SPINNERBAIT TECHNIQUES

So, when should you use a spinnerbait?  OFTEN!  Spinnerbaits are perfect for dark water including muddy waters or nighttime fishing as well as windy conditions.  They’re also a great fit for covering water quickly and any scenario involving grouped-up bait.   Finally, they’re highly effective for catching bass during the spawn.

 

Spinnerbaits are one of the most versatile types of baits that an angler can use when fishing for bass. There are several different presentations and techniques that one can use when fishing with a spinnerbait, such as:

 

1) Cast 'n Wind: This is probably the most common presentation used by most anglers. Simply cast the bait and reel it back in at a moderate retrieval rate which keeps the bait just under the water surface usually no deeper than 4 to 5 feet deep. This technique works well when an angler wants to cover a lot of water in a short time. It's both simple and very effective at times.

 

2) Slow Rolling: This presentation is used quite often when you want to fish deeper water areas, usually anywhere between 6 and 20 foot depths and sometimes even deeper. With this presentation, you want to try to keep the spinnerbait as close to the bottom as possible and bump or hit any possible structure that may be in the area you are fishing. With this presentation, simply cast your spinnerbait; and when it hits the water you can either let it sink or "countdown" the spinner-bait depending on depth, thereby letting the spinnerbait fall to the depth you want to cover. Then start your retrieve. Maintain a slow steady retrieve keeping the spinnerbait barely moving at all times.

 

3) Waking or Bulging: This presentation can be a little difficult when you first learn it. You simply cast to your targeted area and retrieve or reel the spinnerbait back just fast enough for the blade to create a "bulge" or "wake" just below the surface without actually skimming the top of the surface of the water. This presentation is a good pattern to use around submerged timber, rip-rap, fall-downs, vegetation, edges of drop offs, docks, and just about any type of structure when the bass are active.

 

4) Jig It: The presentation is very simple and the results can be very satisfactory! Jigging the spinnerbait is done simply by pitching the spinnerbait in a targeted area such as patches of open water in vegetation, space holes in structure, next to and in between pilings, in between rocks, etc. Let the spinnerbait drop to the bottom, lift your rod tip up and down two or three times, then let the spinnerbait settle  to the bottom again.

 

5) Drag It:  Simply work the spinner-bait as you would a plastic lizard or worm. Cast the spinnerbait and let it fall to the bottom. Reel or retrieve the slack out of your line, lift your rod tip slowly from about the 9 o’clock position to the 12 o’clock position (or straight up), reel in the slack and repeat this technique all the way back to the boat. Make sure you try to keep tension always on your bait for this technique.

 

6) Yo-Yo or Pump It: This technique can also be very effective at different times, especially in and around vegetation areas.  Simply cast the spinnerbait to the targeted area, using more of a "slow roll" for a retrieve; but while on the retrieve, periodically make a quick lift of your rod tip after 5 or 6 winds on your reel, stop reeling and let the spinner-bait flutter back down towards the bottom until the slack is out of your line. Then repeat this process all the way back to the boat.