Tips
& Techniques on Fishing
with Spinner Baits
from...
Lake Fork Pro Jim Reaneau
|
 |
The
spinner bait has been around a long time. In the early hay days, the spinner bait was the
bass pro's "go to" bait. It was the answer to quick limits for the tournament
fisherman. Jimmy Houston made history with the spinner bait. He could make more casts in
one minute than anyone. He would cast it out on short casts and reel it back with the bait
just under the surface. This was called "burning it". He would always keep the
bait in sight on the retrieve.
There are a wide range of spinner baits available. You will have to pick out the
manufacturer and style you like best. The blade combinations range from willow leaf,
Colorado and Indiana. Each blade combination has its time and place. The Colorado and
Indiana give off more vibration and are good for limited visibility or at night. Blade
sizes vary along with skirt colors. In the willow leaf blade, I like to fish the small to
mid size in the spring when the fish are roaming in the shallow water. A chrome willow
leaf and a gold Colorado are a good combination for this time of year. If the water is
stained to muddy, I like to throw a solid white blade with a white skirt and a chartreuse
trailer. The white blades give off a lot of flash and gold or copper is good for this kind
of water. Slow rolling these baits will locate fish over and around logs in the shallow
water. I like to run them over logs and let them flutter down then start up the retrieve
again. Normally, the fish will hit as the bait is falling. I slow roll them around timber
and stumps letting them bump into the brush. This stop and go retrieve will draw more
strikes. In the summer I throw a 1 ounce spinner bait with big willow leaf blades over
deep humps. I cast the bait out letting it sink to the bottom, then rip it up from the
bottom and let it flutter back. I watch my line to detect any strikes on the fall. I slow
roll for four or five cranks then rip the bait up again and let it fall to the bottom.
This tactic will catch some really big fish, but you must watch your line carefully. I
like to pitch a spinner bait with a single blade into brush and around trees. You will
hang up a lot but you can catch a lot of fish that have never seen a spinner bait
presented this way. I shorten the arm on the spinner bait so that it will have a tighter
flutter for this type of presentation. In the fall, I like a smaller 1/4 to 3/8 ounce
spinner bait with small willow leaf blades in nickel or chrome. The bait fish at this time
of year are small and the blades resemble them. I fish this small spinner over the grass
just under the surface. Skirt colors that work year round are white, chartreuse or a
combination of both colors. At night, black blades and black skirts are the ticket. Keep
your hooks sharp and stay in tune with your blades. A good spinner bait will give off
enough vibration so that it can be felt in the tip of the rod. Should you feel the blades
quit turning, set the hook immediately. Bass have been known to inhale a spinner bait and
swim along at the same speed you are retrieving it. If you are getting a lot of short
strikes, a trailer hook can be attached to the main hook. This is an old tournament trick.
This will cause the bait to be less weedless than before. A lot of people like to use
trailers, but sometimes the trailers cause short strikes. This will be left up to the
individual.
Thanks and good fishing,
Jim
Back to tips & techniques index
|
