Bass Pro Shops Spinnerbait Wire

[mark poulson]

I broke a spinnerbait on a fish yesterday.

It jumped, shook it's head, and there were two splashes when it dove back into the grass.

All I got back was a perfectly tied Palomar knot in my 17lb. fluoro.

I had fished that blade a lot, over the years.  It was my go-to blade in off colored water or low light.

Here is their current version, which looks just about the same:

http://www.basspro.com/Bass-Pro-Shops-Lazer-Eye-Tandem-Spinnerbaits/product/15395/

I bet I've caught a hundred fish on that one blade.  It was a 1/2 oz tandem, with a small silver colorado, and a #5 brass Indiana that I had swapped out for the willow blade that came with it.  I had coated the convex side of both blades with In The Spotlight nail polish, so I still got plenty of flash, even though the blades didn't spin like willows.

I liked to think it imitated a bluegill, with the extra thump and vibration from the Indiana blade, and I think bigger fish would rather eat a few bluegill than two dozen shad.

I even had a 5lb fish eat the blades, so both the main and trailer hooks were stuck up under it's jaw!

I have fished other blades during the same time, including some Revenge deep runners that broke after half a dozen fish, but I've never had a blade last, and catch, like that one.  I was told Revenge went to a thinner wire "to increase vibration".

Seems to me the Indiana blade does the same thing, and with heavier gauge wire.

Does anyone know what wire they use, and what gauge?

Whatever it is, it's tough stuff.

Edited September 9, 2015 by mark poulson

[smalljaw]

Mark, it is most likely a good grade of stainless in .041 or .045 diameter. Yes, you are correct, the Indiana blade will increase thump but if your fishing lightly stained water where visibility is still good, you will want willows but still need vibration to get the fish's attention from distance, that is where thin wire comes into play. Like you, I got tired of spinnerbaits breaking or becoming unusable after 5 or 6 fish and I came up with a way to use heavier wire but still get good vibration with smaller willow blades. I use .035 for most of my baits and it has good durability with decent vibration but to get the same amount of vibration out of it as you get from .032 will take a little tweak. This is where blade spacing comes into play, if you make a bait with .041 wire, try making the space between the blades really short, this will place the torque created by both blades on a small area of the wire shaft causing it to vibrate more, if you want less vibration you increase the space between the blades.

[mark poulson]

Thanks smalljaw.

[ING]

Is somebody tried to use French blades?

[JBlaze]

My Thanks also Smalljaw. That is very interesting. I sincerely believe that vibration is the most important attribute of a spinnerbait.as it lets a bass know food is on its way long before they can see it.

John