New to spinnerbaits - need help

[joshmb1999]

OK all...I need some help learing a new lure.  I have been fishing soft plastics and jig & trailers mostly and i have become interested in learning to fish a spinnerbait.  I went and bought a white strike king spinnerbait with a gold colorado blade and silver indiana blade.  I am pond fishing tonight at a large pond from a jon boat and was going to try it a little bit.  I know the best way to learn is by doing but can you all give me some getting started tips?  

what is slow rolling?

should i just start with a steady retrieve?

what are the ideal places to throw a spinnerbait?

any and all help is greatly appreciated.  

[Del from philly]

good question,

iv seen people fish these like jigs, bouncing off the bottom

iv also saw a show where they act like your supposed to bring it in steady a half a foot from the top

then iv heard steady but dragging along the bottom

good thing about fishing is you make your own rules

[JCrzy4Bass]

The steady retrieve half a foot from the top is always good. Keep in mind water clarity and water temps. When water is hot or warm you want a slower approach unless you are trying to draw a reaction type strike around cover, in which case you want to rip it past or drag it by the cover rather quickly past the object to get the bass to aggressively strike.

In cooler water you can speed up the approach.

If the water is clearer you don't want to give the bass a good look at it so you want to be moving it fairly quickly. The general rule is the clearer the water the further out you want to cast and the deeper you probably want to work it (though you always want to cast cranks and spinners farin order to maximize time in the strike zone).

I don't know how to really explain the slow roll, though I'm sure someone will give you the technical aspect here shortly.

Hoped this helped some. You want to apply the same considerations as far as color based off your water conditions. Dark water = darker colors, slightly stained to clear = natural to light colored baits,

[CJ]

Slow rolling is exactly what it says,a slow retrieve.There are some tricks.I like bumping cover or dragging the bottom while slow rolling.Ripping and stopping help draw strikes as well.

It is getting time of year for spinnerbaits on my home lake,though anytime is good as long as there is some wind.When fish start gorging themselves on shad,I like waking a spinner around grassy flats where bass are feeding actively.Waking is done by a faster retrieve and maybe lifting your rod to get the blades to put off wake right at the surface.On the right days,giving the right conditions,this technique can be killer!

[burleytog]

FWIW, don't waste your money on cheap spinnerbaits, esp. if you're slow-rolling or hopping.  The swivels always suck, causing you to have to reel too fast to get the blades spinning.

I have a local guy who does custom baits.  The blade spins even when you turn the crank once a minute.  

Check out www.heavycover.com for good semi-custom baits.

[stilldontlikeyou]

Yep, avoid the cheapo spinners.  Wal-Mart has these "special" spinners on a sale for a dollar each.....yeah...avoid them.  Mine came apart on the 3rd cast, and I've yet to get a hit on one.  I spent a little money and bought one for about 6 bucks and got a couple fish on it - a couple one pounders.  My confidence in spinners isn't to high right now, but I'll keep practicing.  

If you don't have a fishing buddy to show you how he or shes uses them, just try different speeds and techniques yourself.  Just remember, be patient!  

[joshmb1999]

i went out last night and tried the white spinner bait i was talking about earlier.  i caught a nice 2 pounder by casting to the back end of a laydown tree and bumping it into some wood.  got s strike  right after one of the bumps.  that was the only fish that hit it though and i probably cast it 25-30 times.  it is pretty cool when you catch fish with a new technique!!!  i'm gonna keep trying it and keep learning.  thanks for everyone's input

[JCrzy4Bass]

The ones at Walmart aren't really built to last and the swivel is indeed very cheap, however I have caught a handful on these $1.00 spinners this year, mainly the black and red headed ones with black skirts, and then the chat colored ones with bits of red mixed in. If your in for better ones, buy a strike king, but invest in a trailer hook (gamakatsu) or buy a sharpener as most of the spinners don't come with very sharp hooks.  Trust me, I've lost waaaayyyy to many fish on spinners to know this fact.

[burleytog]

While I have and do use Strike Kings in certain places, they are anything but a 'better' spinnerbait.

JMHO...

[koko36265]

  Quote

Yep, avoid the cheapo spinners.  Wal-Mart has these "special" spinners on a sale for a dollar each.....yeah...avoid them.  Mine came apart on the 3rd cast, and I've yet to get a hit on one.  I spent a little money and bought one for about 6 bucks and got a couple fish on it - a couple one pounders.  My confidence in spinners isn't to high right now, but I'll keep practicing.  

