How can i catch more bass on spinnerbaits

[Fathead]

Hi im new to this site and i was wondering why i dont catch bass with spinnerbaits, i am from jacksonville florida and i always have people telling me that they catch a mess of bass on spinnerbaits. but me on the otherhand i catch little to no bass on spinnerbaits. I have read about different presentations and color variations and fishing them at different depths but still i do not catch very many bass. i mainly fish in watershed ponds, private ponds and creeks, and neither of them are productive with spinnerbaits, please help me out. i appreciate any tips, presentations, types of spinnerbaits, blades, colors, etc....please help me out!!!!

[BassAddict]

Spinnerbaits work best if you have some wind to break up the surface of the water. In clearer water use a translucent color like blue glimmer. For more stained water use black or Chartruse/white with a gold Indiana blade for more vibration. A spinnerbait is pretty versitile and can be fished any time of year in just about any condition. Run it along a layed down tree or along a grass line. Eventually you'll catch a few then your confidence will go up and you will fish it even better. Good luck with it!

[TNRACER93]

You can also add a grub worm as a trailer that might help some. Also try different retrieve speeds. I was out the other day and got some on a white and chartruse with a chartruse grub on it. Good luck just keep trying you will catch fish.

[brushhog]

I feel your pain, I'm pretty luckless with spinnerbaits. Even with the Reb-originals I received I really haven't been that productive. Like a lot of other things over the last couple of years, I plan on pluggin' away until I get better at it. I've never tried a trailer, but will soon.

[senko]

Just keep trying. This is on the opposite of the scale with me. I'm really confident and good with spinnerbaits, but can't buy a bite on a jig. I used to HATE spinnerbaits, as my dad swore by them. One day, I decided to tie on one of those silicone messes they call spinnerbaits, and just knocked em dead. Ever since then the blade has become my number one go to bait.

[Fathead]

thanks for the help guys, but i have one specific question what is the best make of spinnerbaits to use? also what is the best type of blade for this time of year? Also i have caught more without the trailer, is it maybe the size or type what are specific trailers that work. once again thanks for all the suggestions

[Rebbasser]

Welcome to the forum!

The best place I have found to throw a spinnerbait is in the wind. They are tough to beat when thrown along a wind blown bank. I love to throw them, but unless the wind is blowing I don't throw them except in muddy water.

Colors-white, chartreuse, chartreuse and white, bluegill(green, orange and chartreuse) and shad colors work best for me. In clear water I throw shad or white colors and add chartreuse as the water gets muddier.

Blades are also something to consider. I use double willow in clear water, a tandem-small Colorado blade in front of a bigger willowleaf blade-in stained water and in muddy water I like a big, single Colorado blade.

Throw them along the bank the wind is blowing into and you'll catch them.

[Patrick Krueger, Jr.]

Vary your retrieve. My best luck is when I slow roll it (keep it near bottom and reel just fast enough to feel the blades turn).

As you feel weeds or wood, pump the rod, the lure jumps up, and as you reel in the slack caused by the pump, it drops back down. This causes a nice flare in the skirt. It draws strikes anywhere in the water column.

I used to have no confidence in them and my best friend thinks they're garbage, but once you get gain that confidence, it's hard to go fishing without some, even in winter.

[bamabassman]

sometimes i use it like a pignjig. throw it at the bank or cover, let it sink, pull up and retreive slack, let it sink, etc.

[Jim80]

Start trying different sized spinners and change the colors you are using until you find the presentation that the fish respond to , it also doesn't hurt to hit the bait with a little bit of sent sometimes they respond to that well , and i agree with the other guys about retrive speeds the fish can't see the same thing time after time .. good luck

[flbassman]

Big single colarado is your best bet in a lot of ponds round here. I assume your fishin neighborhood ponds, but that will work in rodman, the st. Johns, wherever. I've found them to be most effective in May-July at dusk, and in the fall.

[BigBassin144]

I haven't had too much luck with spinnerbaits either. I've heard plain white is a good color, so when I was at Cabela's I got a Striek King Premier Plus double willow in white. I really do like their "perfect skirt", It has good action in the water.

