Could someone please post a picture of a #4 Mepps that you've been using to catch sandbass and hybrids?

FishUSA has them.

Shown below is the #4 MAL built by Mepps specifically for white bass and hybrid striper fishing. We left the Mepps logo by the fish's tail on the blade so folks would know it was the real thing!

It comes in 5/8 oz. and 7/8 oz. making it substantially heavier than a standard Aglia-type spinner. This extra weight helps you cast further, and helps the lure sink quicker than a standard inline spinner, which is helpful, especially if you are new to all of this and/or are fishing in water over 20' or so.

When I approached Mepps about building these, I had already tested many versions, and the Mepps quality components ensured the blade starts spinning as soon as the retrieve begins. This is critical.

The 5/8 oz. is particularly well-suited to casting to topwater fish.

The 7/8 oz. version is intended for use with a horizontal "sawtooth retrieve" and for vertical work. Both weights come in either chartreuse (shown), or white.

This is the lure which Lincoln Bookout and his family have won the most recent white bass tournaments on while fishing East Texas waters. Also shown below are the newest versions (in 7/8 oz. only) with white or chartreuse blades.

Remember, no matter what lure you use, you won't catch fish until you locate fish.

You can find all of the MAL Lures here: MAL Lures

I make my own. They are weighted heavier. Probably about 1/2 ounce in total weight. Cost me about $2-3 to make as opposed to the $5-$8 you will spend on the Mepps brand. The Mepps brand do start spinning quicker on the very first crank on each cast. But a quick little twitch and you’re fine. The rest of the retrieve, the quickness of spin is about the same. I also like the fact that I make my own, adds another level of skill/fun to the hobby.

Already got hit up about what the horizontal "sawtooth retrieve" is. Here is an excerpt from my most recent (July 4th, 2021) column about that retrieve:

The tactic goes like this. First, make a long cast and, once the lure hits the water, leave the bail open (on a spinning reel) or leave the reel in free-spool (on a baitcaster). This lets the lure sink straight to bottom quickly instead of swinging like a pendulum back toward the boat, and doing so more slowly, as it would if the bail were closed or if the free-spool was disengaged.

Once the lure contacts bottom, immediately take up any slack but without moving the lure. Next, crank the handle once or twice hard and fast to essentially jerk the lure up off the lake’s bottom, but do so without moving the rod tip.

If the rod tip is used, it will be out of position should a fish hit at that time.

Without pausing, continue reeling five or six times more slowly after those initial, hard, fast one or two cranks. You will normally want to do a total of seven to nine complete handle-turns.

Most of the strikes from gamefish will come as the lure rises off bottom during this retrieve.

Once you complete those seven to nine handle turns, open the bail (or put the reel into free-spool) and let the lure fall back to bottom again. The process then repeats until the lure is directly under the boat, at which time you reel it back in and cast again. The rise-fall-rise-fall pattern resembles a sawtooth pattern, hence the name.

A few tricks of the trade worth mentioning here. First, do not fail to work the lure all the way back to the boat. Each time you retrieve, you stand a chance of having fish follow your lure but not strike at it.

These fish will break off their chase right below the boat. As you cast more and more times, you can actually cause fish to accumulate under the boat, and oftentimes, when several are lingering there, one or more will become aggressive and want to out-compete the others, thus the fish is goaded into striking one of your subsequent retrieves, so long as you work the lure all the way back to the boat where these fish have accumulated.

Next, ease off on the massive hooksetting you may be accustomed to doing while using soft plastic lures for largemouth bass. I use 20-pound braided line for this tactic, which is a zero-stretch product. This technique is a zero-slack technique; hence, you are always in direct contact with the bait.

Given both of these factors, you will likely feel a fish cause a change of cadence to your lure before it actually takes the lure in its mouth. This is due to the pressure wave a fish pushes ahead of itself as it propels itself through the water. If you set the hook when you first feel something, you will likely miss the fish, or have the fish get only lightly lip-hooked, only to escape after a short fight.

Further, a hard, sweeping hookset will pull your lure away from other fish following behind the fish which initially struck your lure. This will eliminate the likelihood of a second or third strike from those schoolmates.

Finally, when you get a hit and do not set the hook, but also do not hook the fish, be sure to keep right on reeling and anticipate a second or third strike from following schoolmates.

I choose bright braided line for this tactic as this makes it easier for me to see when my lure has settled back to bottom after I open my bail following one of these seven-handle-turn series. I use Sufix 832 in the neon lime color.

This week I chose the MAL Heavy Lure in white for all of my “sawtooth work,” but using bladebaits, spoons or even slabs can also be effective. All of these are compact, dense, metallic lures which sink quickly and provide positive feel on the retrieve.

One final advanced skill to mention. To ensure thorough coverage of the bottom, I will intentionally work the lure from left to right or right to left on a given side of the boat. Once the lure lands, I will note some object on the shoreline in line with me and the point where the lure landed — perhaps a particular tree or a hilltop. If I catch a fish on that cast, I can use that visual reference point to cast to that same area again until it no longer produces.

Once that area no longer produces, I will then continue work to the left or right, each time noting landmarks in this manner.


Note that I use a small diameter spinning reel with a low 5.2:1 gear ratio. This keeps clients from reeling too fast by mechanically limiting them a bit. If you use a larger diameter spool and/or a higher gear ratio, you'll need to "watch your speed". Experimenting with retrieve speed with multiple anglers in the boat is fun and productive.