If you don't have a fishing buddy to show you how he or shes uses them, just try different speeds and techniques yourself.  Just remember, be patient!  

I personally like the cheap wal-mart brand spinner baits... This year at least.. I have around 30 spinner baits ranging from ledge busters and booyah to the cheap $1 ones.... This year I have caught more on the cheap one's than the higher priced 7 and 8 dollar ones...My PB for this year came on the yellow and white skirted one...I say give em a shot, what do you have to loose beside $1???

[Mike B Fishin]

  Quote

OK all...I need some help learing a new lure. I have been fishing soft plastics and jig & trailers mostly and i have become interested in learning to fish a spinnerbait. I went and bought a white strike king spinnerbait with a gold colorado blade and silver indiana blade. I am pond fishing tonight at a large pond from a jon boat and was going to try it a little bit. I know the best way to learn is by doing but can you all give me some getting started tips?

what is slow rolling?  

REEL JUST FAST ENOUGH TO KEEP THE BLADE SPINNING.  I FISH SHALLOW LAKES AND LIKE TO KEEP THE LURE JUST OFF THE BOTTOM

should i just start with a steady retrieve?  

SEE ABOVE

what are the ideal places to throw a spinnerbait?

I LIKE LEDGES AND DROP-OFFS WITH SOME TIMBER OR OTHER COVER.  ABOUT 8 TO 18 FEET DEEP.

I LIKE THE SINGLE COLORADO BLADE FOR SLOW ROLLING.  , 1/4 OZ. FOR 6' DEPTH, 3/8TH OZ. FOR 10' DEPTH, 1/2 OZ FOR  DEEPER.   CHARTREUS HEAD AND GOLD BLADE, WHITE & CHARTREUS SKIRT , OR BLUE & CHARTREUS SKIRT.    

any and all help is greatly appreciated.

  HOPE THIS HELPS,

[Vyron]

Get BPS KVD's video for spinnerbaiting

U ll learn lots of stuff

[bassmaster8100]

You can got to experiment with them and see what the fish wants as far as the retrieve goes, as mentioned earlier Id stay away from the cheapos, I use Strike King and Booyah. I also use some custom made ones that one of my sponsors build. Stay away from the $1 box at Wal-Mart

[Chris at Tech]

Start simple, get 3 spinnerbaits to begin with.

3/8 or 1/2 oz

clear/white skirt, tandem blades

white/chart skirt, tandem blades

chart or black skirt, single colorado blade

Also, pick up a pack of trailer hooks.

With these 3, you have the basics covered.  Clear water, stained water, muddy water.  I find the tandem blade combos the most versatile.  But in those muddy water and night fishing situations, the colorado blade will come in handy.

For brands, I like Booyah, as well as some of the smaller custom mades, like Mini Me.

As far as retrieve goes...constant retrieve is the Devil's tool

Change it up.  Burn it, slow roll it, bump it into stuff, run through the top of weeds, suddenly stop it, twitch it some while retrieving, etc.  Keep changing things up until you find something that works.

[Del from philly]

  Quote

Yep, avoid the cheapo spinners. Wal-Mart has these "special" spinners on a sale for a dollar each.....yeah...avoid them. Mine came apart on the 3rd cast, and I've yet to get a hit on one. I spent a little money and bought one for about 6 bucks and got a couple fish on it - a couple one pounders. My confidence in spinners isn't to high right now, but I'll keep practicing.

If you don't have a fishing buddy to show you how he or shes uses them, just try different speeds and techniques yourself. Just remember, be patient!

iv had a few of them in my box for a while now, they rust, the band comes off, and i also, have never gotten a hit on one

a good mid level spinnerbait is the Bouyai baits, their about 4 bucks and are ok for me

[rondef]

Most of the LMBs I have caught have been on spinnerbaits.  I found the bloodspots to be the spinner of choice, it is my go to spinner.  I have caught decent size bass 2lb to 4lb almost back to back casts with the bloodspot spinners.  I just use a slow steady retrieve however I do try to make a big entrance into the water, good splash and I have most likely gotten a lot of reaction hits because of this.  Pay the extra money and buy good spinners, you get what you pay for buying the cheap ones, they are junk.  I usually spend between $3 and $6 per spinner and have a nice assortment and I have had some good luck with them.  I have also attached crawfish to them and have caught bass that way to.  I know it sounds crazy but it really helps.  I hope this small amount of information helps you.