double skirts on spinnerbaits

[jimmyjoe]

  I don't fish at night very often, but when I do, I like to use spinnerbaits, especially under a full moon. In order to present a denser profile, I double-skirt the spinnerbait. My favorite is the Northland Reed Runner in black or black and red, because it has a good grub keeper on the body that will hold the second skirt well. I use the Crazy Legs skirts.

   Nobody else I run into does this. Everyone uses plastic trailers, either grubs or boot-tails. Some even use beaver baits. They all say that the plastic creates a much better profile. I don't know about that, because I seem to keep up with them, but I don't fish at night often enough to make real sure.

   I use double skirts because long trailers promote short strikes. Then you need to add a trailer hook, and the next thing you know your spinnerbait is running sideways because you unbalanced it.

   An extra skirt is not so prone to doing that.

   So, does anyone here double-skirt their spinnerbaits?

   Alternately, does anyone have a better idea for adding body to the spinnerbait in a way that does NOT un-balance it?      Thnx.    jj

[Grim_Reaver]

I've never tried double skirting but I remember seeing a pro hammering fish in tournament doing that a few years back. In my experience, 3.8" boottails (BPS speed shad to be exact) have never unbalanced my spinnerbaits and the fish that do bite choke it, no short strikes so far. If double skirting works for you, I'd say keep doing it ?

[king fisher]

I make my own.  I tie artificial hair with crystal flash mixed in underneath, then lumaflex material on the outside.  Inside hair has bulk and flash, and the lumaflex material has lots of action.  I doubt if the fish care, but sure looks cool to me.

[keagbassr]

I don't double skirt [ or fish at night] but maybe try a hula grub and get the best of both. 

[MassYak85]

I feel like I can never find "THE" spinnerbait where I'm happy with every aspect of it's design. One thing most brands don't have is a good trailer keeper. But I like your idea of doubling up the skirt. Most "bulkier" trailers like you said throw the bait way off balance unless it's heavier (over half ounce) and the skinnier trailers don't have enough bulk to get the skirt to flare out as much as I'd like. I like trailers though cause it seems like the fish don't swipe at it as much, other than pickerel which will just bite the tail right off. I'm gonna experiment a bit with tying a few of my own skirts with some hair like @king fisher said I think, and add my own wire keepers for the trailers. 

[Finessegenics]

I just want to begin by saying I may be completely off with this one but I'll give it a shot. You say you fish full moons which means there is some light penetration into water, so maybe the bass can still "see" a bit (I'm personifying the fish too much but I'm no biologist so I have no idea how their vision works). I'd still assume its pretty much pitch black in the strike zones and the bass are primarily feeding using their lateral lines and scent. A double skirted spinnerbait adds a lot of bulk and profile but not much, if any, extra vibration. A spinnerbait already lets off a ton of vibration but an added trailer will make the bait even "louder", which in turn makes it even easier for the bass to hone in on. This is why I believe you don't need to use a black spinnerbait for night-time fishing like a lot of people say you do. Just present a lure with a lot of vibration, or the right amount of it depending on the fish's activity level. I wouldn't worry too much about "profile" for night time fishing, because the bass cant really see it anyways. I usually use a big grub on the back of my spinnerbaits and they run just fine. 

[A-Jay]

I really enjoy throwing a spinner bait especially at night. Never felt like I needed to double the skirt.

Do prefer a boot tail trailer, single Oklahoma blade and no moon.

A-Jay 

 

 

[jimmyjoe]

29 minutes ago, Finessegenics said:

I just want to begin by saying I may be completely off with this one but I'll give it a shot. You say you fish full moons which means there is some light penetration into water, so maybe the bass can still "see" a bit (I'm personifying the fish too much but I'm no biologist so I have no idea how their vision works). I'd still assume its pretty much pitch black in the strike zones and the bass are primarily feeding using their lateral lines and scent. A double skirted spinnerbait adds a lot of bulk and profile but not much, if any, extra vibration. A spinnerbait already lets off a ton of vibration but an added trailer will make the bait even "louder", which in turn makes it even easier for the bass to hone in on. This is why I believe you don't need to use a black spinnerbait for night-time fishing like a lot of people say you do. Just present a lure with a lot of vibration, or the right amount of it depending on the fish's activity level. I wouldn't worry too much about "profile" for night time fishing, because the bass cant really see it anyways. I usually use a big grub on the back of my spinnerbaits and they run just fine. 

 

   Y'know, this makes a lot of sense, really. The reason I rarely fish nights is that I'm a shorecaster, and stumbling over stuff and falling down on rocks isn't my favorite pastime. That's also why I fish full moons.

   That, and lycanthropy.   ?    ?

   I was taught that I should use a spinnerbait at night very shallow, almost "gurgling", and that bass underneath looking up will see a mass, and attack it. I thought that had merit, because I had initially thought to "walk the dog" with a spook, and that didn't turn up any results. Of course, I may not have been walking that dog very well, because I'm used to using sight to tell how well the side-to-side is working out, and that's not easy at night.

   So I thought the spinnerbaits were a good idea. And not knowing any better, I used them the way I was told to use them.

   But you're giving me an alternative, and I can try it out.

   IDK .... I may have been using too big a trailer, too. I can experiment, I guess.

 

   Thnx.    jj

[jimmyjoe]

22 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

I really enjoy throwing a spinner bait especially at night. Never felt like I needed to double the skirt.

Do prefer a boot tail trailer, single Oklahoma blade and no moon.

A-Jay 

 

 

 

   I can try this one, too. Everything except the part about "no moon". It's bad enough to have a bull in a china closet, but if you put a blindfold on him you know darn well it's gonna get worse!          jj