TackleTour

So the vast majority of spinnerbaits these days are double willow or tandem willow configurations. I imagine the next most popular setup is the single Colorado. How many of you regularly fish other blade setups? Do you feel you do better fishing, let's say, an Oklahoma tandem or Indiana blades? Do any of you still fish Stanley Wedge blades when you throw willows? I ask this last because, while I don't think they thump as hard as a Colorado, I do think they thump much harder than traditional willows. What are your favorite blade configurations, and what do you think the benefits of that arrangement are?

I rarely fish Colorado blades or Willow blades and I throw spinners a lot. I like Terminator Oklahomas (basically a hybrid) and Vibratrons.

DaveJ

These are blades I like:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/terminator-spin ... Sw3utY74ch

https://www.lunkerlure.com/store/index. ... -pack.html

DaveJ

IlliniDawg01 wrote:These are blades I like:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/terminator-spin ... Sw3utY74ch

https://www.lunkerlure.com/store/index. ... -pack.html

DaveJ

Thanks, DaveJ. I know the Oklahoma/turtleback/mag willow has a pretty sizable following, but although I've long been aware of the Vibratron, you're one of the only people I know who fishes it. How hard does it thump, and how much lift does it generate? The extreme amount of cup and the split nature of the bend make me think it might do well being buzzed across the surface but still not generate a ton of lift.

Randingo wrote:

IlliniDawg01 wrote:These are blades I like:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/terminator-spin ... Sw3utY74ch

https://www.lunkerlure.com/store/index. ... -pack.html

DaveJ

Thanks, DaveJ. I know the Oklahoma/turtleback/mag willow has a pretty sizable following, but although I've long been aware of the Vibratron, you're one of the only people I know who fishes it. How hard does it thump, and how much lift does it generate? The extreme amount of cup and the split nature of the bend make me think it might do well being buzzed across the surface but still not generate a ton of lift.

The Vibratrons don't generate a ton of lift, but they can be buzzed, however, pretty high speed is required to get it to the surface. I love them for pike. I wish they made a bigger version.

DaveJ

That Schimdterbait looks pretty freakin' sweet with its Marabou and that odd Colorado/tiny Indiana blade combo.

My favorite right now are Terminator and War Eagle Trokar tandems. I like to feel the thump of that Colorado working.

I just ordered a Schmidterbait. I couldn't fight back the curiosity any longer. So if any of you have been wondering about em I'll let you know next weekend. I also got one of those LC skeet crazy Colorado (Willow/Colorado×2) which should be super effective around here, especially after a lot of rain.

I mostly use colorado blades for night fishing,Supposedly has more vibration's.

I use a lot of different blade configurations depending on what situation I'm using the bait for. I don't use single Colorado much anymore as the chatterbait has become my choice for a strictly vibrating bait. I use double willows for clear or lightly stained water and for shallow water burning, I use a willow/Colorado tandem set up for the same water conditions as the double willow but I tend to use the tandem first when the water is in the low to mid 50s and anytime the fish are a little sluggish. For stained water I like a tandem Indiana/Colorado set up if I'm in shallow water, 5' of less, it gives me good vibration but still has some flash. I use a single willow for deeper clear water presentation and if the water is stained I use a single mag willow also called Olympic, Oklahoma, or turtleback. There is a single situation in which I like fishing a double mag willow configuration, it is with a 1/2oz bait with a size 5 mag willow on top and a size 4 mag willow on bottom, and that is when the fish are slashing at the bait when I'm burning a double willow spinnerbait, they are short striking or not committing to hitting the bait, as soon as I see that I will use the double mag willow, that lets me fish it high in the water close to the surface like the double willow but at half the speed, a lot of times the fish want that up high but the bait is going faster than they want to move, it still amazes me how that simple switch of blades can make such a difference. As you can probably tell the spinnerbait is my favorite bait of all time and I make my own as I just can't find what I need on the shelf so for the past 20 years I've been cutting and bending my own wire, using the hook I like the best along with the blades I need for every situation.

Small Colorado up front, larger Indiana on the back...

But my favorite of all time spinnerbait still has to be the tandem Bush Hog!

I made a chatter/spinnerbait after a friend caught a 15 lb bass on one at Clear Lake and, in the process of trying to keep the blade in the R bend, I discovered that using #28 galv. wire wrapped around both arms and with several loops around the R bend makes my spinnerbaits last a lot longer. They don't open up on a good fish, and I can bend the upper arm if I want to close the bait more for speed by starting the bend up from the R a little so it doesn't weaken the wire connection.
Here's a picture of my first "down and dirty" bait wrap. I've since learned to wrap them more cleanly, and to put three loops around the R. I use super glue to lock the wire in place, and to make it smooth, so it doesn't catch weeds.
http://www.tackleunderground.com/commun ... chatter-2/
I haven't had a bait open up or break since I've been doing it, and that's over the past two years.

Small Colorado up front, big Willow in back. One gold, one silver seems to work best for me.

Depends on tons of variables for me . I fish/make big spinnerbaits starting at about 3/4oz and going up to about 5 oz on some tandems.
Some of my favorites, especially because muskie have never seen them before, is something that has not need produced for many decades. A Little Cleo 1/8oz trolling spoon as a blade for my personal use in the 1-1/2 oz range.

Depending on whether I am trolling or casting ( usually casting by far) slow or fast deap or shallow I mix it up pretty well.

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