When is a good spinnerbait scenario?

[Darth-Baiter]

I’m embarrassed. I’ve never caught a single fish on a spinner bait.  I only own two of them, because of it. 
 

when, where and how?   Summertime?  I tried this winter and late fall, and it was just a casting lesson at that point.  
 

help?  It’s this years “goal” bait. 

[MN Fisher]

Find weed banks - like lily-pad patches. Run the spinner along the edge...caught this one mid-summer doing that.

[ironbjorn]

Wind, overcast, or rain, or all of it combined. Along weeds and around wood. Spinnerbait finally made a huge comeback for me last season. Even then, as successful as it was for me, it was entirely useless if the conditions weren't right OR if I wasn't very targeted with it. Chuck and wind on a sunny day with 6 mph winds isn't the time (but again, if you're targeted with it, conditions matter a lot less).

[softwateronly]

High in the water column w/no wind has been the least likely time for me to do well with spinnerbaits.  If visibility goes down, my spinnerbait success goes up.  Fishing mostly clear water means I use them most for deep weedlines and night fishing.  

 

scott

[BlakeMolone]

Right now if you want confidence in basically any reaction bait I would especially fish the last day of a warming trend before a cold front hits. Usually this means cloudy skies and high winds, the wind has probably been blowing the same direction the days before it and hammering those wind blown banks can get you numbers and good fish, obviously there aren’t a ton of days like this but it really is like a late winter/early spring “cheat code” to bass fishing.

[N Florida Mike]

I’m in no way a spinnerbait expert , but  I’ve always heard it’s best to use them on a cloudy day with some wind. The 2 biggest bass I ever caught on one had the exact opposite conditions though , lol.

 

[roadwarrior]

 

[Jig Man]

I assume you mean a tandem spinnerbait.

When the water temp is 50° or warmer is the best.  Tie one on drop the trolling motor and start casting.  Cover a lot of ground.  You never know where they will be when they react to it.  Vary your retrieve, slow, fast, start/stop until you get bit.

 I’ve caught them in a few inches of water, near bridge piers suspended over 80’ of water, along bluffs, standing timber, lay downs, points, coves, etc.   Clouds and wind are helpful.  Early morning at the crack of dawn is very good.

 

 I always have at least one tied on.  I will be throwing one tomorrow.

[Deleted account]

Yes, the cliche windy and overcast in low vis water scenario is a thing for sure, but one can catch fish in bluebird skies with no wind and clear water with a spinnerbait. The same rule as for other lures under these conditions apply, smaller, more subtle, forage colors. Something like the Stanley small fry, or War Eagle finesse with a single small blade have worked well for me in the past.

In the pre spawn, slow rolling a large spinnerbait ticking the bottom is a great way to get a big one.

[MN Fisher]

10 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

but one can catch fish in bluebird skies with no wind and clear water with a spinnerbait.

The one I posted above? You can see the mostly clear skies behind me - wind was calm, I was casting towards the bank and running the spinner from near shore to outer limit in 2'-4' of water and could see the bottom.

 

Bass ran out from under the lily-pads to grab it.

 

So ya - clear/calm is also a thing.

[Deleted account]

2 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

The one I posted above? You can see the mostly clear skies behind me - wind was calm, I was casting towards the bank and running the spinner from near shore to outer limit in 2'-4' of water and could see the bottom.

 

Bass ran out from under the lily-pads to grab it.

 

So ya - clear/calm is also a thing.

I wouldn't consider the conditions on your picture blue bird, in my mind it's not a cloud in the sky, and glass calm water. Nice one though.

[Bird]

It's the one bait that I have tied on year around.

My favorite places to fish them are over submerged timber, not to deep, bumping stumps and murky water coves.

 

I've caught more LM and SM with a spinnerbait than any other bait but throw them often.

 

My favorite color for SM is white with a touch of red.

Favorite color for LM is.........

[Hammer 4]

Anytime is when I throw a spinnerbait. Caught bass with them in all conditions.

