Spinnerbait vs Bladed Jigs

[ajschn06]

So I posted a similar topic a while back regarding swim jigs vs. spinnerbaits, but these baits seem to have even more in common.  So once you've made the decision that a simple swim jig is too subtle a presentation, that you want some flash and vibration, how do you decide which one of these to tie on?  I much prefer a bladed jig, so that's what I always reach for, but am I missing out on something?  Do I even need to carry spinnerbaits?  They were always a staple of mine before the bladed jig came about, but haven't used them much since then.  Haven't really noticed any difference in productivity when going from one to the other and I'm really trying to simplify my decision making processes....

[CountryboyinDC]

For me, I can fish a chatterbait for several hours and never get a bite, but get hung up several times before I eventually lose it somewhere.  With the spinnerbait, I can fish it for several hours without losing it (although I may still not get a bite).

For me, I really want to get to where I catch fish with chatterbaits - there are too many people that do great with them for them to be a bad bait.  But I can't get any positive data with them to figure out how I'm messing up.  Part of the problem is the places/times I'm able to fish.

Spinnerbaits don't get hung up as often for me, whether I'm fishing them in blowdowns or along grasslines.  There's a lot of really great articles about which spinnerbait to use for different environments, but I only carry a few (single Colorado, double willow, a smaller profile bait with Indiana and Colorado blades with painted, silver, or gold blades).  I don't throw them when the bite is tough, but there are people that always have some kind of spinnerbait tied on, even when there's bluebird skies, etc.  

I don't feel as though I'm necessarily missing out - there are tons of baits that have become popular that I've tried and realized that they're probably for the angler that has lots of time to really hone their skills.  In the end, plastics, jibs, crankbaits, ripbaits, and spinnerbaits are probably good enough to cover most scenarios.  Still want to get a chatterbait bite going for myself.

[roadwarrior]

2 minutes ago, CountryboyinDC said:

I can't get any positive data with them to figure out how I'm messing up. 

 

 

Fish the Chatterbait slowly, just off the bottom with an occasional jerk. My #1 presentation the past few

years has been a white Rage Blade with a white Rage Tail Structure Bug.

 

[DitchPanda]

To me comparing a bladed jig to a spinner bait is like comparing apples to oranges. I feel like a bladed jig is great around grass but bad around wood..vise versa for the spinnerbait. A spinner bait I fish similar to a swim jig...to me a bladed jig is more similar to a crankbait than anything. While there are similarities they are also different enough to keep both around...different tools. That said I may buck the trend of the past several years by saying I much prefer a spinnerbait.

[ajschn06]

3 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

To me comparing a bladed jig to a spinner bait is like comparing apples to oranges. I feel like a bladed jig is great around grass but bad around wood..vise versa for the spinnerbait. A spinner bait I fish similar to a swim jig...to me a bladed jig is more similar to a crankbait than anything. While there are similarities they are also different enough to keep both around...different tools. That said I may buck the trend of the past several years by saying I much prefer a spinnerbait.

Thanks- that's helpful.  I see them both as skirted baits with a vibrating/flashing blade, so they feel very similar to me...and I fish them similar.

[Koz]

Of the two, in stained water I'm more likely to pull out a bladed jig first and in clearer water I'm more likely to try a spinnerbait.

 

More often than not, with a spinnerbait I'm fishing the middle and upper water columns using a straight retrieve, pop and retrieve, or pause and retrieve. With a bladed jig I hit the upper, middle, and bottom utilizing the straight retrieve, lift and drop, pop and retrieve, or scoot it along the bottom.

[DitchPanda]

1 hour ago, ajschn06 said:

Thanks- that's helpful.  I see them both as skirted baits with a vibrating/flashing blade, so they feel very similar to me...and I fish them similar.

Another thing I'll add...and remember this is just my experience...but for me a bladed jig is a better bluegill imitation and a spinner bait is a better shad\baitfish imitation. Of course this can be changed with different blades and skirts but I'm general this has been the case for me. Perfect example I fish two local ponds...one has bluegill and shad and the spinner bait rules there...the other pond only had gills and the bladed jig is better than a spinnerbait. Too confuse you more I'll add that at both places a swim jig out fishes both.

 

 

[Herbert Lorenzo]

They both are good producers,  but I personally enjoy the swim jig strike more as it feels so explosive. 

[RoLo]

 

I've thrown them both of course, but hang my hat on the safety-pin spinner.

In the waters we fish for largemouth, 'weedlessness' is next to godliness.

In turbid water with poor clarity, I'll throw a safety-pin spinner with 1 large Colorado blade.

