Choosing the Best Spinnerbait Heads for Bass, Pike, Muskie and Trout

Choosing the Best Spinnerbait Heads for Your Needs

When it comes to spinnerbait fishing, having the right spinnerbait head is crucial for success. The spinnerbait head is responsible for the action and vibration of your lure, which helps attract fish. With so many options on the market, however, it can get overwhelming trying to determine which spinnerbait head is best for your needs.

Understanding Spinnerbait Heads

All spinnerbait heads consist of a hook, where you attach a skirt and blade for added flash and vibration. The head comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials to provide different actions.

The most common spinnerbait heads shapes are:

• Colorado: Rounded and optimizes vibration
• Willow: Narrow and optimizes flash
• Indiana: In between Colorado and willow for more balance

Sizes generally range between 1/8 ounce all the way up to 2 ounces. The smaller the spinnerbait head size, the better it is suited for shallow water, while the heavier heads allow you to fish deeper areas and stronger currents.

As for materials, most spinnerbait heads consist of lead to provide weight. But you can also find eco-friendly alternatives made of tungsten, bismuth, or other metals. Each material has slightly different densities, which impact the vibration and fall rate.

Best Spinnerbait Heads for Bass

When targeting bass specifically, the most effective spinnerbait heads tend to be on the smaller side between 1/4 and 1/2 ounce. The lighter weights allow you to fish shallow waters and slowly retrieve the bait while keeping it higher in the water column where bass are likely to strike.

Colorado and Indiana style heads work very well for largemouth and smallmouth bass fishing as they provide ample vibration to mimic wounded baitfish. The rounded shape also deflects well off of cover, allowing you to target fish holding near grass lines, docks, laydowns, etc. Going with a double willow leaf style can also be advantageous when fishing clear waters that require less silhouette.

Opt for standard size #4, #5, or #6 heads with longer hook shanks for improved hookups. And make sure the finish and skirt colors match the forage in the waters you fish.

Bright colors like white tend to work best in dirtier waters, while more natural shad imitations excel around clear lakes. Always experiment with different looks until you find what triggers bites each trip.

Best Spinnerbait Heads for Pike and Muskie

When chasing bigger pike and muskie, you need larger spinnerbait heads in the 3/4 to 1 1/2 ounce range. The extra weight allows you to launch more accurate long distance casts and get the lures down deeper. It also provides lots of vibration and flash to get the attention of the apex predators.

For targeting bulldogs, choose willow style heads to take advantage of their preference for flash over vibration. The slimmer profile also perfectly mimics the slender baitfish that pike and muskie feed on.

Go with stronger #7 or #8 treble hooks so you don’t lose fish, and add a steel leader to prevent severed lines. When picking colors, never underestimate basic white or yellow heads paired with bright colored skirts.

Best Spinnerbait Heads for Trout

Fishing for trout with spinnerbaits is an extremely effective tactic, especially in streams and flowing waters. The key is going ultralight with small 1/16 to 1/8 ounce heads and diminished profiles.

The miniature Colorado or Indiana heads give off just enough vibration to attract trout without spooking them in skinny water. And the teardrop shape when paired with a small single spin blade moves naturally with the current.

Make sure to scale down hook sizes as well to match the bait. #12 short shank hooks help hook trout in their bony narrow mouths. Stick with very natural skirt colors like white, brown and olive that match native forage.

Factors to Consider When Choosing Spinnerbait Heads

As you can see, different fish call for different spinnerbait heads to match their behaviors and environments. But beyond matching the species you’re targeting, keep these other factors in mind:

Water Conditions

The water clarity and depth where you’re fishing should influence your spinnerbait head choice. Clear shallow lakes call for smaller subtle heads to keep fish from spooking. Deep or murky waters allow you to throw bulkier heads to emit vibration and flash.

Cover Type

If targeting fish around wood, grass, or docks, pick rounded Colorado style heads that deflect and come through cover without snagging. Fishing open water calls for willow leaf profiles that run more straight and true on the retrieve.

Current Speed

In rivers and fast moving waters, use heavier heads between 3/8 and 1 ounce to maintain bottom contact. The extra weight bucks the current and gets the bait deeper where fish are holding.

By taking all of these factors and more into account when selecting your spinnerbait heads, you’ll give yourself the best chance at enticing bites no matter the conditions or species you pursue.

Tips for Fishing Spinnerbait Heads

While having the right gear for the job is critical, how you fish spinnerbaits makes all the difference too. Keep these proven tips in mind whenever tying on a spinnerbait:

Match Your Gear

Pair your spinnerbait with a medium or medium-heavy power fast action rod between 7-7’6 feet. This provides enough backbone to launch long casts and horse fish, while maintaining sensitivity for detecting light bites.

For reels, moderate gear ratios around 6.2:1 give you the best blend of picking up line quickly while keeping baits in the strike zone.

And don’t forget to incorporate a leader to prevent line failure once a fish is hooked.

Vary Your Retrieve

Start by burning the spinnerbait steady and fast near the surface early on to cover water. Then switch to an erratic stop and go retrieve, letting the bait flutter down before ripping it back in.

Also experiment with sinking the bait to the bottom and crawling it slowly along contours, burning it back sporadically. Keep mixing it up until you trigger strikes!

Target Different Angles

Instead of solely fishing banks parallel, make quartering casts towards pockets and intersections in the cover. Then bring bait across hypotenuse banks to intersect with baitfish highways.

Position the boat to make casts at 45 degree angles to cover more promising area quickly and efficiently.

Consistently putting your spinnerbait in front of fish from different angles makes it more likely to get bit.

By applying these techniques and equipping yourself with the best spinnerbait heads for your needs, you’ll be hooked up in no time! The mesmerizing flash and vibration provokes vicious strikes from a variety of popular gamefish. Give one a try next time out on the water for heart-pounding action!

FAQs

What size spinnerbait heads should I use?

For bass, opt for smaller 1/4 to 1/2 oz heads for shallow waters. For pike and musky, use larger 3/4 to 1 1/2 oz heads to fish deeper and cast longer distances. Mini 1/16 to 1/8 oz heads work best when targeting trout.

Should I go for Colorado or willow leaf heads?

Colorado and Indiana heads provide more vibration, perfect for bass and trout. Pike and musky respond better to willow leaf profiles that mimic slender baitfish with increased flash and reduced vibration.

What rod and reel works best for spinnerbaits?

Use a 7-7’6” medium or medium-heavy power fast action rod paired with a moderate gear ratio reel around 6.2:1. This allows you to rip baits relentlessly while feeling bites.

Where should I target when fishing spinnerbaits?

Focus casts on intersections between cover types, pockets in grass lines or docks, quartering cross shore banks, and 45 degree angles around structure to intersect prime ambush points for predators.