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Best Spinnerbaits for Every Situation

Over the years I have tried many different spinnerbaits and have narrowed my selection down to just a few baits in each category. There is a time and place for both full size and finesse spinnerbait and below I break it all down.

Best Replacement Spinnerbait Blades: Revenge Willow Leaf Blades

I stock sizes 4, 4.5, and 5 blades in Gold, Nickel, and White. You only will need size 5 if are imitating bluegill or are fishing in extremely stained water.

Best Full-Size Spinnerbaits

1. River2Sea Bling Double Willow

The River2Sea Bling is a full-size spinnerbait that has a lightweight wire and super thin willow blades. The light wire and thin blades allow you to fish it aggressively with rod twitches to get the bait’s wire to bend and pulse while the thin blades can spin very fast. Due to the lighter hardware, this spinnerbait is more ideal for open water fishing.

2. Revenge Double Willow

The Revenge Double Willow has a slightly heavier wire and blades than the River2Sea Bling. This makes it much better suited for getting through cover.

3. Revenge Heavy Duty

As the name suggests the Revenge Heavy Duty is a heavy-duty spinnerbait. This bait has a thick wire and a heavy-duty 6/0 hook and is designed for fishing even the thickest cover. This is the perfect spinnerbait for when the Revenge Double Willow just won’t do.

Best Finesse Spinnerbaits

Finesse spinnerbaits shine in the springtime when shad are spawning. Early morning during their spawn shad will get up shallow and bass will follow them. During this time you can cover a ton of water by fishing super fast.

1. Megabass V-9 Double Willow

The Megabass V-9 has little tiny blades and a super tiny hook which lets you drop down to light 8-12 lb line and still be able to set the hook. The biggest downside to this bait is that it doesn’t have a bait keeper to hold on to your trailers. You can overcome this by using a dot of super glue on the tip of the trailer when rigging it.

2. Damiki TOT

The Dimiki TOT is a finesse spinnerbait that has a slightly bigger hook and blades than the Megabass V-9. This makes it a good in-between spinnerbait that helps bridge the gap between finesse and full-size spinnerbaits.

3. War Eagle Screamin Eagle

The War Eagle Screamin Eagle has downsized willow blades that allow you to speed it up. The biggest difference between this lure and the other two finesse spinnerbaits is it has a heavier wire hook. This makes it ideal when you get on bigger fish but still need the compact profile and fast retrieve.

Best Spinnerbait Size & Weight

When choosing the size of a spinnerbait it depends on the depth you are fishing and how thick the cover is. If you are fishing shallow or trying to stay above cover ⅜ oz is a good choice. On the other hand, if you intend to fish deeper than 15 feet then I would go ¾ oz. If you are looking for a do-everything standard spinnerbait then ½ oz is the go-to size. You can fish it shallow by speeding it up or slow roll it to get it deep.

These factors include the depth at which you will be targeting and the speed of your retrieve. A heavier spinnerbait will sink faster allowing you to fish deeper while still being fished at a moderate retrieval speed. You can still fish shallow with a heavier bait by speeding up your retrieve. Likewise, you can fish a lighter spinnerbait deeper by slowing down your retrieve. If you are primarily targeting shallow then ⅜ oz is a good weight choice. Overall ½ oz is the most universal spinnerbait weight and the one I would choose if I could only have one. You can fish it just about anywhere by adjusting your retrieval speed.

What Spinnerbait Colors Work the Best

When choosing the best color it is important to understand what bass in the body of water eat and water clarity. In clear water, I tend to stick with more ghosty natural colors.

In murky water, I like to use bolder colors like white or chartreuse to help the bass find the bait.

If you are fishing in a pond or a small body of water it is likely that the main forage will be bluegill. If you know this is the case for your fishery choose bluegill colors.

For the rest of us targeting bodies of water where bluegill isn’t the main source of food, you need to match the hatch. If I had to choose one color it would be white/silver.

There are however three color varieties that I keep stocked in my tacklebox to cover every condition. They are Chartreuse, white/silver, and gold.

For blade colors, I like matching painted blades during low light conditions and on sunny days I swap to either silver or gold to get more flash.

To learn more about how or when you should fish a spinnerbait read our in-depth guide.

For trailer recommendations, check out our spinnerbait trailer guide.