Using A Spinerbait For the First Time Help!

[Boett43]

After going to wal-mart and talking to fellow fisherman there he was telling me all the sucess he had then pointed out a spinnerbait to me wich i couldnt resit on buying..Anyway anyone that could help me get started using a spinnerbait would help me out alot im heading out in the morning so the quicker the better haha..

                     Thanks Big B

[BassFishingMachine]

I usuaully either pull it real close along the top, so it creates a v in the water, almost fishing it like a topwater basiclly. Or I just cast and retrieve, and let the fish tell me which speed they'd like.

[Jig Man]

You can fish a spinnerbait anywhere in the water column.  This time of year it is my main bait.  I keep 3 or 4 tied on all the time.  It is a very versatile bait which can be burned, slow rolled, jigged, hopped, etc.

When I am fishing within 10' of the surface I use a tandem when deeper I use a single spin.  It is a good reaction bait and should be allowed to run very close to cover even bumping it when possible.  When you bump something let the bait pause for about 1/2 second then start it up again.  Lots of time it will trigger a strike.

I always say that you can send a spinnerbait into brush where you wouldn't send your bird dog.

They come through most any kind of stuff but if you only bought 1 plan on going back for more.  Good luck.

[Sam]

Boette43,

You will never believe this bait will work until you catch your first bass on it.

Or a catfish, bowfin or pike.

It is one of the silliest looking baits on the market, but it works.

May I suggest you locate and purchase a copy of Kevin VanDam's Proven Spinnerbait Techniques from the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Video Library?  Great DVD with a lot of information and explanations on what type of spinnerbait to use; when to use it; and how to fish it.

Hank Parker has good video out, Hank Parker's Ultimate Guide to Spinnerbaits.  It has a lot of dumb filler in it but overall the spinnerbait information is excellent.

Teaching Success with Spinnerbaits by Gerald Swindle is a good one, too. This Eagle Productions of Jasper, Alabama video is also packed with a lot of information.

Last time on Kerr (Buggs Island) I threw my spinnerbait (white and chartruse) into the brush piles and tagged a bass and then the line went tight and nothing moved.  My partner said "no, you have a snag."

I replied that I thought I had a hit but since I was stuck on a small tree branch uner the water I thought I had lost the bass.

When we went over and pulled up the small tree branch, the spinnerbait was nailed to the branch, along with a small one pound bass.  When he hit the bait and I set the hook I rammed the bait into the tree branch along with the bass.

The bass was fine and we released him.

The fun of spinnerbait fishing is that you can throw it almost anywhere (other than for slop and some heavy grass or pads) and the bass, and other fish, will hit it.

The problem with spinnerbait fishing is that when you start to catch a number of bass or a large bass or other species the bait will get torn up and you really hate to replace it as it has som much "luck" attached to it.

I have continued to throw torn up spinnerbaits as I have refused to change the "good luck" one I was throwing.

Be sure to put a trailer hook on your spinnerbaits to increase your catch ratio.

Let us know how you do.

[deep-cranker]

You could try bumpin' them into lilly pads.

[tritz18]

Just cast it and keep a steady retrieve, try some different retrieve styles and see what works best. Good Luck  

[Boett43]

Thanks alot everyone for the advice.. Sadly  I didnt get a chance to read these before i went out this moring so I just went on my instinct of what to do I got one Largemouth not very big but it was exciting catching a fish on a new bait..Im deffinitly gonna invest in one of those videos..but what are trailer hooks? if you dont minde explaining.

                             Thanks For all the advice everyone Big B

[.dsaavedra.]

a trailer hook is a second hook that you slide over the existing hook. because the existing hook is attached to the bait, and kinda tucked under the blades and what not, alot of times the fish will hit the bait and miss the hook. in that case, the trailer hook is what gets them, because it is free from obstruction.

[Sam]

Look in the hook section of your favorite tackle store for trailer hooks.

They come in all sizes from 1/0 and up.

The trailer hook can be one size smaller than the bait's hook.

Make sure the trailer hook is in the same position as the bait's hook.

There are two schools of thought on rigging a trailer hook.

The first says to put the eye of the trailer hook inside the plastic or rubber tubing and then run it through the bait's barb and hook. By doing this, the trailer hook sits straight out and cannot move.

The second reasoning is to put the trailer hook on the bait's hook and then run the rubber or plastic tubing onto the bait's hook, allowing the trailer hook to move up and down and all around.

I have done both and have caught more with the trailer hook moving up and down and all around then by having it stick straight out.  But that's only my experience.

When you see the rubber tubing it will look useless.  You have to keep the holes of the tubing to the side and run the tubing over the hook's tip and barb. The tubing holes will be to the right and left of the bait's hook.

Check out this site for more on trailer hooks or Google trailer hooks and see if you can find any photos of how to rig one.

And they work.  Especially on buzzbaits.  Good on spinnerbaits and Chatterbaits, too.

[dman]

May I suggest you locate and purchase a copy of Kevin VanDam's Proven Spinnerbait Techniques from the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World Video Library?  Great DVD with a lot of information and explanations on what type of spinnerbait to use; when to use it; and how to fish it.

I just ordered the Kevin Vandam 3 dvd pack with this from Bass pro for $9.95.....Great deal

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_80198?cmCat=CROSSSELL&cmid=PP_P0_2

[Boett43]

If you could let me know if you liked the dvds and if they helped you out at all it would be great...Thanks

[bubbler]

i have never used a spinnerbait either but the way my friend told me to use them is to heep contact with cover and dont be afraid to let the lure his the structure of cover.

[johnkook73]

Could not find a picture on how to rig a trailer hook correctly on a spinnerbait. Can someone send me the link if they find it?

Thanks, John.