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John N. Felsher's Bass Fishing Adventures
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After more than a century of use,
spinnerbaits still catch many fish
spinnerbaits still catch many fish
TOP: Jimmy Houston, host
of Jimmy Houston
Outdoors TV show, shows
off some of his favorite
safety-pin type
spinnerbaits.
RIGHT: Kevin VanDam, a
multi-year Bassmaster
Classic champion,
unhooks a bass he caught
on a safety-pin spinnerbait
while fishing at Lake
Amistad, Texas.
of Jimmy Houston
Outdoors TV show, shows
off some of his favorite
safety-pin type
spinnerbaits.
RIGHT: Kevin VanDam, a
multi-year Bassmaster
Classic champion,
unhooks a bass he caught
on a safety-pin spinnerbait
while fishing at Lake
Amistad, Texas.
In 1893, John J. Hildebrandt, a plumber by vocation and a dedicated
fisherman by avocation, used his wife’s hairpin and a dime to create a new
fishing sensation.
The Logansport, Ind., inventor flattened and reshaped the coin before
drilling an offset hole through it. Then, he slipped the hairpin through the hole,
fashioned an eye so he could tie line to it and attached a hook. When
retrieved, the dime wobbled enticingly around the pin, giving off fish-attracting
flash.
Many people laughed at the device -- until “Big John” started catching
fish! Then, the contraption attracted so much attention from fish and
fishermen that the plumber couldn’t keep up with demands to make more
lures. In 1899, he founded the Hildebrandt Lure Company, ending his
plumbing days and casting his way into fishing lure lore.
Now known as an in-line spinnerbait, Hildebrandt’s design eventually
evolved into such lures as his own company’s Snagless Sally, (now owned by
Yakima Baits) Howard Worden’s Rooster Tail and an assortment of Mepps
spinners. In-line spinnerbaits consist of one or more blades revolving around
a central shaft. Even after more than a century, in-line spinnerbaits remain
among the easiest lures to use and still catch fish. Often, young anglers catch
their first fish on lures by “chunking and winding” in-line spinners.
“When I was a kid, I fished a lot with in-line spinners like a Mepps or a
Cordell Cottontail,” said Jimmy Houston, a professional bass angler from
Cookson, Okla., and the host of the popular Jimmy Houston Outdoors
television show. “We just threw them out and wound them in and we caught
tons of crappie and bass on them. Many people attach in-line spinners to
swivels to keep them from twisting the line and troll with them.”
Most in-line spinners come equipped with a single treble hook, often
adorned with feathers or fur. Others come with plastic minnow trailers or
similar temptations, perhaps sporting two or more treble hooks or maybe just
a single Texas-rigged hook. Since treble hooks can snag easily, use in-line
spinnerbaits in open water or around relatively less entangling cover. If
anglers Texas-rig single hooks into soft plastic trailers, they can use these
baits around thick grass.
In 1915, the William J. Jamison Company developed the Shannon Twin
Spinner, which included two blades attached to a wire weed guard. By the
early 1950s, this type of lure evolved into the common “safety pin” type of
spinnerbait so popular among bass anglers today. Instead of a spinner
revolving around a straight shaft, a “safety pin” spinnerbait features a bent
wire “arm” that suspends one or more blades over a head that holds the hook.
The wire arm can deflect branches, stumps or other objects, making safety-
pin spinners better able to slip through tight places.
Most safety pin spinnerbaits come equipped with some combination of
blade types. Nearly round or teardrop shaped, Colorado blades displace the
most water and make more commotion. Oblong willow-leaf blades resemble
long, skinny tree leaves. They tend to run faster, rise quicker and can cut
through vegetation better than Colorado blades. Longer than a Colorado, but
not quite as long as a willow-leaf, an Indiana blade offer a compromise in
shape and action. Often, a lure might employ a main blade of one type and a
smaller, secondary blade of another time to maximize the action.
“A Colorado blade sinks fast, pushes more water and works best in deep
water or muddy water,” said Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo., a former
Bassmasters Classic champion. “With its teardrop shape, an Indiana blade
gives good vibration and flash. A willow-leaf blade has probably the most
subtle presentation, but it also offers the most flash and has more of a baitfish
silhouette.”
These three blade types dominated the market for years. Another shape,
an Oklahoma blade, features rounded, beveled corners and clipped edges.
Some people call it a “turtleback” blade because it resembles a turtle shell.
“An Oklahoma blade probably has more all-around usage than the
others,” Houston said. “It vibrates more than a Colorado blade and gives off
more flash than an Indiana. It does not flash more than a willow-leaf, but it is
close.”
