Fishing with spinners or spinnerbaits is underutilized. The flash and vibration are attractors to fish, moreover, spinnerbaits take advantage of these elements better than other lures. This is beneficial to know when selecting a lure. Spinnerbaits are good anytime with good results if used properly.
The size, blade configuration, and colors will need to be selected based on conditions. There will be times though, other types of lure will produce more fish. You need to get experience with these lures as with any lure to use them effectively. Thereby allowing you more options when fishing.
Fishing Spinners or Spinnerbaits Blades and Parts
The first thing you notice on a spinnerbaits is the blade. The shape affects the flash and vibrations it produces, therefore, the various blades produce different effects on fish. The bigger the blade the more flash or vibration. The larger a blade is will also give the lure more lift, allowing them to run shallower. The blades also come in different thicknesses affecting the vibration, since thinner blades will vibrate more than a thicker blade.
You also have smooth or hammered blades. The smooth blade reflects light from a single point on the blade. The hammered blade reflects light from the entire surface. The blades may be fluted achieving a different flash then hammered or smooth. In addition, the overall shape will affect how easy it spins and how far out from the shaft it will spin. An example is the colorado blade, it will spin easily.
Colorado Blade
A popular blade style designed for maximum vibration. This is the rounder, fatter style common on spinnerbaits and musky lures. This blade can even produce a thump of vibration. They spin farthest away from the shaft. The fish will see this blade coming at them more than from a side view.
Willow Leaf Blade
Willow leaf blades are made for flash, more so than vibrations. These blades mimic the shape of baitfish. This blade spins close to the shaft, consequently, the fish will see these blades from a side view of the lure. Willow leaf and colorado blades paired together on spinnerbaits produce more flash and vibration.
Indiana Blade
The Indiana blade is an in-between blade. It will have a compromise of flash, vibration and spin characteristics. Indiana blades are common with inline spinners. These blades provide less lift and spin somewhere in between colorado and willow blade in regards to distance from the shaft.
Other Spinner Blade Styles
There are numerous other blade styles. The choices are extensive, that is to say, you have a lot of options. However, an average angler is going to use colorado or willow leaf blades or combinations of the two-blade types.
The Wire
Spinnerbaits are made with a wire of various diameters. The common sizes being .032, .045, .051, and .062 wire. The thinner wire produces more vibration and thick wire reduces vibration, also a thinner wire will have more flexibility which means fish are less likely to throw a hook. The two smaller diameters work well with bass and walleye lures. The larger diameters are a favorite among musky fishermen. Pay attention to the wire diameter when choosing your lures, it does make a difference.
The Body
An inline spinner uses brass or a lead cylindrically shaped body. On a spinnerbait, the body resembles a jighead. The body achieves the overall weight. The bigger the body the farther it will cast and deeper it will run when retrieved. The body and blade need to be balanced. Hence, a larger body will have larger blades.
Fishing with Spinners or Spinnerbaits
Fishing with spinners or spinnerbaits maybe all year long. It depends on location and climate. The best tip with spinnerbait lures is keeping it simple when it comes to the tackle. Use a rod with the power rating to handle the size of the lure. A 12-17 pound test line will cover most applications. Choose the line based on lure size. A heavier lure will break lighter lines often with repeated casting.
You should have an idea of blade selection based on the water clarity. A willow leaf blade works well in clear water, additionally, in heavier vegetation a willow leaf is the better choice. In the darker water or lower light, the colorado blade is better because of vibration and so, you need to assess the water clarity, light, and depth before deciding on which blade will work best. Fishing with spinners and spinnerbaits have many options to take advantage of when on the water.
How many Blades are Best on Spinnerbaits
The use of single or tandem blades is an important factor with these lures. They can produce more flash or vibration with tandem blades. In general, this is a good thing, except in shallow water a lure with a lot of flash and vibration may spook fish. The tandem will be more prone to have at least one blade spinning keeping the lure upright.
Lures running upright reduce the chance of hanging up. A spinnerbait without the blades spinning will go sideways and hang up easily. This is sometimes a problem when using spinnerbaits in weedy cover. As the weeds get caught on the blades and clevises preventing the blades turning.
The location is the key with any lure. The fish will be on structure with cover. The structure is points, drop-offs, and river channels, etc. The cover is logs, brush, rock piles, and vegetation. The lures need to be in these areas to catch fish. This means you will lose a few lures if fishing in the correct location.
How to Fish with a Spinnerbait
The retrieve with a lure is an important aspect of catching fish. If you are using the same speed all the time. You are not catching as many fish as you should. The retrieve should vary. The speed is the first option to vary. Try using a slow, fast, or a combination of both retrieves with a cast. The other options can be raising and lowering the rod tip about two feet affecting the depth. The dropping action will let the lure fall some. This is when many fish will strike a lure. You can also stop the retrieve and let the lure fall faster and farther. Experimenting with the retrieve will add variation to the lure leading to a higher catch rate.
Conclusion
This is a basic guide to spinnerbaits. Fishing with spinners and spinnerbaits is productive. I hope the information is useful and it helps you catch more fish. Gaining knowledge of how a lure works will help you learn when and where to use them more effectively. This applies to bass and other species.
Keeping fishing simple for tight lines and bragging rights
John McIntyre