In short, a spinnerbait imitates shad, a small school of bait and bluegill. This all depends on the bait’s color, blade size and color, as well as the action of the spinnerbait.
Below I’ll be explaining how each of these variables can effect the amount of fish you can catch on a spinnerbait on any given day. Blade style, skirt color, and retrieval action all play a part in deciding which type of forage your spinnerbait mimics.
1. Shad
Shad are a huge proponent of a bass’s diet, and imitating them is a major factor in whether or not you are maximizing your fish catching potential.
A spinnerbait is one of the best shad-mimicking baits out there, which is part of what makes it very versatile. Burning a spinnerbait across the top of the water column, slow rolling it along the bottom, and utilizing it in the mid-depth zone are just a few of the ways that a spinnerbait can be used to imitate the number one forage for bass.
Burning a spinnerbait is a tactic that imitates a fleeing shad skipping across the surface of the water. Using a white spinnerbait during a shad spawn when utilizing this technique has won many tournaments and often results in big bags of fish being caught early in the morning. Lighter spinnerbait heads such as 3/8 ounce are best for burning a spinnerbait under the surface so you do not have to work to keep it on top of the water.
Slow rolling a spinnerbait is an effective technique that is most often utilized during the dead of winter when fish are lethargic and sitting on deep, long, tapering points on the main lake. Slow rolling a spinnerbait mimics a lazy, dying shad that is struggling to survive due to the colder water temperatures. Big bass that are already seeking cover from the winter cold on these points are happy to capitalize on an easy meal like this. A 3/4 ounce or 1 ounce spinnerbait head is most effective since you want your bait to be dragging along the bottom.
A spinnerbait reeled through the mid-depth zone was one of the first techniques I ever used to catch fish consistently and is easily the best technique there is to go consistently catch fish across the country. From Lake Okeechobee to Lake Erie, a spinnerbait will catch them in some way, shape, or form when reeled through the middle of the water column. A head size of 3/8 ounce or 1/2 ounce will fit the bill when fishing the spinnerbait in this situation.
2. Bait School
A double willow leaf bladed spinnerbait mimics a small school of bait. The blades as well as the main body of a spinnerbait mimics small bait fish which represent an easy meal for hungry bass. This presentation has many of the same components as a spinnerbait mimicking shad. Burning it on top, slow rolling, and jerking a spinnerbait through the middle of the water column are all ways to trigger bites when imitating a bait school.
Reeling a spinnerbait with tandem silver willow leaf blades quickly just below the surface of the water imitates the action of a fleeing school of bait fish. A white skirt is best for this presentation since you want your bait to have a flashy presentation to imitate the allure of an easy meal for the fish. A 3/8 ounce head will be best for imitating a fleeing school of bait.
Working your spinnerbait similar to the motion of a jerkbait may be counterintuitive, but creates positive results nonetheless. The movement this tactic imparts on your bait mimicks that of a spooked or fleeing school of bait. When a school of bait fish flashes, they are often times all making an effort to get away from an approaching enemy which can trigger a bass’s instinct to inhale the bait. A 1/2 ounce head is going to be a good hybrid size for your spinnerbait in the middle of the water column.
Slow rolling your spinnerbait mimicks the action of a lazy, unsuspecting school of bait fish. If you roll this presentation passed the face of a fish, there’s no doubt that they will bite your bait. Again, a spinnerbait head of 3/4 ounce or 1 ounce is best when scraping the bottom with your bait.
3. Bluegill
Imitating a bluegill using a spinnerbait is an entirely different ballgame and requires you to really focus and dial in on the specific blades, blade colors, and skirt colors of your spinnerbait.
First off, the skirt of your spinnerbait when trying to mimic bluegill needs to be brightly colored. Orange, chartreuse, green pumpkin, and blue are all colors that a bluegill has. Using a green pumpkin and blue spinnerbait and then dying the skirt in chartreuse should give you the complete look of a bluegill.
Tandem Colorado/Indiana blade styles will suit you best when trying to imitate bluegill. These blade styles give off much more vibration than their willowleaf cousins and do a better job of mimicking the heavy vibrations a bluegill gives off when swimming.
As far as colors go, gold is best to mimic bluegill in clearer water situations while an orange Colorado blade tends to do better in muddier water. Most of the time when imitating bluegill, you will be in the middle of the water column. Thus, a 1/2 ounce head on your spinnerbait should suffice.
Related Questions
1. Should I Put a Trailer Hook on My Spinnerbait?
Yes. Putting a trailer hook on a spinnerbait will increase hook up ratios and does nothing to negatively impact the performance of the bait.
2. What Color Spinnerbait Should I Use?
Colors vary based on the situation when it comes to spinnerbaits.
As a general rule, darker colors such as black and blue are best for muddier water while lighter hues such as green pumpkin and white are most productive in clear water. Color is also dictated based off of which forage you are trying to mimic.
3. Which Type of Spinnerbait Blade is Best?
Spinnerbait blade choice is almost always decided by water clarity.
Generally, Colorado-style blades are best in muddy water since they give off lots of vibration and bass will be feeding based mainly on sound in these conditions. Willow leaf blades are most effective in clearer water since they are the most realistic. Indiana style blades are a healthy mix between the two and are effective when used to mimic bluegill.
