Fishing With Kenny | A Shameless Plug and More Spinnerbait Secrets

article by Kenny Covington

Before I get into this month’s article, I would like to take a minute for a shameless plug.  I have authored articles for Bayou Life for over ten years now.  Each idea, each month of contemplating, planning, the process of writing and submitting each article has been a pleasure and I look forward to many more years of trying to help people catch more fish.  It is something I love to do.

A few years ago, I started thinking about compiling my articles together and create a “how to” fishing book and earlier this year my idea came to life.  “Fishing with Kenny-The Best of Bayou Life” is now available and can be found on Amazon.com.  I took several articles from the years of writing for Bayou Life and have separated them by seasonal patterns: spring, summer, fall and winter.  Some of the articles you may remember, some you may not but I hope the information will still do one thing: help you catch more fish!  Now, let’s talk about spinnerbaits!

I am a spinnerbait freak!  I love throwing them, building them, tinkering with colors, blades, retrieves, anything to do with them, you can believe I have tried it.  It is one of the long-forgotten lures of yesterday and I believe I do as well as I do because the fish simply don’t see them like they used to.

If I were able to go from boat to boat and look at the spinnerbaits my competitors have tied on, I am willing to bet 90% of the lures I would find would be a willow leaf version, either a Colorado/willow or a double willow, and the color would be chartreuse and white.  As basic of a spinnerbait as an angler can use and honestly, it still catches fish.  But why not look at this fantastic lure from a different perspective and catch more and bigger fish?  Here are some spinnerbait rules I go by.

Rule #1: The dirtier the water the more thump I want from my blades.  I am not saying you can’t catch fish on a willow leaf bladed spinnerbait when the water is off color, because you can.  In lakes or bayou’s where the water is always off color, I have done just that.  But if I am fishing at a lake where the water visibility is usually two feet and now due to excessive rains, it is six inches, I begin thinking about Colorado or Indiana bladed spinnerbaits.  I tend to catch bigger fish on baits with more thump to them.

Rule #2: Colored blades are fantastic when it is raining or when fishing in clear water on a heavy overcast day.  I will usually throw either a solid white bait with white blades or a chartreuse version with chartreuse blades.  In the dirtier water I like a Colorado/Indiana combination in cleaner water I like a willow leaf combination.  These baits can be hard to find but they are worth the investment.

Rule #3: The red or orange kicker blade that has become extremely popular and can be found on every springtime spinnerbait being used, has a short life, so I don’t put a lot of stock in it.  If you are one of the first anglers to use a small red blade on your spinnerbait in the late winter/early spring, you will catch more fish before anyone else.  Once all the other anglers catch on and start doing this same thing, the bites will disappear quickly.

Rule #4: The better you are at casting or pitching a spinnerbait, on average, you will catch a bigger fish.  Anyone can catch the aggressive spinnerbait fish that is feeding in open spaces or on easy to reach cover situations.  Usually, I catch my biggest fish in places I know anyone fishing ahead of me didn’t take the time to make the right cast, or they weren’t able to execute the correct cast to get the right angle.  In spinnerbait fishing, casting, and casting angles is critical to your success.

Rule #5: The higher you run the spinnerbait in the water column, the more vibration the fish can feel.  A spinnerbait running a couple of inches under the surface is easier for the bass to track than a spinnerbait retrieved deeper in the water.  Experiment with retrieves and speeds, and a good rule of thumb when you first start is to keep your lure where you can just see the blades turning, no matter what blade combination you choose.

Rule #6: Color is overrated.  Well, that isn’t entirely true, but it isn’t the cure all most anglers would have you believe.  The first question I always get asked, “what color were you throwing?”  I like to ask what blades were on the bait.  Spinnerbait fishing is all about speed, flash, and vibration.  When it comes to colors, I keep is simple: the cleaner the water, the more natural the skirt.  The dirtier the water the more solid and bright the colors.  One contradiction to this however, is I have found the “firetiger” color works extremely well on clear water lakes.

Rule #7: I always use a trailer, but I no longer use a trailer hook.  My choice of trailer is usually a Zoom spinnerbait trailer or a small boot tail swimbait like a Yum Swimming Dinger.  I want my tailer to be an extension of the bait, but I also want it to blend in with the heart of my skirt choice.  The only time I find that I don’t use a trailer is if I am fishing for an extremely finicky bass and the prefer a smaller, scaled down spinnerbait version.  

I stopped using a trailer hook a few years ago and I have found I get more bites without one on my lure.  It may be just by coincidence but if it isn’t broke, I see no need to fix it.

Well, it looks like we have run out of space and time again for another month.  Gosh, time sure does fly when we are having fun!  Give these spinnerbait tips a try, and I am confident your spinnerbait game will move up a few notches!  Take care, be safe on the water, and catch one for me.  

See you next month!