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Beginners Guide to Spinnerbaits

Spinnerbaits are no stranger to the world of fishing. Since about 1950, spinnerbaits have been found in anglers tackle boxes all over the globe, and not just bass anglers. These lures carry a great reputations from weekend anglers to professional anglers. The spinnerbait is a four season, year-round, proven tool to bring you success on the water. Whether the water is sitting at colder or warming temps, the spinnerbait will attract bites in the bass waters.

Facts About Spinnerbaits

With a weighted head, the spinnerbait contains a wire that is shaped like an “L”, in the form of an elbow, along with a hook. Tied onto that wire is a skirt. By using a swivel, or slip-ring, the spinnerbait contains a blade. These blades cause reflection and vibration in the water. Some spinnerbaits have up to 4 blades.

The spinnerbait comes in every color imaginable, but also provides versatility through its hook. These lures are known to be successful in its current state, while also providing you the opportunity to enhance your hook-ups by placing a soft plastic bait or trailer on the hook, changing up its profile.

Since the spinner bait is known for being, “The most Popular bass lure”, ever created, adding a trailer to the hook breaks up the profile of the lure in the water, as well as adds different vibrations. When taking all factors into consideration, the spinnerbait is a must-have lure in your arsenal, especially when targeting largemouth bass.

 Different Types

In my tackle box right now, you will find spinnerbaits weighing 1/8oz – 2oz. Other than the size of the spinnerbait, the blade type is the most important when deciding which spinnerbait to throw. The three main blade types of spinnerbaits are:

Colorado Blade

Willow Leaf Blade

Indian Blade

Colorado Blade:

The Colorado blade produces the most vibrations and variations in the water. Due to this, the Colorado blade is the perfect setup for nasty water. If you roll up on a spot and the water is murky, dirty, and has low-visibility, the Colorado blade should be your choice. When the water has low-visibility, bass are locating their bait fish by the sound and feel that is being produced in the water. When throwing a Colorado bladed spinnerbait, listen on the retrievable. You will hear a bumping sound in the water. This sound is caused by the round-shape of the blade.

Willow Leaf Blade:

The Willow blade is not a round shape. The blade on this setup is more longated, and slightly longer than the Colorado blade. This lure is made to fish fast, and produces the least amount of sound in the water. Due to this, this spinnerbait blade is ideal for clear water conditions. In clear water conditions, the fast-paced nature of this lure allows you to rip through the water quickly, causing a prey reaction from bass. In other words, it doesn’t give the bass a chance to stop and look at your lure and decide whether it is live prey or not. The slender profile of the blade is perfect for working weed beds and traveling through structure, allowing you to avoid getting hung up.

Indian Blade:

Sometimes, I roll up on a spot and have visibility, however the water still shows some mud, or looks murky. I like throwing an Indian bladed spinnerbait here. The blade has been called a “teardrop” by experienced anglers. This spinnerbait is perfect for shorter distanced casts, as well as medium depth waters. If you are unsure of which way to choose, the Indian Bladed lures are a good choice.

Which Rods to Use With Spinnerbaits

Power Rating, Action, and Length of your rod are the most important factors to pay attention when choosing the right rod for a spinner bait. A good fishing reel is important too, but second to your rod selection.

Power

Setting the hook with a spinnerbait will take practice. Using the wrong rod will cause you to rip the spinnerbait out of the bass’ mouth. However, your rod choice needs to be strong enough to actually set that hook. I choose a medium-medium heavy rod.

Action

What is action on a rod? The action of a rod is how fast your tip bends. The type of bait, and the hook it holds, will help you decide this. The hook on a spinnerbait is not a treble hook, nor does it usually have more than one hook. Due to this, I want a “fast” action rod. This allows me to quickly get that hook set when a bass blow-ups on my lure.

Length

The longer the rod, the more power you will have generally, as well as the further you can cast. However, a shorter rod provides you with stability in the way of control. If I am kayaking, a shorter rod length, like a 6’6 rod does the trick. However, if I am on the front of my aluminum Ranger throwing a spinnerbait, I am choosing to use a 7’ rod. I am also 6’3 with long arms.

 Which rod is best? The rod that you prefer, honestly. However, if you chose a medium-heavy, fast action rod when throwing a spinnerbait, you will find your hook-ups are more consistent! Typically you are going to throw them on a fluoro or braid line as well.

Best time to Use Spinnerbaits

The truth is, a spinnerbait will be most successful when you match the blades and colors to the appropriate water clarity and cloud cover. This is why the spinnerbait is such a versatile lure, and a must have in your arsenal.

Although spinnerbaits can be used year-round, the spring time finds a large amount of success. Other lures work in warmer water, but the spinnerbait shines through when spring-time bass fishing. This is because the spinnerbait is excellent for covering a large amount of water, quickly, while being able to get up in the cover areas.

Conclusion:

The spinnerbait is the most popular bass fishing lure ever created, and largely due to its ability to cover water and fish through cover. Through the years, variations have been found to enhance your success, however the concept is the same. If you break it down barney-style, the spinner bait is a weighted jib head, with a wire coming from it that hosts a flashy blade, has a hook, and a skirt to create the illusion of a bait-fish.

If I had to choose my ideal spinnerbait setup, it would be a Willow Leaf bladed, white in color with red eyes on the weighted head, and a chartruesse soft-plastic of some kind on the hook. My rod would be a 7’, medium-heavy, fast actioned rod on a baitcaster.

#fishing #fishing lures