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All About Bass Fishing - Guide To Fishing Shallow With Spinnerbaits

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By Rick Seaman and Dan Westfall

Bass Knowledge Center

For starters, the spinnerbait is one of the most versatile lures ever invented. You can fish it in virtually any conditions at a variety of depths and speeds. A spinnerbait can be fished in clear, dingy or muddy water and in areas with or without cover. The vibration of the blades attracts bass from some distance and causes bass to react impulsively and strike the lure.

3 Most Important Factors About Fishing Shallow With Spinnerbaits
  • The spinnerbait is a reaction-bite lure.
  • It calls the bass to the bait.
  • It can be fished in very heavy cover.
3 Most Effective Fishing Methods & Lures
  • In clear water willow-leaf blades are preferred, Colorado blades in dingy or dirty water.
  • Use copper blades on sunny days in clear water, chrome blades on cloudy days or dirty water.
  • Select spinnerbait weight based on the depth at which you want the lure to travel.
Spinnerbaits in shallow water.
Spinnerbait

Water conditions and cover dictate which type of spinnerbait to throw. In clear water, fish a spinnerbait faster and above the cover. In dirty water fish slower and tighter to cover.

Blades

Blade types, colors and sizes can make a difference. As a general rule use willow leaf blades in clear water and Colorado blades in dirty water. Often a combination, known as a tandem spinnerbait, works best for stained water. Traditional thinking for blade color has always been to use silver blades on cloudy days, windy days or in dirty water, and use gold blades on sunny days in clear water.

Weight

Spinnerbaits come in a variety of weights from ΒΌ ounce to 1 ounce for fishing at varying depths. Heavier lures are intended to run deeper than lighter lures.

Spinnerbait skirts.

While there are infinite numbers of color combinations available, tradition says to use white in clear water, chartreuse in dirty water and a combination of white and chartreuse in stained water. Experiment with other colors to match the food source, like sunfish colors.
Spinnerbait presentation

The overall size of a spinnerbait (skirt size, weight, color, blade size creates a visual appearance to the bass. It may be important to keep smaller in clear water and larger in dirty water.

A spinnerbait is ideally suited for the several month period surrounding the spawn. Bass are in shallow water and are likely hiding in cover to ambush their prey. Use the spinnerbait to draw bass out of the cover by casting past the cover and retrieving the spinnerbait near or over the cover. As a general rule, fish the spinnerbait at a fast retrieve to cover lots of water in a short period of time. Dirty water conditions may call for casts tighter to the cover and a slower presentation.

It is important to stay in contact with the cover you are fishing. Slow the retrieve until you feel the lure bumping the branches of the cover below the surface.

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