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Inline spinners - trout or bass or both?


Fish the Mitt

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So at my local bait shop, they have all of the inline spinners (Mepps, BlueFox, etc..) under the trout section. I've never paid much attention to the section labeling. If it catches bass, I wouldn't care if if it was in the Dolphin section. However, I started gearing up for some trout fishing plans I have and it appears a lot of the inline spinners are geared toward trout. Couple that with the fact that very rarely have I seen Mepps mentioned at all on this site. 

Again, I'm going to continue using them as they produce numbers and quality (my PB was on an orange BlueFox Vibrax) but is it in fact a trout-oriented lure? Or just a true multi-specie? 

Curious :D

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I have caught MANY bass with a Mepps.  When I was young, on lazy days I would toss one behind my trolling motor equipped Jon Boat and troll the lake we lived on.  It was shockingly effective.

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I've caught plenty of bass on panther Martin's, they're the main inline spinner I throw other than blue foxes.  I was reading a article last night on spinners since I'm trying to get into trout fishing more.  One point in the article was that most small and hairless spinners are geared towards trout, while larger spinners or the ones with hair are more favored toward bass, pike, etc.  

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1 minute ago, EllisJuan said:

I have caught MANY bass with a Mepps.  When I was young, on lazy days I would toss one behind my trolling motor equipped Jon Boat and troll the lake we lived on.  It was shockingly effective.

Very effective. My top 5 have been caught on the BlueFox Vibrax series or a Mepps #5 Red/White Aglia. Just thought it odd that I rarely hear of Mepps on here and I've never heard anyone mention BlueFox (albeit I've only been a member for less than a month). Started thinking I was the only one in the world bass fishing with spinners! lol 

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  • Super User

In-line spinners will catch everything that swims. I use bigger spinners for bass, but pike, perch rock bass and walleyes will all hit them. Your local tackle store is trying to catch trout fishermen by marketing spinners to them.

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The inline spinner is definitely the most effective multi species lure, I have personally caught nine different species of fish on it.  I doubt it was created specifically for trout, I think it was probably just made to catch fish.  It's not often mentioned on this site because it's somewhat considered a beginner's lure, even though there are a number of people that use it, they usually don't talk about it for fear of ridicule.

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2 minutes ago, Wprich said:

I've caught plenty of bass on panther Martin's, they're the main inline spinner I throw other than blue foxes.  I was reading a article last night on spinners since I'm trying to get into trout fishing more.  One point in the article was that most small and hairless spinners are geared towards trout, while larger spinners or the ones with hair are more favored toward bass, pike, etc.  

That actually makes a lot of sense!

1 minute ago, IndianaFinesse said:

The inline spinner is definitely the most effective multi species lure, I have personally caught nine different species of fish on it.  I doubt it was created specifically for trout, I think it was probably just made to catch fish.  It's not often mentioned on this site because it's somewhat considered a beginner's lure, even though there are a number of people that use it, they usually don't talk about it for fear of ridicule.

Oh... well, now I'm off to delete this thread! 

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I caught my first trout 43 years ago with a Mepps Aglia, gold blade dressed squirrel hair hook, I caught my first bass 33 years ago with ...... the exact same in-line spinner. 

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I have a number of them in my 'Skunk Repellent' box.  I also will let youngsters use them when they become fairly proficient at casting, until then it's the good old Beetle Spin.

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9 minutes ago, SemperBass said:

 

Oh... well, now I'm off to delete this thread! 

I have been pleasantly surprised by all of the positive replies, where I live if you mention that your using a spinner people will just roll there eyes and mark you as a beginner.

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1 minute ago, IndianaFinesse said:

I have been pleasantly surprised by all of the positive replies, where I live if you mention that your using a spinner people will just roll there eyes and mark you as a beginner.

I'm a self-proclaimed beginner so comments regarding such wouldn't phase me.

