I searched my memory but I think I just caught my first spinnerbait bass today.

[Darth-Baiter]

I do not ever remember being successful with this bait.   I grew up fishing Elephant Butte in NM and the SB just wasn’t something we use.   I bought a Megabass SV3 a long time ago and it just rattled around in my kayak box. In the package.  Today was miserable.  Cold, foggy.  Yesterday was bluebird skies and 94 deg.  I just fish don’t well on days of drastic weather changes. I can’t crack the code.  
 

Today I see the SB. I open the package cursing the copious use of staple securing the thing. Put one thru my finger actually.   I casted about. I was shocked how slow I could work it.  It actually felt better just creeping it, with occasional jerks and letting it drop.  Basically I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. Until I casted into the nastiest weeds. A bass smashed it as it fluttered down.  I was like, “wait!  Is that a fish?”   
 

im shocked how it works thru submerged branches. It just bumps thru. I only snagged it once. I think I’m gonna stick with it.  It’s kinda fun. Tricky to cast in wind but I managed. 
 

this is a year round type of bait?   Any season standout as  spinnerbait time?

 

 

[scaleface]

9 minutes ago, Darth-Baiter said:

 

im shocked how it works thru submerged branches. It just bumps thru. I only snagged it once.

Spinnerbaits  are like that .  There are days when I fish them exclusively   and never snag it . I dont shy away from cover either , chuck it right up in there .

[GreenPig]

Key bait around here in the Spring & Fall.

[Spankey]

I’m not one to alway be ready to pick one up and throw it but I do love fishing them at laydowns sticking out into the river. I generally fish them at the outermost sections first and make cast back into toward the bank. 
 

I’ve never given myself the chance to throw bigger spinnerbaits. In all honesty I’ve had a phobia of them. And using other larger baits that I know are just the norm for most of you guys. 
 

Most time I’m throwing a Booyah pond magic with a double blade. They are 3/16-1/4 oz. max. 

[Hammer 4]

Good way to catch em on a spinnerbait is if you have any stumps, laydowns, ect. Cast that sucker so it hits the stump, ect. then hang on.. I've caught dozens of bass by doing that.

[Glenn]

I'd say spinnerbaits are one of my top confidence baits.  I always have one tied on my deck....always.

 

This is literally my "brain dump" on how I fish them year 'round:

 

 

[Jar11591]

Spinnerbaits are one of the few baits that I will fish from ice-out to ice-in. Big time confidence bait for me. Like Glenn, I always have one tied on ready to go. Throw it right in the thick weeds, reel until the rod starts to load up from the weeds, then RIP it out as hard as you can. A lot of strikes happen as it comes free of the weeds. I also like to slowly roll them along bottom, just fast enough to feel those blades barely thump. The spinnerbait strike is one of my favorites as well, right up there with a big topwater explosion. 

[QED]

Spinnerbaits are among my favorites.  You can slow roll them near the bottom, retrieve at a medium pace to run at an intermediate depth, or run them just under the surface to create a noticeable wake.  In the latter case it acts similar to a buzzbait though you need to practice enough so that you can reliably retrieve in a manner such that the blade(s) don't break the surface.  A hit when buzzing a spinnerbait is about as exciting as a hit on a buzzbait.

[Darth-Baiter]

Dang guys!  Great stories!  

[Bankbeater]

For a few years bladed jigs were catching more than spinnerbaits.  Now the spinnerbaits are getting bit better than bladed jigs.

[Derek1]

A good spinnerbait bite is a fine day. Like throwing a grappling hook into traffic on the freeway. 

[MidwestBassAttack]

I’ve personally never fished them all that much until this fall and let me tell you, spinnerbaits are becoming one of my confidence baits by far. So much fun to fish.

 

Love the strikes on them too……the thump from the blades, DONK, then hang on!

[gim]

I use them a lot. They seem to do better when there is a bit of a chop on the water, or if it’s cloudy/rainy out. Just 6 days ago I won our annual work derby primarily using a black spinnerbait. I’d burn it to the out weed edge, let if fall, and then resume the retrieve. They were either hitting it on the fall or when I resumed retrieving.

 

Unfortunately, pike love them. And we have a lot of pike here that are very aggressive. My spinnerbaits take a beating. This is why I prefer the more durable original titanium terminator ones.

[Functional]

When I lived in NY I hardly used them because the pike and pickerel would him a SB before any bass could get to it.

 

Once I moved its now got a dedicated rod and one is always tied on and on my deck. Highest producing lure for me by a good bit. I'll throw it into even the heaviest lay downs and pockets at weed edges, work it parallel to weed beds. Fish it like you are trying to lose it...even when it gets snagged a few bow snaps on the line usually gets it free. 

