So I have a handful of cheap inline spinners. Some of them spin much better and easier than others and I am wondering why? What can I do to make on spin better? My best one is a double blade, the blades spin, but not every cast. I try popping it etc. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. I caught my first inline spinner fish on it, but its not worth fishing as it doesn't work right half the time. Whereas other ones spin on the first crank.

 

Anyways I'd like to try some more better double bladed inline spinners as well as fix the one I have.

 

 

(As a young kid) I used to read the Mepps catalog until it fell apart.    I don’t think I’ve ever taken a fish on a Mepps.   I had high hopes for the #3 Black Fury. 

If you can, ditch the cheap inline spinners and buy some Mepps Black Fury, Panther Martin, or larger Rooster Tail spinners. They all work but the only time I can use them is in spring before the weeds get thick.

Mepp's are the pinnacle of the inline spinner world IMO. They're also kind of pricy for what they are so I have a hard time buying them. I mostly only use them fishing creeks and ponds and I lose them a lot but they're great fish catchers. 

Get some Mepp's Aglia, Black Fury, and Aglia Long bladed spinners, and you can cover the whole water column. Great lures

Gold Mepps size 3 inline is DEADLY

I agree 100% with Mo and Way. For years (still do) I’ve fished them on the river for Smallies. Mostly as a change up type bait. Fishing them on a Light power rod. I’ve gotten a lot of fish on them. But can’t really say I’ve gotten an outstanding Smallie on one yet. But if I threw them all the time or more it may have happened. They are good baits. 
 

I could be wrong but most likely those other guys and myself cut out teeth trout fishing as kids using them at a very young age. 

7 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

I mostly only use them fishing creeks and ponds and I lose them a lot but they're great fish catchers. 

Oh man, ain't that the truth.  I've had a few of what I call $50 days, my term for paying tribute to the logjam gods that inhabit the creeks.  I have found a way to mitigate this, by swapping the trebles over to single hooks, but I still manage to lose at least one every outing.  Better than 5 or more lol.  When I got my wife fishing with me on the creeks, she would be overly apologetic any time she lost one.  I told her no need to apologize, it's part of the game.

My vote goes to Rooster Tail first and Mepps second just due to cost and availability. They are both great. 
 

As far as getting inlines to work consistently, make sure you are using light line on a ML or L rod. They may work with a fast tip but may work better with a moderate tip (I fish them on a ML drop shot spinning rod).  You can also try pointing your rod tip directly at the spinner while reeling faster but, unfortunately, that will bring it at a diagonal through the water straight to you. The cheap ones may not go “low and slow” as you want them to do. 

9 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

So I have a handful of cheap inline spinners. Some of them spin much better and easier than others and I am wondering why? What can I do to make on spin better? 

 

Anyways I'd like to try some more better double bladed inline spinners as well as fix the one I have.

The easy fix is to bend the tip of the blade out (away from the shaft) about 30*. The bend will allow the blade to catch water easier and start rotating.

 

The other thing you can do is to flatten the curve of the blade a little. It'll be easier starting and you feel a little more vibration as well.

 

Good luck.

I bought some heavier inline spinners this winter ( 3/8 oz) and I'm going to try waking them in places where I might throw a buzz bait or a little deeper like a lipless crank and se what happens.

Back in the day when I was a rookie, I threw Mepps quite a bit, but that kinda fell by the wayside when I discovered 4" Brewer Slider worms.

I only use inline spinners like a gold-blade black and yellow Panther Martin for Trout fishing, never tried it for bass. But the Trout, especially in the winter, eat them up!

Panther Martins have the most positive spin. It’s because of how the shaft is through the blade. 
 

Rooster tail has a like blade version also. Very positive spin to it. 
 

Majority of time for bass I’m using a Mepps. Panther, Rooster Tail and CP Swing are more in line with my trout fishing. 

In lines are my summer and fall go-to in rivers and moving water. SM, LM, and even big pike will go for a 1/4 oz. Spinner. I like panther martins but I will fish any brand, as long as its shiny and flashy.

I mostly fish inline spinners in late winter early spring, not because they won't catch year round, but because the grass and weeds make it too much of a chore, and there are better choices to fish around the green stuff then. Inlines have the "beginner" and "dink" moniker firmly stuck to them, and they are not untrue, but they are much more than that. 

A spinner will not spin, or will be reluctant to do so for a few different reasons. First it could be the blade, either it's shape, size, or the balance it creates with the body, second it could be the clevis, wrong size, or burred or distorted, lastly it could be the bearing bead, some use plastic or hollow metal, which are more prone to create friction, and of course it goes without saying it could be the wire, or assembly of the spinner. I make my own, it's not hard, and I can make them do what I want. 

A heavy double #3 with a bucktail behind it catches everything.

17 hours ago, Jonas Staggs said:

So I have a handful of cheap inline spinners. Some of them spin much better and easier than others and I am wondering why? What can I do to make on spin better? My best one is a double blade, the blades spin, but not every cast. I try popping it etc. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. I caught my first inline spinner fish on it, but its not worth fishing as it doesn't work right half the time. Whereas other ones spin on the first crank.

 

Anyways I'd like to try some more better double bladed inline spinners as well as fix the one I have.

 

 

Even more expensive inlines can have problems spinning.  The wire is thin and soft so if it bends the blade wont run as well.  If you cant get the blade to spin after popping it, try to straighten out the wire as best you can.  Ive found rooster tails to be prone to blade issues, whether its caused by a bent wire or clevis.  I think Panther Martins are higher quality and the way blade is affixed to the wire helps the blade run more consistently then the Rooster tails that use a clevis.

Rooster Tails, Mepps and PMs are great, but I think the Blue Fox minnow spins produce better fish and cast a little better then the other inlines.   

4 minutes ago, GetFishorDieTryin said:

Even more expensive inlines can have problems spinning.  The wire is thin and soft so if it bends the blade wont run as well.  If you cant get the blade to spin after popping it, try to straighten out the wire as best you can.  Ive found rooster tails to be prone to blade issues, whether its caused by a bent wire or clevis.  I think Panther Martins are higher quality and the way blade is affixed to the wire helps the blade run more consistently then the Rooster tails that use a clevis.

Rooster Tails, Mepps and PMs are great, but I think the Blue Fox minnow spins produce better fish and cast a little better then the other inlines.   

 

I like the Blue Fox Vibrax the best.

8 minutes ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 

I like the Blue Fox Vibrax the best.

I couldn't agree more, the Vibrax Foxtail is a superior in line spinner. 

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

I like the Blue Fox Vibrax the best.

I had gotten a 3 pack of them for my bday as a kid.  They ran deeper then all the other inlines I had used and they would pick up a lot of grass.  I didnt catch many fish with them either, so I went back to the minnow spins and PMs.  Im sure theyre great baits, I just didnt have confidence in them.

Make them

Mepps also has a weedless inline spinner with a Mr. Twister grub as a trailer. When the grub gets worn out, you can use almost any grub or a tail section of a plastic worm. These fish through weeds and wood much better than the treble hook models.

9 hours ago, TheBasslayer said:

I only use inline spinners like a gold-blade black and yellow Panther Martin for Trout fishing, never tried it for bass. But the Trout, especially in the winter, eat them up!

Smallmouth Bass love them!

2 hours ago, NYWayfarer said:

Smallmouth Bass love them!

These love them also! (Sorry if you've seen this pic before)

Will tying directly rather than using a swivel help?

 

I hear good things about panther martin but I can say that their inline minnow spinner sucks! The bait spins even with a swivel 

 

Mepps comet mino