Spinnerbait Blade Colors

[LrgmouthShad]

@papajoe222 suggested in a related spinnerbait thread that we should talk spinnerbait blade colors. Not one to disappoint, here it is. 
 

Chrome/nickel, gold, copper, painted. Where do each of these supposedly excel? This has been posted before but hey I just love talking spinnerbaits and it was requested. 
 

If anyone wants to know my opinion, it’s that the first rule is that there are no rules to this. The bass do what the bass do.

 

But, I think chrome/nickel blades work in more situations for me in this clear NY water. They seem to work really well when it’s sunny out but also quite well while it’s cloudy. They further seem more able to match better with more skirt colors. 
 

Gold blades seem to seriously excel anytime it’s cloudy out, especially when combined with some chartreuse in the skirt.

 

haven’t thrown copper or painted enough to speak about that

 

what say you?

[WRB]

Blades do 3 things; create vibrations by moving water, create flash from coloration and create lift from water resistance.

Color is in the create flash category. Nickel willow with gold Colorado is the most widely used color/blade combination because it works under a wide variety of lighting conditions.

Rarely see copper used on double balled spinner baits, more common with large single Colorado blades for night fishing.

Not mentioned is hologram/prism colored blades, my personal favorite providing bait fish flash colors.

Painted blades are used more for poor water visibility like highly stained or silted water. The baitfish painted blades has faded today, more eye appeal then bass catching.

Tom

[king fisher]

I used to not like painted blades on spinnerbaits for bass, simply because I had never tried them. I didn't think they would work because of the lack of flash compared to metallic blades.  

      Then I started fishing spinners for salmon in Alaska, and and found the painted blades worked better for salmon most of the time.  I then tried them for bass and have found they work great.  I fish painted blades about half the time.  My favorite blade colors are chartreuse, white, orange, gold, and chrome.  When fishing tandem blades, I  usually use a combination chartreuse and white, or gold and chrome.  I use painted blades more in muddy water, but have had success with them in clear water.

[Siebert Outdoors]

Everyone will have a different opinion on this but this is what I generally use.  One of these three are typically  my go to.

 

My main spinner bait fishing is a double willow Cosmic spinner bait.  https://siebertoutdoors.com/products/ols/products/cosmic-tandem-spinnerbait

 

When I hit into dirtier water I like throwing my Orange Twist spinner bait. https://siebertoutdoors.com/products/ols/products/cosmic-flash-double-willow-spinnerbait

 

Or the Cosmic Flash.  One of my favorites is the chartreuse front blade and white rear blade.

https://siebertoutdoors.com/products/ols/products/cosmic-double-willow-spinnerbait-3c175070-264d-4689-9f89-d386beb9ca9d

[WRB]

Way back in the early 70’s Miller Brothers came out with painted blades; pearl white, chartreuse, fluorescent orange, red, purple and black. Because the brothers were very successful in the Delta with black/red & red/purple combo’s and white/chartreuse combo in clearer water lakes the sales were good. The brothers were killed in a boating accident on the Delta and the popularity of colored blades died with them.

Tom

[LrgmouthShad]

I’m getting the impression I really need to look into painted blades. 
 

one time I painted spinner blades with fingernail polish and went spinnerbaiting on a highly pressured, super clear reservoir. That spinnerbait is one of the only ones that I’ve had that got bit on that reservoir.

 

@WRB Those holographic blades seem so hard to find these days! I know Nichols has it for their willow spinnerbaits but I don’t ever throw willows anymore, unless grass totally demands it. For like a single willow

[WRB]

I see Nichols offers taped hologram blades in lieu of coated hologram blades they use to make. I liked Indiana hologram blades Nichols made before Dave sold the company.

Maybe contact Siebert.

Tom

[king fisher]

2 hours ago, king fisher said:

gold and chrome.

I should have said gold and nickle, not chrome.  Silver is ok too when new, but tarnishes easily.

[LrgmouthShad]

5 minutes ago, WRB said:

I see Nichols offers taped hologram blades in lieu of coated hologram blades they use to make. I liked Indiana hologram blades Nichols made before Dave sold the company.

Maybe contact Siebert.

Tom

Oh shoot. They used to hologram coat those things? That’s pretty cool. Like this? Or is this baitfish painted style like you were talking about?

 

[Captain Phil]

Many years ago I was standing in line in front of a "pay phone" waiting to make a call.  (Google it).   We were fishing a three day bass tournament on Lake Okeechobee and everyone wanted to call home.  In front of me was one of the best bass fisherman in the country at the time.  He was talking on the phone with someone and told them to buy all the chartreuse painted blade spinnerbaits they could find and bring them to him.   Up until that time, I had never used anything but silver and gold blades.  I went to the local tackle shop and found some chartreuse painted Lindy Spins.  I went out the next day and the Okeechobee bass went crazy over them.  I ended up eighth in that tournament and got a nice check.  Since then, I fish them in dark conditions.  They really shine on rainy days.  I once had an angler from Michigan out on a trip when he pulled out a spinnerbait with bright orange blades.  I opened my big mouth and said, "That doesn't work here."   At that point, he proceeded to catch a fat 4 pound bass on it.   You never know....  ?

