Big Spring Bass: Add HOVER-ABILITY to Your Secret Fish-Catching Arsenal

Posted on by Forrest Fisher
  • Add Spinner Bait: 3/8 oz TERMINATOR Double Gold Bade (#2 & #4.25)
  • Add Tail: Big Bite SUICIDE SHAD, BB-Kicker or Curly Tail
  • Add Stubborn Fish Solution: HOVER-CONTROL
The Terminator Colorado Willow spinnerbaits provide high vibration, their stainless steel wire frames are strong, bending for greater flash and thump, and allowing the lure rip and roll through logs, snags and vegetation. Add a paddle tail and you have HOVER-ABILITY and fish catch power.

By Forrest Fisher

Spinner baits are an incredibly effective fishing bait for black bass.  Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass seem to be bothered by them enough to hammer them when the time to toss these is right and when the action is just perfect at the depth the fish are feeding.   Sounds like a tall prescription right?

The author added a weird color tail to the spinner bait, like this bubblegum color, for a surprise visit attack from Mister Bass.

Some things in fishing are difficult, but this one is easier than it sounds. One of my favorite spinner baits is the 3/8 ounce Terminator with two gold blades: one a Colorado number 2 and the other a willow leaf number 4.25.  Sounds particular because it is.  Spinner baits are largely about the action and flash, but in many cases, you might wonder why one spinner bait is more effective when they both appear to have the same color, size and all that. 

One of the larger secondary factors is the sound from the noise of the blades hitting each other, the wire connector, or the tail.  These baits with the “right sound” can work everywhere you fish.  Fact is, the sound works to attract fish and the fish wack them because, while they may not be hungry, they are irritated.  That’s the reason to cast them 3-4 times in the same relative place.   

Another secondary factor is the speed of your retrieve.  You will note that many recent press release news flash items about reels highlight high speed gear ratio retrieve rates.  Sometimes fast is a winner, usually, it’s not.  Not to say it might not be in some cases, but often, it’s the other way. 

Plastic tail types can be varied, but here are three that offer large difference between them to allow speed control and HOVER-ABILITY.

When the fish are not biting, if the spinner bait slows down, it is provocative and even more irritating. Fish will come out of hiding to slam your lure.  So what about “control the speed” short of slowing down your retrieve?  How can we do that?

Focus on “hover-ability” to get this right.  You add a tail.  Simple.  Many to choose from, here are three of them that I favor.  The size and length of the body are a factor, but even more an element for control is the size of the flapper.   The standard style plastic tail only slows the bait down a little bit, but the hollow paddle tails are like speed brakes.

The Big Bite Baits Suicide Shad swim bait provides a lifelike swimming action that excels on the back of a swim jig, underspin, vibrating jig, umbrella rig or a spinner bait.

Even if you try to retrieve these fast, you’ll think you have a fish on.  They resist and waggle back and forth a ton of vibration, providing substantial drag and added action to the spinner bait.  Add that they also allow the blades to rattle even more!  Amazing addition when the time to try this demands a S-L-O-W action that hovers.  Two of my favorites that I can afford to buy several colors for come from Big Bite Baits at Tackle Warehouse, this place is becoming one of my most visited tackle site sources. (http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Bite_Baits_Suicide_Shad_Swimbait/descpage-BBBSS.html)

The Suicide Shad and the BB-Kicker are paddle tail HOVER CONTROL GIANTS in my book.  They each offer a different action because of their width and length, and maybe a larger factor, the floatation influence of the tail. 

Designed with a thinned-out central body, but with an extra-thick boot tail, the backside of the Big Bite Baits BB Kicker swim bait creates big momentum when it swings, adding a heavy, hard-pounding action with vibration.

Add it to the spinner blade hook by carefully threading it on so it is perfectly centered, toss it out, let it sink to your desired depth, start your retrieve.  Slam!  Wack!  Happens often.   Switch between all three of the tails shown and see how the lure action is altered and how the delivery of these actions can change the rate at which fish inhale these baits or just swash their tail at them.

You will discover an amazing learning experience.