A spinnerbait is a fish catcher, plain and simple. This lure has been used for over a century now to tease, torment and tempt bass into biting. Though spinnerbaits catch fish all year round in some parts of the bass fishing world, there are certain times and situations where these lures are more effective than any other. Today, we’re going to look at when and how to fish a spinnerbait given certain criteria. 

Dense, submerged cover - 

Though spinnerbaits certainly get bit in open water and around isolated objects, these baits perform as good as any other in dense, submerged cover. Submerged vegetations like hydrilla, eel grass, coontail and milfoil setup perfectly for spinnerbait fishing, where these vegetations can bog down moving baits like lipless crankbaits and squarebills. 

Laydowns and other submerged wood also present great habitat for targeting bass with a spinnerbait. Again, treble-hooked baits like squarebills and certainly lipless crankbaits are more prone to snag in dense, woody cover. But a spinnerbait, with its upright hook, slips through limbs and branches with far more ease. 

Spring and fall - 

When the water temp is between 52 and 75 degrees, spinnerbaits are hard to beat. While bass will certainly eat a spinnerbait in the summer and winter as well, there’s likely not another moving bait that is as versatile and effective in this temperature range than a spinnerbait. 

Because spinnerbaits can be fished continuously, these are among the better baits for covering water in the spring and fall. Add to that the fact that you can fish them at various depths and they can be used to mimic a wide range of forage, and you have the perfect weapon when fish are following seasonal bait migrations in and out of the shallows. 

How to fish a spinnerbait - 

Though there are these sweet spots on the calendar when spinnerbaits work as good or better than any other artificial lure, they can again still be used throughout the year—you need only change how you fish them. When the water temps are below 52 degrees in the winter, you’ll want to slow roll your spinnerbait, creeping it along the bottom with the occasional light pump or pause. 

In the spring and fall, a good combination of a mild pace and a cadence of twitches, pauses and pumps works well. Burning a spinnerbait in the summer, with a fast and steady retrieve, can be extremely productive. When the lines are blurred a bit between the seasons, you should play around with the approach, sampling faster and slower retrieves with more or less imparted action. 

Foul weather - 

Anytime there’s rain, wind or cloud cover in the forecast, go ahead and tie on a spinnerbait. Spinnerbaits, at least in large part, are intended for power fishing. Weather fronts are accompanied by wind, low light and low atmospheric pressure, three things that trigger aggressive behaviors in a bass. Using a spinnerbait to cover water during these feeding windows will make for a productive day on the water with the possibility of a personal best impregnated into every cast. 

In conclusion, spinnerbaits are great fish catchers in general. But if you lean heavily on them around dense, submerged cover and in the spring and fall, and if you alter how you fish a spinnerbait based on the conditions of the day, you’ll find that this is one of the best baits out there. 

Want to catch bigger bass?  Then take you fishing skills to the next level and get the best baits for the places you fish, delivered to your door? Hook yourself up a subscription to MONSTERBASS.  We'll give you everything you need to catch your new PB the next time you hit the water.  join now.

Need it in a hurry? Check out our Amazon Store and take advantage of Amazon Prime shipping!  shop now  

Did you know? Tackle Direct carries the full line of MONSTERBASS products. learn more