By Vance McCullough

 

Spinnerbaits.

They slay glorious sacks of bass in the springtime and serve us well during the shad spawn as days begin to grow longer.

But as soon as temperatures spike, many anglers opt for “more productive” summertime lures – deep crankbaits and worms offshore – or maybe their attention is dominated by dreams of topwater strikes around shallow cover (hey, no shame there!).

Don’t put those spinnerbaits away. Among the most versatile lures ever devised, those blinged-out blades produce bass year-round for savvy anglers. They also tend to draw strikes from big fish when other lures won’t.

The biggest reason to keep throwing spinnerbaits is they’re just plain fun to fish, especially if you pick up the pace – a tactic perfectly suited to early summer. “It’s a fun way to fish,” says Bernie Schultz, Bassmaster Elite Series veteran and noted lure designer.

Schultz has done some of his best work for Hildebrandt, designing the Blade and the Tin Roller, two spinnerbaits featuring heads made of tin, not lead.

“Tin is harder to work with and more expensive than lead, so these lures cost a little more, but tin has unique properties that make it very well suited for fishing around grass, which we have a lot of in the South, as well as in certain pockets of the country.”

In addition to tin’s ability to ride over snaggy or mushy cover better than small, dense lead lures of the same weight, Schultz notes what may be the most important drawing card of the material, “A good spinnerbait is going to vibrate, from the wire frame, though the blades, the head, and even the hook. Tin transmits this vibration very well. The skirt will flare and pulse better. Tin transmits vibration, whereas lead dampens the vibration.

“I like to burn a 3/4 -ounce – maybe 1/2 -ounce, depending on depth and cover – Tin Roller over and around grass and submerged vegetation, also around docks, laydowns and cypress knees, just anything that will hold bass up shallow as they start to feed heavily after the spawn,” continues Schultz. “You can fish that Tin Roller at any speed, and it will stay straight and vertical.

“It’s also easy to change the blade because there’s a small tube on the shaft that you can slide down and expose the R-bend in the wire so it’s super easy to swap out the blade. If you downsize the blade just one increment you pick up more speed and that will trigger more strikes this time of year until the dog days of late summer set in.”

Few lures come through, over and around the fresh emergent grass of early summer better than a spinnerbait. When vegetation has not yet matted-out on top, spinnerbaits are wonderful tools for combing that skinny, open layer just beneath the face of the water.

Schultz has had success burning a blade under the surface “when bass are in, or even on top of the grass.”

Conventional wisdom says spinnerbaits perform best when there’s a little wind, maybe even a storm brewing. Schultz agrees, for the most part, but notes, “I have had some phenomenal days under calm, bluebird skies fishing a spinnerbait around grass.” Part of the secret is the realistic head shapes of his tin lures, along with natural colored skirts.

Even at night, a popular time to fish in summer, Schultz may stick with light-colored skirts. “If I’m fishing around lighted docks, I’ll usually just go with the shad patterns. If I’m fishing in the dead of night, with no artificial light sources, I like darker colors and I’ll probably switch that back blade to an Indianan style. Hildebrandt makes beautiful black nickel blades that are perfect for night fishing. The small Colorado up front and the Indiana trailing it – that’s my go to night fishing combination.”

You’ll recall the Hildebrandt Quick Change system referred to earlier. That makes the aforementioned blade changes easy, even under cover of darkness. It also increases the versatility and, therefore, the value of these otherwise slightly more expensive tin spinnerbaits.

Interesting side note: Schultz spoke with us from Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin where he was testing some new Mercury outboards. “Motorguide has a new trolling motor coming out – it will be a big reveal at ICAST this summer. It has GPS positioning, anchoring capabilities. It’s outstanding!”

Y’all be sure to watch as AnglersChannel.com brings you this new Motorguide, and all the latest and greatest from the big ICAST industry trade show next month!