[Deleted account]

I don't understand bass fishing without a spinnerbait. It's a rare day that I don't have one tied on.

[Choporoz]

I use them a lot.  But there are two situations where I will throw them every time

- well defined grass lines with any chop on the surface

- pulled across horizontal laydows right at, or below the surface...hits come hard as spinnerbait his the wood or comes off the near side

 

One thing that still amazes me after many years is how many hits I get as the casted spinnerbait hits the water.  For example, the temptation with a stump can be to cast past and bring it alongside tight to the the stump.  But I have gotten more confident casting it right tight against a stump....never even get to start the blades a lot of times.  Jigs and trigs can trigger same bite a lot of times, but the spinnerbait seems even better much of the time.  It isn't the perfect aerodynamic lure for target casting, but it is worth putting in the practice. 

[Deleted account]

20 minutes ago, Choporoz said:

One thing that still amazes me after many years is how many hits I get as the casted spinnerbait hits the water. 

Oh yeah, I pitch it to cover and let it flutter down on a semi slack line like you would a jig. 

I've also had times where it lands and seems to be floating or sitting on top of weeds, only to start moving sideways, almost like they see it coming in. 

[TnRiver46]

[Bluebasser86]

Spinnerbait was the main player for us yesterday. I was using both white with gold blades, and chart/white with gold/silver blades. My backseater was using pink with twin pink willowleaf blades. I caught the most, but he caught the biggest. Had a good mix of largemouth and smallmouth, probably over 30 fish between us. That's a fun day when they're eating a spinnerbait like that. 

[Darth-Baiter]

4 hours ago, Choporoz said:

I use them a lot.  But there are two situations where I will throw them every time

- well defined grass lines with any chop on the surface

- pulled across horizontal laydows right at, or below the surface...hits come hard as spinnerbait his the wood or comes off the near side

 

One thing that still amazes me after many years is how many hits I get as the casted spinnerbait hits the water.  For example, the temptation with a stump can be to cast past and bring it alongside tight to the the stump.  But I have gotten more confident casting it right tight against a stump....never even get to start the blades a lot of times.  Jigs and trigs can trigger same bite a lot of times, but the spinnerbait seems even better much of the time.  It isn't the perfect aerodynamic lure for target casting, but it is worth putting in the practice. 

this was my bass hit.  i landed and the ripples were immediatly erased with a bass swirl.  it was like i landed it IN the fishes mouth.  it was one of my better cast.  i found a 6 inch channel of seeminly open water in grass.  the cast is not always repeatable  

[LrgmouthShad]

Fav time to throw spinnerbaits would be prespawn or fall. I discovered that when shad are spawning, postspawn can be good also. I’ll throw spinnerbaits in winter and summer though, too. It’s truly an all-season bait.

 

Compact spinnerbaits are just going to get more bites in relatively clear water, and this is more pronounced the clearer the water.  Compact is “short-arm” + short wire distance from the head to bend. I find a white skirt or chartreuse and white skirt in water with good visibility (>3ft) is a little bold, but these are some of the most popular skirt colors. That being said, if I could only pick one skirt color, white would be it. 
 

The SV3 is a compact spinnerbait. My choice for a compact spinnerbait is Nichols 3/8oz and 1/2oz.

[Captain Phil]

On 10/1/2022 at 10:45 PM, Darth-Baiter said:

I was shocked how slow I could work it.  It actually felt better just creeping it, with occasional jerks and letting it drop.  Basically I didn’t know what the heck I was doing. Until I casted into the nastiest weeds. A bass smashed it as it fluttered down.  I was like, “wait!  Is that a fish?”

 

BINGO!!

[TnRiver46]

42 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Fav time to throw spinnerbaits would be prespawn or fall. I discovered that when shad are spawning, postspawn can be good also. I’ll throw spinnerbaits in winter and summer though, too. It’s truly an all-season bait.

 

Compact spinnerbaits are just going to get more bites in relatively clear water, and this is more pronounced the clearer the water.  Compact is “short-arm” + short wire distance from the head to bend. I find a white skirt or chartreuse and white skirt in water with good visibility (>3ft) is a little bold, but these are some of the most popular skirt colors. That being said, if I could only pick one skirt color, white would be it. 
 

The SV3 is a compact spinnerbait. My choice for a compact spinnerbait is Nichols 3/8oz and 1/2oz.

I’m thinking about going out this evening and throwing nothing but spinner bait. If I get skunked it’s all your fault 

[LrgmouthShad]

5 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

I’m thinking about going out this evening and throwing nothing but spinner bait. If I get skunked it’s all your fault 

[TnRiver46]

10 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

Don’t make any bets on fanduel