Spinnerbait Reinforcement And Weedless Knots

[mark poulson]

I wanted to share a simple solution to broken spinnerbaits that I use.

I am cheap, so I hate that my spinnerbaits break at the R bend after I've swung a few good fish into the boat.

I know I could stop this by bending over to lip them, or using a net, but I've found that spinnerbait fish, a lot of the time, don't really have the hook in past the barb, so they can spit it if I lose pressure on them for a split second.

So I want to keep swinging them.

I think I've solved the flexing/breaking wire problem.

I use some 28 gauge wire to reinforce the bend by wrapping the blade arm, sliding the wire wrap down to the 90 degree bend, and then taking the wire across and wrapping the hook arm.  I am careful to smooth the wire tight to the arm, and coat it afterwards with brush-on super glue to make it slicker.

I tried this years ago, but hated not being able to use a Palomar knot with them, so I quit doing it.

Now I use the trilene knot, so I still get the doubled line at the hook wire.

Even if my line slips around to the blade arm side of the R bend, it can't open the bend now because of the wire tie.

Of course, having a spinnerbait that lasts a long time will require that I check the hook for sharpness now, and will have to periodically replace the skirt, but those are problems I can live with.

 

And I put a punch stop on my line first (thank you Charlie Almassey) so the knot doesn't catch grass nearly as much.

I use the punch stop on most of my baits now, and it really does help.  I just slide it up the line when I retie, and them back down over the knot when I'm done.

These actually slide down over the knot:

http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Paycheck_Baits_Punch_Stops_10pk/descpage-PBPSTP.html

[Basseducer]

Mark,

If you are going thru all that to defeat the "R" Bend why not use twisted eye wire?

[mark poulson]

Mark,

If you are going thru all that to defeat the "R" Bend why not use twisted eye wire?

 

I think the R bend leaves the wire less stressed than the twist wire, plus I have a shload of R bend spinnerbaits, and I am cheap!

[smalljaw]

I think I understand what you're doing, and if I may ask, does it reduce the vibration of the bait? I know you are doing that to keep the wire form from opening up but it looks to me as it would seriously hamper vibration. I do love the punch stop idea for the knot, that is some great info right there.

Edited June 11, 2016 by smalljaw

[mark poulson]

I don't think it does, but I can't say for sure.  The blade arm is still totally free to vibrate.  The wire attachment/connection is right at the 90 degree bend, not up the arm.

I put a 1 1/2" Indiana blade on the back of my spinnerbaits, with a small Colorado in front, and that combination really vibrates!  The water here is seldom clear, and the bass find my blades in the dirty water.

 

I love the punch stop!  The guy who shared that idea just won the FLW Costa tournament here.  He has a video on the FLW site, telling and showing how he won, and giving up the punch stop idea.

Edited June 12, 2016 by mark poulson

[Jig Man]

Mark that is a good trick and it works very well.  I got tired of my $7 spinnerbaits breaking off like that and several times the fish swam away with the hook in its mouth and all I had was a wire and some blades.  I tried the wire thing and never could keep it completely out of the way so I switched to using left over braided line.  I just wrap it around the loop in the wire and glue the tag end down with Crazy glue as it comes with a brush in it. 

 

I have one spinnerbait that has been wrapped this way since early April.  I threw it most every day when on my 3 week fishing trip in late April early May.  It's still going strong and the braid hasn't come unwrapped.

 

Smalljaw I have seen no change in its production.  My partner has been using them without the braid and mine produce as well as his.

[mark poulson]

Mark that is a good trick and it works very well.  I got tired of my $7 spinnerbaits breaking off like that and several times the fish swam away with the hook in its mouth and all I had was a wire and some blades.  I tried the wire thing and never could keep it completely out of the way so I switched to using left over braided line.  I just wrap it around the loop in the wire and glue the tag end down with Crazy glue as it comes with a brush in it. 

 

I have one spinnerbait that has been wrapped this way since early April.  I threw it most every day when on my 3 week fishing trip in late April early May.  It's still going strong and the braid hasn't come unwrapped.

 

Smalljaw I have seen no change in its production.  My partner has been using them without the braid and mine produce as well as his.

 

When I first tried it, I used braid, too, but never stayed with it.  I have an old Revenge blade that has my original braid wrap on it, and it's 10+ years old.

[mark poulson]

Well, I fished a wire-reinforced spinnerbait yesterday for two hours.  I caught a dozen bass, up to 2lbs, hauled them out of tulles and grass, and boat flipped them all.

Then it happened.  The wire broke.

Not the spinnerbait wire, but the R bend reinforcing wire!

I am going to try 24 gauge wire next time.  The 28 gauge wire was clearly overmatched.

P.S.  The spinnerbait is fine.

[Jig Man]

Do you have any trouble with the wire snagging your line?   No matter what I did they kept getting together.  That is why I switched to braid on the R loop.

[mark poulson]

Jig Man,

I brush crazy glue onto the wrapped wire to make it smooth.  I was more worried about the wire collecting grass, but that hasn't been a problem, so far.

If the 24 gauge wire breaks, I'm going to go back to using braid, too.

[Chuck Young]

Great contribution, Mark! I love the punch stop idea. Closing the r bend with braid first occurred to me when I was 13. I just didn't like the line sliding all over the place. Now that I read your comments, I am going to start doing it again. IMO it won't reduce vibration a bit. The distance between the line anchor and the reinforcement is minimal. Vibration will still travel through the wire. If you want more vibration, switch to piano wire. It was made to vibrate. 

[mark poulson]

I read your post and instantly thought spiral eye.

A Trilene knot does seem to stay in position better IMO.

 

Bob,

What is a spiral eye?

 

I agree about the Trilene knot, but my eyes aren't that good anymore, and a Palomar knot is much easier to tie on the water.  I retie a lot, because of the cover I fish, and because I think knots fatigue.

[mark poulson]

Thanks for the picture Bob.  I'd never seen a bait like that.

Would tying to a double wire that can move wear your line?  

[Jig Man]

I don't think that there would be enough movement to have any effect on the line.  I may give that a try unless it shortens the wire more than I want.

[mark poulson]

Update:  I have fished the same reinforced spinnerbait for six trips now, and boat flipped several fish over 5lbs, plus lots of 2-4 lbs.

In the past, my spinnerbait would have opened up and been bent back enough to make me nervous about it breaking.

No more.

The best part is my old back doesn't have to bend down to lip them anymore!

I did have the 22 gauge wire break, so I redid it with 24 gauge.

I'm thinking about trying braid for reinforcement again.  That stuff lasts forever!

[mark poulson]

Further update:  I used braid to replace a broken reinforcing wire on one of my spinnerbaits.  It is a royal pain to use.  I had forgotten.  I'll stick with 28 gauge wire coated with super glue.  It only takes two minutes to wrap and coat with the wire.

[Dink Master]

Mark are you looking for Punch Stops?

http://www.thehookuptackle.com/fishing-Accessories/Paycheck+Baits/Punch+Stops

And I put a punch stop on my line first (thank you Charlie Almassey) so the knot doesn't catch grass nearly as much.

I use the punch stop on most of my baits now, and it really does help.  I just slide it up the line when I retie, and them back down over the knot when I'm done.

These actually slide down over the knot:

Check out these.

http://www.thehookuptackle.com/fishing-Accessories/Decoy/I+Guard

 

[mark poulson]

Dink Master,

Those are the ones, and they are out of stock, too.

I emailed Paycheck to see if they stopped making them, and haven't heard back.  They aren't listed on their site anymore.

I ordered some of the Decoy stops instead from your site.  Thanks.

Edited March 17, 2017 by mark poulson