Who doesn't love to fish spinnerbaits? next to a top water strike there is nothing that comes close to watching your spinnerbait disappear into a fishes mouth while your rod buckles over. I'm getting excited just talking about it!
Like most other techniques if you are going to be successful with a spinnerbait it will take more than just tying one on and casting away, you need the right gear, and what better place to start then with the right rod, and for me that always starts with Dobyns.
For about 4 years now I have been using a Dobyns DX744c as my spinnerbait rod, and that's its only job, not once in that time have I ever used it for anything but spinnerbait fishing, and never in that time have i cheated on it with another rod. I chose the DX744 because it offers me the right balance, power and tip I need to bomb, flip and roll cast a 1/2oz spinnerbait into and over any cover in any condition.
Trust me, at the end of a long day of spinnerbait fishing you are going to know if you have the right rod, but don't take my word for it.. I've rounded up four guys who know a thing or two about fishing a spinnerbait and they're not afraid to share...
It
seems that spinnerbaits have taken a back seat to baits like vibrating jigs,
swimbaits and square bill crankbaits and many anglers can’t tell you the last
time they caught a bass on a spinnerbait.
Here
in the West that is also true but anglers are finding out that to be versatile
on our different waters from clear deep lakes to shallow dirty water with
vegetation the spinnerbait is still a bait that I have tied on year round.
The
rods I fish a spinnerbait on vary quite a lot and for many years I was one of
the diehard fiberglass rod guys for reactions baits. After getting away from
the glass rods for a couple years I have recently added them back into the mix
and the Dobyns Champion Series 705CB has become one of my favorites. This is
the rod that I fish baits up to ½ ounce and 12-15 pound Trilene Flourocarbon.
When
I am fishing the spinnerbaits with heavier line 17-20 and fishing a heavier
bait into deeper water I then go to a graphite rod for sensitivity. My first
choice for this type of spinnerbait fishing is DX744 and a 7.0 gear retrieve
reel.
Both
of these rods can be left in the rod box with a spinnerbait year round and
ready to go but you will find they are also great rods for squarebills,
topwater and jigs with the DX744.
If you are working with a limited budget and
want to narrow down the cost of a rod give the Savvy Series a look where the
SS734 is one of the most versatile rods I carry and often rigged with a
spinnerbait, vibrating jig or walking topwater
Spinner baits and the Upper Mississippi
River go hand in hand. Most of the
year, a spinner bait is a valuable tool for locating and catching large and
smallmouth bass in the shallow, stained (to downright muddy) water. Almost every time I launch the boat you will
see spinner bait tied on to one of my Dobyns champion 734c rods.
All of the pools of the river forming the
Eastern border of Iowa contain backwaters with woods, weeds and rock. In addition, main river cover and structure
forms current breaks allowing fish to wait in eddies for an easy meal to pass
by. A spinner bait is a great option
for covering water to determine the always changing patterns as it can mimic
shad, sunfish and shiners that the bass feed on. My bait of choice is most often War Eagle spinner
bait, either in ¼ oz or the screaming eagle which is ½ oz bait built on a small
frame. When targeting shallow weeds or
wood I turn to the ¼ oz so it can be worked slowly through the off-colored
water allowing fish time to locate it and eat it. When working current or covering water the
screaming eagle allows the bait to get down in the current, or it can be burned
across flats or near cover to illicit a reaction strike. Most of the time, a bait with some
chartreuse in it will stand out more although plain white can be great at
times, or black seems to work well in low light conditions. As far as blades, I think it comes down to
personal preference. A single Colorado
blade with its slow thumping action works well early in the year and when the
water is muddy, but willow leaf blades allow a faster retrieve, less drag in
current, and may better simulate the small baitfish present much of the
year. Painted blades seem to have a
place and time as well- from plain white when the sun shines to bright orange
when the water is dirty, experimenting can yield more and bigger bass.
As far as
equipment goes, any reel in the 6:1- 7:1 speed should work, most of the time a fast retrieve is nice so
you can hit the key spots or current breaks, and then burn it in for the next
cast. Most of the fish are target
oriented so not wasting time through unproductive water can increase
success. Because of the heavy wood and
weed cover and reduced clarity, I prefer heavier line- 20 lb fluorocarbon or
even 30-50 lb braided line. My rod of
choice is pretty simple- the Dobyns 734 champion! This rod is extremely versatile and can do
most things on the river, and it shines in the ¼- ½ oz lure range. A 734 loads well for longer casts, provide sensitivity so you can feel the
blades and know if there are weeds fouling them or a fish has inhaled it, and
provide the necessary power to pull fish away from cover when they strike. See
your local dealer and try the 734, you will not be disappointed.
