Spinnerbait You Use Most Shallow : Tandem or Double Willow ?

[ChrisD46]

For water say under 6 ft.  which style spinnerbait do you use most often : Tandem (small Colorado / large Willow) or Double Willow ? ... Some feel a tandem blade spinnerbait will stay in the strike zone a bit longer while others nowadays tend to go with a Double Willow for most all of their spinnerbait usage . Which spinnerbait blade style do you prefer and why  for shallow water  under 6 ft. ?

[Catt]

Double gold willowleaf ?

[huZZah]

Tandem or even single Colorado. Depends on vegetation. 

I think Colorado is easier to move slower. And I’m in dirty water all the time.

[Jig Man]

The lake I mostly fish a double willow out produces other blade combinations.  I choose colors by light and water clarity.

[Dens228]

Double willow.........

[A-Jay]

Depends on water temp & clarity for me.

Which dictates bait retrieve speed.

And then that dictates bait type, weight & blade configuration.

Clear & or warm water = fast

Colored and or cooler water = slow(er)

Fun part is, depending on weight,

I could use either bait. 

A-Jay

[Deephaven]

Double willow or single Colorado.  The mixed blades and Indiana I culled from my tackle years ago .  Same with colors.  I have white, dark and forage.  The rest I've gotten rid of.  

[Deleted account]

2 hours ago, ChrisD46 said:

For water say under 6 ft.  which style spinnerbait do you use most often : Tandem (small Colorado / large Willow) or Double Willow ? ... Some feel a tandem blade spinnerbait will stay in the strike zone a bit longer while others nowadays tend to go with a Double Willow for most all of their spinnerbait usage . Which spinnerbait blade style do you prefer and why  for shallow water  under 6 ft. ?

I don't base the blade combination on depth, rather on what I'm trying to do. Most of the time, I'm either slow rolling along cover or bottom or something resembling burning either in schools of bait or covering water. For slow rolling everything but double willow. For burning mostly double willow, and sometimes tandem willow/colorado. 

[jimmyjoe]

   I don't care about depth or blade design as such. I care about water temp and bottom composition. Where I fish, colder water or a rocky bottom merits slower retrieve, warmer water or a clear bottom merits a somewhat faster retrieve. I choose my spinnerbaits accordingly.              jj

[DitchPanda]

I basically fish shallower than 6ft all the time. Like said above water temp and clarity have alot to do with it. I think a tandem is a good all around for most conditions. In cold water I like a single large Colorado....in dirty water I like a double Colorado...in warm water especially when its clean I prefer a compact double willow. The tandem fills in the gaps in late spring to early summer and mid to late fall.

[keagbassr]

Alot of thoughts on this but of the 2 I go with the double willow for where I fish.  Have to add that a tandem gold over nickel was my go to for years and I've caught a million bass on one and It took alot of head banging wall to make me realize the waters I fish where Ive lived for the last dozen+ years it wasnt the right choice. Also will say that I use single Colo. Baits more than either of the 2 asked about. Also im a shallow/fast spinnerbait guy all year.Having said all this i will add that a tandem bait produced my 3 largest spinnerbait bass.

[JLBBass]

depends on water clarity/structure/temp. I like a double colorado, or my favorite is a colorado/indiana alot because both provide better "lift" in shallow water than a double willow. Also, if water is murky, it also provides better flash, and you can fish it slower than a double willow because of it's better lift. One circumstance i like a double willow in shallow water is when buring a spinnerbait on flats for smallies! The double willow is a great blade configuration when wanting to burn a spinnerbait!

[scaleface]

I usually go with a tandem just because I catch lots of bass on it . 

[Bankc]

For shallow water, I don't think it matters much.  I'd choose it based on water clarity and how active the fish are, i.e. how fast you plan to retrieve it.  The only time I choose spinnerbait blades based only on depth is when I'm fishing deeper than 10 feet.  In deeper waters, I find the willow blades allow the baits to stay down longer.  So in deeper water, it's always going to be willow blades for me.  

[Scott F]

Single Colorado. 

[river-rat]

Depends on where I'm fishing. In my home waters of south Louisiana I use a double colorado or a colorado/willow life spinnerbait most of the time. At Toledo Bend or Sam Rayburn I'm usually using a tandem willow leaf with gold blades.

 

If the water is 6' or less, just throw whatever you have the most confidence in.

 

[TriStateBassin106]

I fish stained water (2 to 1ft or less) of visibility and I think the fish like tandem better because it's a mix of both worlds. 

[ChrisD46]

OP Here : Many good replies here - water clarity , water temp , sky conditions , wind / no wind , etc. all can play a role in the blade style choice , number of blades , blade color , head color , skirt color and retrieve speed . Lakes I fish (clear highland reservoirs)  in are populated with Threadfin Shad , Craws and occasional Blue Gill in the backs of creeks . White / Chartreuse , White and Transparent Shad colors should see the most action based on Threadfin Shad population  (I don't own a Blue Gill Pattern spinnerbait relying on a Green Pumpkin Paddle Tail Swim Bait instead) ... *With all the various combinations of spinnerbaits possible just for a Shad lake could require a pretty big box ! That said , perhaps best to try and limit to just a few choices and combinations that work Pre-Spawn then adjust for conditions in Spring , Summer , Fall , etc.  Of an interesting note which got my attention was a recent Spinnerbait video made by Ott Defoe where in cloudy sky , heavily (i.e. muddy) stained water he was not getting bit on a tandem white spinnerbait - he switched over to a double willow white spinnerbait  (not a double Colorado like I thought he should) and no trailer then immediately Ott started getting bit ! I would have NEVER considered throwing a double willow spinnerbait in those conditions but I saw clearly in the video it be a huge difference maker (go figure ?) I'm starting to think that I might pare down my spinnerbait line up to a Single Colorado blade  then go straight to a Double Willow and if I need more thump on the Double Willow - then add a correct size Paddle Tail Swim Bait Trailer . Lastly , part of the fun is solving the puzzle with spinnerbait combinations ! ... Conversely my friends threaten to steal all my spinnerbaits and just replace with a single white 3/8th oz. Chatterbait + correct size Paddle Tail in a sandwich baggie (lol !!)

[king fisher]

Both.  

[LrgmouthShad]

3 minutes ago, king fisher said:

Both.  

What skirt material is that? Vinyl?

[king fisher]

3 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

What skirt material is that? Vinyl?

Lumaflex  with a few strands of crystal flash.

[LrgmouthShad]

16 minutes ago, king fisher said:

Lumaflex  with a few strands of crystal flash.

Sent you a PM.