An inline spinner is a simple fishing lure with a straight wire, a spinner blade, and a hook. The blade spins around the wire to create a flash and vibration. These are some of the easiest and most effective baits out there. In this article, we’ll be talking about the many variations of inline spinners and what each of them is good for.
Do inline spinners work?
A bait that can effectively cover all depths is the inline spinner. It may be fished at different speeds and more effectively imitates a baitfish than most other lures. It has a flash, vibrates, supports smell, and even rattles. In recent years, inlines have become increasingly effective lures.
Also, read Freshwater fishing lures for beginners [6 Best lures].
What are the different types of inline spinner blades?
In-line spinners can have many different kinds of blades. Gold spinner blades are generally best in stained or cloudy water while silver blades do best in clear water.
Spinner blades also come in a variety of bait fish colors like rainbow trout patterns and high contrast patterns like Mepp’s black fury.
The black fury spinner is commonly thrown in low light conditions where contrasting bright and dark areas are easily seen against the water and vegetation.
You’ll also find spinners with willow leaf blades instead of just round blades. A willow blade creates less drag and allows in-line spinners and spinner baits to run deeper in the water.
Use willow-bladed baits when targeting fish that are hiding out deep. You can also add a bit of weight ahead of the spinner to help it run even deeper.
Where can you use an inline spinner for fishing?
Inline spinners are especially effective in streams where they are casted along the edges of the current or along rocks and other structures.
Your spinner looks like a minnow getting swept downstream and it’s irresistible to fish.
Small Rooster Tails and Mepps Aglias are my go-to baits in tough conditions, especially when fishing in streams. If the fish aren’t biting these they probably just aren’t biting.
Rod and line for spinners
The rod and line used for spinners should be as light as possible. Lighter lines and gear will catch more fish and will allow a spinner to work most effectively.
A heavy line will affect the lure’s action and you will not catch as many fish. The exception to this lure would be big spinners like musky bucktails. These lures are big enough that they will work fine with a heavy tackle but otherwise I would use the lightest setup you can.
Also, make sure that your drag isn’t set too tight just in case you hook into a big fish that runs out into the fast current.
One really important detail of fishing with inline spinners is that the entire lure tends to spin around so it will create a line twist. To prevent this you definitely want to add a swivel to your setup either placed up your line or by using a snap swivel.
If you’re using a snap swivel use the smallest one you can for the type of fish you’re after because it can affect the appearance of your spinner.
With really small spinners I would recommend tying directly to the spinner and adding a small swivel about a foot up your line. This helps keep your spinner looking as natural as possible.
When you cast a spinner pay attention to the way it feels as you retrieve the bait and the amount of pull that it has on your rod.
If your retrieve gets too slow or you get some junk caught on your spinner blade it will feel very different and that tells you that it’s not working properly.
Trailers
Plastic trailers are generally not added to inline spinners like they are with spinner baits because you can’t really balance one on a treble hook.
Many spinners have dressed hooks which means that they have a skirt of hair included around the hook. Others come with a custom trailer as you may have noticed on the Meppp’s comet or the blue fox minnow spin.
But there is one style of an inline spinner to which you can add trailers, and that’s the single hook spinner. A single hook spinner works great with a trailer and it can really improve the appearance and effectiveness of the bait.
A simple paddle tail minnow or a plastic grub can make a really big difference. These spinners are also far more weedless than a treble hook spinner especially if you texas rig the trailer.
Another option for weedless spinners is to grab one that has a wide plastic or rubber trailer that covers the hook points.
As shown in the above image one is a Mepps weed master and the other one is a Les Davis Bolo spinner. You can see how both of these baits cover the hook points to deflect plants away. These are very effective baits when looking for bass pike or musky in heavily vegetated areas.
Inline spinners are excellent and essential baits to keep in your tackle box. If you are just starting to build your tackle collection I would recommend starting with a couple of small spinners like rooster tails or a Mepps number one or number two and two larger spinners like the Mepps number five in a gold and silver pattern. I’ve also had great luck with Mepps comets so if you have room for another I’d grab one of these.
Choose a trailer pattern that matches something that fish in your area would typically feed on. In my case, it’s mostly shiners and perch so most of my spinners tend to be these two patterns. Thanks a lot for reading and let us know what your favorite inline spinner is.
FAQs on how to fish spinners (Inline Spinner Fishing Lure Tips)
What do inline spinners imitate?
They imitate an aquatic animal such as a minnow, worm, crawfish, frog, or other. Fishing lures and soft plastic crankbaits are made using these shapes. Spoons imitate little fish. Fish that are actively feeding immediately take these lures.
What fish can you catch with an inline spinner?
Anglers have used inline spinners for decades to consistently catch trout, panfish, bass, pike, and a variety of other species. An inline spinner is an invaluable tool for capturing trout, yet fly fishing purists look down their noses at it.
Why do fish bite spinners?
Fish are drawn to spinners by their light and vibration. Their rotating blade is the source of this flash and vibration. This distinct feature is not found in any other fishing lure. Mepps spinners will catch fish when no other lure would precisely because of this.
Will bass hit spinners?
For catching trophy bass, spinners and spoons are particularly successful lures.
What color spinner is best for trout?
Rainbow, lake, cutthroat, and brook trout are known to be attracted to silver spinner blades, whereas brown, golden, and bull trout frequently choose gold spinner blades.
Can fish see spinners at night?
Spinnerbaits, in my opinion, are the “ideal” night fishing bait. They may be used to catch fish at any depth, under almost any cover, even at night when they are dormant. The vibration also makes it simple for fish to locate spinnerbaits in the dark water.
