Cam Fishing - Lure guide to spinnerbaits

by Cameron Jones

Part 4 techniques

Before utilising any lure form, you must have the foundation for locating fish; otherwise the only thing you will achieve is a sore arm from casting all day. Key in on cover locations where spinnerbaits excel such as weed beds and fallen timber. Most native enthusiasts now realise the effectiveness of the spinnerbait in summer yet their potential can be equally successful during Autumn, Winter and Spring. During these periods fish have moved away from their summer time haunts and diet of insects, prawns and shrimp to feed on larger forage like yabbies, herring and mullet. Adjustments in size, weight and colour will enable you to continue fishing during these slow periods when fish are tight to cover.

My wintertime technique involves slowly stair stepping ledges or crawling over bottom structure. Braided lines like Spiderwire, and the Platypus Bionic Braid are a
major advantage for this, because their low stretch sensitivity transmits every minute bump over cover or strike from a fish. If you don’t have any heavy
spinnerbaits to run over deep water then try pegging a brass worm weight to the front of your 1/4oz or 3/8oz lure. Noisy spinnerbaits with rattle chambers either
added or built in, as standard will also assist in waking up inactive fish.

Casting accuracy is important if we are to draw strikes, but often an overhead cast that lands heavily onto the water can spook fish in shallow water. In this situation a sweeping underhand cast allows for a softer entry into the water. The advantage of such a delicate presentation is that if a fish is close by it will pounce on the lure purely out of a reflex response. This technique is also great for casting under boat docks, jetties or into shady edges, brush or low undercut banks.
“Paralleling” or casting parallel to the bank or structural line is also valuable in many cases as it keeps the lure in the strike zone longer. It therefore allows the fish several opportunities to make contact with the lure. Sometimes several well-positioned casts will be required to draw a fish from a potential spot. In many instances 2 or 3 hits may occur before you get a solid hook up, so perseverance is the key. This technique is ideal along the front of weed beds, rock walls or
shallow drop-offs. The best tip I can pass on to remember is that when you come across a object in the water like a stump, log or rock try and make contact with it. The deflection will cause the blades of the spinnerbait to flicker and cause an immediate response from any fish nearby.

Spinnerbaits are a simple lure to master, with perseverance and practice being the secret to their success. Once water visibility, forage size and colour are understood, their usage will dramatically increase any anglers confidence because of the attention they receive. Matched with flash and noise a characteristic, plus having the versatility to be modified or adapted to most situations, the spinnerbait is truly hard to beat.