More commonly used in salt water, a beetle or harness spinnerbait
resembles the safety-pin type, but with a detachable wire arm hooked to a
jighead. Moreover, instead of a plastic, vinyl or feathery skirt, the hook holds a
soft plastic beetle, grub or minnow trailer. Anglers can easily reconfigure a
harness spinner by changing the jighead or trailer to create a bait with an
entirely different shape, color or action.
Today, few anglers venture to their favorite honey holes without an array
of spinnerbaits in different sizes, configurations and colors. Among the most
versatile baits on the market, these old lures still entice many fish species
from top to bottom.
fisherman by avocation, used his wife’s hairpin and a dime to create a new
fishing sensation.
The Logansport, Ind., inventor flattened and reshaped the coin before
drilling an offset hole through it. Then, he slipped the hairpin through the hole,
fashioned an eye so he could tie line to it and attached a hook. When
retrieved, the dime wobbled enticingly around the pin, giving off fish-attracting
flash.
Many people laughed at the device -- until “Big John” started catching
fish! Then, the contraption attracted so much attention from fish and
fishermen that the plumber couldn’t keep up with demands to make more
lures. In 1899, he founded the Hildebrandt Lure Company, ending his
plumbing days and casting his way into fishing lure lore.
Now known as an in-line spinnerbait, Hildebrandt’s design eventually
evolved into such lures as his own company’s Snagless Sally, (now owned by
Yakima Baits) Howard Worden’s Rooster Tail and an assortment of Mepps
spinners. In-line spinnerbaits consist of one or more blades revolving around
a central shaft. Even after more than a century, in-line spinnerbaits remain
among the easiest lures to use and still catch fish. Often, young anglers catch
their first fish on lures by “chunking and winding” in-line spinners.
“When I was a kid, I fished a lot with in-line spinners like a Mepps or a
Cordell Cottontail,” said Jimmy Houston, a professional bass angler from
Cookson, Okla., and the host of the popular Jimmy Houston Outdoors
television show. “We just threw them out and wound them in and we caught
tons of crappie and bass on them. Many people attach in-line spinners to
swivels to keep them from twisting the line and troll with them.”
Most in-line spinners come equipped with a single treble hook, often
adorned with feathers or fur. Others come with plastic minnow trailers or
similar temptations, perhaps sporting two or more treble hooks or maybe just
a single Texas-rigged hook. Since treble hooks can snag easily, use in-line
spinnerbaits in open water or around relatively less entangling cover. If
anglers Texas-rig single hooks into soft plastic trailers, they can use these
baits around thick grass.
In 1915, the William J. Jamison Company developed the Shannon Twin
Spinner, which included two blades attached to a wire weed guard. By the
early 1950s, this type of lure evolved into the common “safety pin” type of
spinnerbait so popular among bass anglers today. Instead of a spinner
revolving around a straight shaft, a “safety pin” spinnerbait features a bent
wire “arm” that suspends one or more blades over a head that holds the hook.
The wire arm can deflect branches, stumps or other objects, making safety-
pin spinners better able to slip through tight places.
Most safety pin spinnerbaits come equipped with some combination of
blade types. Nearly round or teardrop shaped, Colorado blades displace the
most water and make more commotion. Oblong willow-leaf blades resemble
long, skinny tree leaves. They tend to run faster, rise quicker and can cut
through vegetation better than Colorado blades. Longer than a Colorado, but
not quite as long as a willow-leaf, an Indiana blade offer a compromise in
shape and action. Often, a lure might employ a main blade of one type and a
smaller, secondary blade of another time to maximize the action.
“A Colorado blade sinks fast, pushes more water and works best in deep
water or muddy water,” said Denny Brauer of Camdenton, Mo., a former
Bassmasters Classic champion. “With its teardrop shape, an Indiana blade
gives good vibration and flash. A willow-leaf blade has probably the most
subtle presentation, but it also offers the most flash and has more of a baitfish
silhouette.”
These three blade types dominated the market for years. Another shape,
an Oklahoma blade, features rounded, beveled corners and clipped edges.
Some people call it a “turtleback” blade because it resembles a turtle shell.
“An Oklahoma blade probably has more all-around usage than the
others,” Houston said. “It vibrates more than a Colorado blade and gives off
more flash than an Indiana. It does not flash more than a willow-leaf, but it is
close.”
More commonly used in salt water, a beetle or harness spinnerbait
resembles the safety-pin type, but with a detachable wire arm hooked to a
jighead. Moreover, instead of a plastic, vinyl or feathery skirt, the hook holds a
soft plastic beetle, grub or minnow trailer. Anglers can easily reconfigure a
harness spinner by changing the jighead or trailer to create a bait with an
entirely different shape, color or action.
Today, few anglers venture to their favorite honey holes without an array
of spinnerbaits in different sizes, configurations and colors. Among the most
versatile baits on the market, these old lures still entice many fish species
from top to bottom.
