| Spinnerbaits are not just a tool for the spring and | | | | large bass are waiting in ambush for prey to |
| fall. Spinnerbaits can be deadly, if the right ones | | | | come along, and are primes areas to slow-roll |
| are fished in a variety of situations weather it be | | | | spinnerbaits. The spinnerbaits should be slow rolled |
| the East Coast or the West. The trick is to be | | | | over the rocks and such, and extra action |
| able to distinguish which is the right one for the | | | | imparted to the bait is not really necessary. It |
| right situation? Spinnerbaits can fished in so many | | | | should crawl over the bottom, and sometimes I |
| different ways, all of which, produce BIG BASS | | | | give it a little twitch. All you have to do is raise |
| from north to south, east to west. They can be | | | | the rod a slightly, lightly shake it, and then |
| fished through the water column top to bottom. | | | | continue slowrolling it back to the boat."DEEP |
| They are really a versatile bait if you know the | | | | METHODS"When the bass are really deep I |
| little tricks it takes to fish them effectively. They | | | | employ a technique I call deep pulling; its like a |
| can be fished many ways by varying the | | | | yo-yo method but a little different. I let the bait |
| retrieve, weight of the bait, blade size, the trailer | | | | flutter all the way down, and then let it sit, then I |
| and colors. You have a bait here that can work a | | | | pull it hard and way up near the surface and do it |
| water column and catch fish from one to | | | | again. I use real heavy baits with Colorado blades |
| twenty-five feet, and because it is so versatile, | | | | for this, usually in a chartreuse, or a chartreuse |
| you can fish it fast, slow, and in all seasons of the | | | | and white skirt when I fish in places that have |
| year.The first time I discovered this, I was | | | | dying shad in the winter, but anywhere else, I use |
| amazed at how many fish I had must have | | | | black, or black/purple combinations. I always add a |
| missed in my youth, by not knowing how to fish | | | | little Megastrike to the baits."TACKLE"I like to use |
| a spinnerbait here in the Northeast.When it was | | | | a 6 to 6 1/2 foot rod for this but sometimes I |
| October here in Delaware, I went hunting until the | | | | like to use a 7 foot rod, on different occasions. |
| end of Quail season. Soon after 1976, I read my | | | | Many times situations come up when a 7 foot rod |
| first issue of Basssmaster magazine, and saw | | | | suits the situation better that a 6 or 6 1/2 foot |
| that people were using this bait year round and | | | | rod for distance and control. Most of my rods I |
| catching bass. Soon after, in late December in | | | | use for this technique are in a medium heavy |
| Delaware, I caught my first bass on a "Stan | | | | action. I really like a Fiberglass rod for these baits, |
| Sloan" single nickel colorado blade,(with a purple | | | | but there are many new rods that are very good |
| skirt, with rattles on the arm,) by letting it flutter | | | | for spinnerbaits and crankbaits, made by |
| into a sunken tree, in ten foot deep, thirty-six | | | | G.Loomis, St.Croix, Kistler,and Shimano. |
| degree water. I soon felt that sluggish pull on the | | | | Sometimes on the smaller baits I use a spinning |
| line, "like a pile of leaves or grass", not until then, | | | | rod with Stren Super Braid,or Power Pro, but the |
| did I realize that I could catch bass year round on | | | | rest of the time I use a baitcasting rod with a |
| the right lures, with the right presentation, sound | | | | Shimano Chronarch, with fourteen to twenty |
| and color. It was well over six pounds, and was a | | | | pound P-Line.WHAT COLORS FOR WHAT |
| different fight when she got close to the boat | | | | BAITWhen I choose a color for a spinnerbait, a |
| and saw the trolling motor. Since that time I have | | | | lot of factors come in to play. The first thing I do |
| fished all over the United States, from New York | | | | is pick a shad pattern, or whatever is the |
| to California, and found the right spinnerbait and | | | | dominate species in the lake. I usually double up |
| the right technique produces big bass from all | | | | the skirts, to give them more bulk. I use blue and |
| sorts of waters all year long. They key is to keep | | | | white, black and white, and chartreuse and white. |
| it in the strike zone, and most lures are made so | | | | Sometimes I use red, depending on the location. |
| that you can work them as slowly as you want | | | | All of these colors give a good range of visibility |
