Different Spinnerbait Blade Combinations

[BASS302]

     Two years ago, I decided to assemble some spinnerbaits.  I wanted to try different spinner blade combinations.  I bought unpainted spinnerbait heads, eyes for the spinnerbait heads, several different types of spinner blades, pre-made skirts, straight wire shafts, beads, and ball-bearing swivels.   

     I painted some of the spinnerbait heads white, the other heads were left unpainted.  I attached the stick-on eyes, then coated all the heads with epoxy.  The epoxy was in side-by-side syringes which was supposed to make it easier to mix the correct ratio.  Despite this, some batches of epoxy I spread on the spinnerbait heads stayed soft and sticky and I had to throw out those.  I had planned to create a bunch of spinnerbaits, each with a different combination of blades, but no longer had enough heads.  So, I came up with this idea to make the blades as attachments (instead of one blade configuration per spinnerbait).  (Note:  I have since learned that Hildebrandt makes spinnerbaits that have a "quick-blade-change" feature) 

     The final product was a spinnerbait with a “loop” on the blade wire to which blade assemblies could be attached.  A small metal tube fastens the loop wire closed.  I use a size 3 willowleaf blade on a ball-bearing swivel as a trailer on the spinnerbaits I currently use.  I thought a size 3.5 blade would make a better trailer for this set of spinnerbaits (I assumed "Bigger is Better", but, more about this later).

 

Spinner Blade Attachments:

A.    Double clevis with two #4 Colorado’s

B.    Double clevis with two #5 deep cup Colorado’s

C.    Double clevis with #5 deep cup Colorado front, #5 willowleaf in back

D.    Ball bearing swivel, #5 deep cup Colorado front, ball bearing swivel, #5 willowleaf back

E.    #5 inline, spacer tubes, #6 inline

F.    #6 inline, spacer tubes, #6.5 inline

G.   #6 inline, ball bearing swivel, #5 willowleaf back

H.    #6.5 inline

 

Parts were purchased from Lure Parts Online and Jann’s Netcraft.  Spinnerbait bodies were purchased from Lure Parts Online. 

 

Testers Comments

     I was able to create two sets of spinnerbaits (several spinnerbait heads to go with the various blade assemblies).  I found two BR members who volunteered to test the spinnerbaits.  Here are some of their comments:

1)  The biggest issue I had was fish striking at the back blade on the hook but not being able to put a trailer hook on.

2)  First, I threw a Colorado willow combo. Caught first bass of the year on it.  The deep cupped Colorado doesn’t spin as freely as a regular Colorado as the leading blade. I found that out making my own.

3)  I changed blades to a double inline. Caught a bass on it.  It fished well, the blades are slower than others.

4)  I switched to a leading inline with trailing willow.  It didn’t work.  The inline blade interfered with the willow.

5)  I don’t know if the blade on the hook does any good.  It might be too much.  I had a couple of hits that I missed and they may have hit that blade.

5)  The willow Colorado combo that has two ball bearing swivels. I flattened the deep cup blade and removed blade on the hook.  It worked a lot better with the flattened blade.  Like I said before the deep cupped ones don’t spin very well on a combo set up.  I caught several bass with it, the vibration felt really nice through the rod tip. The only negative with it was the blades would often not start up immediately. I had to twitch the rod to get them spinning.  I don’t know exactly why but I think the leading blade is making contact with the second blade.

6)  The double clevis Colorado /willow combo.  It seemed to start up pretty fast but there would be times during the retrieve where it would stop spinning.

7)  I fished the inline ball bearing.  It was interesting.  During the retrieve it would randomly "kick" out; like it just hit something. This might be a good thing.

 

Lessons Learned

1)  The ½ ounce spinnerbait heads I bought weighed more than ½ ounce.

2)  The 3.5 willow blade trailer is too large.

3)  Leading Colorado blades should not be deep-cupped versions.

4)  The spacing between the leading and trailing blades needs to be optimized.

5)  The sizes of the leading and trailing blades need to be optimized.

6)  The sizes of the ball-bearing swivels might need to optimized.

7)  The blade harnesses should have been made with twisted closed loops.

8)  The loop arm with attachable blade harnesses worked, but doesn’t seem to add anything.

9)  The epoxy coating on the spinnerbait heads “yellowed” with age on the two spinnerbaits I have.

 

 

[Munkin]

Most 2 part epoxy yellows quickly so use Devcon 2 ton 30 minute as it will not yellow.  In a pinch for clear you can use Sally Hansen Hard as Nails fingernail polish (2 or 3 coats depending on thickness).

 

All the other info about blade and spacing variables is just trial and error. There was a company that use to sell a spinnerbait kit like what you are creating. If I remember correctly they were called Secret Weapon?

 

Allen 

[Jigfishn10]

I wasn’t fan of the deep cup Colorado blades which amazed me, I had a completely different understanding of what they would do. Seems like I really had to jerk the spinnerbait at start up.

 

“4)  I switched to a leading inline with trailing willow.  It didn’t work.  The inline blade interfered with the willow.”

 

@BASS302, regarding the quote above, did you put the Colorado on the blade arm and willow on the rear attached to the swivel?

[BASS302]

@Jigfishn10,

There were two blade configurations.

Configuration "D" had a ball-bearing swivel attached to a deep cup colorado blade attached to a ball-bearing swivel attached to a willow blade.

Configuration "G" had an inline blade on a short shaft with one bead following the blade.  That was attached to a ball-bearing swivel attached to a willow blade.

There was no blade configuration having a deep cup colorado on a clevis/shaft connected to a ball-bearing swivel attached to a willow blade.  I didn't think of doing that combination.  Would that have worked?  Maybe I'll try it. 

 

Any suggestions on blade spacing or other blade configurations to try?

 

Have you ever used a double clevis on a spinnerbait?  If so, any suggestions?

 

[Jigfishn10]

Ahh, I totally misread that then. 

So I did try, many years ago, trying to put 2 blade on swivels like you did and there was too much torque.

 

I have done double clevis with great success. It was such a great lure that I ended up rebuilding it multiple times because it got chewed up.

Instead of stacking the clevis, I interlocked them. Blades are placed cup out and perfectly opposed to each other.  
 

That’s a titanium worm sinker on top of a plastic bead.
 

I believe those are #3 colorados and the whole thing comes in just shy of 1/2 OC.

 

Easy start up, less thump but more whir. Meaning you won’t hear; chop chop chop in the water. More like whiiiirrrrr in the water. 
 

This started off as kind of a fun let your mind go wild kind of project. I used chenille and a zonker strip. The treble hook is stripped of 1 hook so the hooks ride upright. 
 

My mind was running amok that day. Crazy huh?  

 

Boy does it work