Best Spiraling Fall Method(s) for Bass Fishing?

[AJ Hauser]

Hey fellas,

Had a quick question for ya - not too long ago I found myself fishing some steep banks in really clear water. After much trial and error, and possibly a bit of cursing, I found that baits with a slow, spiraling fall seemed to work the best when it came to getting a bite from the bass sitting underneath exposed root systems, or other cover hanging over the bank. "How steep was it!?" Well, not straight up and down, but sitting about 15 feet off of shore, I was in 25 feet of water. 

 

Jerkbaits were "meh", stickbaits were "meh", and wakebaits were ignored. 

 

What are some of the best ways that you know to fish a bait (plastic or otherwise) to get it to spiral and slowly sink, like a dying minnow? 

 

I was using a tube on a jig, but I lined up the weight and line tie near the middle of the plastic... and that kinda worked, but I know there must be more tricks and tweaks out there to get the action I'm really looking for. 

 

Please let me know what you think - thanks!

[Darth-Baiter]

Super lightly weighted Neko rig?

[Jar11591]

Try an actual tube jig head, the kind that goes inside the tube and you poke the line tie out through the plastic. On light line that will usually give you a good spiraling descent. 

[FryDog62]

Here ya go:

• 4/0 Owner Twistlock LIGHT weightless hook
• 5 inch Caffeine Shad

A very different action than your typical nose-weighted fluke which just dives. The Twistlock hook keeps that Caffeine Shad more horizontal. There is also an air bubble in the tail of the plastic which provides some buoyancy. Once it hits the water it will swim horizontally for a while, then stop, the tail wiggles on its own, changes directions, spirals and continues horizontally before spiraling and changing directions again. I have found many times when the plastic stops and the tail wiggles it get strikes when other lures just don't.  You can speed up and add twitches along the way depending on what the fish react to. 

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Owner_Twistlock_Light_Hook/descpage-OTLL.html

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Strike_King_KVD_Perfect_Plastic_Caffeine_Shad_5_8pk/descpage-SKPCS.html

 

 

[looking45]

If conditions allow, use a tube with a 1/16 oz head. It will fall slowly and spiral. Watch your line for the twitch when they pick it up

[roadwarrior]

5 hours ago, AJ Hauser said:

What are some of the best ways that you know to fish a bait (plastic or otherwise) to get it to spiral and slowly sink, like a dying minnow? 

Gitzit

[T-Billy]

Stupid rigged tube. Beaver on a flipping rig with a snelled straight shank. Let 'em fall on a slack line, both will spiral. Both get lot's of bites for me. Flippin rig is better in gnarly tangles and grass. Stupid tube excels in chunk rock.

[GetFishorDieTryin]

Gitzit or a DS tube with a light jighead falls really slow.  You can get a similar fall with a soft JB.  The Zman jerk shads have a real slow fall.  If you rig it sideways it will fall in a wider spiral.  The Picasso chatterbaits actually have spiraling fall as well.  The way they attach the blade to the head, the blade can only fold backwards until it hits about 45*, similar to a brushguard.  

[webertime]

Geecrack Spiron is built to spiral fall.  Great bait.

[AJ Hauser]

Awesome - thanks to all of you guys for the suggestions - I have a LOT to work with here. Much appreciated! Have a great week. 

[Luke Barnes]

There is a right I learned about called the Spine Rig. Take a split tail minnow style bait like a fluke or even a gulp minnow and get hooks that go in jig heads that you pour your own. Insert said hook into the top of the bait basically where it's spine would be. Lie tie should be poking up right behind the head.  It spirals and flutters down when you let it sink on slack line.  I have yet to try it myself but the videos I have seen of it look like it would work really well. 

[Fishingmickey]

I'm not a fan of Miliken fishing. But he has a you tube video out that has a small swim bait rigged with a jig hook and a nail weight. Juggle or something like that. It looks very interesting to me.

FM

[Munkin]

I was going to recommend the tube trick you mentioned. Learned it watching Ike's BPS finesse fishing DVD.

 

Maybe a silver buddy or flutter spoon?

 

Allen

[WRB]

Garland original Gitzit Canyon lures) with a flattened* tune jig will spiral nicely using 5# to 7# FC of mono line.

Tom

* squeeze using a vice about 1/8 thick.

Tom

[smalljaw67]

Allen, I've only been able to get that spiral on a tube jig but I have it figured out. I make my own tapered tube jig with a 90 degree hook and put it in the tube. Make sure there is a gap between the top of the tube and the jig head. The larger the gap the wider the spiral but it doesn't work with a jig head on the outside of the tube or with a T-rigged or stupid tube. 

[AJ Hauser]

On 10/25/2022 at 11:53 AM, Fishingmickey said:

I'm not a fan of Miliken fishing. But he has a you tube video out that has a small swim bait rigged with a jig hook and a nail weight. Juggle or something like that. It looks very interesting to me.

FM

 

This one? Looks like the "spine rig" @Luke Barnes mentioned but with a weight in the nose: 

On 10/25/2022 at 7:59 PM, WRB said:

Garland original Gitzit Canyon lures) with a flattened* tune jig will spiral nicely using 5# to 7# FC of mono line.

Tom

* squeeze using a vice about 1/8 thick.

Tom

 

Thanks @WRB - once you flatten the jig, how are you rigging it with the tube? 

[Luke Barnes]

2 hours ago, AJ Hauser said:

 

This one? Looks like the "spine rig" @Luke Barnes mentioned but with a weight in the nose: 

 

Thanks @WRB - once you flatten the jig, how are you rigging it with the tube? 

Yeah pretty much. Never saw that video, I saw it on this one and Ike calls it a spine rig so that's why I called it that. 

 

https://youtu.be/HVQsasPSNJw

[txchaser]

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Gitzit_Dying_Shad_II_2pk/descpage-GZDSHD.html

 

 

[TnRiver46]

1/0 or 2/0 in zoom finesse worm no weight. Sinks way slower than a senko and drives them wild 

[AJ Hauser]

@txchaser that's an interesting looking deal - check the review(s) though. Still looks to be worth testing, though. And @TnRiver46 that's a good call - those sink? You throw it on fluoro to speeds up the rate of fall a bit?

[TnRiver46]

10 minutes ago, AJ Hauser said:

@txchaser that's an interesting looking deal - check the review(s) though. Still looks to be worth testing, though. And @TnRiver46 that's a good call - those sink? You throw it on fluoro to speeds up the rate of fall a bit?

 No I throw them on mono. Slow tantalizing fall . Bout anything sinks with a hook in it 

[AJ Hauser]

2 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

Slow tantalizing fall.

 

[WRB]

On 10/29/2022 at 8:20 AM, AJ Hauser said:

 

This one? Looks like the "spine rig" @Luke Barnes mentioned but with a weight in the nose: 

 

Thanks @WRB - once you flatten the jig, how are you rigging it with the tube? 

Slide the jig inside the Gitzit, poke the hook eye out the noe end top and tie your line. Expose the hook point so it lays on the tube surface.

On slack line the Gitzit falls in a slow spiral. When the line stops set the hook.

Tom

[PressuredFishing]

On 10/30/2022 at 6:34 AM, TnRiver46 said:

/0 or 2/0 in zoom finesse worm no weight. Sinks way slower than a senko and drives them wild 

Yes

[jbrew73]

Texas rigged Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver 4.20 or the discontinued Strike King diamond shad would be my suggestion.   
both have an erratic fall that gets bit for me.