Spinnerbaits and big bass

[Fried Lemons]

Reading through the spinnerbait section of Bill Murphy's book and I found it interesting that he recommends downsizing the blade and running a single blade vs the usual tandem blades. Most of the baits pictured in the book have small single french/colorado blades somewhat reminiscent of a beetle spin. Completely contrary to the large double willow that is currently popular.

 

Has anyone had success applying this tactic?

[LrgmouthShad]

I read that section in his book and bought Nichols pulsator single colorado's accordingly. 3/8oz comes with a small #4 colorado. It got my PB in NC. 

 

My NY PB @6.21lbs is on a zorro short arm aggravator, also 3/8oz and also a small #4 colorado.

 

Single colorado spinnerbaits are deadly. But like all other spinnerbaits, they have a time and a place. Single colorado spinnerbaits also tend to produce best, IMO, conveniently during the times that you are most likely to land a giant on a spinnerbait. That's winter and prespawn. 

 

Your spinnerbait box is not complete unless you've got some single colorado's in there. I do believe they are a big bass bait, but they are just a tool at the end of the day, and lots of other lures can work for giant bass too.

[Bankbeater]

Around here Colorado and Indiana blades seem to work better than willow leaf blades.  I've also noticed what @LrgmouthShad said above about the time of year.  When it starts to warm up here in the spring the spinnerbait bite dies off until it starts to cool down again.

[Glenn]

Biggest bass I've caught on a spinnerbait was 9.1 lbs on a 3/4oz double Indiana blade spinnerbait.

[Captain Phil]

Single blade Colorado and double blade willow spinnerbaits are completely different baits. Each produces it's own unique action.  Single blade baits produce thumping vibrations.  Tandem baits produce more of a monotone hum.  My favorite spinnerbait has a small front Colorado blade and a larger rear willow.  Upsizing and downsizing the blades affects the depth and speed of the bait.  Varying line size can also produce these changes.  I use single blade baits more for vertical fishing off drops and weed edges.   I once fished with a guy that flipped a single blade spinnerbait with good results. Tandems work best when cast back into cover or when you wish to cover water.   I know of no better search bait.  Bass caught on spinnerbaits tend to be larger fish. Catching your PB is more about being at the right place at the right time. 

[Bankc]

I choose the blades based on depth and speed.  Double willow for shallow and fast, single Colorado for deep and slow.  Double willows seem to have more lift, but single Colorados don't need as much speed to get thumping.  

[LrgmouthShad]

8 hours ago, Glenn said:

Biggest bass I've caught on a spinnerbait was 9.1 lbs on a 3/4oz double Indiana blade spinnerbait.

What size blades do you like to use for your 3/4oz model? I’ve never made a double Indiana with that weight head before. If you could identify either the brand of blades as well, or offer what the Hildebrandt equivalent is, that would be wonderful. Hildebrandt sizing is generally what I am familiar with. Companies are sometimes all over the place with different blade sizings.

 

I can certainly make some of these spinnerbaits up and see how I like them. 

[fishballer06]

On 9/11/2023 at 6:09 PM, LrgmouthShad said:

What size blades do you like to use for your 3/4oz model? I’ve never made a double Indiana with that weight head before. If you could identify either the brand of blades as well, or offer what the Hildebrandt equivalent is, that would be wonderful. Hildebrandt sizing is generally what I am familiar with. Companies are sometimes all over the place with different blade sizings.

 

I can certainly make some of these spinnerbaits up and see how I like them. 

 

On a 3/4oz frame, You can probably go with a #3 on the front and a #5 or #6 even on the back. Definitely a #6 if going with an Indiana blade. That's my personal preference. 

[bigspirit]

What brands do y’all like for a single Colorado? I just did a search on TW for single blade spinner baits and they all seem to be black baits with black or gold blades, or a tandem blade setup. 
 

just buy a tandem Colorado and use snips to cut the front blade off?
 

 

[ElGuapo928]

Most of my single blades are Luck-E-Strike…..I also have quite a few of the old school H&H singles that are my “secret” smallmouth weapon (the green/chartreuse single blade worked along riprap banks is a killer)

[MIbassyaker]

Booyah has colorado single-spins in more-or-less traditional skirt/blade colors for a good price.

[Bazoo]

If you're handy, you can remove the blade from a spinnerbait. Just open the loop on the end, remove the extra blade, and close the loop back with pliers that have a good radius. It's easy enough to shorten the wire too.

 

[scaleface]

 I dont know if Colorados catch larger bass  than willows or not . Bass are so pressured these days that I prefer the less intrusive Willow/Colorado combo. Lure placement is more important than blades and skirts.

[TnRiver46]

^actual footage of me catching big bass with a spinnerbait 

[Zcoker]

I usually catch my larger fish using a single #5 Hildebrant Colorado blade. Granted, the spinnerbait needs to be built or modified in order to do this. I use the bait mainly at night but it has done well during daylight hours, especially when it's overcast out. This bait usually sees a fish 7lbs and up. Can't say why the smaller fish ignore it. That slow roiling thump thump seems to entice the bigger bites. 

