Calling All Spinnerbait Fisherman

[pwahmy]

Those of you who have confidence  when throwing a spinnerbait, what color are you throwing? What size are you throwing? Are you using it as a search bait making long casts or target cast? Thanks!

 

-Payton

[Glenn]

The spinnerbait is my #1 confidence bait. I always have one rigged up ready to go on the deck of my boat.  I've been fishing spinnerbaits for over 3 decades now.

Here is a video I made explaining all the tips and tricks I've learned over the years.  It's a massive brain-dump, so take notes!

 

[Heron]

I fish from shore, so typically cast long just to give the bait more time in the water.  But will occasionally make shorter target casts past a piece of cover.

usual colors are: white or smoke

weights are: 3/8oz for dbl Colorado & tandem.  1/2oz for dbl willow. 

[Airman4754]

Spinnerbaits are my go to in the spring and fall. Great video Glen. For me I keep it extremely simple. I'll try to keep this as short as possible, but I have a ton of success with spinnerbaits everywhere I fish so I know it works. 

1. Bait prep. The stock skirt is too long 100% of the time. Push it down from the head and trim it off flat 1/2" from the bottom of the hook bend. Use whatever trailer you want but make sure it's at least 4", visible in all water conditions, and it moves a lot of water. I use a chart Mr. Twister grub on every color and size I have. This is to give the fish a strike target so I don't get blade bites. Then finish it off with a 1/0 trailer hook. 

2. You really only need three colors: white, chart, and black. In clear water white and willow blades will cover every application. Personally I like black with a silver Colorado blade for night fishing and stained water and a chart with a gold Colorado blade for muddy water. 

3. Unless you are trying to bottom fish in the summer you will only need 3/8 and 1/2oz. Slow rolling a 3/4oz on bottom in the dead of summer can be good, but that's not the common use of a spinner bait. With the weight keep it simple. In a canyon lake or out in water over 20ft throw a 1/2oz, around cover or less that 20ft of water throw a 3/8oz. You don't want the fish to really get a good look at what the bait actually is. You want a disturbance above them that has a lot going on and it's moving away quickly so they have to commit. 

4. Roll cast, land it as close to the bank or cover as possible, and work on landing it as soft as possible so there is very little splash. YouTube has plenty of videos on how to do this. Never set the hook on a spinnerbait. Be patient when you feel the strike and just keep reeling while moving your rod to the side naturally. You'll miss maybe two or three fish a year this way. 

Then just fish a lot and put it all together. 

[scaleface]

I use many colors , bluegill imitators work extremely well for me  . Spinnerbaits are pretty snagless and work well around heavy cover . They sink and work well at all depths . Just make every cast have a meaning . Cast to cover , parallel a bank , let it sink to a certain depth . As long as each cast has a reason behind it you will pick it up pretty quickly . If your making random cast you will not catch many fish .

[Heron]

18 minutes ago, Mosster47 said:

"...For me I keep it extremely simple. I'll try to keep this as short as possible...."

 

 

Then makes the longest, and most complicated post in the thread. ?

[IndianaFinesse]

14 minutes ago, Heron said:

Then makes the longest, and most complicated post in the thread. ?

And also one of the most helpful posts.?

[buzzed bait]

11 minutes ago, Heron said:

Then makes the longest, and most complicated post in the thread. ?

not really.... he mostly nailed it for my thoughts as well.

EXCEPT i have never used a trailer hook and don't really intend on it.  I have had them come back 2 or 3 times to hit it again, but still don't feel the need for the trailer hook.  i like to fish it in some nasty cover too so the trailer hook would be hanging me up a lot.

only thing i'd add is that i rarely ever do just a straight retrieve.  i like to pump, jerk, twitch, anything to switch it up a bit while i'm reeling back.  shared this tidbit with a buddy 2 weeks ago who called to tell me that night he caught 9 spots in 25 minutes using the jerk/twitch method.

for the last 3 weeks, i've caught mostly all if not all my fish on a spinnerbait.  

[Bruce424]

Many colors and I target cast with my spinnerbaits, I also cover Water too. Green pumkin with a yellow or orange belly, silver, yellow and black are my usual colors. Rarely white unless it's with the yellow.

