By Devin Holbrook
There’s one particular lure that has been a staple when it comes to bass fishing for the last 70+ years. And unlike other baits that go through their trends and come and go, I believe this is the one lure that consistently catches fish that has been in anglers’ tackle boxes since the 50s and potentially even before that, this being the spinnerbait. Spinnerbaits are one of the most versatile baits that you can throw when it comes to bass fishing. They can be thrown in lily pads, stumps, grass, trees, around docks, just about anywhere you can imagine. The wire that the blades are connected to work as a weed guard and help prevent from getting snagged and stuck on cover. The combination of the skirt and the flashy blades are irresistible to bass.
I’ll throw a spinnerbait in just about any weather conditions and have found them to work either way, but they excel during overcast, windy days without a doubt. Just a few weeks ago I competed in a local kayak fishing tournament where I finished in 2nd and I had a spinnerbait locked in my hand from lines in until lines out. I was using a 3/8 ounce white War Eagle spinnerbait with two willow blades one gold and one silver paired with a Rapala Crush City Mayor as a trailer.
I was fishing out of my Bonafide PWR 129, which in my opinion is the best kayak on the market. The amount of ways you can rig this kayak is endless. I have mine rigged with a Newport 180pro and for that tournament I had my throttle set at 1-2% where I would stand up and slowly cruise down the shoreline. I am able to control my steering while standing up by lightly nudging my foot steering with my shins which allows me to stand and fish while covering water at the same time which really increases my efficiency.
During this tournament I would throw the spinnerbait as shallow as possible and run it right next to the stumps and that’s when they’d hit it. I caught my biggest fish just as the sun was peeking over the trees which went 20.75 inches, roughly 4.5 pounds. I proceeded to fill the rest of my limit with some small keepers until I made my way into a back cove. I caught an 18.5 off of a particular stump that I ended up returning to multiple times throughout the day and ended up catching 3 more over 18 inches off the same stump which landed me at 93.50 inches for my best 5 fish landing me in 2nd place!
I like to throw my spinnerbaits on a 7’2 medium heavy rod paired up with a slow gear ratio reel. I use a Shimano Scorpion with a 6.5:1 gear ratio. That slower gear ratio helps keep a lighter spinnerbait under the surface. Typically I’ll throw them on 15lb fluorocarbon, if I use a heavier spinnerbait like a 1/2 ounce or even a 3/4 ounce and I end up fishing around heavier cover I’ll bump it up to 17 or even 20lb.
If you’re looking for a quality bait that will help you locate and catch fish, I would highly recommend picking up a spinnerbait and start chucking and winding.