Spinnerbaiting Conditions

If there were a tournament where you could only fish with one lure, what would you choose?  It’s a no brainier, I would choose a spinnerbait.  Spinnerbaits are the most versatile lures on the market.  There is a lot more to spinnerbaiting than a simple chuck-and-wind retrieve.  Think outside the box and stray away from the normal retrieve when conditions change.

            The best possible conditions for spinnerbaiting is an overcast day when there is a little chop on the water.  Clouds and wind break up light in the water making bass easier to trick.  Under these conditions a spinnerbait can be burned in shallow water over cover.  Locate a windy bank and hold on.  This technique works in spring, summer, and fall.  I use a white/chartreuse, 3/8 oz double willow blade to entice aggressive bass.  I rig it on a 7 ft medium heavy casting rod lined with 12 lb test Gamma Copolymer to get the job done.  It’s also important to get a bait-casting reel that has a high retrieve ratio.  No less than 6.3:1.

            Mother nature doesn’t always cooperate and conditions always change so it’s important to have a couple tricks up your sleeve.  When a front comes through and pushes the bass deep try slow rolling a 1/2 to 1 oz Colorado blade spinnerbait.  The heavy weight helps the bait reach deeper depths faster.  The Colorado blade thumps and creates a ton of vibration making it impossible for bass to ignore.  The ideal location for slow rolling heavy spinnerbaits is along defined ledges.  I look for intense drop-offs that go from 5-10 ft to 15-30 ft.  Once I’ve located a ledge then I search for logs, rocks, or vegetation that hold fish.  I want to try and bump the cover I’m fishing and try to get a reaction strike.  If you catch one bass more than likely there is a school of them in deep water. 

            Another tactic to catch ornery post spawn bass is to scale down.  Scale down to a 1/8 to 1/4 oz spinnerbait and lighter line.  The reason I scale down this time of year is because the shade are smaller.  There is a lot more smaller shade than larger shade this time of year.  Bass will target smaller shade because they're more numerous.  Don’t use small spinnerbaits late in fall or early in the spring.  The shade are biggest during these times of the year.  Also, make sure you spool up with 8-10 lb Gamma Copolymer.  Light line will give your spinnerbait more action and make your presentation look natural. 

            If I had to choose one lure to use during a tournament I would tie on a spinnerbait, without hesitating.  The spinnerbait is by far the most versatile bass fishing lure on the market.  Kevin VanDam proved this again on day 3 of the 2006 Bassmaster Classic when he landed 20 keepers in 60 mph wind and rain!!!  My advice to you is, “get creative”.  There is no limit to how a spinnerbait can be fished.