Higher-end spinnerbaits

[Munkin]

8 hours ago, padon said:

they arent cheap but in the clear pressured waters i fish the bassman spinnerbaits have been dynamite the last few years. get some clouds and wind and let them fly.

 

I would love to hire his marketing team! Knowing the costs of components and the complexity of manufacturing those baits he is making a killing in profit.

 

Allen

[Captain Phil]

The only criteria I care anything about in a spinnerbait is it's ability to catch fish.  If a bait cost $20 each and only lasted 3 fish, it would be fine with me.  Hildebrandt spinnerbaits have always worked for me.  Their blades are the best in the industry.  The wire is thin and bent to create more vibration.  Thank God the quality hasn't been compromised like everything else.  I don't need a spinnerbait that lasts forever.  I want one that gets bit. ?

[treble hook]

I have about changed to bladed jigs. I use a bladed jig a lot where I used to use spinnerbaits. But sometimes I still like a spinnerbait. I discovered the Covert series with Hildebrant blades last season and I really like them. I caught a couple of them on sale recently and I can't wait to put them in the water.

[DitchPanda]

15 hours ago, TomG73 said:

I’ve been wanting to get a few pulsators, bluegill and bream color. It seems other brands are not painting/flaking their blades quite like Nichols so it leads me to believe fish don’t see as many so maybe more bites? JT Kenney has a YouTube video titled “ the spinnerbait every pro throws and no one talks about “ I believe that’s the title. That’s where I learned of Nichols. 

They have some unique skirt and blade color patterns so that is a bonus. For me the 2 things that stand out are: the overall compact design seems to get bit more for me and they are the right combination of vibration and durability. They are a little pricey up front compared to some but they work and hold up. When I look at price on baits I always ask myself how much is my time off worth and how much did I spend on gas to get where I'm at. Those 2 things usually make a $10-$12 spinner bait seem not so bad.

[Dogface]

15 hours ago, webertime said:

Bottom Up Beeble.   This thing is amazing.

https://thehookuptackle.com/products/beeble

 

Have you fished with it? 

[gim]

13 hours ago, NorthernBasser said:

Tho I guess that doesn't stop me from throwing Jackhammer's and 110's.

I haven't lost a MB 110 to a pike yet but that day is surely coming.  And when it does, I'll likely have a stroke.

[TN bassmaster]

Has anyone tried the swagy strong ???

[Frezzy]

Bassman compact spinnerbait.  Pricey, but crushes them for me.

[the reel ess]

I can't see a reason to spend more than $8-ish on a spinnerbait. Actually, the Walmart and BPS spinnerbaits that are hanging loose on pegs work pretty well too. I remember when the Uncle Buck BPS brand were $1. I bought about 6 different combinations and caught lots of bass on them. I still have a couple.

[gim]

3 hours ago, Captain Phil said:

The only criteria I care anything about in a spinnerbait is it's ability to catch fish.  If a bait cost $20 each and only lasted 3 fish, it would be fine with me. 

You don't deal with pike in Florida though.  They destroy lures here and they love spinnerbaits.  All it takes is one vicious strike and the cheap ones are bent, and therefore useless because they don't run true anymore.

 

If I paid 20 bucks for a spinnerbait only to discard it after one outing here, I'd be broke.  I have to replace skirts fairly regularly on my spinnerbaits here (and my chatterbaits), but its a lot better than replacing the lure itself.  @NorthernBasser knows exactly what I'm talking about on those aggressive pike that ruin tackle...or worse, saw you off altogether.

[Jar11591]

3 minutes ago, gimruis said:

You don't deal with pike in Florida though.  They destroy lures here and they love spinnerbaits.  All it takes is one vicious strike and the cheap ones are bent, and therefore useless because they don't run true anymore.

This is why I use the Strike King Tour Grade spinnerbaits. They’re around $10 and hold up surprisingly well to esox assaults. Occasionally I’ll have to bend the shaft slightly back into place, but it’s rare and it’ll still run true after that. 

[gim]

11 minutes ago, Jar11591 said:

Strike King Tour Grade spinnerbaits.

I've got a couple of those.  They're pretty good.

