by Jason Barnucz –
Jason Barnucz
Spinnerbaits are a bait that can catch fish all season long. They are great at covering water to find fish and are very versatile because they can be fished through and around cover. I think skirt colour works hand in hand with blade design. Keep in mind, different situations may require different spinnerbait configurations. With this mindset you can prepare yourself for most situations with only a few baits.
Where I live in Canada the lakes are mostly clear with visibility ranging from 6ft to 12ft or more on average. These would be mainly lakes in Central and Eastern Ontario, including waters of the Great Lakes. There are a few inland water bodies in the Southwestern are of Ontario that can be more turbid. Visibility in these locations can vary from 1” to 1ft depending on the location. I will try to cover off fishing in clear water and dirty water situations from my own experience.
Clear Water Situations
This would be water with visibility of 3ft or more. Bass tend to favour clear water as they are visual feeders. However, they can be skittish in clear water from fear of predation. If I am on a lake with a mixture of clear and dirty water I will seek out the clearest water I can find in the area I am fishing.
My preferred spinnerbaits choices for clear water are as follows:
Clear Water/Sunny Days
Weight: ½ to ¾ ounce
Blades: Willowleaf — Silver
Skirt: White, Silver
Clear Water/Partly Cloudy
Weight: ½ to ¾ ounce
Blades: Willowleaf — Gold, Silver combination.
Skirt: Yellow, White, Chartreuse or combinations of these.
Sebile Spinnnerbait
Clear Water/Overcast or Rain
Weight: ½ to ¾ ounce
Blades: Willowleaf — Gold, Silver combination.
Skirt: Yellow, White, Chartreuse or combinations of these.
Dirty/Stained Water Situations
I would classify this as water with less than 3ft of visibility. Stained is often defined as water with less than 3ft of visibility. Dirty is typically defined as water having 1ft or less of visibility. For dirty/stained water I use similar weights of spinner baits but skirt and blade combinations.
My preferred spinnerbaits choices for dirty/stained water are as follows:
Clear Water/Sunny Days
Weight: ½ to ¾ ounce
Blades: Colorado – Silver
Skirt: Yellow, Chartreuse
Clear Water/Partly Cloudy
Weight: ½ to ¾ ounce
Blades: Colorado — Gold, Silver combination.
Skirt: Yellow, Chartreuse
Clear Water/Overcast or Rain
Weight: ½ to ¾ ounce
Blades: Colorado — Gold
Skirt: Yellow, Chartreuse, Black
Having a variety of spinnerbaits, or spinnerbait accessories, can help you to make the necessary adjustments in most situations. Spinnerbait accessories would include various blade colors, blade shapes and skirt colors. Many anglers will make bait adjustments on the fly. I like to just keep a variety of baits at my disposal depending on the situations I expect to encounter.
When fishing around shallow cover like you are describing I will lean towards shorter rods. A shorter rod is more accurate for casting in and around cover like docks and laydowns. My preferred rod length is a 6’10” with a Medium-Heavy power and an Extra Fast or Fast Action. I will match this up with a baitcasting reel with either a 7:1 or 8:1 gear retrieve ratio. Currently my go-to setup for this situation is a 6’10” Abu Garcia Veritas Rod paired up with a 7.0:1 Abu Garcia Revo SX baitcasting reel. I like to spool up with 17lb Berkley Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon – Professional Grade as well. This outfit will handle most situations when fishing spinnerbaits around cover.
In closing, spinnerbaits are one of the most versatile baits we use for bass. Some careful consideration about blade type and skirt type just might but a few more fish into the boat this year.
Tight lines.
Jason
About Jason Barnucz
As an avid Fisheries Biologist, Jason has an insatiable desire to incorporate his knowledge of fisheries and apply this to every day angling situations. Off the water Jason is actively involved in many grass roots organizations including the Ontario B.A.S.S. Nation and the Long Point Bay Anglers Association. Jason enjoys giving seminars to share his joy of fishing with others. Getting people excited about angling through education is something he is always striving for. Jason also serves as President, Hamilton Bassmasters (2009 – 2014), Conservation Director, Ontario B.A.S.S. Nation (2011-2014) and Vice President, Long Point Bay Anglers Association (2013-2014).
Jason is a contributor to Angling Authority.com and National Pro Staff (NPS).
Fishing Sponsors: Jason works hard as a Pure Fishing Ambassador to represent the following brands: Berkley, Abu Garcia, Fenwick, Pflueger, Spiderwire, Sebile, Mitchell, Shakespeare, Stren, Penn
Follow Jason on Twitter: @BassinBiologist
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