Blade Baits

[TOXIC]

 I have to give a shout out to a product line acquired by GSM Outdoors.  Most know me as a hard core Yamamoto Baits plastics fisherman.  My first choice for picking off bass in deep water was a dropshot fished vertically.  My blade game was pretty weak but decided to really give it a shot with SteelShad Lures line of blades.  Other than way too many options to choose from, here is my impression.  First, we mainly vertical jig and the most annoying aspect of some blade baits is that they foul the front or back hook.  When fishing 35 feet plus, it’s a real pain to reel up to free a fouled hook.  The SteelShad blades rarely foul.  Second, they have a totally different vibration and flash.  Third, the stock hooks are wicked sharp, keep fish pinned and finally, there are options that are for all water conditions.  These are not your old style of blades. If you are a dedicated blade fisherman or just wanting to try a new technique, go to their website and check them out.  Just to be clear, I have a Plano box full of blades and spoons of all different manufacturers.  On this very day my fishing partner wanted to try the SteelShad side by side with one of our old favorites the Damiki Shad Vault.  It was no contest.  We don’t normally fish blades until the water gets 50 degrees or below but on Sunday, we found them schooled up in deep water along with catfish and white perch in water that was mid 60’s.  We had a 50 fish day easily.  I’m still learning the blade game and have yet to master casting them but vertical jigging is a blast.  We caught a slew of walleye in the St Clair River on our trip to Michigan last May on blades.  I did an article on Yamamoto’s Inside Line for that trip and I believe I posted here as well.  

[Choporoz]

Thanks.  I will check them out.  Was considering a blade this past weekend,  but I looked at the FF and it said 59*, so I figured I'd wait a week or two.   Now, I will break them out this coming weekend. 

[TnRiver46]

I lost two smallie on a blade bait Saturday night, one jumped pretty high. 
 

is it that cold already toxic? Looks like you went full Eskimo , flip flops are still in play here 

[Choporoz]

Wow....those are a bit steep....I lose blade baits at a rate far higher than any other lure.  I'm not sure I'm ready for those yet.

[TOXIC]

2 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

I lost two smallie on a blade bait Saturday night, one jumped pretty high. 
 

is it that cold already toxic? Looks like you went full Eskimo , flip flops are still in play here 

Mornings are in the mid 30’s warming up to the mid 50’s.  Normally I peel off layers as the day warms up but Sunday, we had a stiff NW wind and I never felt the need.  
 

@Choporoz aside from the Temu baits, most of the blades are all in that price range.  Especially those that give you holographic or painted sides.  I was actually throwing some from the “Glow” series that are supposed to glow in the dark.  As with Yamamoto, I’m not afraid of a premium price tag for a bait I feel is worth it.  But once again, I am vertically jigging and rarely lose any.  Your mileage may vary. 😎

[Dwight Hottle]

@TOXIC is right blade baits do catch fish. These smallies were all caught casting blade baits in water too shallow to jig vertically. 

 

[WRB]

The SteelShad listed on TW site is obviously in error with the 1/2 oz shown as 2 1/4” length, is it 3 1/4”? The 3/4 oz is 4”?

What size should we buy? 1/2 oz seems a good choice if the length is 3 1/4”.

Tom

[TOXIC]

@WRB Tom, it’s a little confusing as there are different series that don’t correlate with weights.  The “heavy” series are actually smaller in the same weight as the regular or “original” series.  Confused the heck out of me until I figured that out.  Website is correct.  

[Dwight Hottle]

@WRB the 1/2 oz size is smaller in length because they use a heavy weight per length. The 3/8 oz is longer in length than the 1/2 oz. Its an anomaly. Go to the Steel Shad site for clarification. 

[casts_by_fly]

What’s the preferred rod/reel/line setup for blades?  I can see benefits of slower and faster.  My inclination would be braid for feel but the only time I’ve thrown blades was for steelhead in Erie so I have no real basis here. 

[TnRiver46]

39 minutes ago, casts_by_fly said:

What’s the preferred rod/reel/line setup for blades?  I can see benefits of slower and faster.  My inclination would be braid for feel but the only time I’ve thrown blades was for steelhead in Erie so I have no real basis here. 

I like mono and a MH baitcaster, they can sling a heavy bait like those when jumping 

 

whatever you’d throw rattle traps on should work 

[Dwight Hottle]

I like to use spinning tackle with a MHM rod paired with 10lb braid & mono leader. If vertical jigging I use a very small swivel between braid & leader to control twist. It's the same tackle I use for jerk baits minus the swivel. 

