By Joe Cermele

There is a really interesting article by Alan McGuckin posted over on Wired2Fish.com right now. In fact, I'm jealous that I didn't think of it first. McGuckin rounded up a panel of notable bass pros, including Kevin VanDam, Gary Klein, and Ken Cook, and got them to debate whether or not spinnerbaits have fallen out of fashion. He also added long-time B.A.S.S. photographer James Overstreet to that panel, as his lenses have been capturing bass trends for years. Says Overstreet: "Dude, you’d have better luck trying to find Sasquatch than finding a recent event where a spinnerbait was the primary lure used to win an Elite Series tournament."

Now don't misunderstand...no one in the story is suggesting that spinnerbaits don't catch fish, but they are suggesting reasons why these lures, which "carried a 'don’t leave home without it' dependency throughout the 1980s and 1990s" have seemingly lost their charm on the pro circuit. According to McGuckin, the panel had a hard time remembering the last Elite Series tourney that was taken with a spinnerbait.

One suggestion from pro Mike McClelland was that the big tourneys focus on very clear lakes these days, and lures like swimbaits are often more effective in that kind of water. I won't rehash the whole article, as I suggest you read it (and part 2 when it's posted). But I will say that on a personal note, for whatever it's worth, though I always carry spinnerbaits when I bass fish I would never call them my go-to lures. In the bodies of water I fish locally for smallmouth and largemouth, I've always found stickbaits, swimbaits, and crankbaits more effective when trying to cover lots of water. Check out the article and let me know what you think.

Comments (10)

from Riverrat57 wrote 33 weeks 16 hours ago

The last time I used a spinnerbait was Big Creek Lake, Alabama (just northwest of Mobile) 1977.

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from ern23 wrote 33 weeks 15 hours ago

I used white spinnerbaits last weekend, and had my best day of the year on my home lake, which is as clear as you can get in Ontario. There's a big tourney up here in a few weeks, and I would be willing to bet that the winning bag is going to come out of 30-40' of water, which is out of range of the spinnerbaits.

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from Tom-Tom wrote 33 weeks 15 hours ago

Most of my fishing nowadays is in smaller bodies of water, from 1/2 acre to 10 acres. In off colored water in the spring and early summer, spinnerbaits consistently produce. In the municipal reservoirs up to 100 acres, it's crankbaits amd jig-and-eel. Spinerbaits may fall out of favor with the pro's but they will never go out of style, imho.

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from rdorman wrote 33 weeks 12 hours ago

not my first choice but it is def in my arsenal, but only in certain conditions, and in those conditions it is my go to bait

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from the Preacher wrote 32 weeks 6 days ago

Wow... Evolution is very cool. When my grand dad was born, nobody had ever flown in anything. When I was born, no information had gone through a telephone wire. And now by the time my new son is born, spinnerbaits will be a thing of the past.

Rubbers with holographic injections, and crank baits that can hypnotize your prey. It is a different sport and like everything else in life,,, be open and ready for change. nothing ever stops changing. Even the best bass lure

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from the Preacher wrote 32 weeks 6 days ago

spinner baits are the one lure that just doesn't make sense anyways. Is it a school of fish? an injured fish? or like the wooly bugger, "nothing in particular, but effective."

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from shane wrote 32 weeks 6 days ago

I like spinnerbaits for species other than largemouths. I have some scaled down ones that I like for smallies, and they've always served me well for pickerel and pike.

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from rkimminau wrote 32 weeks 5 days ago

Never was a big fan of spinnerbaits, but pulled some old ones out this summer and had some of the best fishing of the year.

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from Mark-O wrote 32 weeks 4 days ago

Let me see... The spinner bait is one of KVD's favorite tools... That's enough of an endorsement for me. The other pros, quoted in the article, let them respond!

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from Joe Derringer wrote 32 weeks 2 days ago

I have still had great success with them in old farm ponds in lilly pads and running them parelell with the bank...i dont think they are dead at all..just depends on where and how much they are used i think in certain lakes or ponds.

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from rdorman wrote 33 weeks 12 hours ago

not my first choice but it is def in my arsenal, but only in certain conditions, and in those conditions it is my go to bait

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from the Preacher wrote 32 weeks 6 days ago

Wow... Evolution is very cool. When my grand dad was born, nobody had ever flown in anything. When I was born, no information had gone through a telephone wire. And now by the time my new son is born, spinnerbaits will be a thing of the past.

Rubbers with holographic injections, and crank baits that can hypnotize your prey. It is a different sport and like everything else in life,,, be open and ready for change. nothing ever stops changing. Even the best bass lure

+1 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Riverrat57 wrote 33 weeks 16 hours ago

The last time I used a spinnerbait was Big Creek Lake, Alabama (just northwest of Mobile) 1977.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from ern23 wrote 33 weeks 15 hours ago

I used white spinnerbaits last weekend, and had my best day of the year on my home lake, which is as clear as you can get in Ontario. There's a big tourney up here in a few weeks, and I would be willing to bet that the winning bag is going to come out of 30-40' of water, which is out of range of the spinnerbaits.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Tom-Tom wrote 33 weeks 15 hours ago

Most of my fishing nowadays is in smaller bodies of water, from 1/2 acre to 10 acres. In off colored water in the spring and early summer, spinnerbaits consistently produce. In the municipal reservoirs up to 100 acres, it's crankbaits amd jig-and-eel. Spinerbaits may fall out of favor with the pro's but they will never go out of style, imho.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from the Preacher wrote 32 weeks 6 days ago

spinner baits are the one lure that just doesn't make sense anyways. Is it a school of fish? an injured fish? or like the wooly bugger, "nothing in particular, but effective."

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from shane wrote 32 weeks 6 days ago

I like spinnerbaits for species other than largemouths. I have some scaled down ones that I like for smallies, and they've always served me well for pickerel and pike.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from rkimminau wrote 32 weeks 5 days ago

Never was a big fan of spinnerbaits, but pulled some old ones out this summer and had some of the best fishing of the year.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Mark-O wrote 32 weeks 4 days ago

Let me see... The spinner bait is one of KVD's favorite tools... That's enough of an endorsement for me. The other pros, quoted in the article, let them respond!

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Joe Derringer wrote 32 weeks 2 days ago

I have still had great success with them in old farm ponds in lilly pads and running them parelell with the bank...i dont think they are dead at all..just depends on where and how much they are used i think in certain lakes or ponds.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

Post a Comment

 

All submitted comments are subject to the rules set forth in our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.