13 replies to this topic

[Yakker]

My cousin who fishes in a lot of tournaments in Ontario swears that spinnerbaits are the #1 lure for catching smallmouths and pickerel. i have never used them. Do they work well? He suggested chartreuse and white color. Thanks in advance.

[1NSH Dave]

Seriously? Do cows eat grass?

I'm just kidding man, they work awesome here too. However, being that bass around here are generally slightly smaller than most in Ontario, yes we do have some lunkers too though, I find the large spinner baits not so effective. Might just be me though.

But, canadian tire and walmart both sell small ones. They are strike king minis. They work awesome, almost 100% snag proof. I find the black ones work the best.

Get yourself a couple, you'll be pleased.

A couple tips with them:

Tie your line right to it, no swivel, the swivels usually just get everything tangled.

Cast along weeds and logs and rocks, and reel it in as soon as it hits water just fast enough to get it just to the surface but not breaking water. It's a super fun lure due to the explosive strikes you get.

[Greenhill Man]

I have just started trying them and they seem to work pretty good in smaller sizes in dark colors.

[Bassman]

I've found white and green with yellow are also good colorsas well. Both above posts are right on, smaller spinnerbaits catch more fish but I found bigger ones catch big fish but of course there's less of them. My biggest bass to date was caught on a big white spinnerbait, 3.5lbs.

[NSYakfisher]

Ahh my number one lure for smallmouth by far.... I have two baitcast rods rigged year round for them.

Start with a 3/8 oz spinnerbait...just remember if you don't use baitcasters it is difficult to reel things heavy baits back at the prpoer speed for any lenght of time... also cast anywhere.... to shore and in open water over deep water....anywhere/

Take note of the lure in the basses mouth///just a couple of the many I got on spinnerbaits last week.

[fishing fanatic]

Yes they work. They are my "big fish" lure of choice. If you want to get larger fish throw a 1/4 oz spinner bait around for a while preferably using a baitcaster reel. They are also great for covering lots of water in a quick time.

[Yakker]

I'll give it a try...never hurts. Same as when I pulled out that jitterbug lure I've never used. Caught five big bass almost instantly in Kinsac. My cousin fishes mostly largemouth up around Ottawa area but also a lot of smb too. He said when he was down here he used spinnerbaits and caught a lot of big bass. Can't wait to try it!! Cool picture NSyakfisher. Thanks for the responses.

[jsawler]

actually i fish them in 3/4 oz sizes.i admit i'm targeting 16 inch fish and up .but i still end up with lots of 8'' fish!

[MacDon84]

Definitely a big fish bait, not to say you won't have the odd dink smack it. My understanding is that they resemble a school of bait fish.

As mentioned before you can cover a lot of water in a short period of time. I have/use just about every color but I have had the most luck with a white or grey and white (gaspereau) colored bait, especially if you happen to be in a lake when the gaspereau fry hatch.

As a rule of thumb I usually use them on wind blown shores or weed beds, anywhere baitfish would stack up.

[NSYakfisher]

I have smaller and larger ones but 3/8 and 1/2 are by far my favorites... you certainly get a larger sizes average with them then alot of the popular lures out there.... and I also will be found on the windblown shores and points chuckin these.

[Emmett Hamilton]

they work really well! this past week i have been using them as a search bait when fishing in the weeds, i position my boat about 40 to 50 feet from the weed line and throw them in right oo the edge of the weeds and any clear pockets in the weeds. i like to use a grafite rod, 6'6" and med action with an abu garcia black max reel loaded with 10 pound mono for this bait. i also use a soft plastic trailer on it, i found on one smallie trip they wouldnt hit the bait at all, then i found a douple tailled yellow grub in my boat, so i threaded it on the spinner bait, casted it out, and that firat cast with the grub i nailed a 3 pounder, so imo, trailers are a no brainer! but theres alot of diffrient blades for them as well, after a cold front hits the lake, i like to use willow leaf blades (that are the longer type blades, look like willow leafs) because they take a slower speed to get the proper action. if you go to fast with them, you will find that you there will be a some resstance as you fish them. on a clear warm day when the fish are active, i like to go with colorado blades (they are the rounder ones, not sure why there called colorado blades) because they fish a little faster and they put out a lot of vibration. but with spinner baits you always want a follow up bait, this is your choice, you can use a hard bait, such ad a crankbait, jerk bait, top water, or my favorite, a softplastic such as a sinko, tube, or my favorite, a white zoom fluke< about 4 inches in leanth rigged weightless with an ewg (extra wide gap) worm hook.

