Building a spinner bait component box- build on the water baits

[casts_by_fly]

Hi all,

 

I am contemplating building a create your own spinnerbait box.  Normally I’m only fishing 3/8 and 1/2 with the occasional foray heavier. My current box is a 3700 spinnerbait box that is full and then some (which includes 6 buzzbaits also).  And still, there are times when I want something different to what I have in the box whether it’s a different skirt, blade combo, etc. I know I could maybe swap things around with what I have, but not always. I’ve seen JWheeler do it in some of his videos and I have some ideas. Anyone else done it and can offer your own insights?  Based on how much space I’m using in the current box, I think I could either save space or have more tackle/variety in the same space (likely choice).  I’m sticking to 3700 sized boxes, but could go with a double deep if needed. 
 

I’m thinking I keep a mix of 3/8 and 1/2 ‘bodies’ with a mix of willow and Colorado blades, probably one each of empty bodies for single Colorado use (I don’t throw them much). I’d keep colors simple and put silver front blades on. Water is clear here so I rarely use double gold or copper. Then I just need a handful of willow, Colorado, and Indiana blades to over my bases, all prerigged on swivels. Then a handful of skirts of my usual colors and some others. 
 

anyone else work this way?  Pros/cons?  
 

thanks

rick

[keagbassr]

OK my simple thoughts.

 

Pro: ability to make any bait you want while on the water.

Con: wasting time thinking you can make the perfect 'magic' bait when they probably don't want a spinnerbait.

For me ,I  primarily have about 7-8 different style spinnerbaits* and during spinnerbait season,(spring/fall)I usually have 2 rigged up and might try a 3rd. If I can't get them to hit one of these then I've got to believe they want something else. Time on the water always has me thinking about new styles of baits but these get built off the water. 

* been making my own for about 30 years and have tried many different combos over the years to get to these 'favorites'. 

[LrgmouthShad]

Hey casts,

 

I personally do not modify my spinnerbaits while on the water or build up new ones. I usually just bring spinnerbaits that offer me a few different options based on the time of year and conditions. 
 

I do all my tinkering back in the tackle room. For that, I have everything and anything. Lots of blades of all kinds and swivels and skirts and I do have some empty heads lying around if I want to build up something new. I keep it all in a 3600 just all kinda thrown together

[casts_by_fly]

Maybe I just need to modify what I have and swap around those that I don't fish, aka optimize a little better.  This is my current box (a mess at the moment).  There are slots for 26 plus I have a few more laying flat.  Call it 30 spinnerbaits.  And yet when I know I want to fish a spinnerbait I always feel like I'm missing just the one I want to fish.  Perhaps instead of totally revamping my setup the better question is 'what do I think I'm missing when I'm reaching and not finding' and 'which of these hasn't left the box and why'.  I can see a quarter of them that are there but I never even considered throwing this year plus a couple more that are duplicates of ones I did throw.  

[LrgmouthShad]

Yeah, there’s always the “what if” in the back of your head. I think you’ve got the right idea.
 

My whole idea on spinnerbait fishing is that while there are bad days for it and there are some scarce days where they will clobber it everywhere….. for the most part spinnerbaits target a certain kind of fish. An aggressive fish. Spinnerbaits don’t tend to be the kind of bait (on public lakes) where I can roll up to a spot and catch a bunch without moving the boat. I just kinda mix them in with my fishing throughout the day and I’ll catch a spinnerbait fish here and there. Or on some windy days or certain times of the year I will just run and gun with a spinnerbait and nothing or little else. But over the course of a year I will catch a lot of spinnerbait fish. So what I’m trying to say is that between spending my time tinkering on the water and spending my time casting and moving, I’m going to pick casting and moving. 

[Cgolf]

I have most of my blades and components in a Edge Flex 3700 box and it allowed me to make 2 bigger compartments for wire frames. I put like 5 each of the different types of frames I have. This box goes with me on my week long fishing trip, but stays in the cabin. Between trips I can either tweak blade combos or make new baits. I will carry some skirts in the boat though. 

 

If you want I can add a picture tonight when home.

[Catt]

I use to make spinnerbaits for a limited number of clients until I meet Lonnie Stanley.

 

I keep Stanley spinnerbaits in 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, & 1 oz.

In each weight category there is a variety blade combination. And I have a skirt box.

 

Unless I'm going fishing for more than a day I don't carry all of the with me. Even then I leave them in the camp. 

 

[Pat Brown]

@Cattdon't sleep on that 1.5 oz 😉😉😉😉

 

When a bass sees a spinnerbait moving that fast they don't really know what to do with themselves.

[casts_by_fly]

24 minutes ago, Catt said:

I use to make spinnerbaits for a limited number of clients until I meet Lonnie Stanley.

 

I keep Stanley spinnerbaits in 1/4, 3/8, 1/2, 3/4, & 1 oz.

In each weight category there is a variety blade combination. And I have a skirt box.

 

Unless I'm going fishing for more than a day I don't carry all of the with me. Even then I leave them in the camp. 

