Spinnerbaits, what makes a good one

[Darkman]

I know there are a wide variety of answers for this….what makes a good spinnerbait?

second, do you prefer A traditional head or a hidden weight style and why

with so many out there from big companies like Strike King to smaller one like Revenge or Ganns. What makes you pick one over another. 

when making your own, what are you looking for in component? Other that quality. 
 

Thanks, I’m just curious, I was looking at the Tackle Warehouse site and they have so many. This just popped up in my head. 
 

thanks 
 

 

 

[canuck 2]

Darkman , one could say that a good spinnerbait is one that consistently catches fish.. That is the ultimate goal but I know you want more from your inquiry.  In my opinion  a good spinnerbait  needs to be designed to  have the following criteria. The wire frame  head and hook must be cast solid and should be sized to match the target species and fishing conditions that you are planning to forage.

There is a definite head weight to blade size ratio to consider in order to have the finished bait track properly whether dressed with just a skirt or with both trailer tail and skirt or just swimbait grub etc.

It must provide the desired flash , vibration and color  bait profile to match the water and light conditions at the time.

Must be durable enough to last many bites (hook sets) and catches and still be easily tuned. 

 On single blade baits they  must have a  nice ball bearing swivel and an  over hook orientation. Double blades or triples should be spaced just far enough ahead of the main blade to rotate around the swivel and wire bend without touching the main blade while being retrieved

It should cast easily without fouling and have a nice cadence in the water in regards to total attraction factor. If it looks like it will catch fish it probably will.

Head design is a personal preference, I like a head with a skirt collar and bait holder like the banana head. I fish a lot of pike so tend to throw larger blades for more flashy presentations. I  do a lot of double willows and combos with colorado willow, fluted willow, shelton willow, indiana combos. I am in the process of making a line of dinner shad head baits in the 5/8 to 1oz sizes. Used for trolling and deeper water casting.

You will also need to consider matching your casting equipment with the size/weight of your spinnerbaits. I like level wind bait casters  for the fighting power and smoothness of there drags. Smaller baits  for targeting small fish species I like to use a spinning outfit for castability.  You will end up with a lot of sizes and colors/blade combinations.  .There is a bit of a  learning curve and expense incurred while pouring and building your own baits. Purchasing already poured heads can save you money and take the whole lead melting out of the process .   So to some this up the best spinnerbaits are the ones you make yourself. 

[Outlaw4]

good hooks the right size. single best reason to build your own.

wired on skirt. second best reason to build your own.

the rest is kind of personal preference. head style, arm length, wire dia etc...are all just tools for what you want to accomplish with the bait

[basskat]

I use both the hidden weight and traditional head spinnerbaits. I can't tell any difference in fish catching ability. My favorite is the bullet head. Seems to come through guerilla better than any other head style.

[mark poulson]

Darkman,

Figure out what is the forage you have in the lake you're fishing, and to match it.

Up here on the Delta I fish spinnerbaits a lot.  There is always wind, the water is usually not crystal clear.

The fish are in the grass, or relating to it, because their main forage is bluegill, year round.

I like a head that will go through grass, and blades that give off a lot of vibration.  I do like flash, too

For me, the ideal spinnerbait is one from Lure Pars Online.  I like their King Spin Heads, mostly in 3/8 or 1/2 oz.  I use a smallish Colorado blade in front, in chrome, and a bigger Indiana blade on the back, in brass.  For me, that head, painted green pumpkin with turq. cheeks and an orange belly, and a wired skirt with green pumpkin/blue flake and a little orange skirt matl. on the belly, really match a bluegill coming through the grass.  I've had bass jump out of the water to grab that bait when it pops over a tulle.

It really provokes a reaction bite, especially from bigger fish.  I think the bigger vibration scares the little fish away.

[mark poulson]

Erick, here's a picture of one that's been eaten a lot.

[Chris Catignani]

@mark poulson Mark...are you making that spinner bait...or just doing a modification?

[mark poulson]

10 hours ago, Chris Catignani said:

@mark poulson Mark...are you making that spinner bait...or just doing a modification?

I buy the unpainted bodies from LurePartsOnline. 

https://www.lurepartsonline.com/King-Spin-Heads

I prime them with Rustoleum Self Etching Primer, hand paint the heads with Createx airbrush paints, using an artists brush, add the eyes, topcoat with clear fingernail polish, and add the skirts and blades.

Edited June 26, 2022 by mark poulson

[smalljaw]

There are a lot of good spinnerbaits out there right now. For me, a good spinnerbait should perform the duty it is meant to do. For example, if you have a spinnerbait mean for burning then it should do that well. That means it should be able to handle high speeds without rolling over or leaning heavily to one side.

If it is a slow rolling model, then the blade should spin at very slow speeds without causing much lift. I should be able to crank that lure at least 10 times or more before having to pause slightly for the bait to get back down. An "all-purpose" type bait should be stable at moderate speeds and the blades should spin at relatively slow speeds.

Good components, and doing its intended job is what makes a spinnerbait good. If it does all of those things and if used in the correct situation, a good spinnerbait will always catch fish. 

[Chris Catignani]

16 hours ago, smalljaw said:

... For example, if you have a spinnerbait mean for burning then it should do that well. That means it should be able to handle high speeds without rolling over or leaning heavily to one side....

This is what does it for me...
In one case...the leaning was caused by too big a Colorado blade.

 

Edited June 30, 2022 by Chris Catignani

[smalljaw]

6 hours ago, Chris Catignani said:

This is what does it for me...
In one case...the leaning was caused by too big a Colorado blade.

 

When a spinnerbait leans to the side at high speed it is due to a large blade. The faster the bait is retrieved the faster the blade turns and the more torque it creates. Smaller blades on a heavier head will allow you higher speeds without as much force pulling it over to one side.  I'm using willow leaf blades as an example here. A typical 1/2oz spinnerbait usually has size #5 or #6 blades, that makes a good "all-purpose" bait. You can slow roll it in shallow water or work it at a moderate pace in the middle of the water column.  That spinnerbait is a jack of all trades and master of none but they have a purpose. The larger blades create a lot of flash, so it is a good stained water spinnerbait. In clear water I love burning a spinnerbait, especially for smallmouth. In order to do that I use a 1/2oz head with a single size #4, you can burn that with little to no lean. It is even better if you use a shallow cupped blade.

[mark poulson]

On 6/30/2022 at 2:53 AM, smalljaw said:

When a spinnerbait leans to the side at high speed it is due to a large blade. The faster the bait is retrieved the faster the blade turns and the more torque it creates. Smaller blades on a heavier head will allow you higher speeds without as much force pulling it over to one side.  I'm using willow leaf blades as an example here. A typical 1/2oz spinnerbait usually has size #5 or #6 blades, that makes a good "all-purpose" bait. You can slow roll it in shallow water or work it at a moderate pace in the middle of the water column.  That spinnerbait is a jack of all trades and master of none but they have a purpose. The larger blades create a lot of flash, so it is a good stained water spinnerbait. In clear water I love burning a spinnerbait, especially for smallmouth. In order to do that I use a 1/2oz head with a single size #4, you can burn that with little to no lean. It is even better if you use a shallow cupped blade.

That's why I use larger Indiana blades.  They spin more easily than the Colorado at high speed, and still move a lot of water, so I still get the thump I want.