What I don't understand is why they are viewed as a beginner lure? I mean, yes, I can see that they're a little easier to use but nothing we throw in the water is automatic. Unless theres a bobber tied on, control of the lure is still needed. Retrieve speed, water column depth, etc.. are all things an angler still has to take into account. No different than fishing a spinnerbait.

In the end, if it produces, I can't see myself directly or indirectly labeling someone for using it.

Interesting topic none-the-less I suppose.

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It is really kind of silly.  They carry a beginner stigma because it is what you would tie on to help someone inexperienced easilly catch fish.  Ironically, that is all I want to do...have an easy time catching fish.

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They're the biggest catch all lure out there. The small ones work for panfish, medium size for trout/ bass etc, bigger for pike, bass, salmon etc.  They're considered a beginner lure because they're in everyone's tackle box. Every time a kid looks into grandpa's box he'll find snelled baitholders and some form of an inline spinner. I keep them around our bass/striper section in my shop. If someone wants to catch fish I'll sell them some worms and an inline spinner. Once they're hooked on the spinners I'll bump em up to the soft plastics and actual spinnerbaits. 

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Inline spinners probably are technically a "beginners" lure, it was one of the first lures I ever threw when I was a little kid.  I bet a lot of you did too.  

That has nothing to do with its effectiveness though.  Anyone who would ridicule someone for using an inline is either ignorant, arrogant, insecure or a combination of the 3.

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  • Super User

Dont let them fool ya they catch anything.they can save the day .dont pay attention to the naysayers.i dont care what ppl see me using im already behind the times with my pistol grip and abu round reel add a #3 mepps in  and white those ppl wont bother me .until they see me  pullin up big girls all day

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  • Super User

1/8 oz panther martin black with yellow dots and gold blade is my ultimate "secret weapon" catches mostly everything that swims around these parts.  trout, bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill and i'm sure other fish that i've caught on that lure.  it's my go-to for trout, but that lure just flat out catches fish, all fish.

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2 hours ago, SemperBass said:

What I don't understand is why they are viewed as a beginner lure?

I have a fishing buddy that laughs at me for using Mepps and Bluefox inline spinners. He thinks that they are too easy and I need to work harder for my bass. Also he does not believe any respectable large bass (5 lb +) would ever hit an inline spinner. I am dead set on proving him wrong. It's also ironic that he does that consider the senko a beginner lure considering it's effectiveness. I think that he is just out to give me crap.

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They're not my go to for size, but they are a great lure to beat the skunk.  If the fishing is tough, spinners and grubs are clutch.   Even guys like Ike talk about a "beat the skunk box" that isn't complete without 2.5"-3" grubs and some basic inline spinners.  

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When I was stating out I received a bit of advice from an older guy I met at a local pond.   He said that an inline spinner will catch anything that swims, but that I should be prepared to lose "a couple a dozen of them" while I was learning to cast and steer them back in.  He recommended buying the cheapest ones I could and fishing them in a stump field until I could steer them through without snagging. 

I took his advice and did loose quite a few, but I began catching a ton of sunfish once I learned how to work them slowly.  I have never caught a LMB on one, but have caught a bunch of schoolie stripers on larger saltwater spinners.  They are one of my favorite lures to throw and I should really get them in the rotation more often. 

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One of the first bass I ever caught was on a Panther Martin Holographic spinner.  Spinners are one of those "works on everything" lures that kind of got stuck with a "trout" tag that it's never been able to shake.

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12 minutes ago, LastCastChris said:

I have caught some nice bass off rooster tails..

I use 1/6 and 1/4 oz. roostertails for the smalies in erie and the local rivers. I have landed 5# smallies on them.

I even caught 2 steelhead and 5 smallies in elk creek in 3 hrs with them.

Edited by Zippyduck Krimm
grammar
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2 minutes ago, Zippyduck Krimm said:

I use 1/6 and 1/4 oz. roostertails for the smalies in erie and the local rivers. I have landed 5# smallies on them.

I even caught a 2 steelhead and 5 smallies in elk creek in 3 hrs with them.

Absolutely... I use the 1/4 oz in White....

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