Targeting muskies and other big fish with classic spinners

Big lures for big fish have been a strong trend in recent years regardless of the species you’re trying to catch, but the pendulum is starting to swing the other way. As muskies, pike, and bass get caught and released and become conditioned to new presentations, wise anglers often revert to old standbys and continue putting fish in their boat.

One full-time fishing guide who has worked the Madison Chain of Lakes in southern Wisconsin for nearly 30 years has lately looked to classic inline spinners, as well as spinnerbaits, to keep his customers happy.

“A lot of it seems to be because of fishing pressure,” said Jeff Hanson, 53, of Verona. “When a lot of guys are casting bucktails, they are throwing big double blades. I’ve noticed in recent years that downsizing with single blades has helped a lot for my clients, especially with bigger fish.”

Hanson said big, double-bladed bucktails remain great for muskies and pike in perfect conditions.

“But during the day and when things are tough, single-bladed spinners about 6 to 8 inches long really seem to shine,” he said.

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Hanson rattled off a list of favorite brands, like Mepps and Spanky Baits, which are made in Wisconsin, and Rabid Squirrels, which are made in Minnesota. He said such lures are used by most anglers early in the year, but he finds they can be effective all season long and even into fall.

“We’ll use them all of May and well into June, especially following a cold front,” Hanson said. “I tend to choose a bigger bucktail first in July and August, but I sure have noticed in September the fish really turn onto smaller baits. If fish follow a spinner with No. 9 or No. 10 blades in September and October but don’t hit, downsizing will get them to snap, especially if you’re moving the baits quickly.”

Because the Madison chain has lots of milfoil, Hanson prefers smaller bucktails with a single Colorado blade.

“The Colorado blade seems to have more thump and vibration. When fishing milfoil the more thump you have the more it draws out the fish,” he said. “The drag the Colorado blade has helps keep it higher in the water, so it helps customers who may not have a great retrieve speed keep their bucktail from getting hung up in the weeds.”

The Colorado blade also matters when fishing rocky areas on the Madison chain, he said. “The extra lift keeps the baits off the rocks, which tend to get covered with junk weed and other slimy stuff.”

The guide’s favorite blade colors in clear water are black-nickel or nickel in sunny conditions, and gold in low light periods. If the water is stained or bloomed with limited visibility, he’ll opt for gold or chartreuse on sunny days, and orange or flame on cloudy days. He believes a marabou or squirrel tail is better until the water warms into the 60s, at which time he’ll switch to using flashabou more often.

Pike in quantity and quality

The same inline spinners, as well as spinnerbaits, will catch “tons of northern pike,” Hanson said.

“Pike will be in the same types of spots as the muskies, sometimes even more shallow. Sometimes we’ll fish them on the inside weed edge. Eighty percent of the time we’re fishing the same spots for pike as we are for muskies. If pike are really biting we’ll have no problem putting 20 or 30 in the boat, most caught on spinners.”

Hanson estimates he books around 15 trips each year to fish specifically for pike.

“Dads will bring their kids and want action and they want to catch fish. Smaller spinners will get it done for them. And, a lot of them will end up catching their first muskie, too,” he smiled. “But the Madison chain has big pike. Each year we’ll get two or three over 40 inches and there are a lot of them from 27 to 34 inches.”

When he targets pike, Hanson said he’ll have one of his clients “throwing a bucktail spinner while the other guy will have a spinnerbait, especially if they’re having trouble keeping the bucktail out of the weeds. Also, in cold front conditions fish really seem to respond to a spinnerbait, especially if you’re grinding them into cover.”

Hanson’s favored spinnerbaits for pike are white in color, “otherwise black and nickel, or black and chartreuse. If the water is really dirty, black and orange,” he said.

Big bass

While fishing in the thick weeds, Hanson and his clients catch lots of big largemouth bass, some surpassing 20 inches in length.

“They especially like the spinnerbaits, but they’ll also hit an inline spinner,” he said.

A tip he recommends when fishing spinnerbaits is to use a zip-tie to lock down the rubber skirt.

“Often a spinnerbait will simply have its skirt held on by a rubber band. Pike will cut that up quickly and then your bait is junk,” he said.

For casting smaller spinners and spinnerbaits, Hanson prefers a 9-foot-6 medium-heavy baitcasting rod rigged with a mid-speed reel, 80-pound test braid, and 174-pound test straight wire or “swimbait-style” wire leaders. It’s important for the leader to have a quality ball bearing swivel, he noted.

You may not have used small inline spinners or spinnerbaits for years, but they may produce terrific fishing for you in the coming season. And while you’re waiting for the muskies to bite, such smaller lures will attract plenty of pike and bass to keep you on your toes.