A spinnerbait is the best power fishing bait of all time.
Sure, buzzbaits are great for targeting big bass with baitcasting gear, and frogs, flipping jigs and crankbaits are all great baits, too. But none is as versatile and as effective all year long as a spinnerbait. Spinnerbaits can be fished day or night, in muddy or clear conditions, in cold and warm temperatures, in shallow or deep waters, and around a wide range of forage and cover. There is simply no power fishing bait better than a spinnerbait.
And here’s why.
Versatility of Depth
One of the beauties of a spinnerbait is its adaptability to a wide range of depths: You can fish a spinnerbait effectively to about 25 feet down, and then also in waters so shallow that the blades are literally coming out of the water. This latter method of “burning a spinnerbait” works really well when bass are chasing bait along the surface, whether that’s happening in shallow water or out over deeper depths. Lighter (3/8- to 1/2-ounce), double-willow leaf blade spinnerbaits are often best for this technique.
Then, for the deeper applications, one-ounce spinnerbaits with single larger (#6) willow leaf or Colorado blades work well reeled slowly along the bottom around cover and structure; in the midrange (4 to 10 feet), double Colorado blade 1/2-ounce baits are effective in cold, muddy water. And then a 1/2-ounce tandem Colorado/willow spinnerbait is really the single most versatile spinnerbait to use throughout a good chunk of the water column.
Adaptable to Different Types of Cover
Spinnerbaits are also really effective around a wide variety of cover. These baits catch fish around isolated hard cover like stumps, docks, boulders, and laydowns. While they are also really effective around submerged and emergent vegetation, like coontail or water willow. Typically, spinnerbaits with double willow leaf blades or a small Colorado blade and willow leaf blade will come through vegetation better. Around hard cover, blade selection has more to do with water clarity and water temperature. More on that up next.
Year-Round Effectiveness
Spinnerbaits work in all water temperatures, to some extent, but you won’t be able to pull out the same exact spinnerbait all year to catch fish in all situations. For colder water (52 degrees and below), you’ll want a spinnerbait with a good bit of vibration — that means either a double Colorado blade bait or a tandem Colorado/willow spinnerbait with a big (#6) willow leaf blade. These lures give off a great thump and they move slowly through the water, which makes them better for colder situations, especially when the water is more stained to muddy.
Moving from winter to spring, it’s good to transition to a tandem Colorado willow leaf bait up shallow. Then, as summer comes, move further out to deeper water and the big one-ounce baits. As baitfish rise in the water column late in the summer headed into the fall, move back to the tandem Colorado/willow baits and even double willow leaf spinnerbaits. Then, as winter sets back in, slow down again with the double Colorado or big blade tandem baits.
Effective Across a Wide Visibility Spectrum
Similarly to how a spinnerbait can be used at nearly any water temperature, you can also use these baits in any water clarity or visibility. From the muddiest water you can imagine to the clearest, you’ll find fish that will bite a spinnerbait. These baits even work great in the dark: A black Colorado blade spinnerbait has likely caught more fish at night than any single other bait thrown in the dark.
No doubt the flash of the blades helps fish find these baits in low visibility situations, but it’s the vibration of the blades that really call the fish in and help track them down. Science has proven that bass rely heavily on their lateral lines to detect vibrations and hunt, and the spinnerbait appeals to this sense as well as any other bait. As a general rule of thumb, lean toward willow leaf baits in clear water, and go for Colorado blades or big willow blades in muddier waters. You can also check out our guide on how to choose the perfect spinnerbait for more info.
Mimics a Broad Range of Forage
Another factor that contributes to the spinnerbait’s reign as the best power fishing bait of all time is its ability to imitate a wide range of forage, from large spinnerbaits used to imitate golden shiners on Okeechobee to smaller silver baits that mimic alewives on the Great Lakes. And, of course, spinnerbaits can be used to mimic shad, herring, bream, and other baitfish across the rest of the country, as well.
Final Thoughts
There is no better power fishing bait than the spinnerbait, though some might disagree. These lures work year round, from 0 to 25 feet, in muddy water and clear. Day or night, bass can be caught on a spinnerbait. Regardless of the fishery you’re on, there’s most likely bass relating to some sort of baitfish that a spinnerbait can effectively imitate. And, if the bass are related to cover, structure, or even just out over open water, there’s a good chance that there’s a spinnerbait built to target them. All of this makes the spinnerbait the best there is for power fishing.
