spinnerbait tweak?????

[KH.]

i have heard of "tweaking'' your spinnerbait two ways,1 is cutting the skirt shorter,if this true how short????2 is bending the metal,if this true how much???

[KenDammit]

cutting the skirt shorter - cut it to just behind the hook bend. The theory is you'll have less messes from short strikes because the fish will already be attacking right at the hook.

Bending the metal - can mean a lot of things. You can bend the wire to change the position of the blades...but you'll always want to make sure that the wire is completely in line with the hook or the spinner won't run true. You can flatten out the wire which will pull the blades a bit forward, or bend the wire back which will push the blades back over the hook. The other meaning is bending the blades. Takes a bit of skill and patience but you can change the deflection by changing the angles of the metal.


You can also drill holes in the blades using a relatively small bit.

[KH.]

why would you bend the wire??what does it do???

[KenDammit]

well, as I said, it changes the position of the blades. Bending is also used to tune the spinnerbait. I've heard of some people bending the upper arm until it touches the lower arm. Then, they bend the half on the blade side back up to where the blades are running just above the hook.

[KH.]

why though what does it do

[Rebbasser]

Just gives it a different appearance in the water. Most of the time when I bend the wire it is to tune the bait-to get it running straight.

[KH.]

ummmmmmmmmmmm interesting maybe thats why all my small ones are a piece of crap

[zooker]

profile is one reason also the tighter the wire to the head the smaller profile it gives opening it up does 2 things makes the bait appear larger and throws better vibration. the trick -which is learned by doing- is to get it in tune after it has been straighten out like paperclip after you hook a decent sized bass with it. my defination of "in tune" is enough in so it runs straight and enough out of tune that it don't barrel roll at high speeds. yes this is a tuning condition.

zooker

[KH.]

profile is the size it appears to the bass right

[KH.]

because i know its not the profile when i click on him and it tells me where he lives
how old he is ect.

[Rebbasser]

The profile is the way it appears in the water. Bend the wire closer to the hook for a smaller profile, away from the hook for a larger profile.

[KenDammit]

zooker said something else thats important. The more compact a bait is, the less vibration it will create. Think of the upper arm like your fishing pole. If you wobble it, the tip moves, but the butt has no wobble. A more spread out arm will allow for more vibration because it moves freely. A more compact arm will be a much less intense vibration because theres not a lot of arm to make wobble. Throw a giant colorado blade on a big spinnerbait, then throw a small spinnerbait like a mini-king with a colorado, even the same blade if you can get it to fit, then feel the diff.

[KH.]

big bait or small.i have a huge!!!colorado on a booyah3/8

[Curado]

When I cut my spinnerbait skirts I usually cut to a 1/4 of an in. below the hook. The water clarity has some to do with how far I cut it. When you bend the wire on the spinnerbait you bend it in to go faster and out to slow it down.

[KH.]

mmmmmmmm skirt thing dont make sense but i think im getting the wirre thing down

[zooker]

the skirt shortness is a direct setup to the specific water clarity problem. the muddier the water the bigger the skirt. i have and have used skirts cut at the hook point.and full beefy skirts but i normally use them cut off right at the hook bend..

zooker

[KenDammit]

zook, have you ever double skirted? I've been thinking of trying it just to see how it works. My thinking is that it will provide a much more solid appearance. Don't know how it will effect action and what not but I would guess that two skirts fluffin in the current can't be that bad.

[KH.]

when is it good to use a small and large profile

[Curado]

I use a small profile in clear water; bigger profile in dirtier water.

[KH.]

Originally Posted by Curado

I use a small profile in clear water; bigger profile in dirtier water.

hmmmm i think i will go big

[zooker]

ken as much as i like to see skirts fluffing-ZIG- i do not double skirt any. i tryed that found that it is very fatiguing to throw all day felt as though i was chunking a big deep diver all day. it makes that much differance. no was i want to get real big i would find a skirt with 72 strands of sillicon thread.this will be the double ended looking thing rubber band in the middle put it on like you see it rubber band in the middle.

instead of doing that i trim my skirts so that the trailer is easier to see. i like to up the size of the trailer. i prefur a 4" grub -spikeit-the eel type split tail trailer SUCKS though i do have them i hate to use them.

zooker

[JB]

Ya learn alot about spinnerbaits when ya make your own.

I usually take the skirt and hang it upside down and trim just about a 1/3 of the skirt back 3/4 of an inch, to give it a smaller profile but more important to me, as I pause the spinnerbait on the retrieve that skirt will open and close a tad, adding to the flash. As far as vibration being sent out, that is all done by the shape of the blade...a big colorado will thump and vibrate dif than lets saw a willow leaf will ......
I always use willow through grass, and I move it fast...

As far as slowing the spinnerbait down, I do that with a heavier weight, or more often a 3-4 inch grub, I prefer Kalins lemom/chafone, its actually just one side white and other side chartruse
Type of skirt is a real biggie for me, I have to have chartruse and white, but also any shad color, and many that have a nice mix of pearl and gray in the strand, wether they be rubber or all the other kinds, I like to use them all!!

[KH.]

i read a article on bass resource about spinnerbaits and boy did that make a difference


i understand spinnerbaits alot more than i did 2 hours ago

[Rebbasser]

One thing I sometimes do with a skirt is pull it from the bottom so it trails behind the bait and flares out more by the head of the bait. Gives it a tapered but bigger profile. Hides a trailer hook real well, too.

[KH.]

the reason i dont use a trailer hook because i think it spooks them but i will give that atry