Prespawn Bass Fishing Techniques – Spinnerbaits

Prespawn Bass Fishing Techniques – Spinnerbaits

While a crankbait is a great choice for transient prespawn bass, it’s not the best option in every circumstance. Another lure that just about never leaves my deck this time of year, especially if I’m around big fish in stained to dirty water, is a spinnerbait. We tend to have a lot of rain early in the season and the water gets color quickly, so this is one I can’t live without. It’s been cold, but now water and air temperatures are creeping up. The days are longer, with more daylight. Those fish want to be headed toward their spawning […]

The Ultimate Spinnerbait Series – Retrieves and Tackle

The Ultimate Spinnerbait Series – Retrieves and Tackle

In the first part of my Ultimate Spinnerbait Series, I outlined when and where I use different kinds of spinnerbaits. It’s one of the greatest categories of lures ever made, but if you don’t dial in the proper retrieve, having the right blade style, color and other components really doesn’t matter. The good news: with three basic retrieves, you can maximize your effectiveness. I tailor them to the different zones of the water column – top, middle and bottom – and by thinking of it that way, you can really improve your game. For the top of the water column, […]

The Braid Trick for Spinnerbaits

The Braid Trick for Spinnerbaits

I know we don’t think much about spinnerbaits at this time of the year, but they do sometimes work when there’s a long warming spell and the bass become more active. And, it won’t be long before spring comes along in much of our country so it won’t be long before a spinnerbait is one of our go-to lures. As good as they are, spinnerbaits have a problem. When you tie monofilament or fluorocarbon line to an open loop in front of the bait the line sometimes slips down the wire and fouls everything up. Your bait runs crooked, on […]

So You Want a Giant This Fall

So You Want a Giant This Fall

Fall is a great time to go bass fishing. The weather is cool but it’s still comfortable, there are fewer recreational boats around and the bass are feeding like crazy. It’s also a great time to catch a giant, maybe the biggest one of your life. If you want to catch one like that, though, you have to use the right lure. Here are my three very best fall baits for giant bass. But here’s the thing — one of them isn’t necessarily any better than the other. It’s about which one will best match the hatch. The first one […]

The Molix Lover Double Willow Spinnerbait

The Molix Lover Double Willow Spinnerbait

Finally! Someone has made a high-quality titanium spinnerbait, and we all know what that means — lots of vicious strikes and a bait that’ll last forever. Here’s the thing: Titanium is a super non-corrosive metal with a natural silver finish, a low density and incredible strength. Basically this means that the wire on our new spinnerbait is thinner and stronger than other metal wires. That gives it increased vibration and makes it darn near indestructible. The vibration thing is really important because it’s not just the flash of the blades that attract bass to a spinnerbait. It’s the flash coupled […]

Fall & Early Winter Bait Choices, Part 3: Spinnerbaits

Fall & Early Winter Bait Choices, Part 3: Spinnerbaits

The thing about spinnerbaits is that they are versatile. I know that you’ve heard and read things that say they’ve been replaced by other lures. Nothing could be farther from the truth. They’ve caught bass for decades and they’ll be catching them for decades into the future. One of the best things about a spinnerbait is that it can be fished on the fall or horizontal. I’m partial to the horizontal presentation and it works best in the fall and early winter, so I’ll talk about it. Lots of times you’ll see baitfish on top in the early morning before […]