spinnerbait Q's

[Infisherman1]

I've been fishing spinnerbaits a good bit more lately, and have had quite a bit of success, but I've got some questions as to things I have seen.
Usually when fishing muddy and mutky water I go with a single big colorado blade and a dark color skirt. Colorado blades are attractive to bass because they make so much vibration in the water, which is great for muddy water, and naturally in muddy water I'd go with a dark skirt. But, I've seen a few people (one person lives by me and knows what he's doing, he's a pro) fishing colorado blade spinnerbaits with white/chartreuse skirts. Whats the point of doing this in muddy water?
Also, when is it appropriate to fish with painted blades? I don't really see much use in spinnerbaiting if there isn't any flash to the bait.
Any extra tips from experienced spinnerbaiters would help, especially as to which skirt colors to use in different situations.

[fredhatch]

I pretty much use the same mentality as you. Dark water- dark skirts, loud thumping blades. Recently I began using the white/chartreuse skirts and have actually improved my catches. Cant give you the logical explanation. Only thing that I can figure is the white is readily seen in all types of water. I only know this from when I used to jump into the golf course ponds. Get down on the bottom and the easiest ones to see were the white ones. They would stand out even in murky water and being covered w/ silt. Probably not the explanation you wanted but it's another view. 8)

[Rich]

Hula-using white or chartreuse/white in muddy water can be the ticket on bright days-as flfireman said, it is easier to see-just using the same principal a lot of us use: Â*Bright colors on bright days, darker colors on darker days. In theory ;D

[BaSsFiShEr20]

I buck the trend just a little with blades. The only time I will use a Colorodo blade is generally when the water is like coffee. Muddy. Usually, in stained water and even at night, I will be seen throwing a Gold Indiana Blade. Still plenty of vibration for this type of conditions, yet it shows the bass a different look.I won a night time tourney useing a 1/2oz. Black/red Retriever Single Paw with a #6 Gold Indy Blade.Every fish I caught came on that bait.

I use Chartruese or Bubblegum colored baits in muddy, and have a better catch ratio than dark. Only in muddy though. Otherwise, conditions dictate bait color.

Painted blades are best in super clear water. No flash, yet for some reason, pure dynomite. Also they are killers on smallies.

Charles

[powayfisher]

I guess there is really no set rules when it comes to
spinnerbaiting in stained to dirty colored water. White will work just about anywhere,and chartruse is one of the brightest colors in fishing.What I like to do is to throw more natural colors such as shad patterns, white, char/white, Black, and black/blue in gin clear water,and I like to throw very visible colors in stained and muddy water,such as white, char/white, chartruse, black, char/blue, char/white/blue and black/blue.

You have to remember the two colors that can help you any time is white and black because they are the most versitle and realistic. Solid chartruse works very well in muddy water because of its brightness. It is my go to color in really dirty water conditions. It really works well!

I never use the painted blades, but I'v been told that the brightly colored painted blades can reflect light just as well if not better then the standard blades in dirty water. If you think about it, brighter colored skirts work well in dirty water so why would'nt the brite colors on the painted blades be just as visible if not more to the fish. They chase the bait mainly because of its vibration,
they can feel it and when the find the lure I'm possitive they can see it,because if shiny blades were the only thing that they would chase, then it would make no difference what skirt you used, its a visibility thing.

I personally think that shiny blades would work better in the high visibility conditions of really clear water,but with low light or dirty water, the brightly colored blades of eaither chartruse or white might somtimes be the ticket especially when its a popular area and everyone is throwing the shiny blades.

But theres no set rules on what works best in what conditions,but you can rely on what works most of the time. The cleaner the water the more natural you need to be, the nastier the water the more visible you need to be and stick with that and fine tune what works best for you by trying the different colors in each catagory
until you find a winner. My favorite color is char/white,
its caught fish for me in every situation I'v been in, even the extremes of clear and mudd!!! #2 solid white,which has also!!!

Good Luck and god bless





PHIL G.

[randerson52]

personally, i like using the long blade type in muddy water with a solid chartresue skirt, i catch more than i expect with it

[Rob Mak]

actually i find that if the lake is muddy there is still clear water underneth it. hence the chartuse/white will work better in this condition.

zooker

[bearpaw]

Once I won a tournament on a river that was up about 2 feet and muddy and the time was Feb. (cold ,muddy water)
I was throwing a white spinnerbait and a gold willow leaf blade.
Don't know how they found it, but they did.
Maybe I missed alot of fish by NOT throwing a colorado blade, but I guess I'll never know.

[nicholastown]

I know there are supposed to be rules governing color in certain situations. Well, I don't particularly believe that color makes that big of difference, especially in bass fishing. At certain times, and they are very few and far between, color will make a huge difference. Most of the time, as long as you use natural colors, and not go with anything off the wall then you will come out on top. spinnerbaits are no exception. Especially spinnerbaits. Think about , what do bass feed on? they feed on other fish of course, fish smaller than them, most of the time, and those fish have a specific color. When the water gets muddy, do shad change color? No, they don't. Do bass stop feeding on shad just because the water is muddy? No they don't. This goes for most all of the bass' native food sources. They don't change color just because the water gets muddy, so stick with your natural colors and you will win out most of the time. Good fishing

[zooker___________.]

lmao zooker said hence ;D

[ryan7261]

The spinnerbait has been around a long time. In its early hay days, the spinnerbait 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 spinnerbait. He could make more casts in one minute than anyone using any other tactic. He would cast it out on short underhand 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. It made him a legend.

Today, there are a wide range of spinnerbaits available. You will have to pick out the manufacturer and style you like best. The most common blade combinations range from Willow Leaf, Colorado and Indiana.
Each blade combination has its time and place. Blade sizes vary along with skirt colors. Here is an assortment of important tips that work for me:

1) The Colorado and Indiana give off more vibration and are good for limited visibility or at night.
2) 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.

3) 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 too.

4) 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.

5) In the summer I throw a 1 ounce spinnerbait 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.
6) I like to pitch a spinnerbait 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 spinnerbait presented this way. I shorten the arm on the spinnerbait so that it will have a tighter flutter for this type of presentation.

7) 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.

8) Skirt colors that work year round are white, chartreuse or a combination of both colors.

9) At night, black blades and black skirts are the ticket.

10) Keep your hooks sharp and stay in tune with your blades. A good spinnerbait 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 spinnerbait and swim along at the same speed you are retrieving it.

11) A trailer hook can be attached to the main hook. If you are getting a lot of short strikes, this is an old tournament trick. However, this will cause the bait to be less weedless than before.

12) Soft plastic trailer baits are often added by a lot of people, but sometimes the trailer baits can cause short strikes. Trailers are optional and can be left up to the individual.

Robby.

[mikee051]

i guess im like most fisherman, i use dark colors for dark water light colors for clear and sunny. but i think alot of times people put to much into colors. never in my life have i seen anything whatsoever colored bubblegum pink in my local lakes and rivers, but yet i have seen people catch bass on pink worms. alls ya gots ta do is make it looka lika food

[macgyver]

[quote author=masterbaiter link=board=news;num=1106960481;start=0#11 date=02/23/05 at 00:15:40]i guess im like most fisherman, i use dark colors for dark water light colors for clear and sunny. but i think alot of times people put to much into colors. never in my life have i seen anything whatsoever colored bubblegum pink in my local lakes and rivers, but yet i have seen people catch bass on pink worms. alls ya gots ta do is make it looka lika food[/quote]


When thinking colors, try thinking of them as shades(from white to black, and all the greys in between). That the best desciption I was given as to how the fish see it. So they don't see pink, they see a darker version of white

Lizards