[LrgmouthShad]

2 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Many years ago I was standing in line in front of a pay phone waiting to make a call.  (Google it)

This made me chuckle. Great post, thank you Phil

[Bankbeater]

I have good luck with nickel or painted blades.  Gold and copper have never really produced that well for me.

[heavyduty]

Gold blade is a go-to for me for smallies, clear to stained. Fished some heavily stained to muddy water last year and my fishing buddy was throwing a double willow white blade spinnerbait, slow rolling, and was crushing them. I was throwing gold blades with little success. Switched to white blades and started catching them. Made a believer out of me.

[Munkin]

1053C Crystal Willow Blades (5pk) at LurePartsOnline.com

 

You can buy crystal flake blades here or just use some glitter nail polish on the ones you have.

 

Allen

[Munkin]

 

Kent's love is a very popular color for clear water in Michigan. I have been making these to trade with a guy up there for years.

 

Allen

[Log Catcher]

I like the chrome/nickel blades. I have caught a few fish on baits with painted blades. I have had good luck with chrome and gold combo blades. I don't think I have any that only have gold blades on them. I have one that is supposed to be good for dirty water. It has a large gold Indiana blade and a smaller red Colorado blade with a chartreuse/white skirt. I can't even get a fish to look at that one.

[Scott804]

I like using the Spike It blade dye on silver/nickel chatterbait and spinnerbait blades. Especially in a pressured fishery. Have never seen anyone else who uses the blade dye, but it sure seems to work for me. You can also use it in place of painted blades when you still want flash but still want to stand out against other spinnerbaits. 

 

Hologram blades are cool too. My favorite will always be hammered blades though. I have always had a ton of success on hammered blades. Although I suppose that doesn't really count as a blade color! 

[Munkin]

Fishing Lure Stickers - Decals, Bait Stickers & More (lurepartsonline.com)

 

Here is where you can get the blade stickers. If you use them coat the blade with Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails fingernail polish. If you think its too thick dilute it with rubbing alcohol. 

 

Allen

[scaleface]

The water I fish is always stained . I like a gold willow almost all the time with a Colorado secondary blade . The Colorado can be any color, even copper . Its just a good combo that works in a lot of conditions .

[Bluebasser86]

I fish way more gold and copper blades than I do silver. I have a good amount of painted, chartreuse, white, red, and orange. Some of the blades are painted on both sides, some just one side. I fish a lot of dirty to stained water, where the gold, copper, and bright painted blades shine. Painted white blades are good in clear water when it's cloudy also. Copper is deadly in stained water on cloudy days. There's a local shop that sells them with 50/50 blades that are half silver/half gold that really catches them. 

[QED]

I continue to use black spinnerbaits with black blades with black plastic trailers as well as chartreuse spinnerbaits with chartreuse blades with chartreuse plastic trailers.  I don't keep enough detailed records to provide any reliable statistics but they both continue to work well for me over a span of many years.  So in at least these cases, I believe but can't prove that colored blades don't hurt anything.

[ChrisD46]

10 hours ago, Munkin said:

 

Kent's love is a very popular color for clear water in Michigan. I have been making these to trade with a guy up there for years.

 

Allen

*Small mouth and Spotted Bass get pretty excited over pink and chartreuse colors , so why not make an all pink or all chartreuse spinner bait (including blade color) ?! ... New for me this year is a local company that makes an all white (including blades) double willow leaf spinner bait which gets a lot of bites in the Fall  when bass are chasing shad and find traditional spinner baits put off too much flash (clearer water) .

[Bluebasser86]

On 10/19/2021 at 3:46 AM, ChrisD46 said:

*Small mouth and Spotted Bass get pretty excited over pink and chartreuse colors , so why not make an all pink or all chartreuse spinner bait (including blade color) ?! ... New for me this year is a local company that makes an all white (including blades) double willow leaf spinner bait which gets a lot of bites in the Fall  when bass are chasing shad and find traditional spinner baits put off too much flash (clearer water) .

Stanley makes an all pink bait, I've got one of them and the smallies do like it.

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/spinnerbaits.html?from=basres

[Catt]

I complicate it big time ?

 

If I'm fishing East Texas Reservoirs it's a 3/8-1/2 oz double gold willowleaf with a white or chartreuse/white skirt.

 

If I'm tidal waters it's a 1/4 oz gold willowleaf in the back & a silver colorado in the front. Chartreuse/blue/white skirt.

 

I may or may not have a trailer 

I may or may not have a trailer hook 

[LrgmouthShad]

7 minutes ago, Catt said:

I complicate it big time ?

Catt complicating?? Nonsense! 
 

does seem fairly simple to me ?