What's your favorite steelhead spinner?

[Crowedog]

What's your favorite steelhead spinner? Share a pict if you can :thumb::thumb:

Are they store bought or homemade?

I have been scouring online stores and Facebook sites for guides for more ideas and supplies.

I recently started making spinners, have tons of supplies...lol..probably enough to make a couple hundred and am looking for feedback.

Of course if you are into trading for fishing gear or want me to make some of your own let's chat, send a PM.


Here is a shot of my latest creations. More blades are en route for more variety.

 

[troutmasta]

I twist my own spinners too. Keep in mind that the body of the spinner has to have enought wieght to cast it.

I prefer bell body with a french blade or colorado blade depending on the depth/speed of the water.

My favorite spinner for summers is a brass bell body a black blade and a couple 6 mm red beads between the bottom of the bell and the hook. I also like to use red 'bleeder' hooks in a lot of applications.

tight lines

 

[jamisonace]

They look good. I'll take the 2 bottom left for steelhead. I'll take anything pink for coho.

 

[DirectDrive]

What's your favorite steelhead spinner? Share a pict if you can :thumb::thumb:

Are they store bought or homemade?

I have been scouring online stores and Facebook sites for guides for more ideas and supplies.

I recently started making spinners, have tons of supplies...lol..probably enough to make a couple hundred and am looking for feedback.

Of course if you are into trading for fishing gear or want me to make some of your own let's chat, send a PM.


Here is a shot of my latest creations. More blades are en route for more variety.

Your spinners are built like trolling spinners.
A "weighted, casting spinner" is built very differently....this is the style of spinner you want for steelhead unless you are anchor fishing or trolling.

Good example of weighted, casting spinners proportioned properly (you RARELY, if ever, give up valuable space to plastic beads on these)...


Instead of the Sickle Hook (pictured), a superior hook for this application is...
Mustad UltraPoint #10848BLN in size #1 for a #4 French blade spinner (aka steelhead size)
The spinners pictured, RVRFSR, are now shipping with this excellent Mustad hook.

The Fisherman's Shack in Monmouth will have some of the stuff that you need....other things you will have to source elsewhere.


Tech Tips:
For best performance, always "mainline" weighted casting spinners....connect directly to your main line.....no lead dropper.
I twist this type of spinner with a "naked top loop" and use a Rosco #10, Interlock snap swivel at the main line to spinner connection.

Don't flog a "hole" endlessly from the same spot when fishing steelhead with spinners.
Find a "run" (the flat between rapids) and swing your spinner like a fly fisherman swings a fly.
Step cast through the run, rarely casting from the same place twice.
It's a fun, aggressive way to fish for these junkyard dogs.....it's really the only way....ask any successful hardware guy (gal).

 

[hobster]

Little cleo! Except it's a spoon Blue foxs, dont fish spinners much or I'd make my own too. ^^^ Those look great, weight is important in the rivers!

 

[bubs]

Crowedog - some sweet designs, nice job. A good majority of them look very coho-ish to me. Have you had any luck tossing them at steelhead?

Also, I've never tried using the spinners with plastic tails (like a few have in Crowedog's picture) - anybody have any thoughts about them?

My favorite blue fox these days:

 

[DirectDrive]

Crowedog - some sweet designs, nice job. A good majority of them look very coho-ish to me. Have you had any luck tossing them at steelhead?

Also, I've never tried using the spinners with plastic tails (like a few have in Crowedog's picture) - anybody have any thoughts about them?

My favorite blue fox these days:

For this class of spinner a plastic tail is not a deal-maker.
It's a hyper-aggressive presentation that plays on a steelhead's instinct to attack an intruder.
Even Hi-Vis lines have no negative effect on grabs.....it all happens so fast...by the time they see the Hi-Vis line, they're ridin' it !


Book it.

 

[troutmasta]

.

I can see my self with the copper one. Nice job.:thumb:

 

[Crowedog]

Thanks for all the feedback. Your right most are coho ish because of my materials. The Dark colors are the ones I will use on steelhead. It was just a picture I had. I have been working on getting weighted supplies to make other styles. That way I don't have to use lead to cast. I have heard fisherman's shack is the way to go to see in person. I have too much of various stuff from eBay buys that does not seem to match up...lol...lots of trade goods?Time to get more specific. I will post some more after I make up another batch with my new blades today.

