Spinnerbaits

[WestMichiganBass]

I have been fishing for a few years now and have aquired a decent selection of spinnerbaits. I've tried them many times but have never had great sucess. Any tips or techniques you would recommend for someone just getting surious about spinnerbait fishing. 

I am also very curious about spinnerbaits as a pre spawn technique.

What gear is ideal for spinnerbait fishing.

How do you guys feel about trailers on spinnerbaits? Do you use them? Do they make a difference?

[MDBowHunter]

Spinnerbaits are one of the baits that can be fished year round just by using various retrieves, anywhere from slow rolling it across the bottom to burning it right across the top of the water. They can be fished on spinning or casting on a med to med/hvy fast tipped gear, I personally use med/hvy fast casting gear with 15# copolymer. 

[Fishinthefish]

Pre spawn can be tricky, hour to hour the retreive they want can change. Usually what I start with is a two turn, pause and let it sink retreive method. I turn it just fast enough for the blades to start vibrating during my two handle turns. From there I start to speed up the retreive if I'm not getting any hits.

I use single tail grubs, or flukes as trailers on my spinnerbaits.

[noway]

3 hours ago, WestMichiganBass said:

I have been fishing for a few years now and have aquired a decent selection of spinnerbaits. I've tried them many times but have never had great sucess. Any tips or techniques you would recommend for someone just getting surious about spinnerbait fishing. 

I am also very curious about spinnerbaits as a pre spawn technique.

What gear is ideal for spinnerbait fishing.

How do you guys feel about trailers on spinnerbaits? Do you use them? Do they make a difference?

I'm with you on success rate.  I've got plenty but what frustrates me is retrieving it and seeing that lure coming at you from 40' feet away with no followers.  Cast after cast after cast.  Bummer!

[Munkin]

So I am pretty good with spinnerbaits as they are my favorite bait and I have been fishing with them since 1988. What I suggest is you buy one of the BPS KVD spinnerbait videos for $10. I have no affiliation with KVD or BPS but what took my 20+ years to figure out he goes over in the videos. Normally these videos you just watch someone fish without learning much be he goes into detail. The second one he pimps SK more than I would like but watching those videos will definitely help with your learning curve.

 

Allen

[papajoe222]

One thing you may be doing is using the wrong tool at the wrong time, or in the wrong location.  Spinnerbaits shine as a reaction bait and as such are a poor choice in many situations, which can be said for most lures.

Like any lure, you need to put it where the fish are.  Many anglers when starting out with spinnerbaits will cast them out and wind them straight back. This will keep it up high in the water column, often within sight. That's fine if the fish are active there ( think late pre-spawn), if they aren't, you're just churning water.  If you were fishing a shallow running crank with no success, wouldn't you consider switching to a deeper running one if it didn't produce?

Just as with Crankbaits, a steady retrieve will catch an occasional fish, but it's the erratic action of bouncing off of something or using a stop and go retrieve that will get you bit much more often. The same thing applies to spinnerbaits. 

My advice to gaining some confidence in them it to hold off using them until late pre-spawn and then pick an overcast or breezy day.  Start working it shallow and then down the water column.  They're only as versatile as you make them. 

[MIbassyaker]

I think of spinnerbaits as a situational lure around here: scattered cover, windy, overcast, not too cold, not too hot, water not too clear. They come through cover pretty well, so don't be afraid to throw them into stuff, as long as its not thick slop. Tick the branches of laydowns from a few different angles. Over submerged weeds, do a stop & go retrieve like Papajoe mentions -- crank them moderately fast, then stop abruptly every few cranks to let it fall. Don't be surprised if you catch a pike on one before you catch a bass.

[A-Jay]

The Spinnerbaits is very versatile as you can chunk & wind it, slow roll it, wake / bulge it, jig it, drag it, yo-yo it & pump it.

There are many great articles here in the article section on spinnerbaits - here's one

http://www.bassresource.com/fishing/spinnerbait_bass_fishing.html

On top of that and to offer a couple of thoughts about spinnerbaits -

1) You've no doubt heard that spinnerbaits are a great reaction bait and they truly are.   Simply put, think about presenting these baits into & around places where you think a bass might be hiding to ambush prey.  Weeds, reeds, wood & even rocks all qualify but are by no means the only place to look. Accurate, quiet entry casts can help as not to spook a bass.  In these type spots and the bait goes by kind of fast, the bass has only a brief time to decide whether or not to eat it.  You're sort of forcing his hand - either eat or say bye-bye.  Often times, they eat.  If conditions allow, use a trailer hook.

