Spinnerbait fishing.... not just for springtime bass.
- Neil Ferris
- Sep 5, 2019
- 4 min read
If most of you are like me, the moment the ice thaws in the spring I am on the water. I get the fishing itch the moment all the water freezes and makes it almost impossible to fish the small ponds around my house. For years when this time comes, I always have multiple spinnerbaits and chatterbaits tied on in different colors and trailer combos. I make long casts and slow roll this baits back. The slower you can fish these baits the better as the bass are still moving very slow at this time. I have had great success with these tactics the last several years and have actually hooked into several really good fish. This past spring in my first two outings, I caught four fish total and three of them were three pounds or more. I'll share some pictures below.
This past year for me, it was very wet, rainy, and cold for longer than normal. Cooler temperatures, colder water, and higher water levels kept those chatterbaits and spinnerbaits in my hands for longer than I ever had used them before. I was consistently using one, the other, or both into the first week or two of May. I caught quite a few nice fish and some unexpected catches as well.
Then, like I had every other year, as soon as the water warmed up I tied on all my pitching gear, frogs, buzzbaits, and more. The chatterbaits and spinnerbaits went back into my tackle box to wait for next spring. Then, shortly after that I went on a fishing trip with fellow fisherman and YouTuber, Blue Line Fishing. We went fishing the second week of June, well into warmer temperatures and better water quality. But, as we got ready to hit the water, I noticed that he had a spinnerbait tied on. Then I noticed that not only did he have a spinnerbait tied on, he had several tied on. I put it out of my mind, and didn't think about it much more until he started using it and catching fish on it. I sat there in disbelief as he started to put the hurt on some nice fish. A spinnerbait in Summer?? I never would have thought to even tie one on. After we got off the water, we talked about it for a while. He shared tips, tricks, and more that he had learned over the year.
Since then I have partnered with Rip Jaw Lures, a company owned and operated by Blue Line, who specializes in spinnerbaits. I then realized just how important a spinnerbait could be outside of spring and why it is important to keep one tied on all year long. Rip Jaw has several different styles of spinnerbaits and they have a special line that are very good in summer. This line is called the Summer Shad Series. Blue Line realized that if would mess with the look of the spinnerbait just a bit, that it would beautifully mimic a shad swimming through the water. I tied one on shortly after partnering with Rip Jaw and within the first 10 minutes I hooked into this beautiful fish.
I was slowly becoming a believer that maybe this bait was more useful than I had originally thought. I was fishing it by just straight retrieving it at a decent pace. Something that I learned from Blue Line though is called the yo-yo retrieve. When using this retrieve, you basically fish your spinnerbait just like a soft plastic. I started using it to change up my presentation a bit, and have gotten several fish while using that tactic.
One of the great things about Rip Jaw Lures is their specialty Kicker Blade. When Blue Line started making his spinnerbaits in the early 2000s, he started to think about ways that he could stand out more from other spinnerbaits. He came up with the special Kicker Blade, his own creation that creates a crazy amount of vibration that absolutely drives fish CRAZY. Since the beginning of my partnership with this company, I have used only used spinnerbaits that have this blade, and the results have been amazing.
Another great use for the spinnerbait outside of Spring is dirty water situations. When it rains, the water can get really muddy and your options for tackle can narrow based on what is in your tackle box. I have started using a spinnerbait in these situations and once again, the results have been excellent.
Something that really helps Rip Jaw stand out to me, is their Dirty Water Series. This is a series of spinnerbaits specially tested and designed to catch fish when water conditions aren't the greatest. Blue Line has created a great product that gets great results in situations where you normally wouldn't get good results. I used to show up to the lake when the water was muddy and think about how tough the day was going to be. Now I show up to the lake with a new sense of confidence knowing that I have a Dirty Water Series Spinnerbait on my side. This is a great weapon to have in your arsenal year round. I still use a straight retrieval with a Dirty Water Series, but will generally slow it down just a bit. I feel like this gives the bait just a little more time to stand out and get the attention of all those big fish.
Below is a link to Rip Jaw Lures' Instagram where you can view and order your products. I highly recommend that you take a look into Rip Jaw and try out their products. I have seen a great increase in my quality of fish since partnering with Rip Jaw and have seen more fish caught on the Spinnerbait. Another awesome thing about Rip Jaw is that they let you completely customize your order. You can tell them what colors you want, style, design, and even blade combos. Click the link below to go check them out. I highly recommend their products, and I encourage you all to keep a spinnerbait tied on year round.
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