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Spinner Bait Confidence
#11678771
06/20/16 10:19 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,991
Donald Harper
OP
TFF Guru
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,991 |
Having trouble getting bit on your spinner baits? There are some techniques that will turn this around in a hurry. The key is to fish different blades and skirts than everyone else is using. As I stayed with the old school baits and watch the trend move into a different direction my bite kept getting better. Spinners still produce bass after bass for those who know when, where and how to fish them. We just have to adapt to these subtle changes that have changed the spinner bait bite over the years.
There's no doubt that bass are a lot smarter today than they were just a decade ago. It takes more to convince them that the lure is alive, and slinging the same chartreuse/white tandem Colorado/willow leaf spinner bait where you slung it with great success a few years ago won't even earn you a sniff today. It is also no secret that big Bass bite big baits; but you will suffer the number of bites. This doesn't mean I am going to stop fishing the larger profile spinners for I have caught my share of big fish and they are old school baits which is plenty different from today's big baits.
Some Tips: - Simply down size by removing the smaller blade. This changes the sound and vibration. It becomes a very realistic bait fish. - Bass have become accustom to the beautiful Silicone skirts. Change over to Living Rubber. It has a completely different appeal as it pulsates and ripples through the water. Just cutting the full-length skirt down to just behind the hook will produce more bites and become obvious. - With the skirt cut back the experimenting becomes crustal with the trailers. It is not likely that you will find these but my choice is the Stanley Pro Trailer. - I rarely cast a spinner bait out and reel it straight back. I am constantly making subtle changes in each retrieves to make the lures do different things. Some of these are Stop-N-Go for just one second and resume. Use your rod to steer the bait into and around cover. Strike the cove and kill the bait. Keep the spinner bait in sight 98% on every cast. Let the bait flutter down beside the deeper cover. - High water over the years has killed out the grass; so some changes are needed. Hit your target. Put that spinner bait in the right spots. No grass means they are using what they have and are not roaming for us to fan fish like it use to be. Bump the stump so to speak, let it die, speed it up, stop and go, burn it through a bush, kill it in the bush; using every trick in the book.
It's common knowledge that big baits catch big bass, but not as many bites. Struggling anglers who no longer have a spinner bait tied on need to get some bites to get their spinner bait confidence back up. The best way to do that is to fish a smaller bait. Step it down to a 1/4 oz. and still make the changes. You can step it back up when the cover is heaver with grass.
All these spinner bait tips are offered to help you improve your spinner bait bite, but you want improve if you don't use them. It's easy to go back into the same old rut with the plastics, and that's going to keep you wondering about what happened to the spinner bait bite.
Each person you work with holds some promise to your future success. Websiite Sponsors: www.eletewater.com - Staying Hydrated www.lakeoviachic.com - Booking Mexico Trips 20 Hot Spot Mapping - GPS Contour Chips - Custom Spinner Baits - Jigs -Spooks Pure Extracts - Minnow-Night Crawler-Crayfish-Craylic
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Donald Harper]
#11678861
06/20/16 11:07 PM
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Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,881
jippedgenes
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Aug 2011
Posts: 1,881 |
Good read, thanks. I have never given up on them but do not fish them as often as I probably should. Had fair luck ditching the skirt all together and putting on a boot tail swim bait.
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Donald Harper]
#11678904
06/20/16 11:24 PM
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Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12,313
Dan21XRS
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 12,313 |
Where is Jason Christie getting the old style flat rubber skirts? Wish I could get ahold of some... Dan
"The problem with having a sense of humor is often that people you use it on aren't in a very good mood"... Lou Holtz
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Donald Harper]
#11679040
06/21/16 12:37 AM
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Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,517
meP2too
TFF Team Angler
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TFF Team Angler
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 3,517 |
And I have bags of Stanley pro trailers, its the small accessories that I'm running out of.
In my experience the Stanley pro trailers work well in pre-spawn. other times of the year I do not see an increase in bites.
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Dan21XRS]
#11679043
06/21/16 12:37 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,991
Donald Harper
OP
TFF Guru
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OP
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,991 |
Last edited by Donald Harper; 06/21/16 12:43 AM.