2) Spinnerbaits are Great baits when there's s decent breeze, even a stiff wind can be killer.

And when you can combine 1 & 2 above - you might have a heck of a day with a spinnerbait.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[bowhunter63]

Right now if you get overcast windy choppy water the excel.Slow roll with a gold blade.I have had a lot of luck with War Eagle 3/8 ounce mouse color.You can pick em up at wally world.

[scaleface]

I think prespawn is the best time to throw spinnerbaits . I like chartreuse with large blades . Find some coves with nice points at the mouth and cover water . 

[greentrout]

Anytime you're around wood, grass and cover in shallow water throw the SB when you're working the water looking for fast strikes. When there is a wind throw it into the wind and pick it up when an imminent front is coming in. There is not a better bait for aggressive bass and zipping one by hitting the bass's lateral line with a reactionary strike. Learn the blades, weights and colors. Means a lot. Good fishing.

[Airman4754]

Once the pre-spawn bite hits all I throw for largemouth is a spinner bait. I have them in three colors: white, black, and chart. I use one trailer on all of them: a 4" chart grub w/silver flake. 

For my pattern I cover a ton of water. I have my TM on full tilt and run about 30 feet from the bank. I always use the same retrieve when I'm fishing perpendicular to the bank. It's cast right to the water line, reel it for about ten feet, stop, count to five seconds, reel it back to the boat. I stop short of every point and make three fan casts across it. Downed timber, docks, piers, etc. I make one cast down the side, one cast to the front, one cast down the other side. 

If there are rock walls I will run my boat parallel to them as close as I can and try to run my spinnerbait within 6" of the wall. This is how I catch the majority of my bigger fish during this period. 

If there is wind always run your boat into the wind and cast up wind. Work the edge of grass lines, pads, and any other vegetation. 

Most baits fall into this, but if your fish your spinnerbait always thinking about what technique, retrieve, and cast will make it the easiest for the bass to ambush it you will catch a lot of fish overall and a lot of good wish as well. 

[primetime]

I like chucking spinnerbaits right up on the bank as well, and then figuring out where they are on the break line and then going parrallel to where the bigger fish are staging..If you find the males in shallow water you know you have big fish near by, windy days are the only time I really use them.

I like to fish down wind if I find a good area since fish usually are facing the direction of the wind, so if you burn it over them from Behind, I find you often get some better fish or fish you missed by fishing upwind..I do the same with Traps...Sometimes direction makes alot of difference, some days it doesn't seem to matter, but always worth a try if you know where the fish are located, knowing their position helps figure out how they would ambush if active, or strike if not....I read that years ago and the analogy was "If someone throws a ball at you and you see it last minute out of the corner of your eye, then you will automatically try to catch the ball or block it...Bass do the same thing if something comes from behind them that could be a threat."

when it works it seems to get bigger bites, but less if fish are not active, if feeding they will hit either way imo...I also like to put them on the bank in inches of water and find the break and then go parallel, but often the best fishing is in the inner weedline in super shallow water and a spinnerbait works better than most people think...They will often chase it from far away.

[papajoe222]

As for gear, I recommend a M/H rod if using mono or fluoro (12lb.+). Go to a Med. power if you'll be using braid.  Mod.Fast for both if it's rated for both power and action. 

Pre-spawn is the only time I use a trailer and most often it's a Kalin's grub behind a Colorado spinnerbait.

I will use a trailer hook 90% of the time after the spawn,  The only time I don't is when they're taking it deep.  If I'm fishing grass, I like the ones with the line tie dipped in plastic.  It keeps the hook from swinging freely behind the bait.

