Long days, warm nights, ample baitfish, and mud flats a-calling. Must be spinner rigging time!
Every angler has a signature technique, and somewhere in my fishing history, I acquired a reputation as a spinner rigging guru. No doubt about it: From mid June and through August, I’m pulling a spinner rig about three-quarters of the time on the Professional Walleye Trail. It’s a great search bait, especially in low-snag areas like gravel bars or the mud flats of Mille Lacs where fish scatter this time of year.
Before mid-June, it just seems like walleyes aren’t ready to chase spinner rigs. If this sounds like a johnny come lately pitch — given that you’re probably reading this piece in August or early September— hear me out. This season has been anything from typical, at least in Minnesota. The cold water of 2004 (not to mention the rivers and reservoir locations for the PWT this year) has meant that I’m just beginning to use spinner rigs this open water season. Late summer 2004 should be an excellent time to work this presentation.
First, let’s break spinner rigging equipment down. I employ a baitcasting rod with 12-pound-test mono connected to a 11/2- to 3-ounce bottom bouncer, depending on the depth. In less snaggy water, three-ways with a 2- to 3-ounce weight works well, too.
I tie all my spinners, though there are many fine pre-tied spinner rigs on the market, and use a two-hook harness. Mine usually stretch about four feet behind the three-way or bottom bouncer. In snaggy water, I’ll shorten it up, however, sometimes by as much as two feet.
On inland lakes, I use a No. 4 hook, but will bump it up for Great Lakes fishing, say a No. 2. And if you’re marking suspended fish, don’t be afraid to throw on a planer board. In that scenario, when I’m up off the bottom (less snagging), I’ll use treble hooks to increase my hook-set percentage.
Your blade size and color will depend on a couple of factors. First, in turbid water, use chartreuse and fire tiger-colored blades. In clear water, where you can maximize flash, stick with the silvers and golds. Start with smaller blades early in the season, then later — when fish become more
aggressive — bump them up in size. That extra blade thump will attract more inquisitive fish.
When spinner rigging, you’ll almost always find a crawler on the end of my line. Rarely will I pull leeches, because they twirl around too much behind a blade. I usually save the blood suckers for Lindy Rigging. For you hardcore leech users who want to try spinnering, use a smaller blade (No.
2). That seems to help minimize the twirl factor.
I’ll throw six or seven beads above the hook for a little extra attractant. Match the bead color to the blade. Also, in those semi-snaggy situations, use a small float to stay off the bottom. Orange chartreuse or green chartreuse floats usually grace my line.
If perch or panfish keep nipping off your crawler, tip your rig with a Berkley Gulp or Power Crawler. These new-age artificials smell almost as good as the real stuff while navigating the schools of irritating small fish better.
You’ll usually find me front trolling the whole works up to about one mile per hour. Backtrolling works just fine, too, but try to keep that line at a 45-degree angler. You’re moving pretty fast so you’ll never have it straight up and down, but if you let it get past 45 degrees, then odds are that the bottom bouncer is lying down – defeating its purpose.
I experiment a lot with my speed, because with walleyes, no two bites are the same. Last year on Lake of the Woods, I saw the trollers hammering fish, so I sped up my spinner rigging. We nailed them, but the next day, it was completely the opposite – slow, slow, slow. Sometimes, you’ll catch me moving pretty fast (say three miles per hour), then I’ll stop fast. Often, that’s when the hit occurs. Like I said, experiment.
When fish “strike” a spinner rig, it usually feels simply like weight. They’ll hit it and drop it, then come back and grab it again. Just lower the rod tip, watch the line, and set the hook. Don’t give them any line when spinning rigging. Generally speaking, the slower you troll, the more subtle
the bite. When you’re moving fast, you’re more likely to coax an aggressive reaction bite.
While you’re experimenting, try a Turbo Prop or Spin and Glow, which you might say combine a blade and a float all in one. They have been a great transition period set-up for walleyes the past couple of years for me, in early June. I’ve won tournaments on them.
Once I locate fish, I may jig or Lindy Rig to stay on top of them, but when my fishing day begins, I’m usually searching via spinner rigs. You can cover some water, and walleyes just can’t resist the combination of flash and live bait. One final tip, for a full day of fishing, have plenty of pre-tied
spinner rigs. During a tournament early this year in Arkansas, I went through 20 per day. Come to think of it, that’s another benefit of spinner rigs: They’re a lot cheaper than crankbaits.
Perry Good, is a professional walleye angler from Minnesota. He is a Professional Walleye Trail (PWT) Champion and is the only angler who has qualified for every championship on the PWT and RCL tours.
By: Perry Good
