O LL I N G
Story
BY RICKY SHABAZZ
The concept is to reel as slowly as possible while keeping the blades turning. Using a quality spinnerbait is a must to ensure that the blades turn in deeper water.
Maintaining bottom contact is key to catching a bass on a spinnerbait in depths to 50-ft. Making a very long cast and waiting for the spinnerbait to hit the bottom is critical for success.
Once an angler gets dialed in on the technique, the reel and crank speed needs to be constant. Reeling faster allows the bait to rise out of the zone, while reeling slower allows the blades to spin on the bottom.
Many spinnerbait companies make thumper blades or what is commonly known as deep-running spinnerbaits. Keep in mind, that spinnerbait blades naturally create lift which may cause traditional spinnerbaits to rise up out of the strike zone.
Many think of a spinnerbait as a fast-moving reaction bait. The process of slow-rolling a spinnerbait out in deep water offers a different approach; but it is a time consuming technique. Each cast can take anywhere from two to three minutes.
SECRET WEAPON FOR SOME
“I’m not sure that I really want to talk about the number of seven to eight-pound bass, or the number of team tournaments that I have won in early spring on spinnerbaits,” said Angler’s Marine pro Tony Lain said, “This is one of the deadliest techniques for catching larger bass on our clear deep water western lakes.”
With the secret out, Lain shared that he liked to fish a ¾- to 1.5-oz Revenge spinnerbait in 40- to 50- ft of water, targeting locations where most anglers strictly employ finesse baits. According to Lain, he throws a shad or bluegill pattern on locations such as long slopping points with deep water access, or deep water humps and channel swings.
“I like to start out deep, first thing in the morning,” said Lain. “I typically position my boat in shallow water on a hump or point and cast my spinnerbait out into
deep water and
Tony Lain
Travis Huckaby
Photo by Ricky Shabazz
Mark Daniels Jr. SPRING 2016
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