Tactical Exchange

If you fall into the category of tackle geek and are always on the lookout for an edge when it comes to broadening your fishing arsenal, it sometimes pays big dividends to look back or even across in order to find what you are searching for. Take for instance how many saltwater anglers occasionally swipe lures and techniques from the freshwater guys. Many  anglers continue to marvel at how productive some of these crossover baits really are, especially ones like the spinnerbait. Once anglers saw how versatile these lures were in saltwater it was inevitable that they would become a mainstay on the coast and that the redfish have a new enemy.

Spinnerbaits come in an array of sizes and styles and each one does a little something different that sets it apart from all the rest. Truth be told there are two basic styles and they both do a great job catching fish. The most common and perhaps most widely used is the safety pin style, famous in bass fishing circles and the one best known by Texas anglers. The other is the “in line” version, a recruit from the north country that was originally made famous by walleye and northern pike anglers on lakes and rivers. Both of these baits have come to the forefront of spinnerbait applications and are now producing excellent catches of several saltwater species, most notably redfish.

For many years several of the guides on Sabine Lake, including myself, fished clients on both Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend, as well as Sabine. Over the years we found several baits that crossed the line very handily from fresh to salt and produced equally well in both environments. Plugs like the Rat-L-trap, Rogue, tube jigs, and others stayed in our tackle boxes no matter where we fished. The spinnerbait joined that list when we found out we could catch largemouth bass and redfish in the same brackish marshes so prevalent in our area. Many times while night fishing on the Sabine River we caught mixed stringers containing both bass and redfish. The baits worked so well we turned our friends and clients onto the program. Now the rest of the fishing world has come to understand the secret that many Louisiana anglers have known for years – the spinnerbait has a place in saltwater.

The typical scenario in which spinnerbaits excel in saltwater involves off-colored water where sight fishing is difficult if not impossible. The thump or vibration produced by the spinnerbait’s blades enable it to be a first class fish-finding tool. Not only does the spinnerbait’s vibration make it easier to find fish, you also can cover wider spaces of water in shorter spans of time. No better example comes to mind than the “speed method” that B.A.S.S. angler Kevin VanDam employs as he makes hundreds more casts than other guys on tour because he fishes his spinnerbaits so aggressively. By covering wider areas so quickly, VanDam is able to rule out unproductive water with incredible confidence.

The spinnerbait can also be used effectively in areas with better water clarity. In the marshes around Sabine and Calcasieu we routinely throw spinnerbaits at redfish we can see. A favorite technique is to pull the spinnerbait up to the fish and then vary the retrieve by either allowing the bait to fall or “helicopter” down, or applying a series of quick twitches during which the skirt flares and mimics the action of a spastic or wounded baitfish. Both of those techniques will result in bone-jarring strikes from hungry redfish.

There are also several modifications you can apply that will make a spinnerbait more attractive to redfish. The most common is to remove the synthetic rubber skirting and replace it with a soft plastic – smaller paddle-tailed types being the most widely preferred. The combination of the blades and the paddletail thumping in unison, along with the addition of the lifelike baitfish profile, are truly a winning formula for drawing strikes. Another trick is to impale a foam earplug or small chunk of sponge on the shank of the hook. This will add profile, buoyancy, and also hold any type of scent or fish attractant much longer than simply applying it to the skirting.

Traditionally speaking, most anglers seem to lean toward a rod with somewhat softer action for fishing spinnerbaits. Many also prefer monofilament or fluorocarbon line for the shock absorbing qualities they provide over braided line. The preferences are definitely personal and each angler has their own opinions of what works best for them. Personally, I prefer the faster action rods and braided lines due the fact that I tend to fish heavier vegetation in the marshes. In the thick stuff you need to be able to really stick a hookset and also be able to keep pressure on the fish while fighting it through heavy grass. 

The spinnerbait is an ages-old lure in some fisheries that has recently found a home in saltwater… and should also have a home in your tackle box. Give them a try; they can definitely make you a better and more productive angler.