Spin “Doctoring”
Most of you are more than well aware of the proven fact that spinners work well on walleye’s. Drag them through a respectable amount of fish, and you can reasonably expect positive results. Rigging options are numerous; tradition dictates bottom bouncers for us in the Dakotas, but they work anywhere in the water column and with any delivery system. Inline and Snap weights, Lead Core line, Dispy’s, etc., all perform admirably. Bait options abound as well. Minnows, Nightcrawlers, and Leeches are common fair. A more durable-and equally effective- option in the form of Powerbait or Gulp! artificial offerings should not be overlooked.
Nothing new here. Or is there? As good as they are, conditions often dictate that a slight variation may work a bit-or even a lot-better. Perhaps you’re dealing with fish that are seeing a high amount of pressure and just can’t seem to show any enthusiasm for what they’ve witnessed paraded in front of them for weeks…often times, months. We can still stick with the positive triggering capabilities of spinners: flash and water displacement, but incorporate something just a slightly different. Maybe just switching from a Colorado blade to and Indiana style will do it. At other times we need to deviate even further. I’ll outline two options that may be just what you’re needing.
The first is a definitively more aggressive approach and intensifies all the triggering cues by stepping up to 2 Colorado spinner blades equipped with 2 vents respectively. This innovative and unique spinner rig is the Double V Ventilator created by JB Lures. What this does is to double the amount of flash and thump of a traditional blade while adding in a considerable amount of water disturbance as water is forced through the vents. Creating
a “vapor trail”, of sorts.
The Double V Ventilator is best employed by bumping up your typical spinner presentation speeds. They seem to run best this way and you gain a decided advantage in the ability to quickly cover water. We are looking for more of a crank bait-reaction typebite with this system and they even work very well employed in a crank bait spread. Simply deploy a weighting method such as Snap Weights or Lead Core. Gives you a considerably different look and more options…thus more opportunities.
The second gives the ability to scale down to a much more subtle presentation, while still giving you the flexibility to ramp it up to the more aggressive side of the spectrum with out changing out leaders. This system incorporates a thin delta wing shaped mylar blade that spins on your leader, as does a typical spinner. This creative approach is the Smile Blade developed by Mack’s Lure and comes in a number of pre-tied varieties.
The critical deviance from a metal spinner is that the extremely lightweight material spins at speeds as low as one quarter mph. Traditional spinners fail to do this (losing all appeal), and typically become snag prone when fished near bottom. Another factor is the variety of looks we can give the fish with one attractor. They come in sizes from .08 on up to 3.3 inches, and are easily bent in or out to provide a different thump and flash profile. Typically slow speeds work best bent wide to provide a flip flop type of action. You can easily increase your speeds to 2 mph plus by bending them in to give yourself a tight spinning action, also an option in crankbait spreads.
These wrinkles may give you just enough of an advantage turn a tough to average outing into a successful day.