| to, while still keeping them in the zone."DIFFERENT | | | | under water.In muddy water, I have always used |
| TECHNIQUES"I like to use the spinnerbait as a | | | | the same colors, black and blue and red. The |
| search tool, and kind of a depth finder, and | | | | same goes for the nighttime. I like to use the |
| bottom contour device also. What I do is check | | | | forage in the lake if I can,such as rainbow trout |
| out the structure of the lake by bumping objects, | | | | or shad, and to make it appear injured to trigger |
| and increasing my chance for a reaction strike | | | | that genetic response.I like to use big spinnerbaits |
| right then. The spinnerbait will make a different | | | | in the spring, when I'm in big fish waters, some |
| sound bumping off different objects such as | | | | right here in Delaware or Maryland, or others such |
| stumps, rocks, sand, and pea gravel.I also vary | | | | as Florida, Arizona, Texas, and Mexico. When |
| the speed often, and even shake the rod if | | | | fishing strictly for big bass with spinnerbaits I add |
| necessary, trying to give the bass a different | | | | on a double or triple skirt for bulk and lift, and use |
| look, which is important in highly pressured waters. | | | | really big blades. Terminator makes some big |
| I work buzzbaits in a different manner also, which | | | | blades that I really like on our spinnerbaits. This |
| I believe is what accounts for some real lunkers | | | | year here in Delaware, we landed three bass in |
| that I might have otherwise missed. There are | | | | one day on big spinnerbaits, that went seven and |
| times when a spinnerbait is the most effective | | | | eight pounds. Sometimes we even break off the |
| tool to use. When fishing the bait in heavy cover | | | | tails of worms for trailers, and many times in the |
| such as pads, I employ a technique that I now | | | | spring, I have caught some huge bass from ten |
| know is called fluttering by some anglers.Basically | | | | inches of muddy water with a big spinnerbait with |
| what you do is to cast the spinnerbait out into | | | | a trailer.We have had a great response from bass |
| the pads, and by moving your rod tip, and other | | | | in the Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New |
| parts of your body positioning, you maneuver the | | | | York, and Pennsylvania areas, using a double |
| bait through the pads, and when it comes to an | | | | golden shiner skirt. The bluegill and shad patterns |
| opening, stop it, and let it flutter down. Many | | | | top the list overall though. Sometimes reversing |
| strikes comes as a lure sinks.You should make a | | | | the skirts on the baits presents a different profile, |
| lot of casts to the areas where you really believe | | | | and will also trigger hard to get strikes. The |
| the bass are, or have seen them, as they can be | | | | spinnerbait isn't just a bait for beginners, although |
| irritated into striking if the bait is presented in | | | | it is a great bait to break in a novice or child to |
| enough variations and positions. Slow rolling can be | | | | the sport of bass fishing. But in the hands of an |
| extremely effective in deep water as it designed | | | | expert, it is a versatile year round bait, that can |
| to imitate a crawfish on the bottom, or another | | | | catch "HUGE" bass.Steve vonBrandt |
| type of bass forage. The trick to it is rolling it | | | | Sponsored by: GYCB (Yamamoto),Okuma, |
| down the side of a sloping bank, a rock bar, a | | | | Delaware Tackle, TTI-Blakemore, and Ambush |
| hump, or any underwater structure, and then | | | | Lures. is the owner of Reeltime Anglers Guide |
| slowly pumping it back to the boat. We employ | | | | Service in Wilmington, Delaware, Anglers Radio in |
| the almost identical technique with a lipless | | | | Delaware and New Jersey, Reeltimeanglers, Bass |
| crankbait with great success. There are also | | | | Lure Review, and Delaware Tackle in Delaware. |
| better types of spinnerbaits for different types | | | | He also is a tournament angler and freelance |
| of cover. C shaped baits tend to work better | | | | outdoor writer. He has over 40 years of fishing |
| through heavy pads and grass, while a V shaped | | | | experience in the Northeast, 5 years exp. in |
| bait gets hung up more easily.Riprap is another | | | | California. He has fished freshwater and saltwater |
| good area to slow roll spinnnerbaits. There is often | | | | since 1962, and has devoted to freshwater only |
| debris mixed in with the rocks, and many times | | | | since 1989. |