Many kinds of ‘spinners’ are used effectively for catching different kinds of fish, but the ‘safety pin’ Spinnerbait is one of the best lures ever invented for catching Largemouth Bass. Even Smallmouth Bass fall prey to this amazing bait. While the Spinnerbait is really only a bent wire with blade(s) on one side and jig head, hook and skirt on the other, it does not take much experimenting to realize that the reasons for the lure’s effectiveness are many:
1- By varying retrieve speed, a fisherman can cover the entire water column from top to bottom.
2- The ‘hidden’ hook means spinnerbaits can be deliberately ‘knocked’ into cover, which attracts Bass.
3- The bait can resemble a baitfish, an insect, a bird, a bat, a crawdad and other prey Bass like.
4- In heavier weights it casts like a bullet, giving the shore-bound fisherman a new reach to fish-holding areas and offering the boat fisherman a long-distance search weapon.
5- Blade sizes and shapes can be varied for specific conditions.
6- Skirt sizes, materials and colors can be varied for specific conditions.
7- A hard strike on the bait’s large hook usually means a caught fish.
8- The weighted head can have different shapes, colors and eyes.
9- Spinnerbaits can be dropped, jigged, pumped, hopped, retrieved straight or even trolled.
10- Addition of a ‘grub’ or other trailer can slow the fall rate and change the look and feel fish perceive.
I can think of no other bait that offers so many advantages.
Up here in the North country it can be difficult to find a Spinnerbait weighing more than ½ ounce. Wholesale Sports in Vancouver does have some baits weighing in at ¾ ounce and that is my preferred weight. Unfortunately some manufacturers seem to imagine that a ‘heavy’ Spinnerbait must either be a bottom-dragging bait or a night-fishing option, so often they only have one blade which is usually a ‘thumper’ Colorado-style blade.
I prefer a heavy, twin-blade Spinnerbait. I like the long castability of the heavier bait, I can feel it’s progress through the water, I can feel the blades turning, I can sense how high or low it is in the water column, I can tell what type of cover the bait is contacting, I can even detect a following Bass when the rear blade first ‘tickles’ his nose and this prepares me for the hookset, though often fish crash the Spinnerbait like a freight train with no warning at all. I have had the rod nearly yanked from my hands on Spinnerbait strikes.
After ‘discovering’ the Spinnerbait (I think I saw Bill Dance using them), I first used ½ ounce spinnerbaits and caught fish on them but I soon realized that they were not quite heavy enough for my purposes. Not satisfied with baits I could find in stores or online, I began building my own. Adding up the cost and time spent, I don’t think I am saving any money, but I am creating a bait that does exactly what I want it to. It’s not difficult and I enjoy using free time in the off-season building baits and thinking about what is to come in the Spring.
Choosing skirt and head colors will be up to you, as will your blade shapes, sizes and colors. I believe contrasts can be important. For instance, a different color skirt than grub trailer can be a fish-getter. Also, I prefer a very small Colorado blade in front, with a large willow leaf blade in the rear, again in contrasting colors. I think brass, copper or gold in front and nickel in the back is the best combination. I believe that this combination can look like feeding activity and stimulate fish to strike. Remember that baitfish grow throughout the season. I increase blade sizes as the Summer wears on in order to match the feed Bass are eating.
If you decide to build some of your own baits, here is what you will need:
-Spinnerbait heads and wires. You can really start from scratch and mold lead heads onto wires and hooks or like me, you can simply order pre-painted wire heads in the weight you want. The ones I prefer are not only painted, but they have eyes painted on as well. I prefer ‘open-eye’ Spinnerbaits. They have a bent wire line tie, as opposed to a twisted wire loop tie. I believe that open-eye baits allow the entire wire to ‘pulse’, giving more action to the head and skirt on one side and to the blades on the other.
-Metal or glass beads, plastic spacers, high-quality ball-bearing swivels, wire clevises, blades, skirts- and some kind of wire-bending tool. I simply use my Leatherman Charge tool. It is titanium tough, but the nose on the plier comes down to a fine point, allowing me to make a nice, small loop at the blade end of the wire. Larger loops or twist ties will gather moss or weeds which then foul in the blade, stopping their action. You can obtain all these components from stores, catalogues and online sources such as Jann’s Netcraft or Barlow’s Tackle.
Assembling the pieces can be tedious, and it requires concentration and attention to detail. You don’t want to end up with a bait that is missing a component. But the finished product is a satisfying sight to behold. Just imagine the odd looks you can get from friends and family as they watch you madly assembling and playing with your beautiful lures. I’ve even had ladies hold them up to their ears like jewelry!
The best part? There is nothing quite like the feeling of a jarring, yanking strike on a Spinnerbait that you put together yourself! You have just fooled a fish with a bait of your own creation.
Now that’s real Bass fishing!
Well another September is coming, with its cooling temperatures and shorter days. Bass will go into their weight-gaining feeding frenzies and it will be more comfortable daytime fishing. Take some Spinnerbaits with you, present them in various ways and be prepared to haul in a monster Bass. I often make many, many casts before nailing a good, heavy fish. That’s Spinnerbait fishing.
We’ll discuss another kind of bait next month: The Crankbait. Until then, keep your line tight, your dry side up and your wet side down.
Best of luck from your fanatical Bassmaster friend,
Bob Larimer
