Jeremy Lawye ® r
B & S W K L I A I R R D E T E S S S ,
dishes on the
nuances of spinnerbaits
Fall 2019
page 24
M
ost anglers are fanatical about something
– crankbaits, hooks, line weight, number of
strands in a jig skirt – something. For FLW Tour pro Jeremy Lawyer, that something is spinnerbaits.
Maybe it’s because it’s the first lure his uncle tied on for
him when he was first getting into fishing. Maybe it’s also
because he grew up in spinnerbait Mecca – aka the Ozark
region of Missouri and Oklahoma. Maybe (or more likely,
probably) it’s both.
Regardless, when it comes to spinnerbaits, Lawyer is
as fanatical as it comes. From wire weight to blade sizes to
head weights to eyes to vibration strength, the Sarcoxie, Mo.
pro tweaks and analyzes every aspect of his blades.
Why?
“Because I have so much confidence in them,” Lawyer
said. “From the shad spawn until winter, they can always be
a player, especially here in the Ozarks.”
So, we picked Lawyer’s brain on what things he truly
looks for in a good spinnerbait, starting with the three
biggest keys.
WIRE
For many guys, the wire is everything, and for good reason. The stiffer/heavier the wire, the less vibration a spinnerbait will put off. For this reason, most anglers try to find the lightest wire to get the most vibration.
But, should they?
“No,” Lawyer said. “There’s no one wire that’s better, because it all depends on the situation.”
As Lawyer explains it, anglers tend to think nothing of having silent, one-knocker and rattling versions of the same crankbait to fit various situations; but they tend to pigeonhole spinnerbaits as a one-size-fits-all deal.
Unfortunately, that’s not the case.
“If I’m throwing spinnerbaits, I’ll always start with three different brands on my deck with three different wire gauges,” Lawyer said. “I may start with a lighter one to get the most vibration, but maybe the water has cleared up and they don’t want all that thump. Then a stiffer wire with less vibration may work better.”
BLADES
Blades are easy, right? Painted Colorado blades for dingy water; nickel, willow blades for clear water. I mean, you’ll catch plenty of fish following that mantra, but it goes deeper than that.
“I carry all different brands of blades,” Lawyer said. “I’d say 80 percent of my blades are Hildebrandt, but I also carry cheaper blades and factory blades, too. The Hildebrandt blades actually have such good vibration, they don’t burn as well as cheaper blades.”
That’s right, the metal quality (and even whether or not the blade is painted) effects how much vibration a spinnerbait will put off in conjunction with the wire strength.
HEAD WEIGHT
Does head shape make a difference? Sure.
But more so, it’s the head’s weight that determines how well it will perform in various situations.
“I’d rather fish a funky head shape and the right weight, because the weight is everything,” Lawyer said. “You need the right weight to keep the lure in the strike zone. It can be the perfect wire-blade combo; but if you have the wrong weight, it’s useless because you can’t keep it in the strike zone.”