Inline spinners can be great for almost any fish but do you guys find yourselves throwing them a lot for bass? Trout season opens in my state and I've purchased a few to use for that but by accident I purchased a few larger ones, 1/6oz white and chartreuse rooster tails to be specific. Will probably use them for maybe smallies or finicky bass. 

I do. I also make my own. They truly are a universal lure. For bass I might use inline spinners from a size 1 blade up to 5. 
 

Mepps inlines can work too. 
 

Trout season is just around the corner for my neck of the woods too and since they’re stockers, they’ll hit just about anything, even power bait, 😎.

 

With this said, prefer single hook vs treble 99% of the time. If the treble is of decent quality, I’ll try to keep it. If not, I wont hesitate to cut it off and use a split ring to add a siwash hook. I think the split ring makes it a little harder for them to throw off the lure. 

When using it for bass fishing, they’re in my “emergency” box. T-rig, crank bait, senko, spinnerbait, jig all fail? It’s time for the in-line spinner (or spoon) to step up to the plate. If it works, they I have to ask myself, “you dummy, shouldn’t you have started with the in-line spinner, lol?”
 

Good hunting!

When I was young and trout fishing, I would catch smallies on in-line spinners and be upset that it wasn’t a trout….how things change. 

Mepps Comet. A great schooling bass lure. 

 

 

 

 

6 minutes ago, Captain Phil said:

Mepps Comet. A great schooling bass lure. 

I've been catching bass on comets for 50+ years...an old standby that never fades.

When I was growing up fishing with my Dad that's about all we used, along with the Creme worms with double hooks and blades on the front. Somehow over time I got caught in the tackle buying trap and haven't used an inline spinner in years. Come to think on it, I think I still have some of those Mepps inline spinners. Gonna pull them out and tie 'em on for old times sake. They were bass catchers for sure!!!

Put a chunk on it! 

 

I use Mepps, but there are other good brands too. I like the Comet Minnow, and the Black Fury, yellow dot pattern, size 3 or 4. Classics, and fun to throw.

Almost impossible to throw a Mepps spinner and not catch something.

I had an uncle who swore by a #2 Mepps spinner with a pice of white pork rind as a trailer.  I really haven't used an inline spinner for bass for years, but need to get back into the habit.

#2 - #5 spinners are good for bass anywhere (1/6oz is about a #2), but especially in rivers where they tumble with the current. Only problem is, they catch everything else too, so I don't use them often for targeting bass where I'm around lots of other kinds of fish. And suffice to say, the open trebles on a Rooster Tail or Mepps are problematic for wooded and weedy cover.

Ive casted thousands of times for trout in my life, never had any bites from panfish, bass, or pickerel on the spinners i was throwing. (only because the smaller size) But if i had a big spinner and put something scented on the hook as a trailer i think it would do really well, especially in rivers or casted just outside the grass/lily pads in shallower water.

But dont limit yourself to only spinners, spoons are amazing too. In my creek fishing the Mepps Aglia is the king for numbers and size, but for trout in lakes/ponds a Thomas Buoyant spoon (gold) has caught tons and tons of trout. I can cast it extremely far and its a good enough size a bass might want it. I was fishing it 2 seasons ago for trout in a lake and i hooked something big when i had it almost reeled in (about 6' in front of me) it was fighting hard but because i was originally going for trout and had the line, and drag set for that it popped off before i could figure out if it was a bass, pickerel, or turtle. Id be confident casting the spoon on casting gear aswell since it just flies through the air.

Rooster Tails are the bee’s knees. 

3 hours ago, Catt said:

Put a chunk on it! 

 

Is that a snagless Sally? I bought one because of you a while back but haven't tied it on yet. Where do you like to throw it?

3 hours ago, Catt said:

Put a chunk on it! 

 

 

This works really well and I've actually converted a few old Mepps spinners over to snagless Sally because of the types of cover I fish all the time down here!

 

I put an ewg on mine and I don't need a weed yard and it comes through everything!

 

 

1 hour ago, FishTax said:

Is that a snagless Sally? I bought one because of you a while back but haven't tied it on yet. Where do you like to throw it?

 

Everywhere 😉

 

Extremely effective around & though grass. Add a Zoom Swimmin Chunk as a trailer, I like white or chartreuse.

 

I often use a 1/6 or 1/4 white roostertail tied about twelve inches below a small swivel. If the water is stained, I might choose a brighter color.

I throw it out on flats about 10 feet deep and let it sink to the bottom then just slow roll it back, pausing every now and then.

The spotted bass love it.

That white Roostertail will catch every freshwater fish swimming in the State of Maryland. I fish a local creek that has a good SM population which is stocked with trout. Last year while fishing for trout in March I was throwing both a Roostertail and a Mepps Aglia. Caught 7 fish on them, 6 SM and 1 LM so I figured hey switch to a tube since the bass are biting. Two fish on the tube a 18" Brown and a 16" Rainbow trout. 

 

Allen

Another vote for a white Rooster Tail.  When my son was little that was the only thing I ever tied on for him because it catching every thing that swims.  

Rooster Tail & Mepps are good but I have found the Blue Fox vibrax to be superior especially the fire tiger color with the brass blade. 

I used to have several "Snagless Sallys" they were killer along grass lines parallel to the bank. Haven't seen one in years.

I was throwing this cheap eagle claw in-line when we had a short but nice warmup in February. I’m planning on grabbing a few nicer ones for the upcoming season.

10 hours ago, Alpster said:

I used to have several "Snagless Sallys" they were killer along grass lines parallel to the bank. Haven't seen one in years.

Bass pro sells them. I stumbled on it in store and picked one up. 

I use them all, Rooster Tails, Panther Martins, Blue Fox and Joe's flies. A couple of years ago Mepps came out with on called "Bronze Slammer". I've been using them in the 1/4 ounce size for bass fishing with good results.

Mepps Bronze Slammer is a killer