Spinner baits

[Radnine]

Hi All,

I have not used spinner baits a great deal, but am willing to bow to their popularity on this forum and try some.

I have seen them for like $2.99 at Bill’s in Hamilton and I have seen them on the website of an advertiser on this forum that charges twice that . Which are good ones and which are not worth the price?

Thanks as always.

[Musky or Specks]

Hi All,

I have not used spinner baits a great deal, but am willing to bow to their popularity on this forum and try some.

I have seen them for like $2.99 at Bill’s in Hamilton and I have seen them on the website of an advertiser on this forum that charges twice that . Which are good ones and which are not worth the price?

Thanks as always.

A cheap spinner bait will catch fish but you get what you pay for. Longevity of the bait and performance are to key factors with more expensive baits. Helicoptering and super slow rolling are just two of the things that cheap baits dont do well. If all your looking to do is just whip em out there and burn em back cheap baits should work.

[MCTFisher9120]

2 good brands i like are Booyah and Strike King. If either brands are on sale pick up some, as for other brands just look for a quality hook, steel wire and stainless steel blades and a high grade skirt.

Edited April 24, 2008 by Mike The Bass Fisher

[Maverick]

I like Terminator. They are more expensive but they will last almost forever. Made out of titanium so when a big fish hits, it doesn't need adjusting. But I have twice as many cheaper ones as I do the Terminators and they all catch fish.

[mepps]

The only good spinner bait is an inline!

[addict]

strikeking elite or proseries are great baits about 10 bucks each but shop around i got a great deal on some good quality homemade ones at at a local shop.all work well some have better elements nickel and gold plted blades quality swivels,better skirts expirment find out what works best for u.

[PatrickGG]

Matzuo has some nice spinnerbaits thats if you like to spend 10 bucks for one.

[Zubris21]

I love using spinnerbaits, but I have a hard time paying for them. I like the strike king and booyah, but I find when your catching pike after pike on a good day, most spinner baits wont last terribly long. Thats why I try to pick up a handful of cheaper lures in various colours so I don't get too bent out of shape over ruining them. Sometmes CT will have some Charlie Tumbleweed spinners on for $.99, and thats usually when I'll grab the cheap ones. they run pretty true as well.

[Cookslav]

I buy them from Natural sports in town here...generic, and decent price, with no complaints but then again they know their stuff, and they are good quality baits.

[Garry2Rs]

“There is hardly anything in the world that some man can’t make a little worse and sell a little cheaper,

and the people who consider price only are this man’s lawful prey.”

(John Ruskin, 1819-1900, English art critic and social commentator.)

 

As has been pointed out many times in this forum "You get what you pay for."

Cheap spinnerbaits have crumby components that bend, freeze-up and rust quickly...on the other hand,

I would rather have a cheap spinnerbait than no spinnerbaits.

[Roy]

The very best spinnerbaits I have were all made by people in this community. We will soon have another great spinnerbait/inline contributor. Ask Joey to show you what SHE's been making lately! Awesome stuff.

[Mike01]

I have been using Strike King baits for a long time. They are a little more expensive but I find they are worth it. Booyah's aren't quite as expensive and are also pretty good. If you can get something on sale, regardless of brand I would buy it.

[Burning Babies]

I don't fish a spinnerbait without a premium hook and ball bearing swivel. They make a big difference in catch rates. Premium silicone skirts can make a difference as well (especially translucent baitfish patterns in clear water). Many companies make high quality spinnerbaits. I've been really impressed with Bass Pro Shops laser eye pro baits lately - they have them on sale down here for $3 a pop, and so far seem just as good as the basic Strike Kings, Booyahs, etc. The only thing I do to them is add a layer of epoxy over the eye stickers to guarantee they don't come off.

[lunkerbasshunter]

bought a home made one at magnetawan bait and tackle last year and i caught 10 bass and 3 pike on it before it was garbage. it cost me 2.99

 

cheers!

[johnnyb]

Whether you buy a $2 or a $12 spinnerbait, here is my best tip to keeping them alive a little longer -- specifically with pike in mind:

Take the wire out of a twist tie (the paper/plastic comes off easily enough with your fingernails) and, wrap it around the skirt, directly behind the elastic band that is holding the skirt on. After a couple wraps, use a pair of pliers to twist the wire a couple times so it stays nice and tight, and clip off the excess. This won't help crappy blades/swivels work any better, but it sure will hold that skirt on forever.

[Reef Runner]

As spinner baits are a favoutrite lure of mine on my lake, I've had experience with both the costly and the cheap.

 

ANY SPINNER BAIT WILL CATCH FISH.

 

That being said, and as others have mentioned, you get what you pay for.

 

This past summer I was hooked on these spinners a local was making and selling. They cost $4 each and, tipped with a trailer hook, were irresistable to the larger pike. AFter a tussle and release, these spinner baits would be mangled and would either have to be straightened out (which took away from the action) or discarded. I still have 5 or 6 of 'em and figured if I go through 3 it'll cover the cost of 1 premium spinnerbait. I will purchase them again 'cause like Garry2rs said, "I'd rather have a cheap spinnerbaits than no spinnerbaits". Very true.

 

Also true is that the more expensive spinners are more likely to have better helicoptering and slow rolling qualities, however, I would find it premature to dismiss all cheap spinnerbaits as not having any of these qualities.

 

reefrunner

[The Urban Fisherman]

The only good spinner bait is an inline!

 

tell you what mepps - I've always been a fan of your spinners...the day you start mass producing them is the day I start buying in-line spinners!

 

I like the big Mepps bucktails, but don't use them a whole lot!

 

As for Spinner Prices, yeah, you get what you pay for. I've used the 2.99 no-namers from Crappy tire and they catch fish, but don't last near as long as the premiere plus from stike king.....and they don't look near as pretty..

[snag]

The very best spinnerbaits I have were all made by people in this community. We will soon have another great spinnerbait/inline contributor. Ask Joey to show you what SHE's been making lately! Awesome stuff.

 

These are the best:

 

Clive completely changed my view on spinner baits.

His prices are too low for the quality of his product.

 

ROCKSTAR LURES

 

Here is a report dedicated to his craft:

MEPPS Report

 

Just wait till everyone sees what Clive sent me this time!

[mattyk]

a pike will usually destroy a cheap spinner bait. It will end up costing you more in the long run replacing cheap ones. Spend a little bit more money and buy a better quailty one that will last through several fish.

[OhioFisherman]

Ford-Chevy everyone will have their own opinion. I like the twisted eye ones, but use some r-bends. You can get them to helicopter better if you shorten the arm a bit and a little bend. Easy for me to change them to a ball bearing swivel and different blades if I don`t like the ones they came with.

 

A piece of thin copper wire over the skirt and twisted also helps them hold up, a piece of rubber, vynil tubing over the r bend helps to keep them from straightening out with a bigger fish. Haven`t seen any really terrible hooks on them and I use a trailer hook a lot anyway.