 

 

what blade combos do you keep handy for a trip?  the usual tandem, double willow, single colorado?  this is kinda where I was thinking in the first place.  Those three plus a colorado/indiana make four blade sets.  If I kept this to 3/8 and 1/2 (my two most commonly used), two of each weight and only one single colorado of each would be 14 bodies.  A handful of skirts that's 90% of me covered in half the tackle.  

 

[Catt]

Double willow

Gold back blade/silver front

Silver back/gold front

Double willow/gold

Double willow/silver

 

Willow back/Colorado front 

Gold back/silver front

Silver back/gold front 

Double gold

Double silver 

 

Double Colorado 

Gold back/silver front

Silver back/gold front 

Double gold

Double silver

 

Single Colorado 

Gold

Silver 

Black

 

I got a lot of spinnerbaits 😉

[Pat Brown]

I too am afflicted with this condition and see no end in sight.  Spinnerbaits are cool and they catch big fish.

[Siebert Outdoors]

In theory I think it makes perfect sense to do what your talking about.  But in use I can picture a wave hitting the side of the boat and beads, cleavis, and swivels flying everywhere.   Now if you wanted to maybe keep some styles like Catt said and only change the back blade/swivel.  I would go that route way before dealing with the parts and pieces. 

BTW Catt.  No orange front blade?

Or my dirt water favorite.

[LrgmouthShad]

39 minutes ago, Catt said:

Double willow

Gold back blade/silver front

Silver back/gold front

Double willow/gold

Double willow/silver

 

Willow back/Colorado front 

Gold back/silver front

Silver back/gold front 

Double gold

Double silver 

 

Double Colorado 

Gold back/silver front

Silver back/gold front 

Double gold

Double silver

 

Single Colorado 

Gold

Silver 

Black

 

I got a lot of spinnerbaits 😉

 

32 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

I too am afflicted with this condition and see no end in sight.  Spinnerbaits are cool and they catch big fish.

These are my people

 

We understand one another 😄

 

If all y'all else saw my boxes of spinnerbaits you would begin to question a few things. My mental stability being one

[Choporoz]

I don't tweak them on the water except maybe change or replace skirts.   You might want to watch BTL Day 4 #105

 

Starts around 18:30....too much tinkering for me, but I do like the 3600 conversion

[Catt]

1 hour ago, LrgmouthShad said:

These are my people

 

We understand one another 😄

 

I have a Texas Rig & Jig-n-Craw tied on 24/7/365, a spinnerbait is next!

 

My favorite is "flipping" Buck brush during pre-spawn with a 1/2 oz spinnerbait. Give me enough room for 4-6 reel turns I'm making that cast.

[papajoe222]

I use the season and conditions for picking out what S/B to throw. I'll change up if I'm getting follows, only after I've tried different speeds. If they're showing little or no interest it the  first one, I'm switching to a different style bait.

I'm reduced to three hours or a little more time on the water. I want to make the most of that time.

If building baits while on the water is part of your overall enjoyment of the sport, go for it. I'll build or modify at home.

[Munkin]

10 hours ago, Choporoz said:

I don't tweak them on the water except maybe change or replace skirts.   You might want to watch BTL Day 4 #105

 

Starts around 18:30....too much tinkering for me, but I do like the 3600 conversion

 

Is that Dr Evil from the Austin Powers movies?

 

Catt mentioned a blade color combination that is rare. Gold front, nickel trailing blade which I only see made by War Eagle. Day in and out this is not the most effective color but for the days it works it really works. 

 

Allen

[Catt]

16 hours ago, Siebert Outdoors said:

BTW Catt.  No orange front blade?

 

 

[Bazoo]

I don't have anything to add, since I'm learning! I will say... my gut tells me there is something special about those orange bladed spinnerbaits. I'd have confidence in it throwing it. Confidence doesn't always equate to fish on the thumb but it does help to get the lure in the water.

[Jig Man]

I did the same thing several years ago with jigs.  I used to camp as many as 30 days in a row and used a lot of jigs.  When it was all said and done I only needed a few of them to get the job done.  I think that you will find the same thing to be true with your spinnerbaits but you can have fun experimenting even though you will be missing casting time.

[casts_by_fly]

Or I could suck it up and fish what I have, maybe supplemented with a couple colors from @Siebert Outdoors .  This is the compact in silver shiner if my memory is right. The compact in green shad got another one tonight. 

[rangerjockey]

Basically I throw 3 colors. War Eagles and screamin' eagles in mouse, purple shad and cole slaw w/ painted blades for dirty water. If they won't chase any of those it's usually time to start draggin' something.

[ironbjorn]

If you have an assorted literal box full and you can't find what you like, it's more about you than it is the fish. A bass isn't that finicky. 

[scaleface]

I went through having a spinnerbait for every conceivable situation stage . Stated making my own and bought way more blades that I needed. Wasted a lot of money. I was going to be a spinnerbait guru and ended up catching fewer fish . Since I made a reverse turn and only use a few styles.