Spy Baits

[roadwarrior]

Anyone have experience with these lures?

 

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing/spybaiting-101.html

[Fishin' Fool]

Yes. It can catch big smallies on St Clair and Lk Erie. The times this technique excels are blue bird skies and little to no wind and clear water. Make long casts, allow the bait to sink and slowly retrieve it. It's a boring technique but can reward you with giant smallies.

[NorthernBasser]

[scarter162]

I broke mine out this weekend for a school of suspended spotted bass. I echo what Fishin' Fool says; long cast, let sink, slow retrieve.

 

I used a 7'2" medium light spinning rod with 15lb braid main line and an 8lb flouro leader. You could feel the strikes super easy.

[r3825]

I have a couple of the Duo spybaits,  have done ok with them,  simple to use for sure

[RichF]

Like all finesse techiniques...they're painful to use....but they work.

 

Side note, the Storm Arashi ones are not created equal...go with Duo.

[TnRiver46]

32 minutes ago, RichF said:

Like all finesse techiniques...they're painful to use....but they work.

 

Side note, the Storm Arashi ones are not created equal...go with Duo.

Seems like Berkley makes one now too,  Or did I dream that I saw those in a store? I’d like to try this tactic but there’s a lot of random logs in my waters 

[Fishin' Fool]

19 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Seems like Berkley makes one now too,  Or did I dream that I saw those in a store? I’d like to try this tactic but there’s a lot of random logs in my waters 

It gets expensive snagging logs at $15 a crack. Honestly its more of a deep water technique for suspended bass. If you were thinking about fishing it in shallow water I'd save your money.

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, Fishin' Fool said:

It gets expensive snagging logs at $15 a crack. Honestly its more of a deep water technique for suspended bass. If you were thinking about fishing it in shallow water I'd save your money.

Well we have logs in the deep water too. A 50 foot log stuck on a river ledge that drops 15 to 35 can have fish suspended all around it. Are the duo baits $15?

[Fishin' Fool]

20 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Well we have logs in the deep water too. A 50 foot log stuck on a river ledge that drops 15 to 35 can have fish suspended all around it. Are the duo baits $15?

Yes. $13.99 plus tax so essentially $15. Pick them up on a sale if you can. Not worth $15.

[TnRiver46]

6 minutes ago, Fishin' Fool said:

Yes. $13.99 plus tax so essentially $15. Pick them up on a sale if you can. Not worth $15.

Gotcha, thanks. I think the Berkley ones were 9.99 in my local tackle shop 

[MIbassyaker]

I fished a spybait exactly once for about an hour.  Caught one dink and thought, "OK, they'll bite this thing. Noted." 

 

And then I went back to fishing bottom stuff and caught a bunch more.

 

Here's my problem:  I never really encounter conditions where spybaiting is would seem to be better for getting bit than anything else, and most places I fish are either not deep enough, or too heavily vegetated to fish sinking trebles on light line effectively.

 

Getting any use out of spybaits here on the west side, @Fishin' Fool? 

[Fishin' Fool]

3 minutes ago, MIbassyaker said:

I fished a spybait exactly once for about an hour.  Caught one dink and thought, "OK, they'll bite this thing. Noted." 

 

And then I went back to fishing bottom stuff and caught a bunch more.

 

Here's my problem:  I never really encounter conditions where spybaiting is would seem to be better for getting bit than anything else, and most places I fish are either not deep enough, or too heavily vegetated to fish sinking trebles on light line effectively.

 

Getting any use out of spybaits here on the west side, @Fishin' Fool? 

Nope. I've mainly fished areas that were too weedy. I plan to fish back on the east side next year. They have their place on St Clair when it gets dead calm out there and the fish are getting overpressured and they are suspended. It can be a good technique. I find it boring though and I'm someone who likes to drop shot and Ned rig so i specialize in boring ways to fish!

[roadwarrior]

They work well on hard bottoms, but even then you need to keep the Spy Bait

just off the floor.

 

[camman]

I've had some good days catching spots that were suspended on top of submerged trees in probably 20 ft of water.  I found as long as I was moving it slow, I'd feel the bump of the wood and just keep winding slowly and it usually wouldn't hang up.  If I did hang up, I would use the trolling motor to get above it and pop it off.  The biggest thing with the bait (at least for me), its a boring way to fish.  I rather fish a jigging spoon or a crankbait over the same water as its a more active way to fish.

[Cgolf]

13 hours ago, RichF said:

Like all finesse techiniques...they're painful to use....but they work.

 

Side note, the Storm Arashi ones are not created equal...go with Duo.

Curious what is wrong with the Storm spybait? I have both the Storm and the Dou and the Storm has saved the day during a tough bite a few times for me and I have yet to catch a fish on the Duo. 

 

They aren't really too bad to use, reminds me of a rapala countdown minnow. Now a senko is painful to use, at least these you get to reel them in. I did use them in 6 to 7 fow around reed beds, so my countdown was fairly short.

[RichF]

15 hours ago, cgolf said:

Curious what is wrong with the Storm spybait? I have both the Storm and the Dou and the Storm has saved the day during a tough bite a few times for me and I have yet to catch a fish on the Duo. 

 

They aren't really too bad to use, reminds me of a rapala countdown minnow. Now a senko is painful to use, at least these you get to reel them in. I did use them in 6 to 7 fow around reed beds, so my countdown was fairly short.

The Storms tend to roll on me a little, if I speed up the retrieve a touch.  The Duos don't seem to.  For the price, the Storms are certainly not terrible. 

 

100% agree about the Senko...

[Cgolf]

1 hour ago, RichF said:

The Storms tend to roll on me a little, if I speed up the retrieve a touch.  The Duos don't seem to.  For the price, the Storms are certainly not terrible. 

 

100% agree about the Senko...

I always reel them slow, I haven't worked them faster. I have heard some guys that use them like a rip bait. I only tie them on when the bite really dies. The funny thing is they won't chase a squarebill or hit a plastic but they chase these down. Sometimes bass really confuse me. Off topic but had a major cold front on vaca and post front they killed spinnerbaits but nothing else. Never tried spybaits, but I bet they would have worked.