 

[Crowedog]

Troutmasta. ..do you use split rings to attach the hook? I see people do that. Is there an advantage to that besides changing hooks?

 

[troutmasta]

Troutmasta. ..do you use split rings to attach the hook? I see people do that. Is there an advantage to that besides changing hooks?

I do. It allows you to change the hook. It also help prevent the hook from untwisting the bottom loop due to leverage.

 

[DirectDrive]

I can see my self with the copper one. Nice job.:thumb:

Those are commercial offerings by RVRFSR....I posted the pic to show a weighted casting spinner.
Swinging brass is my main weapon in summer and I like to help beginning spinner makers up the learning curve.
Sorry, OP if I came off as critical but my gang has been twisting and swinging brass since the mid 80's...it's hard not to notice what works.

A few more nuggets...
Most of us are into the single hook thing....with the Mustad hook mentioned above the hookups are great and they are much less snaggy as compared to trebles.
The split ring hook connection is for more range of motion at this connection....not so much for changing hooks. Without the split ring you will sometimes get binding where the hook doesn't swing freely. This is more of a problem with single hooks that have small eyes.
When discussing trolling or anchor fishing spinners some prefer to hold the hook straight with hook tubing or shrink tubing but that is a different class of spinner and a different form of spinner fishing.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of eliminating the traditional lead dropper when swinging weighted spinners for steelhead.
You want a direct connection for casting performance, reading spinner feedback and ultimately manipulating (controlling) the spinner.
A lead dropper interferes with all of the above.

This is money.....spinner blade RPM and learning to control it.
This applies to trolling as well as casting spinners....same goes for wobblers and spoons only it's cyclic rate not RPM with these.
There is a certain blade RPM that has an optimum effect on fish....sure, they will bite a spinner spinning wildly and out of control, but once your brain keys in on that thump-thump-thump you're in the money.

To maintain fishing depth during the swing, you have to be able to pay out line, pick up line or hold as the current runs your spinner.
Each change has to be done in a fraction of a second as you read spinner RPM on your rod tip. River current during the swing dictates what needs to happen.
The only way that I have found to do this efficiently is with a direct-drive reel.

If you fish locked up with no line pay out, your spinner will over rotate and start rising just as you enter the sweet spot of the swing.
You can still catch a few doing this, as summer steelhead will chase, but you will catch many more if you learn depth and RPM control.

 

[Crowedog]

Your Awesome! I am a babe in the woods when it compares to your knowledge. Read a couple booms but need more.hands on. Not critical as I would love to get in on a session to soak up some wisdom. Why the little top swivel on top? It help with line twist when casting?

 

[DirectDrive]

Your Awesome! I am a babe in the woods when it compares to your knowledge. Read a couple booms but need more.hands on. Not critical as I would love to get in on a session to soak up some wisdom. Why the little top swivel on top? It help with line twist when casting?

The top swivel is personal choice and is there to try to control line twist.
It's sort of traditional and Jed Davis taught it as well...the size is usually #10 for this class/size of steelhead spinner
One of my fishin' buddys actually ties direct to a naked top loop and gets away with it, somehow....not my cup o' tea.

I twisted in a #10 Rosco barrel swivel for years but...
I hate twisting the top loop with the swivel in there.
And I blamed spinner "fouling" on the presence of this swivel....it's an annoying type of foul that disables the swivel and pours on the line twist.
I tried several different things in search of a solution....when I arrived at a small bead chain swivel the fouling stopped and overall performance was good, but the bead chain was a PITA to deal with.

So, what I have found to be the answer for me was to twist a naked top loop (which is great) and use a #10 Rosco Interlock snap swivel for the mainline to spinner connection.
There is something about the longer length of the snap swivel as compared to the barrel swivel that helps tremendously with stopping fouling.
Performance is great and I can easily store the rod or walk the trail without a hard-tied spinner banging around.
Don't skimp on swivels for this critical connection no matter what style you use....these excellent, USA made, Rosco swivels are available from Fisherman's Shack.
I get nickel plated or brass and avoid black oxide because they didn't spin as freely under pressure when I tested the different finishes under equal pressure. The nickel and brass swivels have a slicker surface that creates a smoother bearing surface, apparently.