[LrgmouthShad]

A good spinnerbait scenario is anytime visibility is compromised. But that doesn't mean bluebird sky days with clear water are unproductive with a spinnerbait. Cover can still be concealment for a spinnerbait. And to a degree, so can deeper, darker water. If you throw a spinnerbait deep into lily pads, for example, you have shade from the pads and the stalks of the pads helping to block the fish's vision of the spinnerbait. If you are fishing thick laydowns, the branches and stems can help obstruct the fishes' view of the lure. Depending on angles, this can be a big deal. So you "create" a scenario where visibility isn't high anymore. This fact combined with the ability of spinnerbait to target a lot of different depths means that a spinnerbait can always be productive. 

[A-Jay]

In the north woods looking for smallies,

 daytime spinnerbait conditions I do best in, usually include 'Some'.

Some Sun, Some Clouds & Some wind ~

That deal accounted for my PB Brown Bass on a 3/4 Double Willow.

https://youtu.be/frJAlndpO7E

My night time spinnerbait preference is for little to No Moon and a little less wind.

Cloud cover doesn't come into play unless there is a brighter moon, then having it obscured by clouds is desirable. 

I like a single Oklahoma Blade at night.

A-Jay

[LrgmouthShad]

10 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

In the north woods looking for smallies,

I feel like every time I post about spinnerbaits, I need to clarify that I'm talking about largemouth. Because if you put me on a gold mine of 100 nice smallmouth actively feeding and gave me a spinnerbait, I might catch 2... sunburns. Bronzeback devils. 

[Catt]

When is a good spinnerbait scenario?

 

Anytime the water is wet ?

 

4 hours ago, Darth-Baiter said:

I’m embarrassed. I’ve never caught a single fish on a spinner bait.  I only own two of them, because of it. 

 

I can guarantee you one thing, if you never throw one you certainly won't catch anything.

 

Year round, morning, noon, or night I'll throw one!

[RB 77]

Not many times its not a viable option. Very versatile bait. My personal ideal conditions/ scenario would be shallower stained water late summer/ fall with game fish corralling bait fish against the shore and running that thing through some brush if possible. 

[padon]

one thing you need to consider with a spinnerbait is they work best when they are hitting something. run them into stumps branches, weeds whatever. when the bait makes contact with things and the blades flutter that is a big trigger. now at times smallmouth will slam one burned over their head in open water but largemouth really like the bait to bang into things.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Go to wal mart and get a couple of those little pond magic booyah spinnerbaits in a color you have confidence in...I like white, or shad colors with a little grub as a trailer.

Their small size just seems to get them bit far more then bigger ones.

It takes very little wind or rain to distort the little profile of that bait even in clear water.  Dont let the small size fool you into thinking they dont catch quality fish.

 

[CrashVector]

I like throwing them right past the base of cypress trees and slow-rolling it past them...one cast on each side of the tree.

 

I think of them the same way I do as beetlespins..but for bass.

[Boomstick]

Spinnerbaits are usually a good option on cloudy and/or windy days. Sometimes they work in clear water, especially when the sun is just rising or setting so there is a little light to create flash, but not too much. And they get bit when they deflect off of wood as well, so regardless of conditions if there is wood try a spinnerbait,

 

Another great time to throw a spinnerbait is in the fall when the water starts getting colder. Slow rolling a Colorado bladed spinnerbait has caught me many fish this way. This can also work in the spring as well, but I tend to gravitate more towards crankbaits and jerkbaits in the spring.

 

If there is grass, I would usually gravitate towards a swim jig or bladed jig.

[Chowderhead]

7 hours ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

pond magic booyah spinnerbaits in a color you have confidence in...I like white, or shad colors with a little grub as a trailer.

Their small size just seems to get them bit far more then bigger ones.

 

Agreed - the Pond Magic are awesome. This is my primary SB.

[Unk]

Where I've fished, the weather conditions weren't as much of a factor as where I was throwing the bait. As was mentioned in an earlier post, if it wasn't bumping rocks, timber, stumps, etc. or just tipping the underwater grass and gurgling through openings in weed, then I didn't have much luck with a spinnerbait . For off shore-deeper structure , I have more confidence in other baits. Just my experience on the lakes I've fished . 

[Hammer 4]

Spinnerbaits work in open water too. In fact I had a solid 6+ lb bass breach about 2 feet in the air trying to get my 1/2 oz. shad pattern spinnerbait on  a sunny day, glassy water conditions. I did wind up catching her. 

The next day, got a good 7 lb'r on the same spinnerbait, same conditions, only later in the day, around 1:30 pm.