Each person you work with holds some promise to your future success. Websiite Sponsors: www.eletewater.com - Staying Hydrated www.lakeoviachic.com - Booking Mexico Trips 20 Hot Spot Mapping - GPS Contour Chips - Custom Spinner Baits - Jigs -Spooks Pure Extracts - Minnow-Night Crawler-Crayfish-Craylic
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Donald Harper]
#11679097
06/21/16 12:58 AM
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Joined: May 2016
Posts: 62
LeoL
Outdoorsman
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Outdoorsman
Joined: May 2016
Posts: 62 |
Great info for us newbies
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Donald Harper]
#11679126
06/21/16 01:10 AM
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Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,251
Douglas J
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 21,251 |
Very good info Mr Harper!
Clunn prob did a lot to sell a lot of spinnerbaits in the near future
#MFGA
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Douglas J]
#11679375
06/21/16 03:13 AM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,991
Donald Harper
OP
TFF Guru
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OP
TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,991 |
Very good info Mr Harper!
Clunn prob did a lot to sell a lot of spinnerbaits in the near future This is the type of things I look for when working Old School baits. This is where Clunn got started with the one he makes and or endorses now. The Trickster spinner baits with the Long Drop blades with Luck-E-Strike
Last edited by Donald Harper; 06/21/16 03:18 AM.
Each person you work with holds some promise to your future success. Websiite Sponsors: www.eletewater.com - Staying Hydrated www.lakeoviachic.com - Booking Mexico Trips 20 Hot Spot Mapping - GPS Contour Chips - Custom Spinner Baits - Jigs -Spooks Pure Extracts - Minnow-Night Crawler-Crayfish-Craylic
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Donald Harper]
#11679481
06/21/16 04:36 AM
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Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 23,492
lconn4
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Dec 2012
Posts: 23,492 |
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Donald Harper]
#11680269
06/21/16 05:24 PM
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Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,991
Donald Harper
OP
TFF Guru
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OP
TFF Guru
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 19,991 |
This is another great little spinner bait that made the history books when Don Butler won on Percy Priest Reservoir in 1972 and repeated in many other bass tournaments with it.
Last edited by Donald Harper; 06/21/16 08:49 PM.
Each person you work with holds some promise to your future success. Websiite Sponsors: www.eletewater.com - Staying Hydrated www.lakeoviachic.com - Booking Mexico Trips 20 Hot Spot Mapping - GPS Contour Chips - Custom Spinner Baits - Jigs -Spooks Pure Extracts - Minnow-Night Crawler-Crayfish-Craylic
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Donald Harper]
#11680276
06/21/16 05:29 PM
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 5,435
Mike_Soriano
TFF Celebrity
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TFF Celebrity
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 5,435 |
Spinnerbaits were 6 dollars a pop even back then? Or was that like the LC of spinnerbaits?
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Donald Harper]
#11680303
06/21/16 05:50 PM
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Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,548
Marooned
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 1,548 |
Excellent post Mr. Harper. I'm one of those guys who has almost forgotten spinner baits, and will throw a chatter bait instead. I've seen several pros using spinner baits on the Major League Fishing show with good success. And Jimmy Houston is still devoted to them and likes to keep the bait near the surface as you suggested. I threw H&H spinner baits back in the 50's and caught a lot of bass. Thinking I need to rebuild some spinner bait confidence. Thanks for the specific tips.
In memory of my childhood friend Dan Sterling, who taught me at an early age how to catch bream with a hand-line, and who unknowingly hooked me on fishing for life.
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Mike_Soriano]
#11680304
06/21/16 05:50 PM
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Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 11,328
Bass&More
TFF Guru
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TFF Guru
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 11,328 |
Spinnerbaits were 6 dollars a pop even back then? Or was that like the LC of spinnerbaits? Most of the good ones were $2.50 and the H&H spinner baits were .39 cents for a single blade and .49 cents for a tandem blade, both available in the willow leaf and Colorado blades with colors, chartreuse, yellow, white and yellow and black. Could be found at the local Gibson's
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Re: Spinner Bait Confidence
[Re: Mike_Soriano]
#11680306
06/21/16 05:51 PM
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,070
kellisag
Extreme Angler
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Extreme Angler
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 2,070 |
Spinnerbaits were 6 dollars a pop even back then? Or was that like the LC of spinnerbaits? That was my first thought as well, read the fine print and it is actually $5.95 for 4 SB's, 4 trailers, 4 trailer hooks and some other misc. garbage.
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