[TOXIC]

I am in no means an expert in blade fishing but from my responses on other forums and from friends who are guides, it appears the old adage ”it depends” comes into play.  Personally, I prefer spinning because it gets the smaller blades deep faster.  I use straight 8-10lb mono.  No need for braid because when vertical jigging, you aren’t feeling the bite  as much as other applications.  They either hit it on the fall, on the lift or suspended.  There’s really no hookset with 2 sets of trebles.  They pretty much hook themselves.  For a rod, I use a 7ft medium Woo Daves worm rod that doubles as my weighted Senko rod in the summer.  With my blade setup I have caught 5oz white perch and 5lb walleye.  It’s a fun way to catch ‘em! 

[casts_by_fly]

Thanks guys.  That's not what I was expecting to hear.  So lighter lines for better fall rate and action.  Any reason why spinning over a casting rod?  My 'crankbait' rod is already spooled up with thin 12 lb mono and a MH/MF which seems like a pretty close setup for a casting rod.  I do have a M spinning rod with light braid and leader, i just don't prefer fishing a spinning rod.  

 

Is the gist of it- find the fish, drop to the level of the school, rip/jig it up, let it fall, rest a 'minute', repeat?

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, casts_by_fly said:

Thanks guys.  That's not what I was expecting to hear.  So lighter lines for better fall rate and action.  Any reason why spinning over a casting rod?  My 'crankbait' rod is already spooled up with thin 12 lb mono and a MH/MF which seems like a pretty close setup for a casting rod.  I do have a M spinning rod with light braid and leader, i just don't prefer fishing a spinning rod.  

 

Is the gist of it- find the fish, drop to the level of the school, rip/jig it up, let it fall, rest a 'minute', repeat?

The only reason I’ve ever heard people fish heavy metal with spinning is so they can drop it faster, the line coming off the spool faster not diameter/sinking 

 

I like some decently thick line to get them loose when stuck. I use mostly 3/4 oz or 1/2 oz , far too heavy for any of my spinning rods 

[Skunkmaster-k]

I usually have better luck casting a blade and hopping off the bottom back to the boat. Spoons are my favorite for vertical fishing. 

[RRocket]

Looks to be an excellent lure! 

 

I'd probably swap out the hooks for the ones used on the Blading-X.  Fewer hang ups IMO.

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, RRocket said:

Looks to be an excellent lure! 

 

I'd probably swap out the hooks for the ones used on the Blading-X.  Fewer hang ups IMO.

That double hook definitely helps on the front, I’ve found a few like that in tackle shops 

[RRocket]

1 hour ago, TnRiver46 said:

That double hook definitely helps on the front, I’ve found a few like that in tackle shops 

They look like miniature soft body frog hooks.

[Choporoz]

Baitcast MM with 12# mono.  Always cast and hop....tried vertical a few times, but got discouraged quickly.

[TOXIC]

My fishing partner uses a baitcaster with 12lb straight mono.  I just prefer spinning because he has to peel off line with the lighter blades and I’d wager he misses a few strikes on the fall.  When he turns on the front facing sonar, we video game catch them because he can see them follow and strike the blades.  We were catching walleye in 60ft + of water. I got to the bottom a lot faster with spinning. 

[KP Duty]

10 hours ago, RRocket said:

Looks to be an excellent lure! 

 

I'd probably swap out the hooks for the ones used on the Blading-X.  Fewer hang ups IMO.

Those hooks would make a squarebill a lot more weedless.  I guess I could snip off a barb and make my own 2-prong hooks.

[Bluebasser86]

My best blades have been the cheap from the overseas sites. I usually buy several at a time since shipping times are usually pretty long. I've had good luck with them and they're usually around $1 each. Too many snags where I fish to spend the money they want for most of them. 

[T-Billy]

I just received my order of XXL Steelshads. Gonna replace the single hooks with some 4X VMC trebles and some 100# hyperwire split rings and see if I can get some muskies to eat 'em in the coming weeks.  

[softwateronly]

8 minutes ago, T-Billy said:

I just received my order of XXL Steelshads. Gonna replace the single hooks with some 4X VMC trebles and some 100# hyperwire split rings and see if I can get some muskies to eat 'em in the coming weeks.  

 

I predict 3 muskies and 1 tree before the new year

 

scott