Why can't I find the big ones?

[vernon]

Spinnerbait has been my favorite bait for as long as I've been fishing - 55 years I think?  

It all started when I was bluegill fishing in a farm pond with my grandpa when I was about nine or ten and I found an old twin spin hanging in a bush.  He told me to leave it be but I couldn't resist the temptation so I grabbed it and hid it in my pocket.  Next time out, I wandered down the bank a ways and when he wasn't looking, I tied it on my Zebco 33 (best reel ever?) and tossed it in the back of a little pocket with some brush and coon tails.   I reeled about three cranks and about a 2 lb. bass smashed the daylights out it and scared me half to death!  

Well I was shaking like a leaf when I literally dragged that fish onto to the bank. My granddad comes over and said, "Lemme see that danged thing." and wouldn't give it back!  

On the way home we stopped at the old Gateway sporting goods store and he bought one for each of us (Bass Busters) and I've been "hooked" ever since.  

I've been told more times than I can count that you can't catch fish on Bull Shoals or Table Rock with a spinnerbait except for those very "rare" occasions when the winds howling and, even then, there's "better" ways.

I say bull hockey - there's ALWAYS at least one rod rigged with a spinnerbait on my boat deck and I start every single trip throwing one with a tandem willow blade (usually white skirt) paralleling the bank.

I mean, if it turns out that they're on that thing why would you throw anything else the rest of the day?!?!

And believe me - they WILL hit a spinnerbait on Bull and Table Rock.  And while it usually helps, it don't necessarily have to be windy either!

Spend an hour paralleling "fishy" looking banks and docks retrieving a spinnerbait a foot or so under the surface and "kill it" every six or eight feet allowing it to flutter down for just a second or two and then start winding again and I'll bet you change your mind.

For forever.

Sorry about the trip down memory lane................

[176champion]

I throw spinner baits..caught a mean mouth on one Saturday...my son was running trolling motor and for some reason he kicked it up on high just as i made my cast and he took off at about 5 mph and that mean mouth nailed it..fish was only 14 3/4 inches long but with him running trolling motor wide open and when fish hit i thought i had a 5 pounder...lol

[magicwormman]

SB's will always catch a few fish on this pond if you wind them long enough. I think it's a good big fish bait at times, but it's never ALWAYS the best mouse trap. Only time and experience on the water will enable you to have confidence in a bait. This is the greatest fishing forum that I've ever seen, with some outstanding advice from MANY really good fisherman. The knowledge that they are willing to share is priceless!

[dan hufferd]

I think that there are many suspended fish over deep water during the day.

There are a couple ways to target these fish. I am not real good at it...yet.

[vernon]

On 10/13/2017 at 9:58 AM, dan hufferd said:

I think that there are many suspended fish over deep water during the day.

There are a couple ways to target these fish. I am not real good at it...yet.

Yeah, well, most of us don’t know how to catch walleye either so it could be worse!

[Ketchup]

How did the Toyota tournament go for ya?

[merc1997 Bo]

9 minutes ago, Ketchup said:

How did the Toyota tournament go for ya?

tournament is on sunday.

 

bo