Spring Time Spinnerbaits

Spring has to be one of my favorite times throughout the year to fish. One of the best tools to use this time of year is a spinnerbait. I catch a lot of fish on these baits when the lakes is just starting to warm up. When the water temperature gets to 45 degrees I really like to throw them. When its colder then 45 cretin baits work better. But as soon as it hits 45 I always have several spinnerbaits tied on! The thing with Spring time spinnerbaits is that it is not like spinnerbait fishing in the summer or fall. The spinnerbaits, trailers and the speeds at which you retrieve them are almost completely opposite! Everyone has heard the term "burning a spinnerbait" which is just retrieving the bait back to the boat at a very high speed. This is a very deadly technique when the water temperature is warm. But in the Spring time I fish spinnerbaits at very slow speeds. Keeping the bait right above the bottom or very close to any vegetation is key. The fish will not travel far to chase the bait when its clod. But if you get the bait in and around where the fish are they will bite it out of reaction. This "slow rolling" technique is a great way to catch Spring time bass. I rely on two spinnerbaits this time of year. One is a 1/2 oz V&M Pacemaker Spinnerbait, Bluegill color with a Colorado/Willow leaf blade combination. The second bait is a 1/2 oz Cyclone Big Easy VooDoo spinnerbait, Black or Black/Blue color with a single Colorado blade. These baits I always have tied on and I fish each bait in cretin conditions. The Bluegill colored Pacemaker spinnerbait I like to fish when I have a lake that is full of, well you guessed it, Bluegill!! It is also my go to bait when its sunny or bright out. The 1/2 oz Cyclone Big Easy VooDoo spinnerbait I like to fish when its raining or early in the mornings when the light low. If its overcast and dark the VooDoo spinnerbait is the deal! The trailers that I use on these spinnerbaits are different then the ones I use in the summer or fall. I like to use ether a V&M 7" Pro Mag worm or a V&M 6.5" Wild Thang worm. The action that these worms add to the spinnerbaits I feel gets me more bites. Remember the spinnerbaits a "slow rolling" along the bottom and the action of the worms really make the baits come to life! I like to fish these baits on a 7' MH rod and a 6.4:1 gear ratio reel spooled with 16-20 lbs florocarbon line. What the 6.4:1 reel does is, it helps to you to slow the spinnerbaits down in the cold water. Having the right gear ratio is important when your fishing these spinnerbaits in the Spring. If you are reeling the bait to fast you aren't going to get as near as many bites as you are when your "slow rolling" them. I hope this will help you catch more fish during Spring on spinnerbaits! Get out there and put the V&M and Cyclone spinnerbaits to work, you will have fun! "Do Whatever It Takes" Nik Autrey