Spinners are a common bait used around the world to catch a variety of species. It is a simple lure using a large flap of metal to attract fish. Though it is a simple lure it has some subtlety to it. From the shape of the metal to the larger, equally popular spinner bait, lets look at this great lure and were and how to use it to catch fish.
A spinner is a lure that attracts fish using vibrations to attract Curious or predatory fish. they are made of 3 main parts the hooks, the main body and the blades. The blade will spin around the main body giving the lure its actions.
The blades are the part that spins around the body attracting fish and giving the lure its namesake. The shape of the blades can have an enormous impact on the way you should fish a spinner. They come in many difference styles, shapes, and sizes. However, I will cover the 3 most common shapes and where it would be best to use them.
The Colorado blade are fat and rounded in shape. This gives them the edge in dark clouded water or when doing night fishing as they generate the most vibrations in the water. However due to there bulk they are not ideal for when fishing in cover. Also their large presentation can scare away fish in clearer water where the fish can spot them a mile away.
Willow blades are the opposite of Colorado blades. They are slim and sleek making them ideal in clear water where they mimic small bait fish. Their narrow profile is also ideal in allowing them to pass through cover easier, in case you need to fish grass.
This blade combines aspects of both the willow and the Colorado, and I would call it an all rounder blade. Ideal in any situation though I think it works best in stained water.
Spinners are quite simple to use but have some subtlety to get the most out of it. Most anglers will go for a long cast and quickly reel the lure back in. This can be highly effective as spinners are great at looking like quick swimming bait fish. It is important to note that you want to give the lure a quick twitch in the begging so that you can kick start the blades.
However sometimes it is better to change the way we fish a spinner by slowing down or jerking the lure. This can make your lure look like a wounded fish triggering more strikes.
I also like to do bottom fishing with spinner. To do this I cast out and allow it to sink to the bottom before giving it small twitches upwards. I also enjoy jigging with spinners though this is much better if you use a heavier spinner that sinks well and you use it in deeper water. To jig a spinner, cast as normal and allow to sink to your preferred depth then make a large upward jerking motion before letting the lure sink back down again. I find this every effective if you know where the fish are, and you do not want your lure to escape their strike zone and imitates a dying fish perfectly.
Spinnerbaits differ from spinners by being wire bent ate a 90-degree angle with one arm having a lead or other heavy metal body were as the other arm has the blades that give it its name.
This construction gives the spinnerbait a few advantages over smaller spinners. Firstly the body allows you to attach a silicone skirt and/or a soft plastic making the lure larger and helping you catch bigger fish. The spinnerbait is also more weedless as they use a single hook over the trebles most normal spinners use and the V shaped wire helps prevents this hook catching up on cover. Another advantage is because spinnerbaits use 1 large hook when you strike all the pressure is applied to that hook increasing your chance to catch a fish.
I will retrieve a spinnerbait pretty similar to how I retrieve a normal spinner except a few differences. Firstly, I am more aggressive with the lure because I am less likely to get hang up on cover.
Another way I enjoy fishing a spinnerbait is a technique called waking a spinnerbait. I will cast it out and then I will reel the bait in just fast enough that I can see it making ripples just under the water. I do not want the blades to break the water as this can spook the fish.
Often when you fish with a spinnerbait you will see or feel a fish strike your lure and wonder why you did not hook up. This is called a short strike and it is when a fish misses your spinnerbait. We can remedy this by adding a trailer hook.
A trailer hook is a hook that is designed to be added to the end of your spinnerbait. This increases the chance you will hook up a fish when using your lure. Though trailer hooks are popular I find that you are more likely to be snagged when using them. You can help reduce short strikes in other ways such as fishing slower or changing the color of your spinnerbaits (usually changing the color of the blades).
