Spinnerbaits!

[HawkeyeSmallie]

I've said this before but I'm pretty green when it comes to green bass. Yes, pun intended.

 

I grew up fishing for smallmouths on small Iowa rivers with my feet on the ground.

 

Now I'm hooked on largemouths and mostly fishing out of a kayak.

 

Yesterday I went out for a couple of hours after work and decided to try a spinnerbait.

 

Holy cow, I loved it!

 

Second cast, bam! Fish on. I caught at least 10 last night, some on a yum dinger as well.

 

On one cast, a bass decided to take all of his anger out on it and just SLAMMED it. Can't recall a fish hitting that hard before. Unfortunately I never landed it.

 

I was a little hesitant to throw an all white spinnerbait in a lake that doesn't have any type of shad in it. The number one forage would be bluegills/crappies. I didn't have any good trailer so I used a 10 year old bag of somewhat white Zoom Flukes that I had. LOL

 

Anyways, I fell in love with spinnerbaits.

 

I don't have very many so what are some good ones? Info on trailers? How about trailer hooks???? Lastly, even though white was working, would a different color be better in a lake where bluegills are the main food source? Any other tips/tricks/comments I'm all ears.

 

THANK YOU! Gosh I love fishing. 

[Choporoz]

Tons of threads and articles available here on BR.

 

I, too, like spinnerbaits.  But I caution you to temper your excitement just a tad....if only to manage expectations. 

  There's always a few days in the early fall (and in spring) when you cannot keep them off a spinnerbait.   The other 350 days of the year, you can catch on them, but you may need to be bumping, dragging, yo-yo-ing, or something else besides chucking and winding.

Me: primarily 1/2 oz or heavier; usually with some chartreuse in the skirt; no trailer, no trailer hook. Play with variety of blades and blade sizes to see how they act for you

[Pat Brown]

Basically you went straight to the juice - white spinner baits.  Yeah they mimic all the baitfish - especially the little ones that everything eats - regardless of species - That's the juice.  😋😋😋 

 

Trailers?  Sure maybe if the fish want em.

 

Trailer hooks?  Same deal kinda.  If they're short striking - sure maybe.

 

Other skirt colors - if it helps give you confidence try it.

 

I like to play around with the wire length and blade sizes and shapes and number of blades more so than the different colors or trailers.

 

Now keep tossing em!

[Catt]

1 hour ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

would a different color be better in a lake where bluegills are the main food source?

 

[scaleface]

I throw them a lot and only use a trailer if I want a little extra weight, then I'll use half a dinger. Cant remember the last time I used a trailer hook. I have my favorite color skirts and blades but everybody has different favorites . I'll use bright some days and dull others. Black at night.

[king fisher]

You came to the right place for advise on spinnerbaits.  TnRiver 46 is the site expert on spinnerbaits.  I'm sure he will be able to tell you everything you could ever want to know about spinnerbaits.

 

I recommend you buy four colors of spinnerbaits.   White,  Chartreuse white,  black, and Chartreuse black.  Blades I recommend singe Colorado, tandem willow, and tandem Indiana in silver and gold.  3/8 1/2 and 3/4 oz.  Don't be afraid to try black in the day time.  The bass don't know that black is only for night time.  Fishing a black spinnerbait in the day time wont get you a fine from the bass police, but you may get a warning citation.  Rip up the citation, and ask them to apologize when you catch your PB. 

 

I personally don't use trailers or trailer hooks, but you can get away with only two colors, black and white if you buy some chartreuse trailers.  Trailers make for good contrasting colors without having to change baits.  I probably should use trailers, but I have such a hard time deciding what one of my hundreds of spinnerbaits to throw, I feel I may suffer from bass bait overload trying to determine what trailer to put on what bait.

 

Save all of your parts off of broken spinnerbaits.  You may end up building your own some day and you can never have to many parts.

 

Be warned, the Bait Monkey is very fond of spinnerbaits.        

[MIbassyaker]

I've been doing well throwing these the last couple years, clockwise starting top right:

-Pepper Custom double willow "bleeding bluegill"

-Siebert Outdoors Compact Cosmic double willow, "Pumpkinseed"

-War eagle colorado-indiana, "Copper/Chartreuse"

-Revenge double willow, "Bluegill"

-Booyah Covert double Colorado, "Chartreuse/White/Silver"

 

 

I like gold and copper blades around bluegill/sunfish forage.

[WRB]

My favorite spinnerbait has double Indiana blades. Booya 3/8 oz convert double Indiana looks good, the wt/chart-blue with Zoom white spinnerbait trailer is a good bluegill color.

Mike at Siebert can make up whatever you need.

Tom

 

[HawkeyeSmallie]

I just watched a Rick Clunn video and he said the willow leaf blade is the worst.

 

He says water displacement is the main key and the willows displace the least. He will still throw them but sounds like he prefers Indiana blades and Colorados.

 

Found it interesting.

[bowhunter63]

Lately War Eagle River Rat on chartreuse White with a gold willow leaf and a red Colorado 

[Bankbeater]

Over the past few years spinnerbaits have outproduced bladed jigs.  I have better luck with Indiana or Colorado blades,  The only time I really have good luck with a willow leaf blade is when it is a large willow leaf blade.

