Post by cory on Jan 7, 2007 11:50:47 GMT -6
Spinnerbaits
By: Cory Dorsey
The well known spinnerbait is one of the most versitle baits on the market. It can be fished deep or shallow, dirty water or clear, day or night and catches high quality bass. It comes in many sizes with countless blade and skirt combinations. They are sometimes a very inexpensive bait found in just about every freshwater tackle store in America. Once you find the right color combination for the conditions you are fishing, you should record it for future reference.
PRE-SPAWN
During pre-spawn, bass generally hold in 6 to 10 feet of water. They hold on structure in that depth range, such as drop-offs that go from 3 to 10 feet of water in a short distance. It would probly be best to use a charturse spinnerbait with a colorado blade for more vibration. The added vibration not only allows the bass to track down your lure, but also provokes them to eat your spinner. Repeated casts to the same area will produce more fish than casting all over. The water is cold in pre-spawn, normally around 55 degrees, which causes bass to be inactive feeders but agressive around their beds. Because most of the biggest bass spawn first, you will catch quality fish if you can find them this time of year.
POST-SPAWN
Post-spawn is when the water reaches around 75 degrees and most bass are beginning to move off their nests into deeper water. The bass move into the deepest depth than they do any other time of the year. The best presentation for fishing post-spawn bass with a spinnerbait is slow rolling a colorado blade in 15-18 feet, or whatever depth the bass are holding in. Because deeper water normally has a higher visability level than the surface, brighter colors may work the best. Post-spawn bass often school with a group of other bass and go in search of shad or a type of baitfish, so where you catch one bass you will likely find a few more with it. Over all, post spawn conditions may make it hard to find the bass, but when you do the spinnerbait pays off.
BLADE STYLES/COLORS
One of the most popular types of spinnerbait blades is the willow blade. Its name comes from looking like a willow leaf, or being long and slim. They work best in or around vegetation because their long, thin design makes them almost snag-proof and weedless. Willow blades create the most flash out of the 3 most popular types of blades. Using tandem blades, a series of blades on one spinnerbait, gives the lure the look of a school of baitfish
The other popular blade is the Colorado blade, known for its vibration. It is mostly fished during pre and post spawn conditions when bass are holding in deeper water where vibration is key to success. They also work well on pressured bass because the vibration produces a reaction strike instead of a bass looking for a meal. Night time bass fishing also works great with the colorado blade. ONce again, the vibration is the key factor in catching bass in these given conditions.
The third of the three most popular blades is the Indiana blade. This blade is a hybrid blade coming from both willow and colorado blades. This blade has a combination of flash and vibration which is great for shalow bass in stained water. With a slightly thinner design than the colorado blade it can be fished slightly faster. This blade may be the final factor in weather or not you have a successful day on the water.
Blade color is just as important as the color of skirt you use. The two most common colors are gold and silver. Gold blades are mostly used in murky water. Silver blades are mainly used in clear water and work very well when the sun is out, which gives it a lot of flash. Colored blades are a great way to reduce the amount of flash when you are fishing shallow. They also work especially for smallmouth bass. Always remember to make sky conditions one of the factors that help you decide what color to use.
A huge factor to consider when trying to chose which spinnerbait to buy or which blade to use, is the arm length. A long arm design places the blade behind the skirt. This is the best design of arm length when fishing grass or brush type cover. A long arm spinnerbait may also cost you fish. Bass, sometimes strike at the blade, which when using a long arm spinnerbait will cause the fish to miss the hook. A short-arm spinnerbait usually has the blade or blades directly over the skirt and hook. This design is great for short-striking bass because they more than likely get the hook. Like many other details of a spinnerbait, this one can be the difference between one bass or a tournament won!
SINGLE BLADES/TANDEM BLADES
weather to use single or double blades can be one of the hardest things to decide. Single blades produce better in deeper water than shllow. Single colorado blades create the best water resistance, or vibration which is good for cold water. Single blades are also good in heavily stained water when vibration is way more important than flash. Using tandem blades, or more than one blade, is good for water between murky or clear water conditions. Tandem blades are best for getting the highest amount of flash from your lure as possible. One wrong choice when chosing blades can cause you to have a poor day.
SIZES
The size of a spinnerbait is determined by its weight. The head of the spinnerbait can be 1/4 oz. but the overall size of the bait might be small. The most popular sizes of spinnerbaits are 1/8-3/4oz. The smallest spinnerbait might be matching the hatch better than a bigger one, so relate your spinnerbait size to the baitfish as close as possible.
RETRIEVES
Slow-rolling spinnerbaits is an excellent deep water method for catching bass. You simply cast your lure out and slowly bring it in maintaining a steady retrieve. It is best to use a colorado blade when slow-rolling. Pre and post spawn is a great example of when to slow roll. The idea of slow-rolling is to keep your bait as close to the bottom as possible bouncing it off of structure. Trees is an excellent example of bumping structure, such as ticking a branch then let it fall. This method produces many strikes. Experimenting with this technique can lead to you discovering a deadly new way to fish the spinnerbait.
Burnin'-It, which is a lot like fishing topwater, produces adrenaline pumping strikes. Burnin'-it is when you work your spinnerbait fast just under the surface, creating a wake or buldge on the surface. A single or double willow blade design works great for speed and flash, a combination that makes this method deadly for shallow agressive bass.
COST
The cost of a spinnetbait is determined by many things. The first thing is blade quality. The quality or a blade is determined by what material its made from. A low quality spinnerbait will start to rust away and bend easily. Higher quality blades do not rust and take a lot of pressure to bend. The price of a spinnerbaitis also determined by skirt quality. The highest quality skirts have many strands that create flair in the water. Also, hooks and arm durability determine price. You can pick up spinnerbaits from $1 to $20. A $20 spinnerbait will nornally be high quality and have many special custom features. A $1 spinnerbait will normally not last long. They usually have cheap hooks that dull quickly and low quality features such as skirts. Good, reliable spinnerbaits can be found in the $5 range.
EQUIPTMENT
The rods you use vary depending on the structure you are fishing and the size of the spinnerbait. When you are fishing in or around grass, a medium-heavy action rod would work great for all sizes of spinnerbaits. This strength of rod gives you good backbone to horse the bass to shore or the boat. When you are burnin'-it, a softer rod such as a medium action or med-heavy action with a soft tip gives the bass just a split second longer to get the bait in their mouth. This prevents missing fish.
A good reel for over spinnerbait fishing would be a 6.2:1 speed. This is a medium to high speed reel. You can fish slow and fast with this gear speed.
In today's market, there is many, many kinds of line. Braided line makes an excellent line for burnin'-it because you dont have to worry about line visability. Braided line has no stretch which allows for powerful hooksets. The most popular line, monofilament, has variable stretch differences differing from brand to brand. It also floats which may prevent your spinnerbait from getting that extra foot or two deeper. The next type of line is flurocarbon, which sinks. This can be very helpful when slow-rilling because it allows your spinnerbait to get a little deeper. You have to select the right line for certain ways you fish your spinnerbait.
TIPS
Here are a few tips that you should try to catch more fish. Try to add red to your spinnerbait because many bass see it as a sign of weekness and may see it as an easy meal. Also, try adding a trailor to your spinnerbait for a little more realistic look. When fish are less active than normal and are short striking, add a trailor hook to your spinnerbait to increase your hook-ups dramaticly. Try these things the next time you get our fishing and see if you improve your catch.