[smalljaw67]

The spinnerbait is my favorite bait by far, I've learned to use it and it is the bait that actually got me started in making tackle. The biggest mistake I see anglers make with learning the spinnerbait is using it during times that a moving bait isn't ideal. Summer day with no breeze and high water temps is when I see a lot of guys throw them and this isn't an ideal time. Also the places tend to be wrong, I like using short 6'6" and 6'9" MH rods with fast actions or heavy power rods with a mod-fast action because I'm making short roll cast to targets like deadfalls and laydowns, weedbed lanes and under overhanging trees. Depth also plays a part but when I teach someone about using a spinnerbait I like to start with the shallow target areas where you can get a few bites to gain confidence with it before looking at slow rolling. If you want to gain confidence, try using a double willow or a Indiana/Colorado combo in the 3/8oz range and fish it on days when there is wind and at least passing clouds, it sounds cliché but I've had tremendous days with spinnerbaits when the wind was kicking at 30MPH. Seriously, days when there is a little wind, this causes chop on the water and it breaks up the outline of the bait, and if there is anyone else fishing for bass, use a different color other than white, or chartreuse, or white and chartreuse, I won a small club tournament on a Indiana/Colorado blade come 1/2oz spinnerbait in a gold/purple color pattern and second place was 6lbs behind and everyone was using a spinnerbait, I believe I was the only angler not throwing a bait that was white, chartreuse or some version of that color. Once you get a few fish and gain confidence, it will be easier to try slow rolling or yo-yo type retrieves because you will know that you have caught fish on it and it does work but try starting shallow around cover, Jimmy Houston made a career out of spinnerbait fishing shallow cover.

[greentrout]

5 hours ago, smalljaw67 said:

Jimmy Houston made a career out of spinnerbait fishing shallow cover.

I think it can be said Hank Parker did, too.

[strikefc34]

If your fishing smallmouths with the spinnerbait I like them post spawn through fall. Not that you can't catch prespawn fish but I think theres better options. I love throwing spinnerbaits in the wind, wind blown shorelines, flats, breaks. I tend to keep the spiinerbait high in the watercolumn, usually a foot below the surface. When they bite they try to rip the rod out of your hands. I like 1/2 oz to 3/4 oz baits, Zoom Fat Albert grub trailer and try to match the blades to the weather condition. If its sunny I like double chrome willows, if its cloudy double painted blades. Can't go wrong with chart/white skirts. Dobyns 734 rod with a Daiwa 7:1:1 reel and 15 mono or flouro

[Catt]

From my personal experiences spinnerbaits are like lipless cranks in that the bass are either on a spinnerbait bite or not, there ain't much in between. After about an hour if I aint been bite I'll put that rod away!

Depending on the body of water I'll throw everything from Beetle Spins to 3/4 oz spinnerbaits. 

I perfer white, chartreuse & white, or some type of shad color.

I do use trailers some times & the same with stinger hooks.

[burrows]

On 3/3/2016 at 11:42 AM, WestMichiganBass said:

I have been fishing for a few years now and have aquired a decent selection of spinnerbaits. I've tried them many times but have never had great sucess. Any tips or techniques you would recommend for someone just getting surious about spinnerbait fishing. 

I am also very curious about spinnerbaits as a pre spawn technique.

What gear is ideal for spinnerbait fishing.

How do you guys feel about trailers on spinnerbaits? Do you use them? Do they make a difference?

I'm not gonna into all the specifics I'm just gonna be be quick about it.

Throw it till your arm falls off I guarantee you will catch a bass.

[IndianaFinesse]

I usually throw a white/chartruse spinnerbait, as far as the retrieve, if the spinnerbait bite is on it will be bit as long as it is wet!

[Jacob Kreitner]

Spinnerbaits:
Spinnerbait Fishing: What you need to know!!

When I am looking to fish a spinnerbait I will almost 95% of the time fish a white spinnerbait, deciding blades can be complicated though. I’m going to explain to you all the different times you should be using different blades based on water clarity and temperature. So feel free to share this information with anyone and make sure next time you throw a spinnerbait your doing it right and increase your chances of landing a big one!

My Spinnerbait weights are usually all between 3/8 oz and 1/2 oz. I stick to a white or white/chartreuse color for my spinnerbaits. I like to keep tackle simple and keeping those 2 weights and those 2 colors makes my spinnerbait fishing a lot easier. I typically throw this on a bait casting rod and use casting reel for improved casting and targeting certain key spots.

Here I will cover rod, reel, line, and specific types of baits.

