The Spinnerbait

[Bonefish]

Some bass fishermen if they had to choose one bait, it would be the spinnerbait. If you look at the possible combinations available today, it can be confusing when or how to fish this lure. For simplicity, one must look at water conditions and water depth when choosing a spinnerbait. Blade number, size and color also depend upon water conditions and depth. Maybe this will help:

Clear Water

Willow blade spinnerbaits can be worked at higher speeds, reach depths faster, provide more flash

Tandem willow blades in silver at higher speeds work well

Plastic transparent blades do not give so much flash in super clear water

Skirt color: solid white, clear silverflake, clear green, clear pepper with strands of red, blue or gold


Stained water

Tandem Colorado or combination willow/Colorado blades in silver and gold or maybe metalflake work well

Indiana blades are best in warm stained or muddy water when bass are active, or on banks where structure and depths changes suddenly

Skirt color: chartreuse and white or chartreuse and blue


Muddy Water (Cold Muddy Water)

Colorado blades give off more vibration and lift at lower speeds

Hammered blades in red, silver or gold

Skirt color: pure chartreuse or firetiger


Shallow Water (1-3 ft)

1/8 - 1/2 oz

Stop-n-go, straight, helicoptered, fluttered, Yo-Yo'd


Medium Water (3-10 ft)

1/2 - 3/4 oz

Stop-n-go, straight, helicoptered, fluttered, Yo-Yo'd or slow-rolled


Deep Water (10 -40 ft)

1/2 - 1 oz

Helicoptered, fluttered, Yo-Yo'd or slow-roll


Blade Size

Blades can be changed as to a # system

Smaller sizes in the spring, larger blades in the fall

Match blade size to bait size


Trailers

White, pearl, chartreuse (avoid extreme contrasting skirt/trailer colors)


Tip

How you fish an angle to a structure is very important. How many times have you fished with a buddy and felt guilty fishing the "New Water" while parallel ledge fishing, and your buddy is fishing behind you in "Dead Water." As far as my fishing buddy, the guilt is quickly a passing thought, but it's true, you should cover the most productive water to improve the percentages. That's why you should cast parallel to a log or tree. Good fishing everyone.

[EtecRanger205]

Bonefish, that alot of good information. I carry all of what you have said in one small plastic box. I use secret weapons spinnerbaits. The blades can be changed, along with the skirts. They keep me from having several different boxes full of spinnerbaits that are pre-rigged and can not change. thanks

[Bonefish]

I should add for night fishing a 1/2 oz spinnerbait with BK/BK-BL shirt with Bk/Nickle colorado blade with a dark trailer with rattle works well.

Tip: When you get a backlash, place your thrumb on the spool and make 4 or 5 turns to get all the loops going in the same direction and then proceed to untangle. This works approximately 75% of the time.