 

[DrTheopolis]

it's hard not to notice what works.

Like yourself, I've been fishing spinners for a long time. And the ones you pictured pretty much cover it -- the fancy colors catch fishermen, not fish. And I'll echo to always mainline. If it doesn't get down, you need a heavier body. I'm a treble hook fan, but don't really care that much one way or another, I've caught them on both. And the few things I don't agree with in your post 100% are pretty insignificant. It's all about the THUMP-THUMP-THUMP. And picking the right reflectivity for the temperature and conditions (again, you can keep your pretty colors -- plugs, jigs? Sure. Spinners -- no). So, in conclusion, my advice is to listen to Direct Drive. As you learn more, you can tweak things to your liking. A big issue is what size line -- thinner sinks much faster and casts much farther. Heavier brings more of your lures back home with you -- there's always a balance.

 

[Jordy]

My best producing spinner has been a purple #4 blue fox. I don't particularly like the price-point, materials or company in general (I would very much prefer to do my shopping with a local company). Results have been too good to ignore.



The above spinner has been my second most productive spinner (with either purple, green or tiny chrome beads). This style with they long body is by far my favorite way to build them because it allows for perfect tuning where a short tied body does not. Almost every fish i hook bends or alters the wire.

Spinners are like plugs. If I catch 1 fish on a particular spinner, i will catch more fish on that spinner in the near future until i lose it or until the blade is destroyed.

If you look closely this spinner has teeth marks and dents all over it, the wire would be hard to have straight enough to spin really well cast after cast.

My results have proven all over the NW and guys on this message board who I've met in the field have seen me casting one of these two spinners -- a lot!

I don't need to reiterate all of the info direct drive shared above because its absolutely true. RPM!

Lastly, my best advice would be to worry less about colors and finishes and more about how to fish them.

Jed Davis filled a book on spinner fishing with generic anecdotal information and color - light - temperature - size theory (which at the time could only be accessed from that book, therefore is great, but the internet is much more powerful now). His best words were the testament that a fisherman with perfect technique would ALWAYS out-fish the fisherman with perfect equipment.

 

[bubs]

Anybody ever have any luck casting downstream and sort of back-bouncing a spinner into or through a fishy looking spot, kind of like you might fish a weighted nymph? This technique is a good producer of trout for me, but I've never had any luck when I try it on steelhead.

 

[SmallStreams]

Those are commercial offerings by RVRFSR....I posted the pic to show a weighted casting spinner.

Yup, that's what I use most of the time. Order a kit package and twist them up. In lighter current, where I want more "hang time", I'll switch to the Blue Foxes. I pretty much stick with #4 or #5 sizes, even for cutthroat in the summer.

If fishing shallow riffles, I prefer an inline spinner (aka french blade), but haven't found one that's well-made. In lieu of an inline spinner, I've been using jointed rapalas.

 

[ChezJfrey]

Some good posts by DirectDrive, DrT and Jordy.

I would like to add, when it comes to spinner RPM, slower seems better for steelhead. Although a few fish will hit a rapidly spinning blade, most will not and when in doubt, slack to slow is nearly always a wise move; you cannot be spinning too slow. In fact, even if not spinning at all, but merely wobbling or fluttering, you will get hit more often than not. I fish mine similar to a spoon and when the hole gets deep, I'd rather slack line and sink with virtually no spin; it catches fish!

 

[Jordy]

Some good posts by DirectDrive, DrT and Jordy.

I would like to add, when it comes to spinner RPM, slower seems better for steelhead. Although a few fish will hit a rapidly spinning blade, most will not and when in doubt, slack to slow is nearly always a wise move; you cannot be spinning too slow. In fact, even if not spinning at all, but merely wobbling or fluttering, you will get hit more often than not. I fish mine similar to a spoon and when the hole gets deep, I'd rather slack line and sink with virtually no spin; it catches fish!

Couldn't be more true. There is a hole I fish up on the OP where I cast onto a rock and pull my spinner back. It drops into the pool and flutters dead until it hits the river bed and thats the drift.

The "drop" as the spinner flutters down is deadly.

The "kick" as the spinner starts to tighten up is also deadly.

Change in blade movement is key.