Blade baits

[dartag]

Anyone use them. Whats your favorite.  Been picking some up this winter.  Even bought some blanks and painted my own. 

[Manxfishing]

I bought the sivler buddy's
Haven't fished them yet thou

[Victor Cerabone]

I used the BPS brand in both gold and silver.   They are durable.  I have use the silver buddies too.  I think they or our of business?

[Manxfishing]

They started making them agian
http://www.silverbuddy.com/

[21XDC]

To me... They are the best tool to extract bass in 50* and less water... Not to say they cant catch fish in warmer temps.  I pour my own with do it molds in the 1/2 oz size. I use double hooks, not trebles w/o split rings. Hooks facing up. Size 2 on front and 4 on back.  The key is to only lift it off the bottom 1 ft or until you feel 3-4 vibes. Set it back down on a semi tight line. These baits are easy to fish in deep water, and still have a "triggering" quality that no other bait has.

I normally just use silver, and many times I don't even put eyes on them.

[Victor Cerabone]

Manxfishing, Thank for the tip that the Silver Buddy is back in business.

21DDC, why the double hooks instead of trebles?

[Got Fish??]

J&K tackle makes a color that looks like prestone coolent, works vary well in clear water. I  change to smaller hooks on my blades, and I get less bottom snags.

[djkimmel]

I've been using them for years. I think I'm fairly good with them unless I get in the boat with a short list of anglers who are REALLY good with them! I use mostly homemade slightly customized ones (I'm told they are anyway though I'm not sure what the difference is?) I get from a friend who is REALLY good with them. They are from a DO-IT mold I believe.

I've also used Silver Buddy, some from the guy who used to make the Float 'n' Fly (colored ones - whites, chartreuses, prism tapes), Heddon Sonar and a few other brands.

I've won a few cold water tournaments on them, and now just fish them for fun. They're really fun in cold water for both kinds of bass, especially for anglers with less patience (like me! ).

I have other brands and colors though I usually stick to chrome or brass/gold once in awhile (most often when someone REALLY good is kicking my butt!). Probably are times when a different shape might produce better but for once with a type of lure I have pretty much zeroed in on this one style for now. I guess when I get in the boat with the next REALLY good angler who's kicking my butt on a brand I don't have or something fairly different, maybe then I will branch out.

I like the looks of the ones The Tackle Hut has for sale in the GLB 'club' section (post on this board about how to login) but I haven't tried that brand/style yet. Has anyone else tried them? They've been around for awhile.

[Manxfishing]

Manxfishing, Thank for the tip that the Silver Buddy is back in business.

21DDC, why the double hooks instead of trebles?

Victor,
Double hooks for less snags
You can also just cut the front hook off the Treble hook

[Dan]

What percent do you cast vs. vertical jig them?

[dartag]

Great video to watch.  I have watched Scott fish in front of my house for years. 

http://www.greatlakesbass.com/vid/video/0CnVTP31kf8/Smallmouth-in-the-Fall.html

[bigjc]

Dan,

I thought we agreed to keep blade baits a secret...

[Manxfishing]

There very popular with the Walleye crowd in the spring
There's huge crowds of boats drifting the reefs and useing blade baits
They catch allot of the males that hang around after the spawn

Any bass boat could fish that bite

[Irish21080]

Just won a tournament on the Six Span stretch of the river with them yesterday. They are deadly during this time of year. The smallies were chewing them up.

[Grinny]

Anyone use them. Whats your favorite.  Been picking some up this winter.  Even bought some blanks and painted my own. 

I've been using the bass pro shops brand and have done really well with them, depending upon the water clarity, I go with silver or gold. They come with pretty sharp hooks, but I swap out the hooks for gamagatsu trebles...

[thedude]

I use the ones that come out of a do it mold. Prefer half oz silver. 50 degrees or less and I think they are much better in the fall and winter than spring.

[djkimmel]

Dan,

I thought we agreed to keep blade baits a secret...

Totally forgot that?!? My bad...

PS: Scott does a great blade bait seminar in that video! But bigjc says don't watch it...

[djkimmel]

There very popular with the Walleye crowd in the spring
There's huge crowds of boats drifting the reefs and useing blade baits
They catch allot of the males that hang around after the spawn

Any bass boat could fish that bite

We whack the crap out of walleyes on Hardy each spring too! Some nice ones mixed in with smaller eaters. Drives the walleye boats over there mad watching a bass boat stroke them into the boat pretty much vertical jigging or short casts!! Some springs we have a 3-angler limit without seeing a walleye boat land 1 walleye!!!

Not that I enjoy that kind of thing 

[djkimmel]

I use the ones that come out of a do it mold. Prefer half oz silver. 50 degrees or less and I think they are much better in the fall and winter than spring.

We usually whack the bejeezus out of smallmouth bass on Hardy in the spring too if we get there earlier in the year. If spring is colder (like this year maybe...??) or we're on lakes that are deeper and cleaner with water just creeping into the 50s blades are a deadly bait on bass in the spring.

Sometimes we might start with them in the morning waiting for the bass to 'wake up' with the warming, brightening day before moving up into shallower water with other techniques later in the day. I like to do that in the spring and the fall.

I think blade baits will be the same great lure in the spring as they are in the fall in Michigan as soon as we can start getting out more often right after ice out legally. Maybe next spring...?

[djkimmel]

Just won a tournament on the Six Span stretch of the river with them yesterday. They are deadly during this time of year. The smallies were chewing them up.

I'm jealous that you're already fishing open water bass tournaments!?!

I have a friend who is deadly in cold springs in any paper tournament in Michigan using blade baits. I have to stop talking about the now says bigjc...