One of the most effective and versatile of all bass lures is the spinnerbait. Time and again, it has been proven that this one lure is possibly the best all-season, all-structure bait an angler can tie to the end of her Stren. It is almost like a family of lures unto itself, in that it can be fished fast, slow, deep, shallow and all locations in-between.

While the spinnerbait is actually a jig with a wire extension arm, it can be fished any number of ways. For example, it can be fished slowly along the bottom, similar to a worm. Or, it can be worked on the bottom with a ‘pull-and-drop‘ technique, like the jig it is. It makes an excellent crank plug, too, with fully controllable depth and speed selections. The spinner bait can even be used as a darn good top-water lure. Endless variety, however, can have its disadvantages, for the angler often has trouble selecting the proper blade lure to suit the given conditions of her fishing day and location. This is quite understandable, since the spinner bait comes in many sizes, colors, and spinner blade shapes and are manufactured in a large number of configurations. Selecting the lure often becomes more of a task than actually catching the fish. What the angler, particularly the new-comer, needs is a ‘handy-dandy’ guide to selecting and using the spinnerbait.

So, with your permission, we will attempt to provide that guide to bassin’ with ‘scrap-iron’. First, we think it is important to make the point that, no matter how much we may praise the spinner bait, it does not in any way qualify as a ‘magic lure’. There has never been and never will be one of those. A fishing lure is an inanimate object made of plastic, metal, wood or combinations thereof and can do absolutely nothing on its own. No matter how appealing the lure may seem, the angler at the other end of the line is what makes it successful.

Let’s be philosophical for just one more short paragraph. A fishing lure can be considered as simply a ‘tool’ with which to do a job. Like normal tools, each lure has one or more specific applications. Those applications invariably have to do with the depth and speed at which the lure can be properly fished, and the type cover or structure it is adaptable to. All those long-winded words are meant to say that, in order for the spinnerbait to provide its maximum potential for catching bass, the angler must choose the specific variation very deliberately and then fish it properly. Just as a pair of pliers is not too well suited for driving nails, a tandem-bladed spinnerbait is not the choice for deep fishing!

There are really only three styles of spinnerbaits of any consequence: a single-bladed, safety-pin type lure; the tandem-bladed, safety-pin version; and, the in-line type, such as the Mepps and Snagless Sally. (Please note that we are not covering propeller-bladed buzzbaits in this piece. They are not actually spinnerbaits, but special-purpose lures).

Within this range of three styles, we also have to qualify the lures by size: usually one-quarter ounce and smaller; and, those three-eights ounce and larger. At the expense of becoming an outcast within the fishing tackle industry, I must also tell you that ‘gadgets’ on spinner baits are generally more effective on fishermen than fish. Rattles, clackers, folding arms and flashing lights do not appear to improve the lure. To support this, I submit to you that I have put a lot of lures in front of bass in tanks and other captive holding areas to test their reactions. Without exception, the standard lure was always more readily taken, especially by the larger bass. And, we found that a narrow, willow-leaf blade was the most successful of all spinner blade styles.

While a Colorado blade will give off a very discernible and rhythmic ‘thump-thump-thump’ as it rotates through the water, the willow-leaf has a fairly constant, non-threatening ‘whirling’ sound. It is somewhat like an insect buzzing. The louder the lure, particularly those with added noise-making devices, the more the bass avoided them.

Possibly the one new spinnerbait feature of real consequence to come along in the past few years is the adjustable blade marketed by the Mepps people. This ingenious little device is a two-part blade joined by a swivel pin. It actually allows the angler to adjust the blade in width, thus providing the ability to ‘tailor’ the amount of drag the blade create. This allows a broad range of speed and depth control/variation without changing lures.

Each angler will have to decide for himself, but our ‘Handy-Dandy Guide To Fishing Scrap-iron‘ says that Rule Number One is to stick with simple, basic spinnerbait styles. Another good ‘rule’ is that a $1.50 bait is probably just as good a one that sells for $5.00.

Rule Number Two states that, until the angler becomes very experienced with the spinnerbait, he should restrict her use of it to shallow areas of visible cover. I would expect that 90 percent of the anglers who clip on a spinner bait only do so to toss it at some cover feature they can see. It may be a brush pile, a boat house or a weed bed, but visibility is usually a key element. That is good, in that the shallow applications are easily controlled, whereas deeper work is something that requires the confidence gained through experience and past success. A spinner bait can be extremely effective in 40 feet of water in the dead of Winter, if the angler has the confidence to fish it that way. The only way to acquire that confidence is to catch fish shallow first and gradually expand those horizons to the deeper zones. Nothing catches bass like the lure named ‘confidence’.

Rule Number Three says that single-bladed, safety-pin style spinner baits are for rapid retrieves and/or deep presentations, while tandem-bladed spinner lures are for slow retrieves and the shallow zones. If you have cast a few different types of spinnerbaits, this rule is apparent. The blades of the tandem style create a good bit more drag than their single-configuration cousin and will ride much shallower at a slow retrieve speed. This rule also indicates that a larger blade create more drag than a smaller one and affects the depth and speed we may operate a particular lure.

Rule Number Four tells us that, while the in-line spinnerbait is the least used, it is actually the most effective of all spinnerbait configurations. It is much more weedless, doesn’t fall over on its side when fished slowly along the bottom, and holds its position when running through the water at a fast retrieve. The in-line spinner bait also results in more hooked bass per given number of strikes than its diaper pin relatives. This is easy to recognize, especially if you have ever had bass that were only striking at the spinner blade, rather than the body of the bait. This often happens when the bait-fish fry are very small, but is quickly overcome by switching to a Mepps spinner. The in-line lure is great for deep bottom dragging, too, but the angler will have to add a slip sinker to hold it in contact with that bottom, a fully acceptable an effective practice.

The fifth rule says that, if you have chosen the proper spinnerbait for the types water and cover you are fishing, it should not come off until at least an hour of fishing has past. Changing lures results in more uncaught bass than any other factor. Rule Six says to use a trailer or ‘stinger’ hook anytime the cover allows you to do so.

Rule Seven states that vinyl skirts are better than the rubber variety, especially in durability. Productivity is the same. Rules Eight through Ten say that color matters so little that the angler should disregard it, except for white and chartreuse. The angler can nearly ALWAYS catch a bass on a spinnerbait, if he remembers the rule he applies to all other lures-select the proper one for the job at hand.