Spinnerbaits: Blades, Retrieves, and Colors

The way a spinnerbait looks, sounds and feels to a bass as it moves through the water is dramatically influenced by the shape of its blade(s). Pro anglers vary blade shape and color according to water conditions and depth of the bass.

SPINNERBAIT BLADE SHAPES: There are three different blade shapes commonly used on spinnerbaits: 1. Colorado. This is the most rounded and severely cupped of the three styles, and, because it displaces the most water, produces the maximum vibration or "noise". 2. Willowleaf. This is the longest and most slender of the three, and it produces the least amount of vibration. 3. Indiana. This "in-between" teardrop style produces less vibration than a Colorado but more than a Willowleaf.

WHEN TO USE EACH BLADE SHAPE: In general, the murkier the water or the more visibility is reduced, the more bass rely on sensing vibrations in the water rather than seeing their prey. Conversely, the clearer the water and the greater the visibility, the more bass rely on their sense of sight when feeding and less on detecting vibrations in the water. 1. Colorado Blades are used in stained to muddy water, or in clear water when light penetration is very low ( especially at night ). 2. Willowleaf Blades are used in clear water where visibility is high. A willowleaf blade's long, slender profile and realistic flash resembles a live baitfish. 3. Indiana Blades are used in stained water, or in clear water on a cloudy day.

BLADE COLORS AND FINISHES: Spinnerbait blades come in plated silver (nickel), gold, and copper finishes as well as painted colors. 1. Silver Blades are used in clear water on a sunny day. 2. Gold or Copper Blades are used in stained to muddy water, or in clear water on a cloudy day or at night. 3. Painted Blades are used in stained to muddy water, or anytime when fishing for smallmouth bass. 4. Blades come in plain or hammered finishes. Some experts believe plain blades reflect more light. However, most pros use plain and hammered blades interchangeably. 

SKIRTS: 1. Muddy Water: Use a bright colored skirt such as chartreuse or hot pink. 2. Clear Water: Use a more realistic skirt color, such as smoke gray, clear flake or melon green. 3. Stained Water: Use a visible ( but not hot ) color, such as white or yellow. 4.Painted Blades: Match the blade color to the skirt color.

TRAILERS: Trailers are recommended under the following conditions: 1.Whenever bass need an extra trigger to bite. The added attraction of a trailer can often turn tentative fish into biters. 2.On lakes with a good population of big fish. The trailer increases the mass of the lure and represents a bigger mouthful to a lunker bass. 3. When you need to float the spinnerbait higher, especially when bass are holding in dense weeds just beneath the surface. 4. When you need to slow the spinnerbait's rate of descent. A pork frog will cause a spinnerbait to drop much slower when fishing the lure down steep ledges. 5. When fine tuning a presentation to finicky bass. If you see bass flash or boil on the spinnerbait but not strike it, often merely adding a trailer of a different color than the skirt, or changing the color of the trailer being used, will draw a solid strike.

TYPES OF TRAILERS: Pork Frogs and Eels: Some anglers trim the meat from the head of the pork trailer before hooking it on the lure, although using the entire pork will float the lure higher. Soft Plastic Split Tails: These are very popular among pro anglers. Plastic Worms and Grubs: Some pros use a 4 inch Ringworm with 3/4 inches cut off at the head.

SPINNERBAIT WEIGHT: The weight of the spinnerbait's head will determine how deep the lure can run. 1. In shallow water in thick cover, use a light spinnerbait ( 1/4 to 3/8 oz. ) that will float above the grass without tangling. 2. In deep water, vary the weight depending on the depth of the bass. Some anglers use spinnerbaits as heavy has 1 oz. in deep water. 3. On windy days, a heavier lure may be necessary to achieve needed casting distance; use a trailer to float the lure higher in shallow water if necessary.

SPINNERBAIT RETRIEVES: Twilight Zone Retrieve: The object of this retrieve is to reel the lure just fast enough so that the blades, or the flash reflecting off the blades, is just barely visible. In clear water, you will have to fish the lure deeper to achieve this. In murky water, you will fish it shallower. Slow Rolling Retrieve: Here, keep the lure moving steadily and just fast enough so that the blades rotate. It's usually used in early spring, fall and winter when the water is cold and fish are deep; however, it also works in warm water when bass are suspended deep over objects such as sunken trees or brushpiles. Helicopter Retrieve: Using a short arm spinnerbait with a Colorado or Indiana blade, cast to a steep bluff or 45 degree rock bank and let the lure drop or "helicopter" on a tight line. Bulging Retrieve: In highly stained to muddy water, cast past shallow logs or stumps and retrieve a Colorado blade spinnerbait quickly so the lure runs just under the surface, bulging the water and throwing a wake.

CONTACTING COVER WITH SPINNERBAITS: Spinnerbaits are high contact lures. Their design isn't weedless, but it is conducive to bumping into many types of cover. Bass holding around cover are often enticed to strike when the spinnerbait hits the stumps, rock, etc., and changes speed or direction slightly. Here are some tips when bumping cover: 1. Maintain your mental focus on the lure as you retrieve it. Try to feel everything it touches through your line. Most strikes occur immediately after you feel it bump cover, so stay alert. 2. If you lose contact with the lure, such as when fishing a willowleaf spinnerbait deep, you may need to switch to a style that puts out more vibrations. 3. If your constantly picking up grass when working a weedy area, adjust your retrieve speed, switch to a lighter spinnerbait or add a pork trailer to the spinnerbait your using. 4. Adjust your boat's position to maximize contact with cover. For example, when fishing a sunken tree, position yourself so you can retrieve the lure lengthwise down the structure, rather than crossways. Bump the lure into key contact spots including junctures of the trunk with the tree's main branches.

SPINNERBAIT TACKLE: 1. The gold standard for spinnerbaits has been a 6 foot, medium action graphite baitcasting rod. 2. Many pro anglers favor a 6 1/2 to 7 foot medium heavy graphite rod for spinnerbaits. The longer rods are used in lakes with lots of shallow grass cover where bass must be manhandled from dense cover. They also are favored in clear water where maximum casting distance is mandatory. In murky lakes with lots of stumps, standing timber and brush, anglers often work spinnerbaits at close range using short underhand pitches, and will switch to a shorter rod. 3. Use 14 to 20 pound test mono in clear to stained water, and 20 pound test mono or any of the new high tech line products in muddy water.