Rambling Angler Outdoors®

THE LURE THAT DID IT

Late summer and early fall can be a roller-coaster ride when it comes to catching bass. One day it is in the upper 90's and the next it never gets out of the 60's. Where to go and what to throw? Are they deep or are they shallow? All good questions this time of year and not very many good answers as the bass are not even sure what to do. It is a time when a cold front can actually turn bass on as they need to feed up for the upcoming winter.

The old spinnerbait is hard to beat at this time. I personally prefer to go after bass that decide to move shallow, mainly because I have yet to learn enough about catching deep water bass to have the confidence to stay with it. Largemouth bass move to shallow water in the backs of coves in search of shad that have done the same. These bass are not always in the mood to bite. High pressure, blue skies and high temps tend to put the bass a little on the sluggish side. The spinnerbait is great because it will generate reaction strikes from these bass.

Long cast with the trolling motor on high is the way to go when bass are scattered all over the lake and big bass, being territorial, are less than likely to share a shad producing cove or creek mouth with other bass. I like to keep the spinnerbait in the water with quick long casts and fast retrieves. I prefer to cover water looking for aggressive bass that want to strike as apposed to fishing the same stump for 20 minutes just because it looks like there should be a bass holding there. Some anglers do this with great success but I prefer to keep moving in search of the bass that want to strike.

There are many spinnerbaits to choose from today and many colors to go with them. You can even build your own spinnerbaits. I have not yet built a spinnerbait from scratch but plan to in the future. My preference is to gather old spinnerbaits from garage sales and eBay and build from there. The newer spinnerbaits do have better hooks so I usually start with a new spinnerbait and add or subtract components as needed. I may want to throw a single Colorado blade one day then go to a double willow spin the next and they all have their place depending on what the bass want that day. Depth and cover can determine the blades and trailers you might want to throw. When you need your spinnerbait to ride high above the cover you should use a tandem bladed spinnerbait. The two blades increases lift on the retrieve and can help you slow way down to get those sluggish bass to bite. Monofilament line is the choice here because it floats and will help you keep the spinnerbait up in the water column. If the day calls for a deep presentation then a single blade spinnerbait is the best choice as well as fluorocarbon line as it will sink and you are not fighting the floating properties of mono.

White is usually the color for fall as it seems to emulate the shad well. Many times I like to dye the tip of my skirt if I think it might generate more bites and that just comes with being on the water and trial and error. White seems to work fine even in muddy water but some anglers like to throw chartreuse or chartreuse and white. You can even use colored blades but I stick with nickel as I am just old fashioned. I have noticed some spinnerbaits with rattles but have yet to experiment with these but plan to the next time I fish for bass in muddy water with a spinnerbait.

 I always use a trailer hook and will suggest one as it will only help with your hook-ups. I do use skirts with a tail that sparsely covers the trailer hook and this is the section I dip into spike it dye with garlic.  I think the red helped but I am convinced that the garlic really did the trick as I would dip the skirt when the bite slowed and start getting bites again. I did not buy this product for the garlic and in fact did not even realize it had scent until I opened the top. I could smell garlic when I made a cast for several casts after dipping the spinnerbait skirt. Garlic scented was printed all over the bottle but I just wanted the color so I really did not notice it. I dip my jig trailers and tips of my worms now for the scent and the bass do like it, that is for sure.

The spinnerbait is a great bass lure with many applications. You can effectively fish the spinnerbait nearly on top all the way down to 25 or 30 feet. There are many styles of the spinnerbait and each one has its own application. This article will explore several styles of the spinnerbait and explain the applications of each one.

• COLORADO BLADE spinnerbaits put off much more vibration and are great baits for muddy water as well as cold water. The added vibration the colorado blade provides gives the bass something to key on making it easier for it to locate the spinnerbait. The design allows the blade to displace more water which creates more vibration but it also allows the angler to slow their retrieve way down for those lethargic cold water bass.

• WILLOW LEAF BLADE spinnerbaits are great for clear to stained water. This type blade is a little more subtle in the vibration it puts off and will spook bass less when the bass don't need so much commotion to locate their prey. The willow leaf spinnerbait can also be fish a little faster than other types and will glide over heavy cover with less hang-ups than other types of spinnerbaits due to its more stream line design.

  INDIANA BLADE spinnerbaits are in between the colorado and willow. The indiana blade creates ample vibration to attract bass and enough flash to get their attention. Indiana bladed spinnerbaits are great in dingy to muddy water but when the bass are more active.

• SINGLE BLADE spinnerbaits are great for versatility and are great for a variety of retrieves. They can be Yo-Yo'ed in deep water or allowed to flutter into heavy cover. The biggest draw back to the single blade spinnerbait is its tendency to roll when retrieved too fast or is the wire shaft is bent to one side or the other.

• TANDEM BLADE spinnerbaits provide more flash as well as more lift. This lift is important when the bass are active and cruising the shallows because with a fast retrieve the tandem bladed spinnerbait stays up near the surface and the second blade helps the spinnerbait run true at high speeds. The tandem is great for waking the spinnerbait where the retrieve is such that the bait is just under the surface and the turbulence pushes water to the surface causing a wake or disturbance on the water's surface. The tandem spinnerbait is not the best choice for very slow presentations.

• COLORED BLADES have been around a long time but have recently made a comeback in popularity as more anglers learn the importance of color and water clarity The most common finish on a spinnerbait blade is copper, gold or nickle or silver. Spinnerbait blades can have a smooth finish or a hammered finish. The hammered finish tends to emit flashes into several different directions resembling a school of baitfish. Painted spinnerbait blades have their place and offer the angler many choices. Match or mis-match the colored blades with the skirt of your spinnerbait which is described below.

• SKIRTS are made of several different materials. Silicone skirts are the most common but marabou and many different types of hair can also be used. Matching color with water clarity and available food sources in your body of water is no different with a spinnerbait as it is with other types of baits. Muddy water calls for chartreuse or other bright colored skirts. When fishing clear water you want to go with a more natural colors and more translucent materials so that the color does not alarm the bass when he can see it well.

Spinnerbaits have stood the test of time. Like other baits the spinnerbaits takes some getting used to and building up the confidence to use the spinnerbait is crucial and may require many days of fish-less casts to build that confidence you need but once you have it the spinnerbait will probably be tied to at least one of your rods on deck.

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