Spring Time Spinnerbait

[smalljaw67]

I just finished a dozen of these today and I'll be hopefully throwing them next week depending on the weather. This is a 1/2oz bait with a 55 strand skirt in a tandem configuration of an Indiana Blade on the swivel and a small Colorado on the clevis and the head is poured on .035" diameter wire. What makes this a spring time spinnerbait is a few things, the first is the color, it is my version of "mouse", which is like a smoke with green crystal, that color works because it shows up ok in stained water yet is somewhat on the natural side that does well in clearer water. The second thing is the skirts size, normally I don't make a skirt that heavy but the fact is I'm fishing it in cooler water temps so the fish will be a little slower and the bulkier skirt will slow the fall and allow me to reel the bait slower and still keep it in the zone I'm fishing. The third thing is the blade configuration, it is one that can be used in just about every situation but I like it for spring because the Indiana blade spins fast enough with a good amount of surface area to provide a good amount of flash but it still has a wider arc and deeper cup to give the bait some solid vibration which is helped out with the Colorado kicker blade. Last, but not least is the wire, in the late spring and summer I would normally make my baits with a little more wire coming out of the head with a tiny bit more angle to help it come through grass better but since I don't need to worry about that at this time I shorten the length as it makes the bait stronger and stiffer which also helps amplify the vibration. So there you have it, and this is why I make my own spinnerbaits from bending the wire and pouring the heads to making and tying the skirt, it gives me total control with the hook that I want and there is endless possibilities with wire sizes, you just have to know what affect every change you make does to the bait and finding that out is the fun part.

 

[AQUA VELVA]

Very nice. I love throwing ''hardware''.

[z7master167]

Looks great

[kickerfish1]

Looks great and thanks for the detailed description.

Can you comment on why the use of the chartreuse colored piece was used between the blades?

[smalljaw67]

9 hours ago, kickerfish1 said:

Looks great and thanks for the detailed description.

Can you comment on why the use of the chartreuse colored piece was used between the blades?

That is just a spacer bead, sometimes I throw a red one on sometimes white, or even clear or a brass or nickel bead, it depends on the color of the bait and my intended use. With this bait it is just something a little different that stands out but not too much.

[CJ]

Very nice smalljaw! I noticed you did something I've been trying to learn, multiple jig head paint. Is that powder coat? 

[smalljaw67]

43 minutes ago, CJ said:

Very nice smalljaw! I noticed you did something I've been trying to learn, multiple jig head paint. Is that powder coat? 

Thanks for the kind words guys. Yes CJ, I only work with powder and I do multi colors on jigs, chatterbaits and spinnerbaits and basically everything I make. The color in the picture is my own creation, it is actually 5 different colors blended together to make 1 color and then the green back that fades into the sides actually consist of 2 more colors. I messed with that to try and get the same color tint as the green crystal in the skirt material, I managed to get it pretty close, well close enough that I'm happy with it.

[cadman]

Well, I'm impressed. Very nice coordinating paint job.

[S. Sass]

17 hours ago, smalljaw67 said:

Last, but not least is the wire, in the late spring and summer I would normally make my baits with a little more wire coming out of the head with a tiny bit more angle to help it come through grass better but since I don't need to worry about that at this time I shorten the length as it makes the bait stronger and stiffer which also helps amplify the vibration.

Nice looking bait I had a question though. 

I thought I had read that the lighter (thinner) or longer wire helped amplify the vibration?

How do you measure the vibration so you know when your making more or less vibration? 

[smalljaw67]

4 hours ago, S. Sass said:

Nice looking bait I had a question though. 

I thought I had read that the lighter (thinner) or longer wire helped amplify the vibration?

How do you measure the vibration so you know when your making more or less vibration? 

Using light wire does get more vibration and having it go a shorter distance means the vibration on the entire bait is a little bit more, I doubt you could measure it but you can feel it. If you reel a bait made with .040" diameter wire and then reel in a bait made with .035" diameter wire, you'll feel the difference, it isn't much but it is noticeable. Now, shortening the wire length coming out of the head does make the bait stronger, and it also means the waves of vibration travel over a shorter distance so it probably gets a small amount of extra vibration but it really isn't measureable. This is what you learn when you have been making these things for just about 20 years but light wire, not longer wire is what gets you vibration.

[z7master167]

Trade you a perch swimbait for 1/2 dozen of those

[smalljaw67]

9 hours ago, z7master167 said:

Trade you a perch swimbait for 1/2 dozen of those

Very nice swim bait but I don't use them much here but I appreciate the offer.

[Munkin]

Looks great!

I thought I was the only guy using Indiana blades. 

Have you tried the clear plastic willows yet? I was planning on making a bait in about the same color as yours to try for gin clear water.

Allen

[Dyerbassman]

That's a great looking spinnerbait.  Well done!

[smalljaw67]

11 hours ago, Munkin said:

Looks great!

I thought I was the only guy using Indiana blades. 

Have you tried the clear plastic willows yet? I was planning on making a bait in about the same color as yours to try for gin clear water.

Allen

Yes, I have used the clear and the painted ones but you can still see through them. In clear water they are awesome, almost no vibration and they spin at super slow speeds, but I've only used them in clear water, nothing else.

[Deleted account]

They look great. I would buy or trade for a couple if you are interested.