Personally I think it depends on water clarity and season. Something light (1/4 oz) will move slowly enough without sinking, good for the summer when the bass are slow. I use something with noise (a buzzbait or chatterbait) so they can hear it, in darker water. Regular spinner baits with Colorado blades work fine in clear water, they can be seen for miles and are cheaper than the noisy ones. Heavier ones (1/2 oz) in spring or fall in clear water, otherwise I keep it light so the lazy and hot summer bass have a shot of catching it. And I always go shallow, no more than a couple feet deep or right under the surface. Weed guards are almost useless -- weeds will get caught farther up the bait than the guard -- and spinner baits are pretty easy to catch on weeds, but they can be effective next to or on top of vegetation.
Almost anything will go after a spinner bait, even sunfish, so you just have to deal with that, but kick it up to a heavier weight to keep the little guys off the hook. Totally worth it IMO, they are total fish magnets and can cover a ton of water since they cast far and move quickly.
Almost anything will go after a spinner bait, even sunfish, so you just have to deal with that, but kick it up to a heavier weight to keep the little guys off the hook. Totally worth it IMO, they are total fish magnets and can cover a ton of water since they cast far and move quickly.
Also: trailer hook is good for short strikes, but not essential. I do use it in summer though. Color doesn't matter much (speaking personally), but white and/or chartreuse seems to be the standard, otherwise just try to match the bait fish, and you'll be fine. I never really go dark, but technically I think you're supposed to in stained water. Not sure though.
I usually keep a small spinnerbait on 1 rod all summer long, its a good search bait you can cover a lot of water quickly. I agree with Jacob I always throw white, white and black or white and chartreuse ( I just haven't had much luck with other colors) I do go deeper with them tho and slow roll them along the bottom bumping them into and over cover.
Another thing: Some people put a plastic trailer on their spinner baits, like a fluke or a worm, but I don't do this much. I guess in theory it could up the size of the bait without overweighting it, and attract larger bass, but I haven't done this enough to know if it works.
If you go trailerless and catch a lot of pickerel or smaller bass (or crappie, or whatever), you can try throwing on a trailer and see if that affects the size and species of the fish. Couldn't hurt.
If you go trailerless and catch a lot of pickerel or smaller bass (or crappie, or whatever), you can try throwing on a trailer and see if that affects the size and species of the fish. Couldn't hurt.
I agree with a lot of what the other guys have said. I also usually only
use white, chartreuse or a combination of chartreuse and white. I use spinnerbaits mostly on cloudy days with a little wind. The ripples on the water caused by the wind helps disguise the bait. Stained water I use a
Spinnerbait with a gold Colorado blade to push more water. I also like spinnerbaits like the Stanley that have a longer center skirt that hepls hide the hook a little better and I always use a trailer hook. It only takes a second to put on. If your in a tourney and you miss a fish from a short strike because you didn't take the second to put on a trailer hook you'll be upset. Hope some of this helps.
use white, chartreuse or a combination of chartreuse and white. I use spinnerbaits mostly on cloudy days with a little wind. The ripples on the water caused by the wind helps disguise the bait. Stained water I use a
Spinnerbait with a gold Colorado blade to push more water. I also like spinnerbaits like the Stanley that have a longer center skirt that hepls hide the hook a little better and I always use a trailer hook. It only takes a second to put on. If your in a tourney and you miss a fish from a short strike because you didn't take the second to put on a trailer hook you'll be upset. Hope some of this helps.
White and chartreuse are good but black and blue works awesome in dirty water. I also have a few that are bluegill pattern that seem to produce more. The other thing is the blade type and whether there colored silver gold stamped etc. theres alot of variations of spinnerbaits that youll just have to try until you find the best one that suits you.
I have a spinnerbait rigged all year long. All colors work, just depends on the lake, water clarity, etc.
As for skirts getting caught in blades, just trim the skirt. I have a few that'll get caught up like that, but not all. I use Booyah's Super Shad spinnerbaits (quad blades) all the time without issue.
As for skirts getting caught in blades, just trim the skirt. I have a few that'll get caught up like that, but not all. I use Booyah's Super Shad spinnerbaits (quad blades) all the time without issue.