Why Trout Go Crazy For Spinner Baits

Spinnerbaits are designed to evoke images of larger predators swooping down upon smaller baitfish and attacking them, using various colors and blade designs that mimic this behavior. If used properly, they can produce aggressive reaction strikes under certain conditions.

Bass are gifted fish that possess superior monocular and binocular vision, yet still depend on vibration-sensing lateral lines to detect possible prey. Spinnerbaits’ loud thumps and flashes stimulate this system and are an excellent way to induce strikes in even poor water conditions.

Flash and Vibration

Spinner baits remain an evergreen favorite in fishing circles, providing easy use for beginners or experts alike. There’s a good reason for their staying power in terms of performance: spinner baits work great! No matter your experience level or ability level – spinner baits make an invaluable lure addition to any tackle box.

Spinner baits attract trout with their combination of flash and vibration. Spinning blades create considerable turbulence in the water that stimulates predatory fish’s senses, even in clear water environments. Turbulence generated by blades mimic fleeing baitfish or insects to trigger their instinctual response and drive predatory fish closer.

Size determines how much flash and vibration a spinnerbait produces; smaller spinnerbaits with single blades produce less turbulence and noise than those with multiple blades, while blade shapes such as an elongated willow leaf create more flash than broad Colorado or Indiana blades.

When it comes to using a spinnerbait effectively, there are a few basic techniques that work. One effective option is retrieving it at a steady pace – this will produce consistent vibration and flash that can attract hungry trout. Or try the stop-and-go technique, by retrieving your spinnerbait in short bursts separated by brief pauses until an unpredictable movement triggers aggressive trout that have been following it along its journey.

Spinnerbaits can also be an effective search bait to quickly locate fish. Their flash and vibration created by their spinning blades help pinpoint trout so you can more precisely target them with other lures. Retrieving one typically entails casting it out and letting it sink to the bottom before slowly reeling it back up a short increments, then making several turns before letting it sink back again for several more turns before repeating this process until covering your desired area or finding schools of trout.

Underwater Noise

Spinners generate loud sounds even when being slowly retrieved, from their distinctive “clink” of a Panther Martin Classic or Mepps Black Fury to their crackle and vibrate at the bottom of the water to attract predator fish. Unlike vibration from a nymph or dry fly, this noise remains constant, making spinners very effective against trout that are wary.

Sounds underwater can arise from both natural and manmade activities at sea, such as shifting ocean floor and waves, marine fauna, wind, rain, ship noise pollution, construction works, seismic surveys and sonar imaging surveys. Due to light’s inaccessibility in marine environments, most aquatic life relies on sound pressure and vibration sensing to perceive their surroundings. Industrial underwater noise threatens many of the vital functions of marine mammals, from hearing loss and stress relief to altering behaviour, mother-calf communication disruption and escape responses triggered by seals and beluga whales. Extremely loud levels may even cause decompression sickness by rupture gas bubbles within tissue.

As industrial noise pollution floods into the oceans, governments and environmental bodies around the globe have started taking steps. At Nagoya’s 14th Conference of Parties to the CBD in Japan, governments recognized man-made underwater noise was more than simply a “new and emerging issue”, so they requested their Secretariat compile scientific information on anthropogenic underwater noise’s impacts on marine biodiversity and habitats.

Spinners can also be invaluable when fishing lakes as they allow further upstream or downstream casts than flies without scaring away trout. When casting into a lake, angle your spinner toward areas you suspect trout are hiding, such as drop-offs, vegetation, structure or banks; then reel your lure through the water until just upstream of where the trout are waiting; on slow retrieve give your spinner a quick twitch to change speed and create irregular sounds that cause strikes.

Reaction Strikes

When fish detect what appears to be dying baitfish or prey, their instinct may lead them to strike quickly in response. This action could be initiated by any number of factors; from flashing and vibrating lures in the water to mimicking prey movements.

One of the best techniques for producing reaction strikes is a spinnerbait. While many anglers use spinnerbaits only as visual distractions, they can be powerful tools for finding Bass and producing reactionary strikes.

A basic spinnerbait consists of a lead body equipped with a line tie point on top and one or more single-treble hooks on bottom, fitted with small blades on their tails to give them their name as spinnerbaits. Some companies also provide “dressed trebles”, also called trailer hooks, that add color, action, and provide an additional line of defense against falling off structures or catching on vegetation.

Spinnerbaits are designed to be slowly retrieved at a steady rate and fished within sight of the bottom. Safety-pin styles, in particular, make an excellent vertical presentation around docks or other cover by way of their main blade rotating above their weighted body and hook. In addition, these models fall better and lend themselves well to a “yo-yo” retrieve involving drag across bottom followed by slow roll, similar to using skirted jigs.

For an even more aggressive presentation, try changing up your speed and angle of retrieval in order to pique their interest. Intermittent stops or pauses can make your spinnerbait appear like panicked baitfish and stimulate territorial and surprise strikes from Bass.

If your casts of a spinnerbait into cover without success, try dropping it at different angles or depths; this may trigger a reaction strike from bass who have been scared off by its presence and are waiting for it to pass out of range.

Detection

Trout have an intricate sensory system running the length of their bodies that detects vibrations in the water to signal danger or potential prey, and spinner baits with Colorado blades stimulate this sensitive organ by spinning rapidly, with flashes reflecting off of blade reflections creating deception that often triggers strikes even when trout aren’t hungry!

Bass are known to respond to the flash and vibration produced by spinner baits, making them useful in murky or stained waters where fish cannot see food on either the bottom or surface. Colorado bladed spinnerbaits prove particularly effective because their spinning motion mimics fleeing baitfish which in turn triggers reaction strikes from following bass.

When retrieving your spinnerbait quickly in clear, shallow waters, its faster pace emulates that of fleeing baitfish. To prevent your lure from running too quickly and breaking through the surface, add weight to its head to help it remain upright for greater coverage with your retrieve.

In murky or stained water, slow your retrieve and allow the spinnerbait to sink gradually before gently jerking it a few times on each pause to mimic wounded baitfish and provoke reaction strikes from following bass. This method also works well when fishing rivers where trout rely more heavily on atmospheric changes to detect vibrations than lakes do.

At the core of it all lies success when fishing a spinnerbait in any condition: paying close attention and continually adjusting. If bass keep following your bait without striking, experiment with changing skirt color/size/design or adding different rear blades – eventually, you’ll find an optimal combination of speed, size, color that trigger aggressive reactions from fish otherwise reluctant to strike – the more time spent fishing heavy spinnerbaits, the better you’ll become at catching bass on these timeless classic baits.