I Am In Love With Spinner Baits

[Smiths.R]

I've been fishing for four years now, and just this year I decided I would try spinner baits. I had had zero luck in the previous years with them, and so of course I never threw them. I have been crushing bass with them this spring. My question is this: What is the benefit to spending six or seven bucks on a spinner bait as opposed to a 3 dollar bait?

Thanks!

[grimlin]

Better components.

[collegefishing12]

Better components.

what he said

[ChrisAW]

I wouldn't say thats always the case. Gander Mountains name brand spinner baits are 3.99 a piece. But they are made by Strike King, and are the exact same thing SK was selling for 7 or 8 dollars a piece. They even say Strike King on the blades of the GM ones. Whats the difference there?

[grimlin]

It could have something to do with the manufacturing(cost of supply).More than likely not though when you pay for a spinner bait that costs a little more they may be using better hooks,stronger wire or better bearing for their blades.

[Guest]

i buy those 1 buck spinners from wal-mart and work and hold up just as good as my higher priced spinners

[eyedabassman]

i buy those 1 buck spinners from wal-mart and work and hold up just as good as my higher priced spinners

If you want a very good spinnerbait at a very good price,then check out Northstar Custom baits. Great colors and they won't fall apart! Great spinnerbait at a great price!!!!!

[Fishes in trees]

Cheap WalMart type spinnerbaits just don't work for me. They generally have barrel swivels rather than ball bearing swivels. After a couple of uses, rust starts to happen inside the barrel and then the blade doesn't spin right. I've put cheap spinner baits away wet,(i.e. cut them off and threw them to the deck of the boat) and the next week, the barrel would be rusted tight. I think cheap spinner baits are more trouble than they are worth.

That's why I like Terminators or War Eagles or any number of high quality regionally distributed brands. For instance, Chompers is now manufacturing the old J & J spinnerbait that was very popular in Missouri in the late 80's and 90's. Rogers "glass eyes" are a very high quality regionally distributed spinnerbait. It seems like nearly every bait shop you go into, you can find medium to low quality spinnerbaits and you can find high quality, finely crafted spinnerbaits. You've just got to decide how much you want to pay for a lure for a lure that, if fished correctly, sooner or later you're going to lose.

[collegefishing12]

I didn't mean to say that you can't catch fish with cheap spinnerbaits, just that quality spinnerbaits may last longer. Also, the difference between the cheaper bearings that can be found on some and the nice ball bearing swivels cannot be underestimated. The better the bearing, the more twist and turning the blade will have in the water. But this doesn't mean that cheap ones all have bad parts, just as all expensive ones aren't made up to par.

From what I hear, the northstar spinnerbaits, as with all their products, are amazing.

[eyedabassman]

I didn't mean to say that you can't catch fish with cheap spinnerbaits, just that quality spinnerbaits may last longer. Also, the difference between the cheaper bearings that can be found on some and the nice ball bearing swivels cannot be underestimated. The better the bearing, the more twist and turning the blade will have in the water. But this doesn't mean that cheap ones all have bad parts, just as all expensive ones aren't made up to par.

From what I hear, the northstar spinnerbaits, as with all their products, are amazing.

You are wright Northstar jigs and spinnerbaits are top of the line and they won't cost you a arm and a leg! Wire tied skirts,you cannot chip the pait on the heads,colors are amazing. The best advice that I could give to everyone is = just place a small order of jigs or spinners and YOU WILL place another order! Best jigs and spinners that I have EVER fished hands down!!! Do your self a favor and buy some you won't be sorry!

Dan

[agssebvtsece]

The $1.00 Walmart Chartreuse spinnerbait catches more fish for me then any other crankbait or spinnerbait.

[Avalonjohn44]

I wouldn't say thats always the case. Gander Mountains name brand spinner baits are 3.99 a piece. But they are made by Strike King, and are the exact same thing SK was selling for 7 or 8 dollars a piece. They even say Strike King on the blades of the GM ones. Whats the difference there?

Gander mountain will even honor %-off sales on these when there is a %-off sale on Strike King lures which they do twice a year or so. Then the deals are even better.

I'm also a big fan of the Walmart cheapo spinnerbaits. Some odd colors that are difficult to find in other manufacturers. I catch a ton of fish on these, but they fall apart after a couple of months. The good thing is they are just as cheap to replace!

[ChrisAW]

Gander mountain will even honor %-off sales on these when there is a %-off sale on Strike King lures which they do twice a year or so. Then the deals are even better.

I'm also a big fan of the Walmart cheapo spinnerbaits. Some odd colors that are difficult to find in other manufacturers. I catch a ton of fish on these, but they fall apart after a couple of months. The good thing is they are just as cheap to replace!

