(Robert Hamilton, a former Bassmaster Classic champion, is a full-time BASS tour pro and industry consultant with over 30 years of on-the-water experience. He's not sponsored by any tackle or gear manufacturers, so he's uniquely qualified to deliver unbiased, behind-the-scenes reports on specific types of fishing products. An avid outdoorsman himself, he understands your need to buy the best product available within your budget.)

For the next couple of weeks in Hamilton's Lab, we will be looking at spinnerbaits. If one word defines the spinnerbait, it would be versatility. One of the most efficient lures in shallow water, it can also be fished in deep water on structure. I have caught fish as deep as 30 feet on spinnerbaits, and, on structure, it will catch a big bass when other lures are not working.

Blade specialists like Ricky Green and Jimmy Houston have made careers off of the spinnerbait. Kevin Van Dam may be the best spinnerbait fisherman in the country, and my personal belief is that he is better at several other techniques, including cranking. That’s a scary thought to his fellow competitors.

Although he is known as a crankbait fisherman, Rick Clunn stated at the 2006 Classic that spinnerbaiting was his favorite way to fish. I could go on and on, mentioning names like Hank Parker, Jay Yelas and others, but you get the message – spinnerbaits work.

What makes a spinnerbait? Why is one better than another? When do we use double blades versus a single blade? What about color and size? These questions, as well as many others, will be answered in the Lab ver the next several weeks.

The Ingredients

Let’s look at what makes a spinnerbait. The simplest way for me to describe a spinnerbait would be a jighead attached to a wire frame that is covered by a plastic skirt on one end and hardware on the other. Since this definition wouldn’t sell many lures, spinnerbaits have sexy names like Pro-Model, Vibra-Shaft, Terminator, and Lazer Eye. They will all catch fish, but what makes one bait outperform another?



Remember back in one of my crankbait articles, I talked about depth and speed? Spinnerbaits add two more dimensions: flash from light and water displacement from the movement of the blades. There is an endless number of blade and color combinations. Later I will go over basic lure combinations and when to use them.

Although spinnerbaits will catch active, feeding bass, it's known for being a reaction bait. This means that bass will react to the lure without being in a feeding mode. We already know that bass are lowlight feeders, meaning peak times are early and late, but what about the other 12 hours of daylight? Reaction baits like spinnerbaits enable us to catch bass throughout the day when they are not feeding.

Big Bags Possible

This brings us to today’s lesson. The first Bassmaster Elite Series tournament was held at Lake Amistad in southwest Texas. I discovered a great reaction bite on the first day of practice and decided to test 1/2-ounce spinnerbaits. The bite held up the first 2 days of the tournament, when I weighed stringers of over 25 pounds the first day and almost 20 pounds the second day.

Although many of the other anglers were sight-fishing for bedding bass, I was able to fish the areas with a little color in the water and catch the big females with a spinnerbait, using a reaction-type retrieve.

One of the best reaction bites occurs during the spawn. With bass on and around the beds, their natural instinct is to protect the area from predators. I have refined a technique for clear-water, bedding bass. I use a 1/2- to 3/4-ounce bait with a No. 4 1/2 blade on the back and a No. 3 as the leading blade. This bait and blade combination displaces a lot of water, and by pulling the lure very fast just under the surface, I am able to get spawning bass to react to the lure and can usually count on a big bag of fish by weigh-in.

The Tests

To keep it simple, I only tested 1/2-ounce spinnerbaits with double willow-leaf combinations. Some of the baits had titanium wire and some had stainless wire. The diameter of the wire dictates the amount of vibration the blades put out.

The thinner the wire, the more vibration the lure puts off. The tradeoff is that if a wire is thin, it has a tendency to wear out and break, sometimes causing you to lose a fish. I found a solution for that, and you will read it in my “Best” pick. Here are my picks for Good, Better and Best: spinnerbait.

Final Lab Report

GOOD: Lazer Eye – For the price (just a little over $3), this was a great value. Stainless wire with a good hook and 40-strand silicone skirt, this bait performed well. I did break a wire, but it was after catching a half-dozen bass between 4 and 8 pounds.

BETTER: Strike King Premier Plus Pro Model – Great components, good fishability and an all-around super bait. Only drawback was heavy wire frame seemed to deaden some vibration. Still, a great lure.

BEST: Stanley Tunable Titanium – This lure in stainless wire helped me win the Classic in 1992. After testing, it is still my choice for best lure in the 1/2-ounce class. With the addition of the titanium shaft that is tapered for better vibration and longer life, this truly is my pick.

I stated earlier that I had found a solution for broken wire. Most spinnerbaits break at the bend where the line is tied, causing you to lose a fish. Because of the tapered wire, the Stanley bait broke, but it broke down by the blades and the fish stayed on the lure.

I will discuss spinnerbaits and techniques and finish answering all of the questions in my next segment. Until then, good fishing!

Tennessee's Robert Hamilton Jr. is a former Bassmaster Classic champ and, like all fishermen, can't get enough gear. To suggest equipment to be tested in Hamilton's Lab, click here to send him an email.