 

 

 

 

[TnRiver46]

2 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

I usually catch my larger fish using a single #5 Hildebrant Colorado blade. Granted, the spinnerbait needs to be built or modified in order to do this. I use the bait mainly at night but it has done well during daylight hours, especially when it's overcast out. This bait usually sees a fish 7lbs and up. Can't say why the smaller fish ignore it. That slow roiling thumb thumb seems to entice the bigger bites. 

 

 

 

 

[LrgmouthShad]

@bigspirit email Brooks Woodward of Nichols. Tell him you want Pulsator spinnerbaits in single colorado. Give him the skirt color, blade color (they have a bunch), and weight

 

Get creative

14 minutes ago, Zcoker said:

Can't say why the smaller fish ignore it

The sound signature and water displacement of a big colorado tells fish that the bait is really really large

[Zcoker]

13 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

@bigspirit email Brooks Woodward of Nichols. Tell him you want Pulsator spinnerbaits in single colorado. Give him the skirt color, blade color (they have a bunch), and weight

 

Get creative

The sound signature and water displacement of a big colorado tells fish that the bait is really really large

 Sounds like a good explanation. Those bigger thumps do get the bigger bites, which is what I want. 

[LrgmouthShad]

@Zcoker could be in my head, but in my opinion, you are doing something right by putting a large trailer on there too. There’s a theory that the fish’s sense of how big the bait is should match how big it actually is. Rick Clunn talks about this here. I’m skeptical about some things he says and there is a lot of marketing for the Trickster spinnerbait here but it does make you think about spinnerbaits and the way they are designed 

 

[Zcoker]

6 minutes ago, LrgmouthShad said:

@Zcoker could be in my head, but in my opinion, you are doing something right by putting a large trailer on there too. There’s a theory that the fish’s sense of how big the bait is should match how big it actually is. Rick Clunn talks about this here. I’m skeptical about some things he says and there is a lot of marketing for the Trickster spinnerbait here but it does make you think about spinnerbaits and the way they are designed 

 

 

I tend to agree. My particular combo seems to work well in the environment that I fish, which is probably a good point because one has to tailor their baits relative to the body of water fished, imho. I've tried store bought combinations but tossed them all out in favor of just making my own spinnerbaits. Nothing out there could give me what I wanted. This particular spinnerbait is for very shallow running, using lighter wire. I use another of the same variant but with much thicker wire for deeper water. My whole focus is the largest fish possible and these combos seem to do the trick! 

[Carolina Pines]

I caught my PB largemouth 9lbs 10oz on a custom spinnerbait that I bent myself from .040 stainless wire.  I used a single #4 Hildebrandt Colorado blade in gold with a Sampo swivel.  1/4 oz jig head, 4.5" paddle tail trailer with glass rattle chamber.

 

 

@Zcoker, @LrgmouthShad I also agree with y'all I like a big trailer and I've been catching a lot of nice bass ever since I started making and experimenting with my own spinnerbaits.  I've gotten to where I prefer a single colorado blade most of the time, unless I'm burning them in really fast.  

 

 

[LrgmouthShad]

@Carolina Pines that’s wild. Our PBs are eerily similar in both size and bait used. NC too

[Zcoker]

30 minutes ago, Carolina Pines said:

I caught my PB largemouth 9lbs 10oz on a custom spinnerbait that I bent myself from .040 stainless wire.  I used a single #4 Hildebrandt Colorado blade in gold with a Sampo swivel.  1/4 oz jig head, 4.5" paddle tail trailer with glass rattle chamber.

 

 

@Zcoker, @LrgmouthShad I also agree with y'all I like a big trailer and I've been catching a lot of nice bass ever since I started making and experimenting with my own spinnerbaits.  I've gotten to where I prefer a single colorado blade most of the time, unless I'm burning them in really fast.  

 

 

 

That's great! Glad you made a combo that worked for you!  That's my whole point. Sometimes ya just gotta make your own stuff. When I first started fooling around with spinnerbaits, I wasn't getting the results that I wanted. I mean, sure, I was catching a lot of fish on them just not the quality fish that I was after. So the fooling around and experimenting began until I made a combo that worked for me in the environment that I fished (which I think is another important point). The bigger fish liked the big single Colorado blade, the almost hypnotic thump that it makes which draws them in. The bigger trailer swims freely right in front of their face, and they can't resist--boom! I don't think I've had a hit yet that didn't hook a fish under 7lbs. This particular spinnerbait is for shallow water running with lighter wire. I have another of the same variant but with heavy gauge wire that I use for deeper water. I may have to spend a bit of time working the spinnerbait but time it is, sooner or later, she'll be coming lol 

[Bazoo]

1 hour ago, LrgmouthShad said:

@Zcoker could be in my head, but in my opinion, you are doing something right by putting a large trailer on there too. There’s a theory that the fish’s sense of how big the bait is should match how big it actually is. Rick Clunn talks about this here. I’m skeptical about some things he says and there is a lot of marketing for the Trickster spinnerbait here but it does make you think about spinnerbaits and the way they are designed 

 

Wow, thank you for sharing that. Some great things to consider.

[the reel ess]

I had a PB of barely 8 lbs. at one time on a War Eagle Gold Shiner double gold willow blade. I rarely try a single excpet in the dead of winter. Then it's a nighttime bait with a big Colorado that you can reel so slow it's like a jig.