[TomG73]

1 hour ago, DitchPanda said:

They have some unique skirt and blade color patterns so that is a bonus. For me the 2 things that stand out are: the overall compact design seems to get bit more for me and they are the right combination of vibration and durability. They are a little pricey up front compared to some but they work and hold up. When I look at price on baits I always ask myself how much is my time off worth and how much did I spend on gas to get where I'm at. Those 2 things usually make a $10-$12 spinner bait seem not so bad.

Agree, check out the video if you haven’t, JT Kenney has a good you tube line up, thx

[NorthernBasser]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I haven't lost a MB 110 to a pike yet but that day is surely coming.  And when it does, I'll likely have a stroke.

LOL. I lost 2. And a more Jackhammers than I wanna count. 

[TN bassmaster]

8 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

LOL. I lost 2. And a more Jackhammers than I wanna count. 

We have gar in tn and they love frogs and will tear them to shreds rip Megabass big gabot 

[gim]

41 minutes ago, NorthernBasser said:

LOL. I lost 2. And a more Jackhammers than I wanna count. 

Its pretty dang funny when it happens to someone else, but when it happens to you, I aint laughing.  I'm usually swearing out loud.

[NorthernBasser]

38 minutes ago, TN bassmaster said:

We have gar in tn and they love frogs and will tear them to shreds rip Megabass big gabot 

Yeah the pike ain't shy about busting on a frog either. When I get them to the boat and see they just got a hook in their mouth an none of the frog body, I count my blessings. ?

 

Bowfin (Dogfish) are an issue too on some lakes. They'll mess a bait up worse than a pike. MEAN SOB's. 

[Jaderose]

H&H.  Less is more.  $2.39 at TW right now

[WRB]

Back in the day when Iovino was guiding at El Salto he had Dave Nichols make a Tilapia color spinner bait.

I called Dave and had him make a double holographic shod color Indiana bladed shad colored spinnerbaits.

I can’t say the Nichols Company is the same today because haven’t ordered from them. I can say members who have are very satisfied with the quality.

Tom

[KP Duty]

In the upcoming prespawn, what matters most is having that flo-red colorado kicker blade.  It's nice that several brands have one out these days.  20 years ago, you had to add that red blade yourself.

 

 

 

[Tony Christian]

Well Nichols looks good except for the trailer keeper issue. What could be a good color for slightly stained but still decent visibility?

[Bluebasser86]

Nichols and the Booyah Covert are both really nice baits. 

[NorthernBasser]

Here's a handful of spinnerbaits I like throwing. It's kind of hard to tell the size differences in photos. But you can definitely see how the SV3 and War Eagle have a smaller profile than most. Much of it attributed to it's smaller blades. But they also has a shorter shanked hooks.

 

1) Terminator Super Stainless 

2) Megabass SV-3

3) Revenge Baits (I think these are discontinued)

4) War Eagle Mike McClelland Finesse

5) Z-Man Sling Bladez

6) River2Sea Ish Monroe Bling

7) Siebert Outdoors Compact Double Willow

8) Nichols Pulsator Metal Flake Double Willow

 

[Fat Ika]

1 hour ago, Tony Christian said:

Well Nichols looks good except for the trailer keeper issue. What could be a good color for slightly stained but still decent visibility?

River Bream in the hammered glass series I'm partial to in clear water/dark skies/low light or most conditions in slightly stained water. Sucker for purple.

[Tony Christian]

1 hour ago, NorthernBasser said:

Here's a handful of spinnerbaits I like throwing. It's kind of hard to tell the size differences in photos. But you can definitely see how the SV3 and War Eagle have a smaller profile than most. Much of it attributed to it's smaller blades. But they also has a shorter shanked hooks.

 

1) Terminator Super Stainless 

2) Megabass SV-3

3) Revenge Baits (I think these are discontinued)

4) War Eagle Mike McClelland Finesse

5) Z-Man Sling Bladez

6) River2Sea Ish Monroe Bling

7) Siebert Outdoors Compact Double Willow

8) Nichols Pulsator Metal Flake Double Willow

 

Is the SV-3 something I would fish with a trailer hook, the long strands look like they would get short strikes? Also, is the Pulsator more of a mid-sized profile, conpared to the more finesse Megabass?