By Shane Beliue
After the deep freeze of winter, it feels good to bask in the warmth of the afternoon sun. This same sun is driving big bass up near spawning flats to feed within the warmth of the shallow water, making them increasingly aggressive as the days progress. With all the great shallow water lures available today, the spinnerbait is still one of my top choices for attracting pre-spawn bass.
The spinnerbait is as “old school” as it gets when it comes to fishing lures. It’s a lure my dad would tie on for me when I was a kid back in the ‘70’s and I’m sure I’ve caught more bass on this lure than any other in my tacklebox over the years. Volumes of material are out there on blade selection, but let’s focus specifically on the spinnerbait trailer, as it’s a component that will alter the spinnerbait to meet whatever water conditions you are faced with on any given day. The trailer adds balance and symmetry to the lure and also increases the overall profile of the bait.
The list of questions to consider when tossing a “blade” includes the following: how cold/warm is the water, what are the sky conditions, how muddy/clear is the water? All of these factors help determine how fast the retrieve should be, as well as how the bass are likely positioned around the available cover – both indicators to the type of trailer you select.
In low light conditions or wind, bass are loosely associated with cover, so a faster, more aggressive retrieve near the surface may be the key. In muddy water, bass often get right next to the available cover, meaning a slow fall next to the stump or bush is often required. Cooler water may require a “slow roll” as you allow the bait to flutter down the nearest drop-off just outside the shallow flats.
Simplicity is the rule for me in tackle selection; therefore, I’ve landed on two basic trailer choices: the Yamamoto Swim Senko and the Yamamoto Paddle Tail Zako. Each of these soft plastic trailers make the spinnerbait perform very differently in the water and help address the checklist of conditions mentioned above.
The Swim Senko is a thin diameter plastic with the small boot tail, which provides very little resistance to the lure during the retrieve. This is a great trailer when a faster retrieve is the goal or when you need the bait to fall quickly next to a shallow stump.
The Paddle Tail Zako is everything the Swim Senko is not: it has a thick, meaty body with a hard tail-kick, producing a lot of drag and resistance in the water. This is a great choice in colder water conditions when you want a slow retrieve and/or fall rate to the spinnerbait. This is also a great choice in muddy water when you want as much profile and thump in the water as you can muster.
I also keep color selection pretty simple for skirts and trailers: white, chartreuse or some combination of that for slightly stained to muddy water. In extremely clear water, I like a translucent skirt and trailer to give a more natural look.
The spinnerbait is a lure that’s fallen off the radar in the past few years due to the number of great lure choices for fishing shallow; however, don’t overlook this classic bait this spring!
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