[HawkeyeSmallie]

Dang, this is how much I fish spinnerbaits.

 

The one I was throwing last night was a double willow Terminator.

A 3.5 blade and a 4.5 blade.

 

Looks like they don’t even make them anymore.

 

Darn.

[Spankey]

I wish I could talk a good game on spinnerbaits but can’t. I’ve always had a phobia to throw larger swimbaits. Can’t say that I’ve given them a fair shot at fishing for lake largemouths. 
My confidence level has alway been 1/4 oz. and 3/16 oz. on the river for Smallies. I find them productive in heavy stained and off colored water. Black with gold blades is all that has produced for me. 

[papajoe222]

I own a ton of spinnerbaits, but rarely throw one anymore, mainly because I can add a paddle tail swimbait to an underspin if I want flash. Those soft plastic swimbaits have all but replaced spinnerbaits, except in the fall when I'll throw a short arm over a weed bed and let it helicopter down the edge. Otherwise, I can count on both hands how many times I pick one up during the season.

[HawkeyeSmallie]

On 9/27/2024 at 10:46 PM, papajoe222 said:

I own a ton of spinnerbaits, but rarely throw one anymore, mainly because I can add a paddle tail swimbait to an underspin if I want flash. 

You know, I was thinking about this as well.

 

I’m back from a long break, it seems anglers today have way more options now.

 

Spinnerbaits vs chatterbaits vs underspins. 
 

I figure spinnerbaits work through cover the best, but the underspins are going to look way more natural. Not sure where that leaves the chatter bait. Lol

 

Idk, this fishing seems way more “difficult” than it used to be.

 

Paralysis by analysis.

[gim]

I swear this is like the 5th spinnerbait thread in 2 weeks

8 minutes ago, HawkeyeSmallie said:

Spinnerbaits vs chatterbaits vs underspins. 
 

I figure spinnerbaits work through cover the best, but the underspins are going to look way more natural. Not sure where that leaves the chatter bait.

 

This is pretty accurate on the spinnerbait going through cover better.

 

The advantage that the chatter bait has is with speed.  It can be reeled in much slower, which is an advantage in colder water when fish are more lethargic.

 

Also, in some locales, fish have seen a lot of chatter baits recently.  The pressure with this specific lure has gotten to them, and they haven't seen as many spinnerbaits as a result.

[Glenn]

 

[Pumpkin Lizard]

Buy good quality spinnerbaits and avoid the el cheapo ones if you can. They higher quality ones seem to run better for me and get out of tune less. It's not like you lose lots of spinnerbaits so it's sound investment.

 

Something I have always had is one spinnerbait with colorado blades that I spray paint black. I'll use this one after dark.

[LrgmouthShad]

1 hour ago, gimruis said:

I swear this is like the 5th spinnerbait thread in 2 weeks

Matt Allen probably said something

 

On 9/27/2024 at 10:40 AM, HawkeyeSmallie said:

so what are some good ones?

Booyah covert is a good starting point 

 

On 9/27/2024 at 10:40 AM, HawkeyeSmallie said:

Info on trailers?

They are not necessary but lots work. Use when you want more bulk/different profile, different colors, more lift, or more drag

 

On 9/27/2024 at 10:40 AM, HawkeyeSmallie said:

How about trailer hooks?

For me, only during the spawn when they tend to swipe 

————————————————————

 

Accurate casting and reeling slow next to/over/through cover is a good way to start with them

[gim]

The problem with a trailer hook is that it now becomes significantly more likely to snag.  The value of a spinnerbait to me is that I can effectively bring it through relatively thick weeds without getting hung up.  That is lost with a trailer hook.

[RevoSEMIpro]

17 hours ago, Pumpkinseed Lizard said:

It's not like you lose lots of spinnerbaits

 

Agreed that quality is worth it - but the above is spoken like someone that doesn't encounter too many northerns.  

 

Might not "lose" it but she aint coming back that same, lol.

[HawkeyeSmallie]

Well I went out yesterday once again and caught a good 10-15 bass on a Spinnerbait.

 

Still throwing the same one, a 15 year or so old white Terminator.

 

Gets stuck in the wood sometimes but in a kayak it’s easy to get out.

 

It’s just an exciting way to fish for me, especially when they hit it right when it hits the water. They are loving this thing right now.

[Pumpkin Lizard]

36 minutes ago, RevoSEMIpro said:

 

Agreed that quality is worth it - but the above is spoken like someone that doesn't encounter too many northerns.  

 

Might not "lose" it but she aint coming back that same, lol.

 

Well, not all of us fortunate enough to live where there are Pike or Musky, they are few and far in between. I run into Pike in CT but that's because I am Pike Fishing, but I usually am fly fishing for the those.

[Rockhopper]

This thread makes me tingle.

[HawkeyeSmallie]

Don't think I mentioned this earlier but I'm throwing them on a rod that wasn't getting much use.

 

Throwing it with 20 pound braid.

 

I'd say I land the majority but definitely not all.

 

I'd say the largest one I had on I lost when it jumped last night. Second cast of the day.

 

Is mono or floro better? Stick with the braid?