Spybait recommendations

[Revtro]

Gonna try to buy some spybaits this week and learn how to use them this summer.  What are your favorites?  Brands, colors...and why?  Thanks!

[Rangerman]

Perch 80 on 7lb Sniper Line. do not tie a loop knot

[Hollada]

Gold Perch, ghost gill, ghost minnow, chartreuse Gill, there's a new color out called goby that might be worth a try. 

Caught 2 on gold perch color Thursday.  Earliest I've thrown the spybait.

[Revtro]

Is there like one brand of these things?  I guess I need to get to Cabelas or Sportsman's Direct and check it out.

[Hollada]

Duo Realis spinbait 80 is the original.  The duo gfix is a tad heavier.  The 90’s are for throwing on baitcasters and I know no one who does this.

Everyone I know uses the duo realis.

[Rangerman]

From what I have learned it can not be cranked too slow or use too light a line.  Slower and lighter line is the key

[raisinrat]

This should help out.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

[dartag]

Looks like Chad Grigsby is throwing a Spybait on St Clair right now.  Almost 100 pounds for 4 days.   The Live Video should be on YouTube in a couple days.

[raisinrat]

yes he was.

[Hollada]

Looked like an emerald shiner?

[dartag]

Day 4 Live is on You Tube.  All you need to know is there. 

[dartag]

They will do a Day 5 segment with Chad today.  Probably more information.

[Revtro]

FLW cleaned em out.  And Cabelas doesn't even carry them.  Gonna order some online I guess. :/

[Rangerman]

Sportsman Direct has a few 100, and right many less after we left

[raisinrat]

We are basically the only store in SE mich that stocks there stuff right now.

The color chad was throwing is Threadfin Shad.

[Revtro]

raisinrat

I've been stopping in daily to see if you got your Zman stuff in.  I'd also like to pick up a couple spybaits.  If you think about it, let me know when you get the stuff in.  PM me or reply here and I'll be by to get some goodies.   

[Jefferson]

The FLW guys cleaned out the Cabelas in Chesterfield by my house. Was in there yesterday and there was giant bare spots in the aisles. I picked up the only remaining Arashi spinbait. The guy working told me it would take a week or two to restock their inventory.

[Revtro]

Ditto.  Was in there yesterday too and saw the same thing.  2 weeks?  I'd think Cabela's could do better than that.  I'm sure Sportsman's Direct will have them sooner.  Plus the spybaits. 

[raisinrat]

raisinrat

I've been stopping in daily to see if you got your Zman stuff in.  I'd also like to pick up a couple spybaits.  If you think about it, let me know when you get the stuff in.  PM me or reply here and I'll be by to get some goodies.   

Z Man is shut down until after iCast... We have a shipment due in of spybaits any day now.

[djkimmel]

Not sure when I'll have 4 hours available to watch that video...?? I shared a video on this forum somewhere (should be easy to find if you search) that David Swenseid made for Duo Realis spybaiting. David is Duo's U.S. promoter/tester/face basically. I've talked to him a lot about the nuances of spybaiting. (I also sold spybaiting.com to Duo Realis as I originally bought it to do a mini-website about the new technique and they asked nice at a moment when I felt generous. )

I am using mostly the 90 size Spinbaits on casting tackle as they cast better and run better for me on slightly heavier line (because the pike and muskies LOVE Spinbaits). I have mostly 90s because David said those would be easier to cast longer on the Great Lakes especially if we were going to be determined to use heavier line.

I only have 1 other spybait type lure than the original Duo Realis lures I have - I think it is a Megabass I got somewhere from a sale bin. It's much larger than the Spinbait 90 even with huge blades compared to Duo Realis Spinbaits. I haven't tried it yet.

For some reason, when I use some of my 80 G-Fix size the whole bait seems to spin. Not sure if it is my line size or my retrieve speed still too fast?? I have just a few 80 and 80 G-Fix. I do throw them on spinning tackle but I just feel more comfortable throwing the 90s on casting tackle. I've been throwing them on light braid top-shotting with a 25-30 foot leader of 12 pound test Fluorocarbon line lately, and like that the most so far. I pulled out a really old 'crankbait' casting reel from retirement lately as well. It has a 4.8:1 ratio and that seems to help with my retrieve speed.

I have tried 5 pound test line on spinning and casting tackle for a time. Hated it. I threw off a few lures just on the cast. They are very dense and cast well. If your line gets any damage that you don't notice you can snap them off. They sail very far and sink away into another negative profit entry in your fishing expense column...

Didn't enjoy that as I have enough problems losing tackle to all the pike I seem to catch now on everything I throw at so many lakes. I've been using spinbaits at quite a few different lakes especially this year, and getting lots of bites at times.

The last time at St. Clair I tried throwing the Spinbait 80 G-Fix on a long spinning rod with light braid and a long 10 pound test leader. That is when I tried a couple different lures and they kept wanting to spin on my. At first, I thought maybe I had overtightened the hook/line tie eyes the blades are on. Scott Dobson showed me how to take them off, superglue the screw eye and put them back on because, at least the first few years, sometimes the blades would spin the screw eye right out of the lure.

The blades appear to still turn freely, but the 80 G-Fixes keep wanting to spin on me?? In the end, I'm still wondering if I'm reeling too fast with all these modern, fast spinning reels? I'm wondering if I can dig out an older reel that has a lower retrieve ratio? Not sure I have any left anywhere. The Spinbait 90 are very well balanced and work exactly as they should.

I guess next I will need to try the few original 80 size Spinbaits on spinning rods and see if they spin on me or not? Maybe it is something to do with the balancing of the G-Fix? I may have to give David Swenseid a call risking I will be the only person having this problem... that happens to me...

I know I'm leery about throwing them on line lighter than 10 pound test because of the throw off issue I had, and especially because the pike like them so much... Guess you can call me chicken.