That’s really cool. Do you have instructions and part guide? I think I’d like to give that a shot, for fun as much as anything.

Gordoeagle: Here is a post I initially made in 2010 and repost from time to time. Also, I have two tutorial videos - one for a using a #4 and one for using a #2. A link to the #2 video is in my signature block.

5/4/2010 (When I wrote this, the Aglia Longcast and MAL Aglia did not exist, so the instructions bellow regarding the #4 are for the regular #4 Aglia. For how to work the MAL, refer to Bob Maindelle's posts.)

After casting, let the spinner free-fall to the bottom. Then point the rod toward the line and take up the slack. Then raise the rod slightly and hold steady while cranking the reel at the same time. Crank from 3 to 6 turns for 5 to 1 gear ratio or higher. Keeping rod as still as you can helps you feel the bite. Making sure all the slack is out of the line and raising the rod as you start cranking gets the blade spinning immediately. However, with a #4 Mepps, keeping the rod generally pointed toward the line will get you more strikes. Using a #2 or #3, moving the rod up or sideways suddenly to give the bait a jump start seems to work best. Most bites occur immediately after you start reeling. If you don't get a bite after cranking the reel 6 turns, stop, release the line, and let the spinner free-fall back to the bottom, then take up the slack and crank it 3 to 6 turns again, repeating this all the way back to the boat. They strike it coming up from the bottom, so don't guess - make sure it gets back to the bottom. The bite can be sharp but is usually soft or you feel something pecking at the bait or a gentle tug. When you feel this raise the rod to set the hook. Try different speeds until you find what they want. The slowest speed to try is cranking barely fast enough to make the blade turn. (If the blade is spinning, you can feel the tension in the line. You definitely notice the lack of tension if the blade does not spin. The larger the spinner the greater the tension.) If that speed is a 1 and burning it up is a 10, I usually crank it about a 3. Use that as starting point and vary up/down if needed. Try both holding the rod in front of you and reeling more vertically, and try holding the rod to the side down toward the water and dragging the spinner more horizontally. When the bite is so lite it's hard to feel it, it helps to keep the rod pointed directly at the line. When doing this, to help the blade start immediately I'll extend my arms full length toward the line before starting to reel. Then ensure all slack is taken up and pull the butt of rod back to my stomach as I start reeling - keeping the rod pointed toward the line. Novices sometimes don't reel fast enough to make the blade spin. I have to tell them to point the rod at the line and when the bait is on the bottom and slack out of the line, reel it up fast about 10 turns. They'll catch some, and after a while, they develop a feel for how fast to crank.

I usually use a #4 unless I know the pattern is smaller (#2) like it is in August and September. #4 is easier to fish because you don't need a weight added to the line, and you can feel the blade spinning easier. But in those months they won't touch a #4 but eat up a #2. When using a 2 or 3 I use a mash-on 3/16 oz lead weight up the line about 15 to 16 inches. This makes it heavy enough to cast with a casting reel and gets the bait to the bottom faster. Putting the weight that far away from lure helps prevent lure flipping back and catching the line - fouling up the retrieve. I use Berkley Vanish 100% fluorocarbon 10 lb line, a Shimano Curado 5:1, 6:1 or 7:1 reel and medium action 5'6" to 6 ft rod. I've tried longer and stiffer rods, but for me I get the best feel with this one.

All this may sound very complicated, but you quickly get the feel of it if you are on fish and catching some. I taught my grandsons, my Mom, and my sisters, as well as guests I take out. Of course, none of this works if you are not over a concentration of fish down on the bottom.

The Mepps to get is the Aglia, plain, silver. Retail stores like Walmart or Academy usually have only "dressed" Mepps if they have them at all. They will work just as well as plain if you cut off the bucktail. I order mine online or use the catalog from BassPro or Cabelas.

My bad, sorry for the confusion. I’ve been fishing with Mepps for several,years. I was trying to respond to Windbreakers note about making his own.

I will get you a part list. I can also make a short video and show you how I build them.

I’m not trying to take away from these two Legends above: Dennis C and Bob M. I have learned a lot from them here on the forum. I started using the Mepps method in 2013 because of DC’s posts. I have not gone back to slabs or anything else for white bass. I actually use the same retrieval method when I throw 5” swim baits for hybrid and it works great. Rarely do I get outfished by other boats unless they have live bait. I appreciate both of these guys very much and the info they share.

I just love being able to make my own and then go catch fish with them. Thanks guys!

Thank you sir. I echo your sentiment about Dennis. Although I have never met him, I feel he has been a huge fishing mentor to me since I got a house on Cedar Creek 3 years ago. Without his generous sharing of knowledge I’m sure I’d be mindlessly chunking a slab like so many others.

Hey windbreaker I would be very interested in a parts list and some tips on how to build some spinners. I think it would be fun.

Plus one with reference to swim bait retrieval . Anyone ever used the Mepps technique in PK ?

you can buy those lures here for half price
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/33007677888.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.550875d7oeIlEc&algo_pvid=90aa959c-9ede-4e2e-a41e-ea5c4c58f615&algo_exp_id=90aa959c-9ede-4e2e-a41e-ea5c4c58f615-0&pdp_ext_f=%7B%22sku_id%22%3A%2210000004009700626%22%7D

The above post is sketchy. I'd avoid it. The website doesn't even list fishing gear.