New to bass spinnerbait fishing

[TriStateBassin106]

I'm new to fishing with the bigger spinnerbaits, (use rooster tails occasionally) but I need help with deciding blade types. And colors for the  skirts and blades. Maybe even jig weight sizes? I mainly fish stained or dirty water here in Northern NJ and PA/NY. Can anybody offer assistance? 

 

I bought a few Booyah white shad style spinnerbaits this weekend but I feel like they're probably not gonna work in my local water conditions since it's pretty stained/dirty from algae. 

[fishballer06]

Dirty water conditions are known for being great spinnerbait water. Mainly because of the thump and flash that they put off. It makes it easier for the fish to sense the bait in the water whenever visibility is low. 

[greentrout]

in dirty water i use a single gold colorado blade with a chartreuse skirt ... old school and still works ...

 

good fishing ...

 

 

[smalljaw67]

I fish similar waters in PA and the spinnerbait has been my favorite lure for years. I refined my presentations so much that in the late 90s I started making my own which I continue to this day. As you will hear from others, white, chartreuse, and white and chartreuse combos all work well for body and skirt colors. You are just learning that bait so keep it simple, silver blades in the sun, gold blades for overcast and low light presentations. Get yourself War Eagle Mike McClelland finesse spinnerbaits and get them in the 5/16oz size. The two patterns you want are Blue Herring for the sunshine and Pond Scum Perch for overcast. The size works well to mimic the forage in the waters you are fishing and they use mag willow and Colorado configuration. That blade combo is really nice because it has good thump for times when the water gets dirty but still produces good flash when you have a little more visibility in the water. Those two patterns will work well in all types of water clarity as well, from dirty to clear and everywhere in between.

[deadadrift89]

Worth a read

http://www.badlandsbassbandits.com/articles/spinnerbaits-101.html

 

[scaleface]

Those Booyah white shad spinnerbaits will work just fine in stained water . Remember , these are a lot more snag resistant than Rooster Tails. They will actually jump logs . Throw them in and around the snags and you should get bit .

[TriStateBassin106]

On 8/20/2019 at 3:43 PM, smalljaw67 said:

I fish similar waters in PA and the spinnerbait has been my favorite lure for years. I refined my presentations so much that in the late 90s I started making my own which I continue to this day. As you will hear from others, white, chartreuse, and white and chartreuse combos all work well for body and skirt colors. You are just learning that bait so keep it simple, silver blades in the sun, gold blades for overcast and low light presentations. Get yourself War Eagle Mike McClelland finesse spinnerbaits and get them in the 5/16oz size. The two patterns you want are Blue Herring for the sunshine and Pond Scum Perch for overcast. The size works well to mimic the forage in the waters you are fishing and they use mag willow and Colorado configuration. That blade combo is really nice because it has good thump for times when the water gets dirty but still produces good flash when you have a little more visibility in the water. Those two patterns will work well in all types of water clarity as well, from dirty to clear and everywhere in between.

Thanks smalljaw! Do you have any links to these spinnerbaits? Tacklewarehouse maybe? Please PM me if you can get a hold of the links. Tight lines. 

[papajoe222]

On 8/20/2019 at 1:25 PM, pondhopperNJ said:

 I need help with deciding blade types. And colors for the  skirts and blades. Maybe even jig weight sizes? I mainly fish stained or dirty water here in Northern NJ and PA/NY. Can anybody offer assistance? 

 

 

Your first consideration is the combo you'll be using. A spinning combo is well suited for 1/4oz. baits and possibly 3/8oz. if it has the backbone to set the hook. 3/8oz.-1/2oz. is a good place to start. Blade size and style are more important, IMO, than skirt color. Bigger blades give off both more vibration and flash and in stained water, both are a plus. An Indiana blade is versatile as it gives off plenty of vibration and can be worked faster than a Colorado blade, and more vibration than a willow blade. Unless the water is very murky, natural colors (white, chartreuse, or combinations) will work just fine. For working the muddy water, I go darker. Remember that most bait fish don't change colors, some just get lighter, or darker depending on how much light they're exposed to.

[@reelChris]

On 8/21/2019 at 5:56 PM, pondhopperNJ said:

Thanks smalljaw! Do you have any links to these spinnerbaits? Tacklewarehouse maybe? Please PM me if you can get a hold of the links. Tight lines. 

Here they are:

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/War_Eagle_Mike_McClelland_Finesse_Spinnerbait/descpage-WEFS.html

[Big Rick]

On 8/20/2019 at 2:43 PM, smalljaw67 said:

Get yourself War Eagle Mike McClelland finesse spinnerbaits and get them in the 5/16oz size.

One of my favorites. Because of the compact size you don't get a lot of lift on the cast. So, they're very easy to cast on bait casters. Just make sure your line is no larger than 14lb so you don't overwhelm the action by pulling it along with winch cable. 

[CountryboyinDC]

On 8/20/2019 at 3:43 PM, smalljaw67 said:

War Eagle Mike McClelland finesse spinnerbaits and get them in the 5/16oz size.

I'm surprised so many are using the same spinnerbait as I do.  I use the one where the larger blade (not quite a Colorado blade, but not a willow either) is gold, the rear blade is silver, and the skirt is white, orange, and chartreuse.  I have one that has some grey tint to it with the blade color reversed, and have never gotten a bite going with it, go figure.  This seems to be about the perfect size for the rivers I fish, although I use spinnerbaits in bigger water.

[Jig Man]

For me in off colored water or low light conditions I generally put on a War Eagle bleeding shad or golden shiner spinner bait.  They normally out produce my other colors in these situations.  When I am seriously spinner baiting I have 3 to 4 different colors tied on.  I alternate them until I find the best producer.

[Derek1]

I’ve only been fishing spinner baits since this spring and the z man ones have out produced others I’ve tried so far. The bluegill and spot remover work the best for me. In the dirty water the strike king midnight special works great. You can run that one so slow it’s unreal. 

[Titan]

On 8/20/2019 at 1:59 PM, greentrout said:

in dirty water i use a single gold colorado blade with a chartreuse skirt ... old school and still works ...

 

good fishing ...

 

 

Ditto....

[Shimano_1]

I don't fish where you do but here in the bluegrass state I've kind of settled on strike king spinnerbaits almost exclusively.  For colors all I own are white, sexy shad, and white and chartreuse.  I have a cple with Colorado blades for really muddy water. 95 percent of the time I'm throwing double willow leaf blades. Definitely times when nothing else will catch em better. I've had a lot of luck in the fall on spinnerbaits.  Good luck

[king fisher]

My first spinner bait was a single Colorado, short arm black and yellow I think the name was Bass Buster Scorpion.  It caught fish, buzzed  on top, slow rolled on bottom, on days with wind or without, sunny, or cloudy spring through fall.  I only had one so I had to make do.  Now I own spinner baits in every size color and blade configuration.  I still catch most of my spinner bait bass on a black single Colorado.  Most people these days only use a single black Colorado for night fishing.  Willow and white is most popular.  I have been forcing myself to use white willow leaf more, because so many people can't  be wrong, but once I have confidence in something it can be hard to change.  I would recommend starting out with the standard Willow, white, but buy one single Colorado in a dark color just to try something different.