Nichols Metal Flake Spinnerbait [Review]

Choosing the proper spinnerbait can be totally overwhelming for both novice and experienced anglers; there’s a lot to know about them and the options are nearly unlimited.

The Nichols Pulsator Metal Flake Spinnerbait, however, is beautifully simple. I’ve been fishing with it for almost an entire year and it quickly became one of my go-to spinnerbaits when the bite is tough. 

What you’ll like about it

Spinnerbaits are notorious for short strikes. If you really think about it, there’s a good reason for it; the bass are primarily attracted to the flash and vibration of the blades, which draws their attention away from the business end of the lure. You can add trailer hooks all day long, but you’re still going to deal with short-striking bass on some level. 

Anglers will certainly appreciate the shorter arm of the Nichols Pulsator Metal Flake Spinnerbait. If you’ll notice, the blades barely extend past the bend of the hook. So when a fish comes to swipe at the blades, they’re much more likely to be hooked due to the close proximity of the hook. If you’re throwing a larger spinnerbait and experiencing short strikes, this particular spinnerbait is an excellent option to get more of those finicky bass in the boat. 

With the shorter arm comes a bit stiffer wire than some spinnerbaits you’ll find, but there’s still plenty of room for suitable flexibility. You’re able to wake this lure right underneath the surface and when you pop your rod tip or quickly change retrieve speeds, the wire compresses nicely and allows the skirt to pulse without any issues.

The durability of this spinnerbait is also worth mentioning. If you like big hooksets or fishing in super thick cover, I doubt you’ll have any problems with bending or breaking this lure. You may have to occasionally bend the arm, but it returns to its original position and shape very easily. 

You’ll also like how true the Nichols Pulsator Metal Flake Spinnerbait runs. Whether you’re burning it over submerged vegetation or waking it next to dock posts, it doesn’t turn on its side or foul throughout the retrieve. 

My experiences with it

As I mentioned earlier, short strikes are pretty infuriating when you’re spinnerbait fishing. And after seeing how the bass tend to eat this lure, I became an immediate fan of its compact design. It’s definitely my favorite design feature. 

Truth be told, I haven’t been using a trailer hook because the Nichols Pulsator Metal Flake Spinnerbait is an outstanding heavy cover spinnerbait. Its head avoids wedging into wood while also allowing it to come through grass quite easily. I’ve experienced very few hang-ups with this lure and when they choke it like this, I just don’t see much of a need for a trailer hook. 

I’ve fished this lure around docks, grass, rocks and laydowns and its durability continues to impress me. The head has proven to be very chip resistent and the wire keeps its shape with no problems. I’ve broken a lot of spinnerbaits in the past, but I’ve yet to damage any of these. 

The colors are simply gorgeous. The blades and heads are all adorned with metal flake for maximum flash and the skirts are incredibly realistic. FLW Tour pro JT Kenney developed some killer colors for this line; you can scroll through them on Tackle Warehouse.

Final impressions

When the fishing is tough, this spinnerbait has continued to produce for me. It lasts a long time, it looks awesome and it flat-out catches ‘em. If you’re a spinnerbait fisherman, this one should be on your radar. 

The Nichols Pulsator Metal Flake Spinnerbait is available at TackleWarehouse.com.