Over the last couple months, I have been spending a great deal of time fishing for Calico, Sand, and Spotted Bay Bass with spinnerbaits, specifically the new Reebs Bolt Thrower. This saltwater grade spinnerbait has proven its effectiveness time and time again, and has essentially become one of my go to lures for both tournaments and recreational outings. However, spinnerbait fishing is a bit more technical than traditional swim bait/soft plastic presentations. My next few blog posts will be dedicated to demystifying spinnerbait fishing. This first part will introduce the spinnerbait, lay out the perfect rig for tossing them, and touch on color and pattern selection. Enjoy!
I grew up fishing mostly swim baits and swim jigs for saltwater bass, but quickly realized that in order to capitalize on certain bites, I needed to branch out and learn how to properly fish reaction baits. There are several types of reaction baits, but when it comes to saltwater bass, most anglers point to either spinnerbaits or crankbaits. I started out with crank baits, and after about 5 months of use, I became confident enough in my abilities to have one tied on at all times. I then turned to a type of modified spinnerbait called a switchblade. A switchblade is a swim jig with a blade on the hook shank. These compact lures accounted for dozens of quality models, and quickly joined crankbaits on my short list of goto presentations. Finally, this winter I had the opportunity to join the Reebs Lures Pro Staff team. Reebs has always made incredible swim jigs, called Kelp Assassins, but they recently developed a new innovative lure, the Bolt Thrower Spinnerbait. I came onboard right as the Bolt Thrower was entering the market, and immediately started throwing this wonder bait in the bays and kelp. Its been game on ever since, with eager bass climbing all over it almost every trip. I no longer leave the house without my bolt thrower box, a spinnerbait rod and reel setup, and of course my trusty iPhone to document the fruits of my labor.
Anglers can throw spinnnerbaits with a laundry list of rod and reel setups. However, after trying quite a few myself, I have finally settled on what I consider to be the ultimate setup. This setup consists of Shimano Chronarch 200E7 or older Curado 200E7, Shimano Crucial X77MH, and straight 50 lb Moss Green Power Pro. The small bait casters pack plenty of punch into their low profile frames, the rod has plenty of backbone for casting 1 oz baits, yet retains a soft tip to reduce pulled hooks and feel the tick of the blades. 50 lb Power Pro eliminates cast offs, and provides plenty of strength to muscle even the largest bass out of cover. While I usually fish Power Pro all the way to the hook, there are times when I tie on a short fluorocarbon leader. If you are fishing near heavy “hard” structure such as boiler rocks, break walls, or dock pilings, the fluorocarbon’s abrasion resistance will come in handy.
The Reeb’s Bolt Thrower weighs one ounce, which is the most versatile spinnerbait weight for saltwater bass. Its light enough to float over eel grass when you need it to, but has enough mass to hug bottom, which is what I generally try to do (more on presentation later). The Bolt Thrower uses muskie grade wire, saltwater swivels and components, and ultra sharp long shank Mustad hooks for high bite to hookup ratios. Two large willow leaf blades complete the component package. Its comes in a half dozen colors currently, with many more on the way, including Team Basstic and Team Fishtrax signature models. Anglers would be wise to carry a few of each color, but if you are only looking to pick up the essentials, order the Chart/White, Sexy Shad, Tobasco, and F1D Nightime patterns. Each of these colors have their time and place, and it really comes down to personal preference when choosing one out of the box. As a general rule, choose lighter colors such as the Chart/White and Sexy Shad for daytime sunny conditions, and the darker Tobasco and F1D colors when their is little or no light brightening the sky. Color selection is important, but don’t lose sleep over it. Fish are eating the spinnerbait because of the flash, vibration, and attention grabbing profile, not necessarily specific color schemes . When the bait rolls by their hideout, they don’t have the time or urge to over analyze colors, and will often smack it simply out of aggression, which is why spinnerbaits are considered reaction baits. You are trying to get a reaction, and while certain colors definitely help trigger it, I firmly believe your retrieve style has an equal, if not greater effect.
Stay tuned for Part Two later this week.
- Evan
