I was out shooting a YouTube video today, throwing a spinnerbait, and it occurred to me that I might make a separate video to share what I'm using on my spinnerbait rig and maybe go into a little spinnerbait fishing 101 with you.
What I'm using today is a 3/8-ounce Strike King Tour Grade Spinnerbait. Half-ounce is probably the size that I throw the most, but I will go to a 3/4-ounce size if the wind is really blowing. I'll go to a 3/8 if I'm fishing shallow cover. It is becoming one of my favorite spinnerbaits. It's built really well, and it has a wire that is strong and flexible, but not too thick. You want a little bit of give in that wire because that gives you vibration when the bait is being reeled slowly. Now, if you're reeling fast, a stiffer wire will give you more vibration, but most of the time spinnerbait fishing, you're reeling slowly. For that, I want a medium gauge wire, strong enough to withstand the abuse of spinnerbait fishing around cover, while flexible enough to get a good vibration from the willow blades on the bait. This spinnerbait uses a tandem blade with a Colorado blade and a willow blade.
For color, I like to keep it simple. In clear water, I try to use a gray-looking mouse-type color. Strike King has a really good-looking one that I like. For muddy water, I like something like a chartreuse and white, spot remover, or something similar. The fish really feed off of the flash and vibration of the blade more so than anything else, but you want to stay halfway natural if it's clear, or you want to generate more visibility for your spinnerbait if it's muddy.
There is no need to get too caught up into blade color. If my rear willow blade had been gold and the front Colorado blade was silver, I feel like I would have caught just as many fish today. On sunny days when the water has a brown tint to it, I do like a little bit of gold in there, not just all silver--and there are times when I'd swear the fish are biting more in brown-tinted water because of the gold blade, but it's probably just as effective either way.
Most of the time I'm throwing Seaguar Tatsu 17-pound line. When I put new line on a reel, I take a Sharpie and write down what I'm using on the fishing rod. The signature series rod I'm using is silver, so a black Sharpie shows up really well on it. My rod is the Andy Montgomery, 7'1", heavy action skipping rod. I absolutely love this rod. This is the rod that I throw a Thunder Cricket, a spinnerbait, a Sexy Dawg, any of the half-ounce-type baits. It's just one of the most versatile rods that we have in our lineup, if not the most versatile. It's the rod that I have the most of in my rod locker right now. I throw the Team Lew's Custom Pro reel 7.5:1. If I was up north smallmouth country, I'd probably throw an 8.3:1. If it was really cold water in the wintertime and I felt like I wanted to throw a spinnerbait, I would probably be throwing a 6.8:1. But the 7.5:1 is solid. If I own 30 of these reels, 25 will be 7.5:1. It's just what I'm really comfortable with.
But having that good backbone and a little bit of tip is what I love about this rod for spinnerbait fishing. You're roll casting, you're underhand casting, you're casting over and you're backhanded with one hand, you may be flipping at times, etc., and I want something that has a little bit of tip at the top. I want that half-ounce spinnerbait on a roll cast when I'm rolling it. I want to have enough tip to where I have some good action and some good trajectory, and the trajectory comes from having a little bit of backbone going right into a nice soft tip. You don't want too little backbone. If the whole rod is too parabolic and too soft, it won't do the right thing. You want that spring. It's kind of like a pole vault. You don't want just a limp noodle pole vault because it won't give you that spring. On a half-ounce bait, this rod gives me that spring.
I love the custom pro because it does have a 6.8:1, 7.5:1, and 8.3:1, but I also like the brand new HyperMag. If I was only using the 7.5:1, I might be using that HyperMag right now, but I've just got so many of these, and I'm using them. I will go to 20-pound line if I'm around buck bushes, docks, logs, things like that. Today when we were filming our YouTube show, it was borderline. There was a lot of timber, but it wasn't too thick. When it gets to where I'm around pads and things like that and it just gets way too thick, I will go to 20, but I can get good distance on my cast and it's just really smooth and efficient with 17 and 20. Very seldom do I go to 25.
That's the rig I do battle with right now in 2024. Springtime is awfully good for spinnerbait fishing. If the water is too clear, there are other baits that can be more effective, but when you get a little tint in the water, the fish are just coming off of the spawn, and all throughout the summer, early in the mornings and late in the evening they're feeding on shed, well... ole' spinnerbait will get you a bite.
--Mark Rose