A Beginner’s Guide to Spinning for Bass
by Mike Ladle
[May 2005 - This article originally appeared in the BASS magazine No.94, Summer 2000.]
Why spin?
Bass eat a lot of fish, squid, prawns and other active animals. The best way to deceive a fish is certainly to present a
natural, live, bait on simple (freeline) tackle. However, natural bait is not always easy (or cheap) to come by, so an
effective artificial can be a lifesaver. On those rare occasions when bass are “mad on” or passing through at speed
it is MUCH quicker to use an artificial (no fiddling about with bait needed). If the fish are scattered over miles of
shoreline, it is easier to search for them by casting and retrieving a lure as you move along. Thirdly, and perhaps
surprisingly, some types of imitation fish are less prone to snagging than most bait rigs.
Where and when to spin!
Essentially ANYWHERE that you think there could be bass you can lure fish. Over sand, gravel, rock, weed or in
open water. From the very MARGIN of the sea to offshore reefs, wrecks and shoals. At ANY STATE OF
TIDE. Obviously success will depend on whether there are any bass present. At any time of the year - although
APRIL to NOVEMBER (inclusive) is the prime period. From my local shores big fish are most often taken at
the extreme beginning and end of the season. Big catches in May and June or late in the season. As a general (but
not hard and fast) rule, in Dorset, I fish rocky beaches, ledges and headlands on the spring tides and gravel
beaches and bays on the neaps. Any conditions from flat calm/gin clear to force eight/white water will be O.K.
Even quite dirty water is not a total dead loss.
Tackle to use!
A medium sized fixed spool reel is, by far, the most versatile. The cheapest models are rarely ideal but anything
with a smooth clutch and reasonable level wind will be O.K. I am not the man to ask about makes and models of
tackle - as long as it works I use it. If you want you can give the reel a wash after every trip - I never bother but my
gear is NEVER put away in a bag, box or car boot. Made up rods and reels are propped up in the corner of the
room where I am writing this and even non-saltwater proof reels last a few years under these conditions (although
they don’t always look ‘nice’). These days I use a Shimano Stradic 4000GTM RA reel which is excellent if a bit
pricey.
Load the spool of your spinning reel almost to the brim with line. I use 8lb Maxima, T Line or similar
monofilament. Don’t overfill or you will have to cut a few yards off when it tangles on the cast. (This is still OK
if you like nylon but these days I use braid of about 20lb BS. Fireline is good Whiplash is less forgiving but
thinner and no doubt there are a number of other makes that are fine. If you are using braid it is even more
important not to overfill) If you are new to spinning, want to use only big lures or think that your beaches are
snaggier than mine (want a bet!) step up to ten pound nylon. You can go down to five or six if you think it is more
sporting but, believe me, you will one day (probably quite soon) regret it. (If you switch to braid all this advice
becomes redundant).
My favourite rod(s) are 11ft, 1.75lb test curve, carp-type, through action blanks. (I now use an 11ft ‘spinning
rod. The fact that there are now many such rods on the market is testament to the fact that tackle
manufacturers eventually get the message from anglers). Any spinning rod of your choice will do but
remember it must be sufficiently forgiving for (knotted) 8lb line (see comments on braid – the same rod will do)
and powerful enough to set the hooks against the tough mouth of a bass and the drag of a bulky lure. I feel that the
longer rod gives me good lure/fish control amid waves, weeds and boulders.
Now all you need are a few lures. First let me say that these are not cheap but compared to the cost of bait (I buy
12 worms per week for mullet and bait fishing and it costs me about £50 per year (more now)) it should be no
problem. Lures last for ages if you don’t lose them. I generally tie the smallest link swivel I can find to the end of
my line, using a half-blood knot I now tend to do away with swivels and clips and simply tie direct to braid or tie a
loop on nylon. CHECK EVERY KNOT! Clip the lure on, SHARPEN THE HOOKS! - and away you go. If you want to change the hooks use good quality trebles, not too thick in the wire (the idea is to sink them easily into
a fish not to anchor the QE2).
What lures should you have in your box? I “like” to carry a couple of each basic type but rarely is that the case.
A couple of medium sized silver Tobys (or something similar) for those RARE occasions when I want to belt
them to the horizon or catch a mackerel for bait. Big silvery Redgills (or similar) for fishing THROUGH weeds.
Black/silver Rapalas J13, J11, J9 and J7 (all floaters) (the J13 fishes much deeper than the others). I also use
Crystal Minnows and shallow diving ‘Maria’ lures which are unjointed, cast well and catch fish. These days I also
have a couple of poppers (Duel Magnet Sliders, Skitterpops, Chug Bugs or the like of about 10-11cm in length)
for fishing really shallow snaggy ground. A couple of home made mullet spinners (for mullet and smaller bass).
There are lots of other lures which will catch bass and some are very good (shads and other ‘rubbers’, Bass
Bullets, Mepps, etc.) but you don’t HAVE to carry an entire tackle shop with you.
A selection of a dozen lures at (say) an average of about 8 pounds each. Total £100. If you are happy with one of
each then £50. If you skip a few sizes (I usually do) perhaps £40 worth of lures, and say £20 for annual
replacements. Of course I realise that if you are new to bass spinning or covering new ground then you could lose
two or three plugs on your first session but my average loss rate is about one or two per season (in snags not in
fish). If you are hard up then you could settle for just a couple of J11F 's and not go far wrong. Or you could
make your own from balsa at a fraction of the price (glue on a strip of metal foil and give them a few coats of
varnish). DIY plugs have the advantage that you can customise the weight, shape, colour and depth of dive to your
needs – it’s easy and they work.
There are many other good makes of buoyant plug bait. Most reputable types are O.K. but there really is no need
to carry a suitcase full of plastic and balsa. If your personal coastline is steep and deep it may be worth
experimenting with some deeper divers (What do our Devon/Cornwall/Wales pluggers say?).
Just one or two more thoughts. Don't be afraid to fish - In shallow water (1'-2' deep), over rock and weed, in
rough weather, CLOSE IN (stand back up the beach and flick the lure a couple of yards out at times), in clear
water, in fast tides. Reel in just fast enough to make the lure work (say one turn of the handle per second) THIS
WILL CATCH BASS, then when you gain confidence you can improvise with fast/slow or fancy retrieves. Keep
your eyes peeled for signs of fish activity (splashes, flashes, swirls, tails, fins, shapes and shadows, explosions
of little fish, diving - terns, gulls, guillemots, razorbills etc.).
22lb Conger