hope this info helps you catch the lunker! and sorry for any spelling mistakes and typos lol

[adam lancia]

Are there any local spinnerbait makers? I'd love to support a local Canadian tackle maker. Thanks!

[gould]

Once you get into the groove of fishing spinner baits start to experiment with the blades on them. A slight change in blade size can greatly change the action of the bait. I have found its not the overall size of the bait but the size of the blades that makes the difference between a little fish lure and a big fish lure. In my opinion the size of the skirt does not make a difference but the size of the blades makes a big difference. To target small fish a small bait does work better.

 

Most standard blades on a spinner bait are Willow style. They flash quicker with a "flutter" and "Vibration". Colorado blades (Tear drop Shaped) offer more of a wobble or side to side swash and have a distinct "Thump". Both can be felt when using quality braid no stretch line. I have found that in colder water a Colorado blade works great as they are a slower presentation where as the willow blade is a faster presentation and works better in warm water. I found that bass liked this in the different seasons. Colorado blades to have more drag and don't run as deep as a willow blade. On a faster retrieve the Colorado blade will rise much quicker then a willow blade. To "bulk up" a spinner bait attach a curly tail grub to the hook. It adds a little more beef and action. Scented baits are good bets to.

 

I like Colorado blades for targeting big pike all season. For some reason the thumping of the Colorado blade really got them going. From what I have found Chain Pickerel are quite similar to pike in there feeding habits and patterns.

 

Spinner baits are an extremely versatile bait. Virtually snag-less and weed free. I love them for covering a lot of water fast. A trick I liked for targeting bass and pike in the early season when fish are really shallow was to pitch the bait onto shore and slowly drag it into the water. You have to instantly get the bait moving keeping a very smooth transition from land to water. Keep the bait high in the water column just below the surface so the blades are creating a wake. It is simulating a frog/insect/mouse or other terrestrial critter venturing out to the water that larger fish cant seem to resist taking a swat at.

 

Another favorite tactic was to use a spinner bait as a Flipping/Pitching bait. Gently toss it into a hole in a lily patch, weed line or dock edge and let it slowly, under controlled slack fall to the bottom in a vertical path. The blades will flutter and the skirt will jiggle. Fish will hit it on the fall. Be ready as strikes can be light or heavy. If/when the bait hits bottom let it sit for a few moments. If there are fish there they may be intrigued but not into biting and inspecting the lure. With a quick twitch of the rod tip and instantly start reeling it will bounce the bait just off bottom and start moving. This can create a reaction strike from the fish.

 

Ive fished spinner baits for years. They were a favorite when I was fishing tournaments and needed to cover allot of water fast and effectively. Ive caught both Small and Large mouth Bass, Walleye, Pike, Musky, Yellow perch, Crappie, Rock bass, Pumpkinseed, Blue Gill and even a few Incidental Lake trout while on an early spring pike trip up in the Halliburton's. They are an amazing bait. Be cautious about buying "Cheap" baits. They may not track smooth and tend to want to spin and tangle line around the blades. As well the skirts tend to be not very durable and after a few fish they can get destroyed. Spare skirts can be purchased quite inexpensively and can add life to a lure as well as customizing a favorite.

[Shimanoman]

There is another blade shape which is a blending of both the willow leaf (slim) and the Colorado (round) blade it is called the Indiana (oval).  Sometimes this small variation is just the ticket to turn fish on when they are finicky.

 

Regards.....