Tail Spinners

The tail spinner's main appeal is that it looks like a distressed baitfish falling and fluttering through the water. It's a small lure, but heavy and compact enough to cast far, go deep, and reach bass clustered together in cold water conditions, along vertical structure, or suspended at the thermocline in summer. The spinning Colorado blade puts out lots of vibration, which draws strikes even when bass are lethargic or in water too dark or deep to see the flash.


Choose a color that will best imitate food sources in the water. In slow-bite conditions, try an attractor color like chartreuse or hot red. It's an excellent lure for deep-water jigging in the winter, though it tends to hang up easily on bottom structures. Keep in mind that most strikes come as the lure falls keep the line taut as the lure sinks, and pay attention. Find the level where the fish are holding, and work the spinner up and down through them like a yo-yo.

When there are a lot of schooling baitfish in the area, you can also use tail spinners near the surface. Cast one right into the school and retrieve it close enough to the surface to leave a wake.