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Best Spinnerbaits for Bass

Best Spinnerbaits

​Spinnerbaits are one of the most reliable lures to have in your tackle box.

They can produce big bass all year round and in most types of water conditions and temperatures.

The best spinnerbaits for bass tend to give out a solid vibration and have a lot of life in their rubber skirt.

Bass are a predatory fish and use their lateral line to sense vibration in the water.

It is the blade on a spinnerbait lure that produces the vibration and using different blades in different scenario’s is what will give the best results.

There are generally three types of blades that you will find on a spinnerbait: ​

  • Colorado Blade – round deep blade that is designed for maximum vibration through the water.
  • Willow Blade – long narrow blade that gives off a lot of flash but less vibration that either an ​Indiana or a Colorado.
  • Indiana Blade – hybrid between a willow and a Colorado blade which gives a combination of both flash and vibration.

​Blades can be either polished/hammered/patterned metal of bronze, gold and silver or painted with a pattern.

Regardless of the style their purpose is to give off a flash and vibration to draw in bass from a distance.

The type of blade will also affect how fast it can run in the water.

Bigger blades like the Colorado cause a lot of drag in the water and will tend to run slower than a willow leaf blade which spin much faster.

​What is a Spinnerbait ?

​A spinnerbait is a lure that comprises of a wire bent at ninety degrees with a jig head and a skirt on one end and a freely spinning blade on the other.

They have a variety of different blade configurations and styles of blades and also variations in the type of rubber skirt.

Trailer hooks are often employed to increase hook up rates as bass can strike them short of the hook due to the long skirt.

They also come in a variety of weights and as with any lure the heavier spinner baits will run deeper than the lighter ones.

The majority of spinnerbaits for bass will be in the 3/8’s to 1/2 an ounce range.

​Best ​Spinnerbaits

​​1. Booyah Pond Magic

The ​Booyah Pond Magics are somewhat smaller than the average spinnerbaits but they do produce big bass!

They are particularly effective when working smaller waters along the edge of structures or weeds or on larger waters that have a lot of heavy weed beds.

​With one main willow blade and a smaller Colorado blade you get the best of both world lots of flash and big vibrations.

The wire frame has an open loop design so bet to tie in directly rather than use a snap link.

They weigh 3/16 of an ounce so despite being small in size you can still get a decent casting distance.

Specifications:

  • ​Tandem blades
  • Premium 2/0 Mustad hook
  • 12 colors to choose from
  • 60 strand ultra-fine silicon skirt

​2. ​Booyah Super Shad

​Big spinnerbaits catch big bass and the Booyah Super Shad is one heck of a performer.

Boasting no less than four high quality willow blades these lures are all about the flash.

​The four blades aim to imitate a small shad school and create quite a lot of drag as they spin through the water.

Best fished in either clear or slightly stained waters especially when bass are gorging themselves on shad.

Weighing 3/8 of an ounce you can run these fairly deep.

​Six colors available and all of which are fairly light in color with all gold or silver blades or a combo of both.

Specifications:

  • ​4 blade shad imitator
  • Size 4/0 Mustad hook
  • 3/8 ounce weight

​3. S​trike King Mini-King

The ​Mini-King from Strike King is another small or mini sized spinnerbait that weighs in at 1/8 of an ounce making them suitable for smaller species and lighter tackle.

One of the best spinnerbaits for small-mouth bass especially in low light situations.

​Strike King describe these as having a Tennessee blade in reality it is a Colorado blade with a hammered diamond finish.

That blade gives off a lot of vibration and is extremely effective at both dawn and dusk when flash is less important and bass are hunting by vibration.

The jig head has a big bright eye and is finished in diamond dust for extra sparkle.

Specifications:

  • ​​Size 2/0 hook
  • High quality ball bearing swivels
  • Closed loop design
  • 12 color combos available

​4. S​trike King Finesse KVD

The ​Strike King Finesse is designed and tested by legendary Pro Kevin VanDam.

Available in two different blade configurations and a variety of color combinations.

​The two blade combos are a double Willow blade and a Colorado/Willow combo with the Willow being the main larger blade and the Colorado being the secondary.

The Colorado/Willow combo weighs in at 3/8 of and ounce and the double Willow at 1/2 an ounce.

​Both models have an extended tail and a high quality skirt. With an extended tail you should always run a trailer hook as bass may come up short when biting and routinely miss the hook.

Specifications:

  • ​Two blade combos available
  • High quality hardware
  • Open loop design
  • Trailer tail for added movement

​5. ​Nichols Pulsator

The Nichols Pulsator features a patented 3D metal flake tapered blade which give a massive amount of vibration even from traditional willow like blades.

​The range is huge with 5 different sizes and no less than 70 different color options available.

The high quality skirt combined with the metal flake finish of the blades makes them a premium end spinnerbait.

These have a mush shorter arm than most regular spinnerbaits for bass so if you are worried about short strikes and missed bites they will have a higher hook up rate.

Specifications:

  • ​70 color options
  • 5 sizes
  • Hand painted blades

​Spinnerbaits for Bass

​When fishing a spinnerbait for bass always remember that the flash and vibration are the most important things to get right.

The speed of your retrieval can have a big impact on how the blade spins.

​An popular spinnerbait setup would be a baitcasting combo and fluorocarbon fishing line.

A reel with a high gear ratio can be an advantage especially if you are looking to cover a lot of open water when casting.

With most spinnerbait rods having a medium/heavy to heavy power rating and a fast action.

​Spinner baits are tied into your line at the bend in the wire. That bend can either have a closed loop or an open loop depending on the manufacturer.

​The type of loop will have a big influence on how you tie a spinnerbait rig to your main line.

The preferred choice is a closed loop as open loop spinner baits can suffer from having the line run up towards the blade.

This is particularly true if you are using a snap link instead of tying directly to the spinner bait lure.

When using an open loop always tie directly to the loop and do not use a snap clip.

Spinnerbait Blades

​Colorado Blades

The Colorado blade is the biggest and producing the greatest amount of vibration of all three types of blades.

They are an excellent choice when fishing in darker light conditions or in colder water temperatures.

Colder temperatures will generally require you to fish your lures in a low and slow manner.

A bigger blade means more resistance through the water so your spinnerbait will run slower.

​Willow Blades

​Willow blades are often referred to as ‘willow leaf’ blades due to their long slender appearance.

Because of their shape they will spin at a much higher speed than a Colorado blade.

They are particularly effective in warmer months when bass are a lot more energetic and will chase a lure much more willingly than in colder months.

The flash element of the blade is also more suited to better light conditions.

Indiana Blades

​Indiana blade strike a balance between the bigger Colorado and the more slender Willow-Leaf blade.

The are not the most popular type of blade for a lot of spinnerbait anglers as their main usage is during times when bass will spook easily.

​Spinnerbait Trailer Hooks

If you have used a spinner bait lure enough times you may begin to notice a pattern with them when a bass is interested and decides to bite.

You’ll notice that you your hook rate is quite low and that the skirt on the spinner bait is being torn or bitter off in small pieces.

That is because for some reason bass seem to always fall short when striking them.

This is true more often than not when you are using a fast retrieve.

One way to stop this from happening is to use a trailing hook.

A trailer hook is an extra hook that is attached to the normal hook of the spinnerbait.

It basically extends the hook by an extra inch or so and can greatly increase your hook up rate.

  • Updated October 18, 2021
  • Bass