Spinner Rig Design

[Peanut]

I am just beginning the spinner-making part of my winter, and thought, before I get going, why not see what the experts (you all) do.

Some have given snippets of things they like - round beads, hexagon beads, red, yellow, etc. but what is your overall design. (ie: three yellow beads, float, spinner, 4 more beads, last one red, etc.)

Right now I'm only changing designs at random, not because I know any better. Your input is appreciated as always.

derrek.

CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY "EH"!

[Eyez]

I make basically 2 kinds of spinners. I always use round beads. On crawler harness spinners I use only 2 hooks, some use 3 though.

design #1 is 5 beads (or however many I need to make sure the blade doesn't hang past the eye of the hoook) and a blade.

design #2 is 3 beads, a float, and 3 more beads, then the blade.

I'll use style #2 when I'm using a very large blade that needs the float to keep it from sinking so bad, or when I want a bulkier spinner.

I also occasionally make rigs with a small metal propeller blade sandwiched inbetween 3 beads. It's a smaller presentation, more like a plain lindy rig, but has some of the flash of a spinner. I usually have to bend the blades on the propeller blade to a steeper angle so that they will spin at slow speeds.

I've also done well with the larger foam buzzer type spinners with the plastic fins on them, so I always have some of those handy too.


Eyez

[Tom (mich)]

Depending on the size of the blade, I stick with 5-7 beads, then two more in front of the clevis (quick change). I always use round beads, and rarely mix colors. For floats, I've gone to the larger, round steelhead floats that I put at the front of the spinner - kind of makes it look like it has a head.

[CarpetBagger]

Im an Erie walleye troller and I make tough harneses for the big eyes and occasional steelie that get mixed up in our rigs.

I tie 30lb Ande and snell 2 1/0 Mustad or Gamakatsu hooks then put roughly 5-7 beeds then a blade. Primarily im using 4 or 4.5 willow leafs. i have a few made of size 5 Hatchet blades. All work well.

CB

[Kevin/CO]

I think the best way is to "type" the forage in the areas you fish, sit down with all the supplies you have and decide what kind of bait, minnows leaches or worms, you'll use then try to come up with spinners that will imitate the forage. Once you have a good base set I like to make up lots of variations of my sets for various light and water conditions. Normally for my minnow sinners I use a coated colored hook, gamats are the best here, (selected to match or contrast with the spinner its self) and shortly after a size 12 treble hook that's right in the side of the tail of the minnow. Cuts down on short strikes in my mind as two barbs are exposed but in weed beds I tend to snag a lot unless going rather fast with large blades. For worms its just two standard hooks spaced about 3-5 inches apart. Leaches I use one regular hook and about 9 inches back a treble hook. The treble is placed in the very end of the leach and the length of the leader allows the leach to undulate freely while keeping fish from nipping off the tail. As far as beads, spinner, floats, and clevises Its really all dependent on the types of things I am trying to do. When using elbow clevises I like to have a small guide bead in front of the clevise and then depending on the size of the bait and blade I select the following beads accordingly. I normally only use floats with larger sinners because of the water displacement. I am not the most well known fishermen but I fish bouncers almost exclusively and have almost all of walleye we catch is on spinners, so I put a lot of effort into my system.

[Art/ Co]

Nice Feedback.

Now for the other questions. How early in the year do you start using crawler harnesses? Prespawn/Postspawn?For me usually second week in May above 50deg. How about hatchet blades. Anyone use them with any luck?

Art

[Peanut]

Thanks for your help eeveryone. The project will begin this weekend.

derrek.

CANADIAN WALLEYE OPEN UP AND SAY "EH"!

[Kevin/CO]

Never tried hatchets or smilies to be honest. Would like to but I just haven't bought any yet. For trout we have great success with small metalic spinners behind hatchet blade pop gear but thats about it. We start using spinners after about 40-45 degrees in the water but we use very slow spinning slender small spinners until it gets closer to 50 and go full size when its 55-60. The aggressiveness of teh fish seems to help to hinge on water temp so when the temps are lower we go with more subtle and less aggressive baits to keep pace with the fish.


One thing I forgot to mention in my earleir post is that I always tie one more spinner of a specific configuration then I'd be fishing at anyone time so if we find a specific rig that is just bringing fish in hand over fist and we break it off we have a template to retie on (I carry all my tying equipment in the boat).