All Of Your Spinner Lure Questions Answered - Part One

     I promised months ago I would do more of the teaching posts and then I kind of got distracted, but I'm going to try to do better. I already went over the types of reels so  now we'll start with some lures. Since my favorite lures are Spinners, we will start with those!

My Spinner Collection

     If I was a fish, I would get caught every single time on a Spinner. Look at all of those pretty colors and shiny objects! They also make a lot of fun noises and if I was a fish I would also think they looked like dinner. Spinners have metal blades that are different sizes and shapes and are attached to a wire and "spin." When you are retrieving the lure through the water, the blade creates vibration that the fish can feel with their lateral-line and the flash of the blade can be seen in clear, stained or even murky water. Spinners can attract pretty much all types of fish so it is a good multipurpose lure to carry on any fishing trip.

     There are 4 basic Spinner designs and I have some of each! My favorite and the most common type is the Inline Spinner. An Inline Spinner has 1 or 2 blades that spin around a straight wire. When you walk down the Spinner aisle at your favorite sporting goods store, these are the ones you see the most of. They come in many sizes, dressings and colors and it is a good idea to have a variety of these lures. I also believe every time you go to Bass Pro Shops, you should buy 1 or 2.......or 15.

Some of my Shadeycreek, Rooster Tail and Mepps Inline Spinners

      Spinner Baits are a type of Spinner I am SUPER picky about because some of them frustrate me. One description I read for Spinner Baits is the perfect way to describe them. They look like an "open safety pin." On the upper wire is a spinner blade or two spinner blades and on the lower wire is a lead head molded onto it. In the picture below, the one at the top with the hook bonnet on it and the red one to the right of it are my Spinner Baits and the others are my husbands. The two that are my lures, have a closed circle that you attach your line to and the others are an open area. I have trouble making the open ones perform correctly for some strange reason.

Spinner Baits

     One of my favorite Spinner Bait designs is the Beatle Spin brand (or similar brands). The lower arm has a jig head attached to with a plastic body on the jig. These have their own designated Plano box in my tackle bag.

Some Of My Beatle Spin Type Spinner Baits

 

     Buzzbaits are similar to Inline Spinners and Spinner Baits, except they have a propeller type of blade that "buzzes" on the surface of the water. These lures are designed to be retrieved faster so that they stay on the surface of the water and make noise. Or they can be retrieved just under the surface when you want less noise & splash. My favorite is the picture below is the black body with the 2 red blades. This is one lure that is fun to use even if I'm not catching any fish. I didn't know my husband had the frog Buzzbait until I was looking through his stuff. I may have to try to steal the frog because I could see that one being another fun one!

Some Buzzbaits

     The last type of Spinner most people may not think of as a Spinner lure, but it definitely is. A Live Bait Spinner (also known as a Walleye Rig) has a spinner blade in front of a hook or hooks that you can put night crawlers, minnows or leaches on. These types of spinners are designed for trolling behind a boat. You can't see in the picture below, but there is usually a couple feet or so of fishing line between the blade and where it connects to the line of your fishing pole. There are even new rigs that have a specially bent hook to spin the worm, leach or other bait like a corkscrew thru the water.

Walleye Rig

      There are other types of spinners and variations of these 4 types, but I don't want to turn this into a blog only about Spinners. Check back in a few days and I'll explain the most important part of a Spinner....the blade!