[bowhunter63]

3/8 mouse color with a little chartruse in it Any shad or bluegill really work good.Gold blades on cloudy days,Silver on sunny days.

[Oklahoma Mike]

There are very few times I go out that I don't throw a spinnerbait. I have a pretty wide array of colors, sizes, and blade types, but the ones I throw most often are 3/8 or 1/2 oz black/red, blue/black, and fire tiger, and usually I'm using a gold Colorado blade. Most of the waters I fish are stained with low visibility, so that plays a big role in these setups. 

If I'm fishing a clearer body of water I'll use lighter colors, and in clear water and sunny skies I'll use silver blades. 

I use them as search baits but will also make targeted casts with them if I think I know where the fish are laying. 

[MickD]

One thing not yet mentioned is that if you are getting a lot of bumps, even a foul hooked fish, then something is not quite right.  Change size, color, speed, something, until you get them eating instead of bumping.

[atcoha]

spinnerbaits work for me all the time. I like white and white/char. I use different trailers...either a spinnerbait trailer or a 3" swimbait.

Used willow blades, until recently...bought some colorado blades to try out.

[BassThumb]

They're one of my go-to baits; however, I don't really mix up the colors too much. I kind of just stick with 4 or 5 proven patterns and then just alternate between them.

 

I use black a lot, and also mix in a "light minnow" shade with some color and silver blades, a "dark minnow shade" like a bluegill with gold/silver, and a darker spinner that's predominantly gold like a gold shiner. I've really been on a roll with slow-rolled black spinnerbaits in the last couple years. I think maybe it's partially due to the fact that every Tom, Dick, and Harry is throwing white or chart-white and buzzing them within 2 feet of the surface nowadays around here. 

[Dyerbassman]

Up here in Northwest Indiana, a little orange in the skirt helps out a lot, even if it's minimal.  Bluegill skirts or white with a stand of Orange work well.

[Ratherbfishing]

Looooove spinnerbaits.  Especially when in shallow flats where I can fish them above the veggies.  The bass really seem to wallop them.  My primary choice of colors is white with a silver blade when the water is clear and/or the sun is out.   Chartreuse or brown/orange with a gold blade when the water is stained and/or it is cloudy.  But I use other colors if these aren't working.

[Bluebasser86]

So many different options for spinnerbaits. I fish them from little 3/16oz finesse baits, up to 1oz and use to have some even larger but they're a chore to fish. I stick with mainly natural colors in clear water, brighter colors in stained to dirty water (white, chartreuse, firetiger). Silver blades when it sunny and the water is clear, gold or copper if it's stained or cloudy. Painted blades if it's clear and cloudy sometimes or bright painted blades in extremely muddy water. I've gotten to where I pretty much only fish War Eagle with a few Booyah mixed in for dirty water. 

[Bankbeater]

I like white, and chart/white.  Those are the two colors I use the most. 1/4, 3/8, or 1/2 ounce depending on how deep the water is.

[MDBowHunter]

Love spinnerbaits and since I  pretty much fish super clear reservoirs I always make long casts which are targeted casts. I pretty much throw a 1/2oz war eagle in mouse color with one gold one silver dimpled willows 95% of the time. It's a killer combo in clear water. 

[buzzed bait]

9 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

So many different options for spinnerbaits. I fish them from little 3/16oz finesse baits, up to 1oz and use to have some even larger but they're a chore to fish. I stick with mainly natural colors in clear water, brighter colors in stained to dirty water (white, chartreuse, firetiger). Silver blades when it sunny and the water is clear, gold or copper if it's stained or cloudy. Painted blades if it's clear and cloudy sometimes or bright painted blades in extremely muddy water. I've gotten to where I pretty much only fish War Eagle with a few Booyah mixed in for dirty water. 

can't go wrong with the war eagle spinnerbaits!  the finesse war eagles are great in the ponds around here.  i do like the terminator t1 but they are crazy expensive.  i found some a while back on sale for $5 and bought everyone in the store....

[RHuff]

Midnight Special at night, baby. Slow crank it with a trailer hook just fast enough to keep it off the bottom.

[bigfruits]

3/8oz white on a MH fast rod 

[stkbassn]

3/8 oz double willow War Eagle in white or white/chart , gold and silver blade combo .  These are my go to spinnerbaits, period.