BB

[lizardsrule]

I live in Saint Augustine, and fish the Saint Johns a ton, and all the lakes attached to the Saint Johns. I use either white or charteuse/white, with double willowleaf blades. I use 3/8oz or 1/2 oz, and use a Kalin Grub 3" as a trailerClear chartreuse for the wht/chrt color, and white for the white ones). I make sure when I rig the grub, the tail is [pointing down form the blades, to give more action, and less chance of getting into the blades. I've been catching more bass on spinnerbaits than anything else since last October. My preferred brand is Terminator, with the titanium wire. They aren't cheap, but you don't ever have to tune them, and they come out of the package with good hooks. Most of the bass I catch are around the wood. I can tell you for certain, that you have to put the bait where the fish are, most folks who aren't catching anything with them are not fishing in the correct places. Plus you really sometimes need to cast 50-100 times before you get a bite. They call it fishing for a reason. Most people are afraid to throw them in the wood, and let them bang off the branches/trunks etc... Banging them into things is "ONE" of the keys IMHO. However I aslo throw them around submerged vegetaion, and burn it right over the top. I will throw them all day long in the Lilly Pads, and try to get them to bang into the stems underwater, and work my line around the top. I have also had bass just explode out of the pads, when they flop off of them, or even just wiggle them with the edge hanging off of them. There really isn't a bad way to fish them, but ideal conditions are overcast, and windy.

Lizards

[zooker]

welcome to the forum

Originally Posted by Patrick Krueger, Jr.

Vary your retrive

patty-o-furiture
is right speed is your friend with a blade. the clearer the conditions the less wind the faster you must retrive the bait..you can NOT possably retrive a blade fast enough to out run a fish..

Originally Posted by lizardsrule

I use 3/8oz or 1/2 oz, and use a Kalin Grub 3" as a trailerClear chartreuse for the wht/chrt color, and white for the white ones). I make sure when I rig the grub, the tail is [pointing down form the blades, to give more action, and less chance of getting into the blades. I've been catching more bass on spinnerbaits than anything else since last October. My preferred brand is Terminator, with the titanium wire. They aren't cheap, but you don't ever have to tune them, and they come out of the package with good hooks. Most of the bass I catch are around the wood. I can tell you for certain, that you have to put the bait where the fish are, most folks who aren't catching anything with them are not fishing in the correct places. Plus you really sometimes need to cast 50-100 times before you get a bite. They call it fishing for a reason. Most people are afraid to throw them in the wood, and let them bang off the branches/trunks etc... Banging them into things is "ONE" of the keys IMHO. However I aslo throw them around submerged vegetaion, and burn it right over the top. I will throw them all day long in the Lilly Pads, and try to get them to bang into the stems underwater, and work my line around the top. I have also had bass just explode out of the pads, when they flop off of them, or even just wiggle them with the edge hanging off of them. There really isn't a bad way to fish them, but ideal conditions are overcast, and windy.

Lizards

preach it lizzy

the main thing to remember is when fishing a blade 90% of your strikes will come just as your bait is out of view in the water collum.

the combination of blades i use is almost always tandum. water color and retrive speed is what i use to choose the blade size and color..

i am with bb on the strike king skirts...

skirt lenth comes into play at the very extremes of the water color.. in heavy mud i use a full lenth skirt in very clear water a short skirt is a wise choice..i always rig mine with a 4" grub prefuring gottcha's or spike it grubs..

zooker

[flbassman]

Originally Posted by lizardsrule

Most people are afraid to throw them in the wood, and let them bang off the branches/trunks etc... Banging them into things is "ONE" of the keys IMHO
Lizards

Bump the Stump!

[zooker]

here ya go a tip not covered.. the ability to put the spinnerbait in the water with as little noise as possable will also improve your hits.. think quiet water entry like a pitched jig..

zooker

[Patrick Krueger, Jr.]

I remember seeing a show where KVD showed me how to roll cast a spinnerbait in as quiet as possible. It landed with barely a ripple at what looked like fifty yards. I'd hate him, but with skills like that how could you not show off? (I catch myself showing off a bit when kids are around, like pitching under a tree or skipping a tube under a dock, I tell myself it's to make them want to get the technique down themselves, but.... yeah I just like to show off)

[bamabassman]

i can't for the life of me get a cast to just ripple the water. i always seem to make a belly flop splash. i try and try. still trying, hahahahaha.

