blade baits

[ptomacbass]

do any of you guys have any experience using blade baits?  I have heard they are great winter baits.  After popping them off of the bottom how long do I let them sit?  Do you accidentally snag a lot of carp and shad while trying for bass?

[anglerEd]

Just the other day, I was reminded of why I am shy about this technique. I said good bye to one of my old favorites in 15' of water. Hope it gets bit eventualy.

[Wayne P.]

I don't recall ever catching a bass or crappie with them on the bottom. All the hits I get with them are on the fall. Yes some fish are snagged when it is pulled off the bottom and may be any species.

[zbass]

I actually use them in the summer/early fall for schooling fish. Catch a lot of small ones but there are a few biggies mixed in.

[BARON49_Northern NY]

I have tried several different brands and found the Booyah Boogie bait to work the best in my situations around thick weeds. I cast these out let them fall to the depth I want to fish and slow-roll them back to the boat. Went to braided line and you can tell when a weed has fouled the blade instantly. A quick snap of the rod clears the bait and a lot of time provokes a strike.

Don't be afraid to try fishing these baits from buzzing on top to jigging on the bottom.  Very hard to fish these baits wrong.  Using different plastic trailers works well too.  A personal favorite when working around deep lily pads and reeds is to use a Swim Senko for the trailer and just slow roll the bait.  Using a Super Fluke, double tail grub, ribbon tail worm are just a few examples of ideas to try.

I fish these baits all year long and for the most part use these over a spinner bait most of the time.

[ptomacbass]

by blade baits i mean hunks of metal with lead bellies.  They usually have two treble hooks.  They are also called silver buddies.

[roadwarrior]

From the smallmouth section:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1173020537

[ptomacbass]

yeah roadwarrior, I saw that.  I was just wondering if largemouths liked the blade bait presented a different way and how long I should let it sit if I let it sit at all.  

[Wayne P.]

Largemouth are the primary species that I target with the Silver Buddy. At the present time, the Silver Buddy is the only brand of blade bait I use.

[Matt 825]

I use blade baits almost exclusively from November until Ice-in and then right after ice out.  They work great for Smallmouth & Largemouth.  I fish it exactly the same for Largemouth as I do for Smallmouth.  I have way more success for Smallmouth but have had some great days catching Largemouth with them also.  

[Chris]

Think of a blade bait like a rattle trap and anywhere you fish a trap a blade bait will also work. I have caught fish year round on blade baits. I like them a lot in stained to muddy water because they do throw off a great vibration. Gay blade, silverbuddy, zip lure, all are great baits. This bait can really shine around schools of shad but are not limited to it. I have thrown the Gay blade for years and I do mean years with great success fishing it like a rattletrap. Jigging a blade bait can catch you some fish but for me I like a good old jigging spoon the best for this style of fishing mainly because it has less hooks to hang up. Don't be afraid to explore other options with this bait at times it can be a heck of a bait. good luck

[amesl]

Think of a blade bait like a rattle trap and anywhere you fish a trap a blade bait will also work. I have caught fish year round on blade baits. I like them a lot in stained to muddy water because they do throw off a great vibration. Gay blade, silverbuddy, zip lure, all are great baits. This bait can really shine around schools of shad but are not limited to it. I have thrown the Gay blade for years and I do mean years with great success fishing it like a rattletrap. Jigging a blade bait can catch you some fish but for me I like a good old jigging spoon the best for this style of fishing mainly because it has less hooks to hang up. Don't be afraid to explore other options with this bait at times it can be a heck of a bait. good luck

I completely agree and have had success with blade bates year round as well.

The one blade bait I have had success with the most this year is the Binsky. You can take a look at them at fishsenselures.com