Does anybody throw a blade bait during times other than winter?

It’s very similar to a rattle trap, does it work around grass or on flats like a trap?

What’s my options for a blade bait? What can I do with it other than just wait till winter?

Well it sinks much faster than a trap so fishing it around or over vegetation is problematic. But it shines for probing deeper locations either horizontal casting letting it hit bottom before retrieving or vertical jigging off bottom. It’s a fantastic bait for summer deep water bottom hugging smallies.

I’ve got a friend that always has one tied on (specifically a chrome/blue Gay Blade). He fishes it in place of a ‘Trap, as a silent/smaller profile presentation. This dude absolutely wrecks house on the Colorado River lakes, so there must be something to it.

I have before and caught a few largemouths on points.I havent done it a lot.

My baits bounce on the surface here in winter, so that is out.

But come true fall, when the leaves have turned and the water temps are cool, perhaps close to cold.

Clarity is crystal clear—both before & especially after the lake I fish turn over.

Once the bass have moved or are close to moving and at the very least are scoping out the deep flats that have a little hard cover. (soft cover dies and falls to the bottom—no good)

It is blade bait time. Never fish them any other time.

I will replace the blade bait with a thin heavy rattle bait quite often as well.

The single common denominator is all of my best blade bait locations:

A fairly weed-free, clean bottom of sand or gravel is key.

Soft cover (even just a little) will foul the bait and make me crazy.

I can fish around hard cover (most deep wood) and I really prefer this deal the most.

Pinpoint casting accuracy & angles are paramount, or I am donating baits all day.

And I have and will no doubt lose more baits, it's the cost of this presentation.

Calm mornings and especially late-to-last-light afternoons make for the most fisherman-friendly conditions.

Unless the stiff Wind & waves are at my back when fishing the cover, my casting accuracy suffers and well,

you can guess the rest.

The closer I can get the bait to the cover, the more and bigger bites I get.

btw- a small paddletail swimbait on a light jig head and more recently a vibrating jig,

both work well here too and hang up less which is a plus. Having a proper plug knocker on a long line and knowing how to use it has a 75% or so bait return rate for me. But that spot is burned for a while.

But there's something magical about those little twitch-type vibrations followed by a drop and pause that makes the smallies just eat it.

Sometimes they will pin it to the bottom, and I end up hooking them under the chin.

That's my story.

A-Jay

Blade baits are my favorite white bass and hybrid striper baits. We have some cooling plant lakes that were stocked with hybrids that love the shiny chrome blades. The white bass really love them too.