Spinnerbaits Are The Anywhere, Anytime Bait

It’s been said you can fish a spinnerbait just about everywhere and under any conditions. I believe that to be fact. The following are seven proven patterns for spinnerbaits.

1) Grass: My favorite area to fish spinnerbaits is in standing weeds along main and secondary channels. Some of these weed lines are very shallow and extend out into 10 to 14 feet of water or more. In the spring, shad use grass lines on flats near channel drops to spawn. Focus on these areas early and late in the day as well as on cloudy days. As the sun comes up, concentrate on the outside deeper edges where there’s shade. Weave a spinnerbait through the vegetation. When wind is blowing into the weeds, bass stage on the outside edges of weed lines. In this situation, start there no matter the time of day or the amount of cloud cover. I start with a yo-yo retrieve, working the entire water column. Most strikes come on the fall. One of my favorite spinnerbaits for grass lines is the Assassinator Clacker Spinnerbait. This unique spinnerbait is designed so the blades bang together causing noise and erratic action.

2) Laydown Timber: Fallen timber can be the only cover a bass has to ambush prey from. Some limbs will be visible while much of the timber may not. Sometimes treetops will be over water as deep as 60 feet or as shallow as 4
feet. Never pass up fallen timber in the backs of coves and pockets or timber that is wedged in and around docks. Make repeated casts to the shaded portion of the timber, and try to stay as parallel to it as possible. Work timber completely, and pick it apart starting at the outside edges first. Try letting your spinnerbait “helicopter” or free fall down in areas where limbs meet the trunk.

3) Stump Fields: A good pair of polarized sunglasses is a must for fishing stumps. On visible stumps, cast to the shaded side well beyond the stump. By casting past the stump you are less likely to spook fish, and you can work the side and back of the stump at the same time. In some cases you’ll need to crash the spinnerbait into the stump. Many stumps are 2 to 5 feet across in 4 to 25 feet of water, and some have extensive roots still attached. Areas like these will produce fish throughout the year.

4) Bluffs: One of first mistakes many anglers make is staying too far off the bluff wall with their boats. To fish these areas correctly, you have to fish parallel and so close that you can reach out and touch the bluff with your hands. By doing this, you keep your bait in the strike zone through the retrieve. Work the ledges of these bluffs by slow-rolling the spinnerbait. Stay in contact with the rock and wood as much as possible. Watch for changes in the bluff wall such as indentations and rockslides. Rockslides are almost always an indication of shallower water that will hold baitfish and crayfish.

5) Rip-Rap: Much like fishing a bluff, you should make casts parallel to the structure. Rip-rap holds baitfish, crayfish and cover for bass. Look for areas a little different from everything else around it. Pay special attention to small points that extend out even slightly, logs wedged close to the bank and weed lines. These areas hold the most fish. If the section of rip-rap you are fishing has a culvert or bridge, be sure to work all four corners and the supports of the bridge. If current is present, the four corners of rip-rap under a bridge tend to be more productive.

6) Points: Points offer bass a change in depth, which holds them year-round. Points that drop off suddenly tend to be the most productive. Position the boat over the deeper water but close enough to reach the shallow portion of the point with a long cast. To effectively fish these areas, make repeated casts going a little deeper each time. Work the area thoroughly. Then move your boat to work both sides and the center of the point. If you are night fishing, try slow-rolling a 3⁄4-ounce black/red spinnerbait with a No. 6 or 7 single Colorado blade. Points, especially if they have a brush or stumps, can be good year-round.

7) Boat Docks: Docks offer bass shade, cover and food. This may seem evil, but watch for crappie fishermen on docks. Docks that hold crappie also hold bass. Slowly work a spinnerbait parallel against outside edges of the dock, letting it drop and then picking it back up and varying the speed. Always work inside the covered area of docks as much as possible.

Equipment & Rigging: For almost all spinnerbait applications, I use 12-pound test Vicious Ultimate co-poly spooled on a 5.4-1 or 6.4-1 Lew’s reel mounted on a 6-foot, 9-inch to 7-foot, 3-inch medium-heavy Duckett rod. I will use 30- or 50-pound Vicious braid when the grass gets thick in summer.