Yep. Right now my store actually put all of the GM spinnerbaits on a clearance rack at 40% off. Being an employee, I get an additional 30% off of that! I filled my spinner bait box at 1.75 a piece for the same thing SK sells for 7 or 8

[1nstinct]

Go to dicks i just went there today they have all the dick's(booyah) spinner baits for like $4 every color and size you can think. spinner baits are my favorite lure i have almost every color and size. the walmart ones do start to rust quickly i just one last year for one day and looked at it a few weeks late and it was all rusted all my other ones were prefect(but for a $1 you cant really complain)

[Robert William Osler]

have you tried these

doctor spinnerbait

completly soft wire

takes much longer to wear and tear

they always run straight

when you slow roll it stays open

when you burn it's more compact because of the soft wire so they bend down creating less drag

easier to pull through weeds and brushes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jguPp28BA88&feature=related

[fireandice]

Fish for Bass long enough and you'll eventually learn that you usually get what you pay for. You can catch bass on a $1.00 spinnerbait, but if you are a serious fisherman, you'll learn save up and buy the good stuff. They usually have cheezy wire, clunky swivels, cheap plastic skirts that can melt or turn to goo, etc.

I am currently fishing a Terminator that's on it's 3rd season and still fishes like new. It tracks straight, hook is still sharp and not rusted, heck it still has 50% of the paint on the head! I've probably put a skirt or two on it every season now and it's still going strong. Tell me that it wasn't $6.00 well spent and I'll argue all day long.

http://www.terminatorlures.com/spinnerbaits/

[MyKeyBe]

As long as you get quality components then extra money is money wasted.

I bought a bunch of Producers spinner baits on clearance at Big-Lots a few years back. A brand almost no one has heard of and I paid between 50 cents to a dollar on them. They are one of the best spinner baits I have ever used. Great head design, nice eyes, plenty strong wire, VMC hooks, nice skirts, Sampo ball bearing swivels, and very nice blades.

[Catt]

To me it has to do with flash & vibration, cheap spinner baits give off a different flash & vibration that on certain days can be the ticket to catching. But on the other hand better quality spinner baits with a different flash & vibration will be the ticket.

One thing you will notice with Wal/Mart spinner baits is you don’t have the variety of blade combinations available in better quality spinner baits.

My personal favorites are Stanley Wedges or the new Vibra-Wedge because no other spinner bait made gives off more vibration than Stanley. The combination of two patents, the Vibrashaft wire and Wedge blades, combine to produce more water displacement than any other spinner bait on the market.

[fishnabarrel]

I tried doctor spinnerbait soft wire version, unbelievable action and it adjusts based off the retrieve

[joshholmes]

i tried fishing my cheapo walmart spinnerbait and after one 2lb. smallmouth it wouldn't run straight. it kept running on its side. ill stick with my strike king spinners.

[Jigfishn10]

My 2 cents:

Most peeps complain that the so-called "cheap" spinnerbaits use a barrel, roller or crane swivel and have had problems with them rusting or freezing and not allowing the blade to spin freely. That was a problem, but I would use the brass ones now available which are nickel plated or a ball bearing swivel which I prefer. If you find yourself with a so-called "cheap" spinnerbait and have that problem, then switch out the barrel, roller or crane swivel for a brass/nickel plated one or a ball bearing swivel. It's cheap and easy to do.

Replacing skirts is easy enough to do as well and that wouldn't break the bank on a so-called "cheap" spinnerbait upgrade.

Hooks: I don't care what anyone says, they get dull. You can't replace the hook like your trebles on a crankbait, just break out the file or stone and start sharpening after a few uses.

Wire: Most so-called "cheap" spinnerbaits use thinner wire. That's a preference to a true spinnerbait angler. Lighter wire will transmit the vibration the blade is making back up to your rod. Thicker wire will stand up better after fighting fish or hard hard strikes. You'll need to tune both, but not as much with thicker wire. Thicker wire will not transmit the vibration from the balde like the thinner wire. For me, I go in between light and heavy, between .035 and .040 is ideal for my spinnerbaits.

Blades: My ideal spinnerbait will have a snap on the swivel so I can switch blades at will. The snap? An added expense to all the spinnerbaits I buy.

To answer your question, you can upgrade so-called "cheap" spinnerbaits for a heck of a lot less than buying an expensive one and get the same results, unless you are fixated on a particular brand(s).

Then you need to ask yourself; What would hurt less? Throwing a more expensive spinnerbait into a wall of weeds not knowing if its gonna come back or throwing a cheaper one?

[spinnerbaitalways]

The difference between gm spinners and strike king's name brand is a $3.00 ball bearing swivel which gives the bait a more smooth vibration so you can feel when the blades stop turning when a bass has sucked the bait in his mouth and swimming toward you.

[SirSnookalot]

I'll stick with the ones for a buck, have caught plenty of fish on them and after a couple of seasons they still function perfectly.

[USMCSANDERS]

I like the spinner bait alot better when you're fishing in real weedy areas, because it doesnt get tangled up or drag any weeds at all!! and the action of a good spinner bait is unbeatable! Im using a booyah spinner bait. Pond magic series and it works great for what im fishing!

[BassThumb]

Recently, Secret Weapon Lures stopped selling the Assassinator line of spinnerbaits and buzzbaits. Now they're being sold under the Assassinator Baits brands and the price went down from $7 to $5. The "Pro 1 Assassinators" are the best spinnerbaits I've ever used, and the "Pro 2 Clackers" aren't too shabby either. At $5 they can't be beat.

http://assassinatorbaits.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=8