Spinnerbaits - Best Bait Alive?
Spinnerbaits are probably the artificial bait most used by both tournament anglers and weekend fisherman. They can be fished in any water condition, anytime of the year, at variable water depths. I have used spinnerbaits in fishing tournaments more than any other bait, since it tends to catch big bass. I also use them when fishing for fun, since they can be fished so many different ways and in so many different situations. 
The spinnerbait is without a doubt the most versatile lure you can carry in your boat.Spinnerbaits are made up of several parts - a twisted wire with some sort of lead head and hook, a blade or combination of blades attached with swivels, and a skirt usually made of rubber or silicone. Most spinnerbaits are made with .035 wire. It holds its shape better and will last longer. The newest wire out, titanium, holds its shape and instead of bending out of shape, it springs back and is less likely to break. Blade Styles The blades come in four basic styles - Colorado, Indiana, willow leaf, and wide willow leaf. Standard blade colors are nickel, brass, and copper, and a variety of painted colors. Usually the darker the day the darker the blade, the brighter the day the brighter the blade. A Colorado blade produces a great deal more vibration, therefore works well in murky or muddy water conditions. 
The Colorado is also referred to as a thumper blade and is great for a slow moving or drop-type presentation. When you need vibration or flash, a double Colorado or a willow leaf and Colorado combination is a good choice. Willowleaf blades produce less vibrations, therefore work best in clear water, where a natural presentation is needed. Fish bright or fluorescent colored spinnerbaits in murky or muddy water conditions. Fish dull or natural colored spinnerbaits in clear water. Single or double willow leaf blades come through grass or hydrilla better than the other combinations. Make sure the bait has a good ball bearing swivel on the blade for free spinning.Skirts Skirts come in a vast array of colors and combinations of colors. You can make your own spinnerbaits, but it is more work and more expensive overall for the average fisherman. Most just prefer to modify spinnerbaits available off the shelf. White, chartreuse, and white and chartreuse combinations are good for most daytime fishing, but for late evening or night fishing I use a black or blue and black spinnerbait skirt. Tackle to Use When choosing a rod to fish with a spinnerbait, look for a medium-heavy power, fast-action tip rod. The medium-heavy power will allow you to get the fish out of cover quickly, yet the fast-action tip will allow the fish to inhale the spinnerbait deeper into its mouth before you set the hook. Also, try to choose a high-modulus graphite rod for superior sensitivity. You need to be able to feel the blades of the spinnerbait as they are turning, allowing you to feel even the most subtle strike. To prevent fish from short-striking a spinnerbait, try the following: • Trim the skirt Spinnerbait Fishing Methods Spinnerbaits are the most versatile lures available today, mainly because they can be fished in so many different ways. The following are the most productive: Stop and Go: Just as bass are more likely to grab an injured baitfish, they are more likely to hit an erratically moving lure. Experiment with different tempos to find the best one for the day. Shaking: When fishing spinnerbaits without any visible cover, shake the rod tip rapidly during your retrieve. This creates the erratic action most fish prefer. Waking or Bulging: This presentation can be a little difficult when you first learn it. You simply cast to your targeted area and retrieve or reel the spinnerbait back in just fast enough to create a "bulge" or "wake" just below the surface without actually skimming the top of the surface of the water. This presentation is a good pattern to use around submerged timber, riprap, falldowns, vegetation, edge drops, docks, and just about any type of structure when the bass are active. Helicoptering: An extreme variation of the Stop and Go method, this retrieve is very effective on fish that are stationary at the base of cover, or those feeding near the bottom. When your bait comes to a target that you feel may hold fish, simply stop reeling and allow the bait to flutter to the bottom. The fish will hit during the drop, so maintaining line contact is essential. Slow-Rolling: This presentation is used quite often when you want to fish deeper water areas usually anywhere between 6 and 20 foot depths and sometimes even deeper. With this presentation, you want to try to keep the spinnerbait as close to the bottom as possible and bump or hit any possible structure that may be in the area you are fishing. With this presentation, simply cast your spinnerbait, and when it hits the water you can either immediately start your retrieve or "Count-Down" letting the spinnerbait fall to the depth you want to cover, then start your retrieve. Maintain a slow steady retrieve keeping the spinnerbait moving at all times. Chunk and Wind: This presentation is probably the most common used by most anglers. You just simply cast the bait and reel it back in at a moderate rate or retrieve keeping the bait just under the water surface usually no deeper than 4 to 5 feet deep. This technique works well when a angler wants to cover a lot of water territory in a short time, and can be found to be very effective at times. Jigging It: Jigging the spinnerbait can be one presentation of a spinnerbait you'll not want to forget because it's proven to be one of the more successful techniques. The presentation is very simple and the results can be very satisfactory! Jigging the spinnerbait is done simply by pitching the spinnerbait in a targeted area like patches of open water in vegetation, space holes in structure, next to and in between pilings, in between rocks, etc. Let the spinnerbait drop to the bottom, then lift your rod tip up and down 2 or 3 times and let the spinnerbait settle to the bottom again. Dragging It: Some of the biggest bass can be caught by using this presentation. You simply work the spinnerbait as you would a plastic lizard or worm. Cast the spinnerbait and let it fall to the bottom, reel the slack out of your line, lift your rod tip "slowly" from about the 9 o'clock position to the 12 o'clock position, reel in the slack and repeat this technique all the way back to the boat. Make sure you try to always keep tension on your bait for this technique. Yo-Yo or Pumping: This technique can be very effective at different times, especially in and around vegetation areas. With this technique, simply cast the spinnerbait to the targeted area, using more of a "slow-roll" for a retrieve. On the retrieve, periodically make a quick lift of your rod tip after 5 or 6 winds on your reel, stop reeling and let the spinnerbait flutter back down towards the bottom until the slack is out of your line. Then repeat this process all the way back to the boat. Spinnerbait strikes are often only a gentle nudge, even with very large fish. Whenever any pauses in blade beat are detected, set the hook. Just remember, be different, be versatile, think outside the box; and learn to use spinnerbaits all year round! I could go on and on. We've barely scratched the surface. There is so much more about spinnerbaits to talk about. Check back often for more tips on fishing spinnerbaits.
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