Spinnerbait Design

[Larry Richards]

I pretty much reach for War Eagle stuff first these days. I prefer the Screamin Eagle 1/2 oz. I throw whatever color looks good to me based on available light and water color. I do lean towards the shad colored stuff. Typically with one silver and one "gold" blade.

The War Eagle spinnerbait is a good spinnerbait but they really should use a larger hook on there baits a trailer is almost a must.I use a 5/0 hook on my 1/2oz spinnerbaits.I also build mine with a combo of a #3 Colorado and a #4 willow and a combo of a #31/2 willow with a #4 willow on a King spinnerbait head

[RSBreth]

Al's spinner is like the old Shannon Twin-Spin, which is pretty cool. I see several buzzbaits being made now with two blade arms, but not really any spinnerbaits.

I'm mostly using a tarted up compact-frame spinnerbait in either fire-tiger (murky water) or white on white for clear. Tandem Colorado/Willow. No trailer hook.

[Al Agnew]

To tell you the truth, I don't really have a theory on why the twin spin is so good. All I know is that I've proved to my own satisfaction that it's better as a shallow running spinnerbait than any of the tandem spins and single spins I've ever fished. Maybe it's the size of the two little blades...they are smaller than any blade used on a "normal" spinnerbait. Maybe their placement, off to the sides, makes a difference.

I've also proved to my own satisfaction that each component is important. I've tried making them with silicone skirt. I've tried making them with bigger blades. Tried small willow leaf blades. Tried using them without the grub trailer. None of those variations work as well as the original.

By the way, the blades don't have to be painted. In fact, most of mine have either gold or chrome blades, and I've used copper and black blades. I don't think the blade color makes any difference.

One thing about these remakes of old lures...the old luremakers really had a method to their madness. There were reasons why such lures were effective, and the same reasons apply today. With all the tinkering I do, I've been unable to improve upon the original Shannon. When I was growing up all the local river anglers on Big River used Shannons. In fact, the first really huge smallie I ever saw caught was taken on a Shannon. I fished a certain hole with live crawdads all the time. One time I was wading into position to make my first cast when an old guy in a cedar and canvas canoe came drifting around the bend. He asked me if I minded if he made a couple casts into my hole before I started fishing it (he obviously knew it was a good spot). I said to go ahead. It only took one cast. He picked up a steel casting rod and some kind of baitcasting reel with a big natural brown Shannon on the end of it, cast right over my log, and came out with a smallie a good 4 inches longer than anything I'd ever caught out of that hole with live bait. He hung it on his De-liars and it weighed 4 3/4 pounds. Which was the beginning of my conversion from a live bait angler to one who fished with Shannons! At the time, all the Shannon aficionados used a split tail pork rind trailer. When the curly tail grub got popular, I was the first one I knew in the area that tried it as a Shannon trailer, and it worked.

So I've been using either the Shannon or my variations of it since about 1968. And who knows how many fish I've caught on it.

[Guest]

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[eric1978]

I toss a twin spin and tandems that I have been making all summer, they have become my confidence bait. The reason I like it so much is because it can be fished a multitude of different ways--burning and bulging the surface, slow rolled so that it just hangs in the water column in they're face, kill it an let it die after passing over a logjam. Plus it is extremely snag resistant- I throw them into some really hairy stuff and they always come back. I use size 4 nickel indiana blades with chartreuse, whtie, clown, and black skirts.

For LMB's I toss the War eagles, but the hooks are a little small. Did anyone else try out the war eagle wake bait spinner this year?

Got any pictures of your creations siusaluki? I'd love to see them!

[Chief Grey Bear]

I like this design. I am going to change out some of the blades though.

[eric1978]

I like this design. I am going to change out some of the blades though.

That one's pretty cool, Chief. I guess you poured that one yourself???

Do you guys know where I can buy unpainted heads on wires...with good hooks? I don't really want to buy all the pouring supplies but I'd like to customize beyond that point.

[Larry Richards]

Do you guys know where I can buy unpainted heads on wires...with good hooks? I don't really want to buy all the pouring supplies but I'd like to customize beyond that point.

http://lurepartsonline.com/cart.php?m=prod...list&c=1997

[Dutch]

http://www.bubbajackstackle.com/spinner_bait_heads.htm

http://shop.ebay.com/items/spinnerbait%20h...d=1&_sop=12

http://www.luremaking.com/catalogue/catalo..._bait_heads.htm

http://www.barlowstackle.com/acb/showprod....ectGroup_ID=657

[Chief Grey Bear]

No, I didn't make that one. It came from here: harttackle.com