# anyone else got this problem?



## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

there is one lure that i absolutely have zero luck with.it would be the spinnerbait.can't but a strike on one.i've thrown it where i should've.i've used every kind of retrieve possible and nothing.i can put that rod down,pick up a different one and catch something within a couple of casts.maybe it's because i don't have any confidence with them?does anybody else have that problem with a certain lure?


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## thedon255 (May 4, 2008)

I have the exact same problem. I've caught a grand total of two dinks with the spinnerbait. I've tried deep, I've tried shallow, I've tried slow rolling, I've tried burning it and ripping it and letting it fall and caught (almost) nothing. If anyone has an idea what we're doing wrong, I'd love to hear it.


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## fishingredhawk (Apr 14, 2004)

The key to fishing a spinnerbait in most Ohio waters is to fish it through wood. Get that thing ALL the way into the deep stuff and roll it through the branches.


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## JignPig Guide (Aug 3, 2007)

If you get on a good spinnerbait bite there is nothing like it. It can be fast and furious fishing.

A 75-year old man caught a 6-pound bass out of my boat last year on a spinnerbait. I lost (what I think was) one of the biggest bass I ever hooked and had right beside the boat on a spinnerbait. Bassbum caught a 5-1/2-pound bass last year out of the back of my Triton on a spinnerbait. Bassbum caught six nice sized bass within about 4-minutes earlier this year with a spinnerbait on my boat.

For what it's worth, here is what I recommend:
- Use nickel blades when the sun is up.
- Use brass blades during clowdy condition.
- Pitch your lure in the thickes cover you can find. Rick Clunn says, "If you think you shouldn't throw there, throw there".
- Throw the spinnerbait during windy conditions or when the water has a chop to it.
- If you're throwing a buzzbait and the fish are short striking it and you're missing them... Throw the spinnerbait.
- If you have covered the upper part of the water column with the spinnerbait and are not getting bites, try slow rolling it for a while and try to make contact with the bottom cover.
- Always vary your retrieve until the fish tell you the speed and the presentation that they want.

* My reponse to this post is in not meant to be condescending. I am just trying to make a few suggestions.

Good luck!


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## jcustunner24 (Aug 20, 2007)

JignPig Guide said:


> * My reponse to this post is in not meant to be condescending. I am just trying to make a few suggestions.
> 
> Good luck!


Your response isn't condescending at all. Great advice! Thanks.


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## Wormdunker69 (Apr 8, 2004)

Want to have a real ball, try buzz baits at night. Can be scarey at times like when they hit it right by the boat.


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## flippin fool (Apr 3, 2006)

if you know of a place with lots of smallies and really clear water you cant beat a spinnerbait on windy days. alot of the reservoirs out here have clear water and smallmouth. its an absolute blast.


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## Big Joshy (Apr 26, 2004)

I agree windy days are usually the ticket. also fish react differently to spinners in cooler water. when the water is from 55-60 degrees they just like to chase and smash them.

My first spinnerbait fish this year was on feb 15th. The best consistent bite on small waters was in april. In this july heat and the dead of winter is the toughest time to get a spinnerbait bite IMO. 

Also spinnerbaits can select for bigger fish, especially in the spring.
I was fishing a strip pond in southern ohio on a warm spring day. In one end there is a big shallow bay with some brush and trees in the water. I was throwing a powerworm and I caught 15 bass from 10-15 inches long. Then I tied on a spinnerbait and fished the whole area again. I caught 4 fish over 4 lbs. I haven't forgotten that lesson. Bigger bass like spinnerbaits in the spring and since then Ive learned that the bigger the bass the earlier in the spring they are willing to hit one. (see Pigstickers hog from a few years ago caught on a spinner bait in cold springtime water) I guess it goes along with the fact that they say the bigger bass spawn first, so they must start feeding first also.

Also always retreive it with slight hiccups and glitches. A straight retreive works but one with some slight triggers will get more love. Watch Kevin Van Dam work a spinner. He puts alot of action into it.

