube,  A-rig, or dropshot.................and most of the time he is catching more than me with the blade, the only thing I have ever come close to matching his results with when his blade bite is on is the Ned rig.

[HoosierHawgs]

Is there articles on here about blades, or spoons? I've fished weedless spoons, but never a magnum spoon or jigging spoon, or a blade bait. 

[Lucky Craft Man]

I use Blade Baits in the Early Spring and Jigging Spoons in the Late Fall.  They both work extremely well and for some reason that I can't really explain, I have never crossed over (i.e., Jigging Spoons in the Spring and Blade Baits in the Fall).  Maybe I'll mix it up a little this year and see what happens.

[A-Jay]

Blade baits ~ when the bottom conditions are right (and they just have to be mostly free of grass / weeds) the bait is really deadly in cold water.

 

 This is the best video I've seen on how to fish them. 

 

 I have a ton of confidence - if this info is followed and the fish are there to be caught - you'll get some.

 

A-Jay

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLOoWcoPIK4

 

[wnybassman]

During the cold water period I have been switching back and forth between a bladebait and a 3/4 ounce football head with a 5" hula grub on it.   I work them exactly the same way, just a slight lift and drop all the way back to the boat after a medium to long cast.   Still do better on the blade, but some decent ones have come on the jig also.  I have not really deciphered under what conditions each works best, or if it even mattered which one I was using at the time.

 

Jigging spoons are a whole different animal.   Those produce best for me when I fish it vertically and violently swing the rod up 6 to 8 feet and let it flutter down.   It's almost like a hookset every time you swing up, and it really wears you out after several hours of doing it.  There were many tournaments on Lake Erie when I would do that for 8 hours straight.  Not sure I could any more.  lol

 

I fish all three on the same rig though, a 7'MH fast with 17 pound flouro.