Wired2fish collaborator, Nick Smith of the Informative Fisherman, provides an introductory lesson on how to fish tail spin lures to catch bass in various situations. While a known legacy bait, tail spins don’t receive the attention they deserve in bass fishing circles, and Smith exposes several reasons to rethink this.
TACKLE USED (retail links)
- LURE – Savage Gear Fat Tail Spin, 3/16-ounce
- ROD – Stix “Finesse Stix” Spinning Rod, 7’6″ ML
- REEL – Abu Garcia REVO X Spinning Reel
- LINE – P-Line FluoroClear, 6-pound
- TROLLING MOTOR – MotorGuide X3 Digital Foot Control Trolling Motor
For one, they’re exceptional at depth control, allowing you to fish fast or slow down and loiter the bait in the strike zone. Smith highlights that they fall fast and straight so you can work them efficiently along bluffs and other vertical cover, then transition to a straight horizontal retrieve or yo-yo retrieve at any portion of the water column.
The weight attribute and a tail blade make them an overlooked and, perhaps, an ideal tool for today’s forward-facing sonar sharpshooters, where getting a bait in the face of a fish fast is essential. The tail spin stabilizes the fall so that the bait sinks straight and accurately but with excellent attraction. Kick it into gear, and the blade produces an ideal hang time, which keeps the bait in the strike zone longer than other metal baits, such as spoons or blade baits.
While Smith targeted suspended spotted bass in this video, they’re good multi-species lures and work well for white bass, stripers, smallmouth bass, walleyes, lake trout, and pike. Consider them for suspended fish anywhere in the water column or working deep across the bottom.