Adrian Smiley
Bossier City, Louisiana
Spinnerbait
fishing in my area of the U.S means I spend the majority of my time being target oriented. So I
tend to make repeated shorter roll casts to specific targets and cover, over and over again.
The Dobyns Champion 684C provides the perfect combination of length, balance, and strength
that any hard core spinnerbait angler needs in this scenario.
Lets expand on these
three characteristics. The first is length, the
684C is 6"8' in length making it perfect for casting under tree limbs, docks and other tight places where an
underhand roll cast is often needed. These low water-skimming casts ensure you get your spinnerbait to those “unfished” areas of cover often missed or neglected by other anglers.
Second is balance, there is not another rod
manufacturer on the market that prides itself more on the balance of their rods
than Dobyns. The perfect balance makes the fatigue factor of throwing a
spinnerbait all day a non-issue.
Last but not least is strength, some may think a
medium/heavy to heavy rod would be too rigid for spinnerbaits but when you need
that little bit of extra backbone to get those hard-fighting bass away from
cover you know you will have it in the
684C.
To make your
Dobyns 684C into a complete spinnerbait combo all you need is to add your favorite 7.1:1 gear ratio reel, (like my personal favorite a
Bass Pro Shops Pro Qualifier), spooled up with a reliable monofilament.
Outside of your rod/reel combo there are a few other must haves when building
your spinnerbait fishing arsenal. A
skirt machine for matching the forage in
your body of water is essential. Also probably just as important as a skirt, in
my opinion, is to have a vast assortment of blades and like the skirt match the
hatch to improve your chances. Along with a good pair of pliers don’t be afraid
to tweak your spinnerbaits to match any fishing condition you may encounter.
Good fishin’ and God bless.
Here in Arkansas when it comes to a
spinnerbait, we primarily have two ways of fishing them, shallow around
shoreline vegetation and cover or deep around brush piles. These two techniques
require totally different gear. I grew up fishing the many grass beds, stumps
and laydowns on Lake Dardanelle and spinnerbait fishing is something I have
done ever since I can remember. It is a great technique to catch numbers as
well as big fish most of the year.
Throwing a spinnerbait around weeds, wood,
and docks up in the shallows, I don’t think there is a better stick in the
world than a Dobyns Champion 734c. I prefer the split handle model, only
because it is more comfortable to me. This rod is classified as a heavy action
rod, but it is not overly heavy. It has a fast action tip which allows you to
just pull into the fish on a hookset, which I really like. This rod measures
7’3” so it allows you precision casting along with great distance. I primarily
use a Santone Lures M series spinnerbait in 3/8 oz, this bait comes equipped
with a 4/0 Mustad hook and .32 wire size. It tracks and balances in the water
perfectly right out of the package, keeping you from having to bend wires or
change blades. Matts Blue Herren is my got to in dirty water and I like the Mean
Green in clearer water. If I am fishing pressured water or super clear water I
will downsize to the Santone Lures Got 5 spinnerbait in ¼ or 3/8 oz, they come
equipped with 3/0 Mustad hooks and .30 wire size. This bait is more compact and
doesn’t shy fish away that are spooky. Again, I like Matts Blue Herren and Mean
Green for the same reasons above.
When fishing brush piles in deeper water, I will
beef up my rod a little and I give the Dobyns Champion 765CB the nod here. This
rod has a lot more backbone than the 734 and with it being a moderate fast
action you can let the rod load up, helping you get a better hook in deeper
water. This rod will allow you to launch a heavy spinnerbait, which enables you
to cast past your target and get down into it. This rod measures 7’6” but does
not have the heavy feel of a bigger stick. I only throw one spinnerbait when it
comes to this technique, the Santone Lures Pretender. I will throw anywhere
from a ½ to 1 oz, depending on how deep I am fishing. These baits come equipped
with a 5/0 Mustad hook and .40 wire size. The heads are powder coated and
painted with chip resistant paint and the body features a live action silicone
skirt. In clearer water I will throw the mouse color as it is more natural to
the fish. When it comes to dirtier water I go with either citrus or black and
red, depending on just how dirty the water is and what the fish are wanting
So there you have it, 4 anglers who choose Dobyns when it comes to fishing the right rod for their spinnerbait of choice. And if you were paying attention you might
have noticed we all had one thing in common, and that is that our preferred
power was a #4, no matter if you are fishing DX, a Champ or even the Savvy series the a Dobyns 4 power rod was built to fish a spinnerbait.
see ya on the water
