Tailspinners

[Mobasser]

When I first started bass fishing, the Man's Little George was a popular lure.          Most folks considered them a cold water bait. Make a long cast, let them sink to the desired depth, then, lift the rod quickly, and let them fall. Most all the strikes come on the fall. I caught fish on them, but not a lot.             Being compact and heavy, they cast very well, even in wind. They snag easily, and I lost quite a few to snags. One problem I had was that fish became unhooked easily. I plan to fish them again, weather permitting, to finish out the season.                                           Something else about the Manns Little George. It was named after the controversial governor of Alabama in the 1960s, George Wallace.                            Does anyone fish many tail spinners in cold water?            If not the old Little George, which ones are you using?

[Tennessee Boy]

I do fish them occasionally.   It will catch a lot of different species.  I primarily use it as a "what the heck are those fish"  lure.  When I see fish on the graph that will not hit the bass lures I want them to hit,  I'll tie on a tail spin and see if I can catch one to see what it is.

[FishTax]

H20 has some decent looking ones that are good price and on sale frequently. I have some but haven't actually thrown them yet. This was a good reminder they're in the box somewhere, maybe I'll try this winter

 

[Pat Brown]

My son has been destroying cold water bass in NC on the old Johnson beetle spin 😉😉😉🤫🤫🤫

[Bankbeater]

I haven't fished with one in years.

[AlabamaSpothunter]

I've had some downright magical days using the Damiki Axe Blade in low 50s, high 40s water temps.   

 

Damiki Axe Blade Tail Spinners | Tackle Warehouse

 

I have a Dera Coup and a few others, but the Axe Blade is leaps and bounds better. 

[scaleface]

I havent fished one in years either. I experimented with them a lot way back when . They just were not producing in the waters I fished. I do remember having a good  day with them fishing a mud line created by boat wakes on a point . 

[Team9nine]

My old favorite was the Craw George - I just liked the shape better. Was a good bait from shore because you could launch a cast about as far as the amount of line on your spool 😆

 

[softwateronly]

@Mobasser Earlier this week, a 3/4oz deracoup tailspinner was the deal.  Water temp is barely 50, and wolfpacks are chasing small shad schools all over a basin that ranges from 25-35 fow.  My flasher makes it seem that the shad are close to the bottom and I caught my first bass that I know was over 30' when it hit.  Without much electronic knowledge, I usually tightline my long cast till bottom, counting till a bite or hits bottom.  Knowing those rough numbers allow me to work mid column more effectively if I find out that's where they want it.  I have a strange rod that keeps them pinned, it's a 7' M/MH XF w/ a solid tip.  It's the right combo of soft tip/mid blank load/ and power to hook em way out there and get em to the boat.  If you get ticked, more times than not that's a crappie in my lake.  The bass leave no doubt.  Here's a couple chunks hooked in the face, I will say there's lots of gill raker hook ups.  It's important to have your pliers ready if you want to get the bleeders back in the water quickly.

 

scott

[WRB]

Tail spins date way back like Pedigo Spin Rite. Manns Little George was very popular back in the 80’s and his Big George plastic version worked good.

The problem with tail spins was keeping bass hooked. I made a line through tail spin with a small skirt that works very good back in the 80’s.

There are a few commercial line thru tails spins like Rinky Dink.

In the Fall seasonal period a tail spin still works.

Tom

PS, have a few but misplaced the mold. PM for photo.

[Lottabass]

This will work where it's too brushy for a treble hook tailspinner.

[Catt]

The Rinky Dink is a 1 ½" x ¾ oz chunk of solid lead that vaguely resembles a small fish, a small spinner is attached to the tail end. Thrown in is a small treble hook that not even attached to the lure; the line is threaded through a hole in the body and tied directly to a split ring/hook, meaning the weighted body can move up and down on the line.

 

The lure was developed in the early 1990s by local angler Hugh Rinkle molded off another local bait called a Wing Ding that had been discontinued. Once the bait was put on the market, anglers began learning just how effective it could be but the only problem now with the lure is it's not longer in production. However, there's still an option: the Norman Knock Off; as the name implies, it's a copy of the Rinky Dink.

 

Rinky Dinks are late fall and winter structure bait fished deep on the main lake or shallow in the creek channels. While many anglers equate cold temperatures with slow moving small lures this can be a big mistake. Rinky Dinks are most productive when casted and fished with a yo-yoing retrieve, the bite all most always comes on the fall and will be extremely subtle. When you feel something that's just not right, set the hook!

 

To effectively fish the Rinky Dink or Knock Off, I usually use 12# fluorocarbon matched with a medium to medium-light rod; even at ¾ oz the Rinky Dink (5/8 oz Knock Off) is definitely not a power bait. Lighter line makes a difference in the number of bites and the lighter rod will give you a better hook sets without ripping the  lure out of the bass's mouth.

By Glen Freeman from Louisiana Sportsman Magazine 

[Bluebasser86]

I pulled a Rinky Dink KO from Academy out of my box last week but never tied it on. Probably should have as many fish as I was seeing scattered around the bottom off the bank in 8-12 feet. I use to fish them fairly often but haven't used one in a long time. 

[Choporoz]

Have some in my spoon box, but never had a lot of luck, so they usually stay there.  Yesterday would have been a good test.  I got on massive bait schools with bass under them.  I played around with a variety of spoons before I got them, but neglected the tail spinners.  I'll try next weekend. 

[papajoe222]

I throw them in cold water when a blade bait isn't producing, which isn't very often.  I just have a ton of confidence in a blade. That being said, there have been days when it gets totaly ignored and that's when I break out a tail spinner.  It has saved the day on more than one occasion. Seems to me that it happens more in water under around 45 degrees. Maybe it's the faster fall rate.

[Catt]

Tailspiners, Spoons, Lippless prove that during winter bass will hit fast moving lures.