That keeps me pretty happy.  

 

Roger

[Bass Ninja]

1 hour ago, DitchPanda said:

To me comparing a bladed jig to a spinner bait is like comparing apples to oranges. I feel like a bladed jig is great around grass but bad around wood..vise versa for the spinnerbait. A spinner bait I fish similar to a swim jig...to me a bladed jig is more similar to a crankbait than anything. While there are similarities they are also different enough to keep both around...different tools. 

This has been my experience too. And while I'm obsessed with the chatterbait and it has produced really well for me, the Spinnerbait did land me my PB last year....

[MIbassyaker]

I use them more or less interchangeably, but tend to prefer:

 

1) A chatterbait in clearer water than a spinnerbait (opposite of many people's preference)

2) A spinnerbait in brighter conditions than the chatterbait, to take advantage of the flash.

3) A spinnerbait in hard cover (e.g., wood, docks) over the chatterbait.

4) A chatterbait in vegetation over the spinnerbait.

[scaleface]

I have yet to catch a bass with a bladed jig . I make a few cast , then get around snags and switch to a spinnerbait . Spinnerbaits are the right tool for the job where I fish . Other waters a chatterbait is the right tool .

[A-Jay]

34 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

I use them more or less interchangeably, but tend to prefer:

 

1) A chatterbait in clearer water than a spinnerbait (opposite of many people's preference)

2) A spinnerbait in brighter conditions than the chatterbait, to take advantage of the flash.

3) A spinnerbait in hard cover (e.g., wood, docks) over the chatterbait.

4) A chatterbait in vegetation over the spinnerbait.

^^^^  This is close to my way of thinking here as well. 

But I'll take it a step further and add that "Speed"  and "where in the water column" I'm looking to get bit

plays a role for me here - and in a Major way.

While much of it is driven by water temp, a vibrating jig is my 'low & slow' bait most often

and the spinnerbait see's action in the upper portion of the water column

and is most often moving along at a pretty good clip.

#burnit

No doubt slow rolling a spinner bait deep can be killer just like zipping a vibrating jig over and through shallow grass can be lethal.

But in my hunt for beastly Brown Bass, the above is more the norm.

YMMV

A-Jay

 

[gim]

The vibrating jig/chatterbait can be fished a lot more slowly.  It stays down better near the bottom whereas a spinnerbait needs more speed to be effective, higher in the water column.  They are both in my arsenal and I use both regularly.

 

I never used to fish vibrating jigs much until last season.  Spinnerbaits have been in my tackle box for a long time and have been a consistent producer.

[ajschn06]

Appreciate all the opinions- exact kind of stuff I was looking for.  Very helpful!

[soflabasser]

Both have their time and place they work best but I prefer fishing with a spinnerbait.

[Bluebasser86]

Swim jig-thick grass

 

spinnerbait-clear water, heavy wood

 

bladed jig-sparse grass, stained to muddy water

 

 

That's my very simplistic breakdown of how I decide.

[Boomstick]

People tend to think of chatterbaits and spinnerbaits as being interchangeable, but my experience is that this is rarely true. There are some areas where I'm fishing a spinnerbait with some success, but it also pulls out all the grass where a chatterbait is a little easier to shake grass off it and works just as well by popping it where once the grass wraps around the spinnerbait, it's hard to get it off.

 

One thing I will note is that people in this thread talking spinnerbaits seem to be talking about double willow blades or willow/colorado blades (pretty much willow blades). Spinnerbaits with colorado blades can be fished just as slowly as chatterbaits. I generally reserve colorado blades for dirty water (which we don't have a lot of in the northeast) or early or late season use.

 

I generally approach willow bladed spinnerbaits more like a crankbait - when bass are hitting moving baits at feeding times, spinnerbaits are generally effective. Just like crankbaits, spinnerbaits like docks and stumps, and if you're getting annoyed picking grass off your crankbait then try a spinnerbait. Sometimes on a cool summer night, the spinnerbait bite will start maybe a hour or so before the crankbait bite starts as well. At night, black colored colorado blades can be deadly, but during the day it's best to have some sunlight to light up the willow blades.

 

If there is thick grass - grass you typically wouldn't consider throwing a crankbait in, I would look at throwing either a swim jig or a chatterbait. If the water is dirty or stained, start with a chatterbait but if it's clear, I'd start with a swim jig.

[GReb]

I fish a spinnerbait in the top foot of water column and chatterbait in bottom foot. 
 

Spinnerbaits are also much better around wood and much more snagproof. You will loose a lot of chatterbaits on wood. I use both around grass but typically opt for a swim jig.