[rodman rat]

Booyah make the best spinner and buzz baits. I caught this hawg on a cotton candy 1/2oz tandum booyah spinner at Rodman. I also like the silver shad and silver shinner use a 1/2oz or 3/8oz .

[mikefish08]

When I was in Mexico last Month, The spinners Baits where hot then cold. I found out that Attaching a 6 to 12 inch worm to them and working them deeper helped to land bisser fish. Usually on lake Mateos I would get 50 to 100 bass a day. About 25 % would be on spinner baits. But hay some days they just do not work.

[bothomas]

Blades are my number goto. The bite is hot right now on blades in the grass on g'ville. the shad are spawning and if you can find them they will run with the spinner bumping into it the whole time and bass can't stand it!!

[Jigger]

I agree with those who say wind=spinnerbaits. If the wind is not blowing, I'm not fishing spinnerbaits. Try pausing from time to time on your retrieve. Sometimes the pause causes a fish to strike. I use Strike King spinnerbaits. They run true and straight. Also, watch your spinnerbait on the retrieve. If it's laying on its side, bend the wire arm to straighten it. I've never caught a bass on a spinnerbait that was laying partially on its side. For me, spinnerbaits are seasonal and particular to the time of day. I fish them mainly in the Spring and/or early in the morning or late in the evening when the fish are active. When the dog days of Summer get here, I put down my spinnerbait and tie on a jig or some form of plastic after the sun gets up and the morning bite's over.

[zooker]

rat
booyahs are ok in grass as long as you don't fish trees or lay downs..they tend to turn INTO the tree rather than out of it..

zooker

[keithdog]

Ok, here is my two cents worth. The spinnerbait is and always has been my go to bait for most situations in water less than 8 foot deep. I primarily use a 3/8 with tandem colorado or indiana blades. I have a definate preference for a combo of silver/gold blade combo with silver being the smaller front blade. A white skirt will usually be my skirt of choice with white/chartruese being my choice for cloudy days. Wind definately plays a part, however I also do very well with spinnerbiats in calm water as well. However, when the water is calm with little or no wind, I will drop down to the 1/4 oz. size. That seems to make a HUGE difference. I almost always use a 3-4 inch chartruese or bright yellow twister grub trailer on my spinnerbaits. I definately believe the contrasting colors of the white skirt and yellow trailer draws more attention from the bass. I will usually just swim the bait through and around fish holding cover. Fishing a spinnerbait right through a grass bed that is somewhat sparse has always been a winning tactic for me. The speed of retrieve is basically determined by how shallow or deep I want the bait to run. Blade choice also determines how deep the bait will go. Indiana blades will run a little deeper than colorado. And of course the willows will run even deeper. However, I usually will be switching to a crankbait for deeper water. Lately I have been experimenting with making my own spinnerbaits for deeper water by using a 3/4 oz. size head with smaller indiana blades of size 2 & 3 or 2 & 4. I've had a lot of luck with this in water around 8 - 12 foot of water fished slowly.

[stevomac59]

Welcome to the Forum!
As Reb said, it depends on the clarity of the water, and weather conditions. I really did not like fishing spinnerbaits, but when I threw one out on a windy day, I was Impressed by the results! If your creeks, ponds, etc. are muddy or stained, use a colorado blade with chartruese colors (they sell some blades with color painted on them, this works well in MUDDY water). For clear water, go for a more natural color. Use a combo of greens, reds, etc. with a willow leaf blade. Oh yeah.... dont be afraid to get into those weed beds. The spinnerbaits design are specially made for intense weeded areas, they are practically weedless (guaranteed...sort of). Add a couple of jerks when retrieving, I use the 3 full spins of the reel, then 2 quick jerks of the rod. Do not give up on these lures, they will produce amazing results. You just need to practice and work at it, they will repay you with some large trophy bass, and wonderful memories!

Keep Fishing It... you will be suprised!

-stevo