Rod: 
7’ MH Fast Action Rod 

Reel:
6.4:1-6.6:1 gear ratio bait casting reel

Line: 
12-15 lb Flourocarbon Line 

Baits I recommend
Booyah Tandem Blade Spinnerbait 3/8oz White/Chartreuse 
Strike King KVD Spinnerbait 
1/2oz White 
War Eagle Spinnerbait 
1/2 oz White 

Now that you know the type of rod you need and a few baits to try out let’s get into some of the things you may run into when throwing a spinnerbait.

When do I throw spinnerbaits?
I throw spinnerbaits year round, but the most effective time is an overcast windy day out on the lake around cover, on points, and docks. Those fish will be more suspended and more active, and I will use a white spinnerbait for those overcast days. For sunny days I will use a white chartreuse for a little more color when the sun shines down on your bait. In the warmer months, fish will be down lower during the day so letting your bait fall a little is very effective during spring and summer. 

So now that I’ve answered a frequently asked question let’s get on to when to use what blades at different temperature and water clarity.

Types of Blades
There are 5 kinds of blades I use when spinnerbait fishing, those include:
    1.    Double Colorado 
    2.    Double Willow 
    3.    Indiana Blade
    4.    Single Colorado 
    5.    Tandem Willow 
You don’t need to over complicate these types of blades when fishing, with that being said I usually stick to three main ones, the Tandem Willow, the Double Colorado, and the Double Willow but I will cover all of them for those of you who use the other blades.

Water Temperature and Clarity

    1.    Double Colorado 
This blade type creates more vibration in the water and is often fished in dirtier water because the fish aren’t able to see it as well.
Water Temperature:
You can fish this bait anywhere from 45-80 degrees.
Colors:
White/Chartreuse 
Chartreuse 

    2.    Double Willow 
This blade is used for more clear water and puts off a lot of shine from the bait, the Double Willow is fished more in the colder months because it has little vibration and more shine.
Water Temperature:
Can be fished between 45-80 degrees.
Colors: 
White 

    3.    Indiana Blade 
This blade is used for murky to dirtier water and can really stir up those fish in those warmer months.
Water Temperature:
Fish this blade in the warmest months when the temperature is between 70-85 degrees.
Colors:
White/Chartreuse 
Chartreuse 

    4.    Single Colorado
This blade is used for really dirty water when there is little to no visibility in the water, and used in the coldest of months. 
Water Temperature:
Really cold water when it gets down between 40-55 degrees 
Colors:
White/ Chartreuse 

    5.    Tandem Willow 
Used in clear water and I prefer to throw the heavier 1/2oz to 3/4oz weights for this type of blade.
Water Temperature:
Can be used tear round; between 40-80 degrees.
Colors:
White 
Chartreuse 

This is a very simple and easy to use guide for those wanting more information on Spinnerbaits, I hope that you can use this to your advantage and hopefully land your next personal best. Email me with any questions or comments you may have with the email listed down below. It helps me improve my content and find out what kind of information you guys want to read. 

Tight Lines, 
Jacob Kreitner 
jkreit206@gmail.com

[Columbia Craw]

The spinnerbait is a very unique lure type unlike lures designed to look like forage.  But it offers features unlike any other bait albeit the Alabama rig or Chatterbait. File that away.

 

The lure features provide contrast (skirt), flash (blades) vibration signature and water displacement (blade/blades).  

When you evaluate the situation you can put those features and attributes into play. Example:  Smallies are roaming and munching allewives, perch or shad. Match the color scheme, blue glimmer shad and duel nickel willow blades and move the bait at speed and very that speed. Example: Largemouth are are in stained shallow water on flats with non emergent lilly pads, water is cool.  Blue gill, sculpins, tad poles are starting stir.  Provide a color that provides contrast, blades that displace water and a blade color that provides some flash. That may be a bream skirt, white/chartreuce skirt with double Colorado blades in gold.  Slow the retrieve 

 

Apply the attributes of the features and match them to the conditions and adjust your retrieve accordingly.  You will catch em!

[Boomstick]

Your weather should be similar to ours, and from what I gather many of your lakes are even clearer so here's some tips. In general, spinnerbaits are good in stained water or on cloudy and/or windy days, but every now and then you might get some in clear water on a clear still day -- not the typical place for a spinnerbait.