Also IMO the clearer and warmer the water the more flash and faster speed (willow blade)
the Murkier and colder the water the more thump and slower speed (colorado blade)

Use gold blades if you fish ponds since the main forage is gills


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## Wolfhook120 (Oct 17, 2007)

Good advice all! Best luck I've had with it is during pre-spawn, and then again well after post spawn when the shad go shallow to start their spawning time. Bass hold off in deeper water just as they do with the Bluegill spawn and wiat for the right time to unleash hell on the spawners. I've found it best just after the Shad spawn is nearly over. This is when bass will transition from the craw bite or craw pattern more over to the shad bite. Settling in on their summer pattern, bass will begin to follow the schools of shad after the shad spawn is done. Now, they may suspend depending on weather and water conditions. However, bass being opportunists feeders will more readily take a spinnerbait through this time or even better still a Shad Rap SR-5 or SR-7 series in traditional shad pattern/color.

I'll throw the Shad Rap and see if I'm getting response bites in the area I'm working, if I do, I'll put it down and start with the spinnerbait and work the area more thouroughly. Spinnerbaits can also be a VERY good tool for helping you put together a "pattern" in finding more active fish. Hope this helps


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

i've tried small,large,even the kitchen sink at 'em when it comes to a spinnerbait but i don't have much success.i think i've caught maybe somewhere between 7 & 10 on a spinnerbait.calm days,windy days,hot days,cold days,cloudy days,etc,etc........i'm resolved to fish it more now than ever.it bothers me like and pesky mosquito that you can't squash.i'm gonna do better with it.that or my arm'll fall off from casting it so much.


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## LMRposeidon (May 8, 2007)

I have had quite a bit of success throwing spinnerbaits around here for largemouth especially, there's a few simple things to remember to catch fish on em. First, dont throw chartruese and white! My goodness it seems like everyone is so obsessed with that combination! mix it up, I like black or something with pale orange or a natural green and i like gold blades personally but that doesnt seem to matter too much. Second, fish them with confidence, I know it sounds dumb but if you throw them enough you'll know what I mean, you just catch more fish when you think you are going to catch a fish on every cast. Finally, they work best in water that is somewhat murky or windy. Spinnerbaits give off a ton of vibration and will attract bass even if they cant see them and you will get a ton of reaction strikes. In clear water I've found they arent quite as effective as throwing some sort of finesse pattern if it isnt morning or evening, but maybe it just depends on the lake. hope that helps a bit


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## Tokugawa (Apr 29, 2008)

I have had good days with spinner baits. In addition to the great suggestions here, I'll add these two thoughts: size and trailers. I usually start with smaller spinner baits with a single blade, usually Colorado, to check the bite. I'll move up in size and number of blades if there is no bite on the small baits. I usually find the right combo of size and flash the bass are targeting, and I don't spook them with a giant 4-bladed noise maker right off the bat. Smaller baits are better in clear water too.

I like curly-tailed grubs, plastic shads and tails for trailers. These add a lot of action, and can be the difference between a few hits and a good day.

FWIW, I like blue/white, blue/black, white/red and black. Some chart/green is OK too.


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## thedon255 (May 4, 2008)

Great advice everyone. I had forgotten about putting trailers on the spinnerbait. I'll have to try that. This thread should be stickied or something as Must-Read Spinnerbait Tips.


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

i've used trailers on my spinnerbaits at times.i'm tellin' ya somebody put some voodoo on me when it comes to those baits.


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## firstflight111 (May 22, 2008)

spfldbassguy said:


> there is one lure that i absolutely have zero luck with.it would be the spinnerbait.can't but a strike on one.i've thrown it where i should've.i've used every kind of retrieve possible and nothing.i can put that rod down,pick up a different one and catch something within a couple of casts.maybe it's because i don't have any confidence with them?does anybody else have that problem with a certain lure?


try on a windy day


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## soua0363 (Jun 10, 2005)

The color of the skirt makes a big difference too. On a bright clear day, use something lighter with a clearer skirt. On a dark dreary day, use a darker color like black or brown. If the water is murky, use a chartruese color. The blade profile makes a difference too...use a colorado (small circle shape) when the water is murky since it makes more vibration and the willow blades (small oblong shape) when the water is clear since it mades more flash. A spinnerbait with willow blades will come through the water faster than one with a colorado. 

Spinnerbaits works better around a lot of cover and lay downs. Always cast pass the area you want to target and then bring the spinnerbait through it. Cast into the area multiple times and each time vary the angle of retrieve. As already stated, the spinnerbait works better on a day when it is a little windy. It does not have to be really windy, it just needs to blow a little wind to get some ripples on the water. 

