Spinnerbaits are an excellent change of pace when fishing for crappie. When we start thinking of crappie fishing most anglers assume we are going to talk about the use of jigs or live baits. Fishing Spinnerbaits is actually a very easy way to fish that offers easy depth control and a added movement not seen on the jigs or live bait rigs. If you use a few simple rules and tips, fishing with spinners can be a very productive method to catch crappie. I am going to identify below some simple spinnerbait set ups and how to fish them.
When and What spinnerbaits to use for crappie:
Offset spinners are best used in spring when the crappie are in the shallows.
Spinners with the blade under the body can be fished any time at all depths.
Inline spinners are best used in shallow water in open water areas.
Inline spinners with the blade on the tail are best used for vertical jigging in deep water.
More spinner tips:
Big crappie are very big eaters and if you are out for the big fish use lures in the 1/4oz to 1/2oz size range. Make sure they have large blades for a lot of flash. Now remember when you fish these large spinners you won't be catching any small crappie. If you have a passion for multiple casts with limited hits , then by all means use the larger spinners. Just don't expect to catch a lot of fish with these lures, but when you get a hit you can expect the fight of your life landing a big crappie. Fish these artificial baits from the shallows to about mid depth.
One excellent easy way to fish the best of two worlds is to attach a flashy blade in front of your hook on your minnow rig. Fish this rig with a heavy sinker in deep water and a split shot in shallow water. This rig needs to be retrieved after you cast very slowly. The blade doesn't need to rotate just move back and forth showing a flash to the crappie.
Heres' a key tip:
Spinnerbaits are better fished slowly for crappie. Start very slow and increase your retrieve until you get the right speed for your particular habitat situation. As a rule of thumb, slow is better then fast.
Here's a key tip for smaller fish:
If you want a lot of action and you are not as concerned about catching the big slabs then use spinner baits in the 1/16ox to 1/32oz size range. When you use the smaller baits very your retrieve from very slow to fast. Some of the smaller crappies will be very aggressive and hit your lure when retrieved at a faster pace.
Weedless spinnerbaits are good fit for cover areas, such as brush, rocks and weeds. You can put the spinner right on top of the cover. It will bounce off because of the weedless protection around the hooks.
The stop and go retrieve is a good bait presentation to crappie who are attacking while the bait is falling. Cast your line then crack 5 or six turns quickly, stop for 3 or 4 seconds and then repeat. Make sure you take up all the slack when reeling the second and following reeling sets.
Depth control is important when you are using spinnerbaits, or any bait presentations for that matter. After your cast, do a countdown before you start your reeling. You can determine your different depths bye the number of counts. This is a must step to identify where the crappie are. The crappies eyes can only see bait above, or level with them. Start your casts shallow then increase your counts for deeper reeling.
Follow the simple techniques and tips above and you will catch crappie. The more you use these resources, the you will find yourself start to develop you own variations .Now you are ready to fish spinnerbaits for crappie.
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Spinnerbaits look a lot like a buzzbait except the big difference is the blade. Spinnerbaits have a different type of blade. There's also different types of spinnerbait blades. Spinnerbaits can be used right under the surface in shallow water, where the buzzbait is meant for top water only. Alot of people like spinnerbaits for shallow water but I prefer to just use a buzzbait or other top water baits. Otherwise I'll use an inline spinnerbait.
Inline spinnerbaits – are great, especially if your from the mid-west like me and come across alot of vegetation. They are more weedless. They are great for fishing in shallow water.
Types of Spinnerbait Blades / Picking size and color of spinnerbait along with the type :
Willow leaf blade spinnerbait – When the water is clear, and on sunny days I like to use chartreuse skirt, or white baits. Silver is a good option also. It's a narrower blade. This design gives off a lot of flash, very little vibration and little lift. I will use a smaller spinnerbait probably less than 1/2 ounce in clear water. Even if the water is clear at night from the moon. The willow leaf blades spin the fastest and have little lift. They are best for deeper water that's relatively clear. I will also use a larger spinnerbait. Either 1/2 ounce or 3/4 ounce. When I'm fishing deeper water, say if I'm casting to about 20 feet of water and off the backside of a weedbed I'll let it go to the bottom. My favorite way to retrieve my spinnerbait in this case would be to bounce it off the bottom until retrieved, or reel it in pretty slow hopefully bumping any cover that might be down there. When your bouncing it off the bottom you'll often get strikes when it's falling back down. You can also go up to the spot and try bouncing it off the bottom vertical too. The bigger the blade the slower you are able to retrieve.
You can have many different colors and some different styles to the blades.. I like just a plain silver or a brass colored one.
– You can use a double bladed willow leaf for even more flash. You may want to use a smaller spinnerbait in clear water.
The Colorado Blade – has alot of vibration is wider, and has good lift. This blade is the loudest. They're good for murky water. When fishing murky water, deep where it's dark, or at night use darker lures. This is good for cloud cover too.
Indiana Blade – This spinnerbait has flash and vibration. They spin quicker than a colorado blade, making more flash. I'd use these lures when I'm concentrating more on flash. The design of the Indiana blade makes it easier to go through vegetation. They have more of a teardrop look than the rounder colorado blade.
Read more on Spinnerbait Fishing…
Tags: fly fishing, striper, level wind
Filed under Live Bait - Artificial Bait by admin
The Spinnerbait can be one of the most versatile lures in a bass angler's arsenal. It can be used successfully in most all situations the bass angler encounters. The spinnerbait can be effective in shallow water, and deep water, it can be fished in clear water, stained water, or muddy water.
The spinnerbait is a tool as is all fishing lures. It is important to use the right tool for the right job. The key to taking advantage of this lure's versatility is to understand the different types of blades and blade configurations, and under what conditions they perform the best.
The willow leaf blade is long and narrow shaped much like the name suggest. The willow leaf blade creates a tremendous amount of flash with less vibration then some of the other types of blades. This style of blade works best in clear to slightly stained water and can draw fish from great distances. The willow leaf blade also works well when fished in or around vegetation. The slender design allows it to come through the vegetation without fouling the blade action.
The Colorado blade is more of a rounded blade and creates more vibration and less flash then the Willow Leaf blade. The Colorado blade is a good choice when the water is stained or muddy. The heavy vibration makes it easier for the bass to locate the lure when the water clarity is poor. The Colorado blade creates more lift and can be fished at a slower speed then the Willow Leaf blade.
A good compromise to the Colorado and the Willow Leaf blade is the Indiana blade. The Indiana blade is more elongated then the Colorado but has a wider profile then the willow leaf blade. The Indiana blade will create a little less flash but more vibration then the Willow leaf blade, and more flash and less vibration then the Colorado blade. The Indiana blade is best suited for slightly stained water or when you need to fish a little deeper at a faster speed then you can achieve with the Colorado blade.
The angler can vary the depth at which the bait runs by adding a second and sometimes a third blade to the bait. The additional blades will create more lift. You can also go to a heavier or lighter head weight, a larger or smaller blade size or vary the speed of retrieve to change the depth at which the bait is running.
The colors of blades and skirts can also be changed. A good rule of thumb is in clear water use more natural colors matching the color of the forage the bass feed on in that particular body of water. In murky water or in low light conditions stay with darker colors or fluorescent colors such as chartreuse and lime green.
The spinnerbait works best when bounced off cover. By bouncing, the bait off the cover and pausing the retrieve as it deflects it will sometimes trigger a reaction strike from the bass. In low light conditions such as heavy cloud cover, it is sometimes very productive to retrieve the lure just below the surface creating a wake on the surface.
Filed under Live Bait - Artificial Bait by admin