 

Trailers/Trailer Hooks

Personally, I hardly use trailer hooks. Depending on where the blades line up to the hook, there are some spinnerbaits you do need to extend the hook side past the blades, like the Revenge models. In clearer water, I will sometimes use a treble hook but I am still more likely to use a trailer, usually a 3.8" Keitech instead which keep the spinnerbait fairly weedless.

 

Since most of my spinnerbaits are not models where the blades are pushed back, I will usually only add a trailer if I am getting short strikes and not landing fish or if I can see them following. The kick of the a tail from a soft plastic is usually enough to entice them to bite -- and bite the whole thing.

 

Dirty Water - year round

Colorado blades and chartreuse or black colors can typically be slow rolled through any real dirty water for good success. They put off a lot of vibration (and typically catch fewer but larger fish). But sometimes dual willow blades will surprise you.

 

Nighttime - year round

Slow roll a black, colorado blade spinnerbait. For whatever reason, black silhouettes very well in low light conditions and tends to catch the most fish.

 

Springtime

Keep it under 1/2oz, although 3/8oz is generally preferred in the spring to match the smaller baitfish. Until the water hits 55 degrees, a colorado blade will be effective. You can use a single or dual colorado bladed model, there's advantages and disadvantages to both, but in early spring (and late fall) they seem to work equally well.

 

Once the water hits 50, a colorado/indiana blade combo will start to work well. I have a few River2Sea models with this combo, but if you don't have any, a colorado blade still work.

 

Once the water hits 53 it's time to bring out the dual willow or willow/colorado blades. You can fish these at this time from dusk to dawn until the water hits 65, but keep in mind they do need some light to work. Use dual nickel blades in clear water, and nickel and gold in stained water. These typically produce for me in mid-late spring. You can fish them a little faster, but I usually don't burn them yet either. Try to stop occasionally on the retrieve especially after hitting a rock or a stump or try yoyoing your retrieve.

 

Summertime

For the most part, you will want to stick to the same spinnerbaits that you were using in late spring, the dual willow and usually 3/8oz early in the summer. The difference is where in the spring you can fish them from dusk to dawn, in the summer you will want to use a spinnerbait more often on cooler days, or early in the morning or late in the day and ideally. If you have a hot day where it starts to get windy because a storm is moving in and the temperature drops quickly, pull out a spinnerbait -- such days have been some of the best bass fishing I have ever experienced.

 

As August comes along and the bass get out of the post spawn funk and the baitfish get larger, larger spinnerbaits will better imitate the baitfish and burning the spinnerbait on the retrieve becomes quite effective at covering a lot of water in a short amount of time. You may use up to 1oz spinnerbaits if you need a little more depth when burning, but 1/2oz is generally the go to. You only want to burn dual willow bladed models.

 

Fall

As fall rolls along you'll move from burning to a steady retrieve and eventually to slow rolling, in reverse order. The only difference is I would use 1/2oz models more than I did in spring.

 

Finally as far as colors go, white is preferred in clear water, chartreuse or brown or black in dirty water, white/chartreuse in stained water and blue/sexy shad colors (not chartreuse sexy shad) tend to work pretty decently in any water short of night fishing.

 

Gear

For a rod, I fish spinnerbaits up to 1/2oz on my 7'2" Daiwa Tatula Glass MH/R (basically moderate fast) rod and normally use a 6.3:1 ratio reel, although 7.1:1 is also fine and I while I like 7.1:1 for burning them later in the summer, I do prefer the 6.3:1 reel overall. A MH/F rod is generally good for 3/8oz and 1/2oz spinnerbaits, which is what I throw 98% of the time. 3/4oz and heavier spinnerbaits can be thrown on a H/F rod. Some people even throw 3/8oz spinnerbaits on a M/F rod, although I would be hesitant if it's on the lighter side of medium.

 

I usually use 15lb line, but will step up to 17lb if I am fishing them in solid cover. I have used 12lb in clear water without a problem before as well. I don't think spinnerbaits are a presentation where you have to use thinner line for better action or presentation either, so if you have a reel just for spinnerbaits feel free to throw 17lb line on it.

 

I hope that helps you catch some fish and gain some confidence in a spinnerbait. One other thing I will mention is there are some lakes where they just do not chase a spinnerbait no matter how hard you try, and other lakes where it seems the spinnerbait is basically "fish crack".