The tip about adding a trailer is a good one. When the basses do not seem to hit the bait or will just follow it and not strike, I would add a 3" Power Grub or a 10" curly tail worm depending on how big I want the profile to be. Just let the bass tell you what they want. 

I would suggest getting mutilple colors and try it out until you find what works for you. I would recommend getting the cheapy ones at Wal-Mart since they are cheap (around $1.00) and comes in a variety of colors with different style blades. This would allow you to try mutiple colors without breaking the bank. Once you find what works for you and the area(s) you fish, you can get better ones.


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

Good stuff! Don't forget night bassin with spinnerbaits this time of year. Strike King Midnight Special and Booyah Moon Talker both have large black nickel colorado blades and black bodies and skirts that work well at night.

Edit: This works best during the hottest time of the year. Late July-Late August +/-. I've had success in ponds and rivers with the midnight special from about 11 pm - 1:30 am.


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## Danshady (Dec 14, 2006)

> Pitch your lure in the thickes cover you can find. Rick Clunn says, "If you think you shouldn't throw there, throw there".


this method def works in ohio waters, even better is use a crank and do this, i know you will cringe at the thought of loosing it but so is everyone else and its a bait they dont see alot of...guys are scared of loosing their baits so they dont throw into heavy cover. also if your using a cranking rod it harder to horse a good bass up out of the cover. so i like to launch cranks into the wood and weeds, but sometimes for the heavy stuff i will use a spinner, this is a great thread, lots of really good advice and info, thanks guys!


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## wader (Dec 9, 2004)

This is a great thread, as I too have the bad juju on me when it comes to the spinnerbait. I don't know if I've ever caught a bass on one, and it seems like every time I bought a good one I would lose it within 25 casts. Can they be fished over thick weeds effectively?


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## BassCrazy (Oct 11, 2007)

Agree with Big Joshy...spinnerbaits are terrific in cool to cold water (45-55) both early and late in the year and they select bigger fish. Great information on here and I'll throw in my 2 cents.

-In the springtime (dingy water), I use chartreuse & white w/gold willow and a smaller nickel colorado front blade w/no trailer and slow roll in cover near deep water (secondary points, channel bank transitions and rip rap ends/irregularities). No trailer because I want the willow blade flash, but not the added buoyancy a trailer provides. In the fall when water temperatures are similar, I do the same thing, but go with a clear sparkle skirt and small double willow, because the fish are more tuned in to baitfish in the late fall and the water, particularly after the turnover period, is much clearer. In cool water, I don't add action to the bait, I just reel it s-l-o-w unless it 'pops' off some bottom cover, then I'll kill the bait for a second.

I'll try a spinnerbait in lakes with really clear water if it's windy, especially if there is a good smallmouth population, but the technique is not nearly as solid as when there is stained water. I lean more toward rattle traps, shad raps and jerkbaits/swimbaits in clear water lakes. 

Some super clear lakes just are not spinnerbait lakes and you'll rarely catch a fish on one, with the notable exception that they'll hammer a black long arm single colorado at night.

I don't throw spinnerbaits much when the water is really warm, other than around the shad spawn.

Just my opinion and good luck. Spinnerbaits are a blast.


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## JamesT (Jul 22, 2005)

To the O.P.

Have you tried any of the 3/16 oz mini framed, willow top, colorado bottom spinnerbaits? Like the Terminator Tiny T or similar? Those smaller framed (but with willow and colorado) SBs are a good #'s bait to build confidence. Booyah makes one with a bucktail that's good for smallies in rivers.


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## BASmead (Jan 11, 2008)

This is some great advice all around, i doubt there's anything i can add that hasn't been said. I fish spinnerbaits in late fall almost exclusively. I caught a couple really nice ones after dark last night on those wal-mart cheapos. Not a bad product for a buck. I have that exact same bad juju problem with jig n pig/plastics. I know they work. They just don't seem to work for me. I think ur on to something with the confidence thing.


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

i'm tellin' you i've tried everything in the book but the spinnerbait isn't workin' for me at the present moment.there's been some excellent threads on jigs as well.


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## spfldbassguy (Mar 23, 2009)

hey wader we should get together and go somewhere and see if either one of us can catch 'em on a spinnerbait.1st one to catch one gets a dollar bill.


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