Blade Baits 2025
papajoe222 reply :
Sorry if I'm letting the cat out of the bag, but I don't see much discussion about blade baits here. They, and in-line spinners are my top producers (hard baits) in the spring. I prefer them over lipless cranks from ice out until the water gets into the upper 40's. Now if the friggin weather would get it's act together and give us some open water here, but that's another thread.
Justin Clark reply :
I am a big fan of blade baits. I work them just like lipless cranks in the spring and very well with them. My favorite is a Capt Jay's nothing fancy but has a great action to it. This thing just plane works jigged, yo-yoed or casted.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Never been able to catch a thing except for a few white bass on blade baits. I'm sure I'm just fishing them wrong but I do well with jigging spoons during the same time of year so I just stick with those.
Jigfishn10 reply :
Overcast and wind in you face = White skirt and white blades.
Chartreuse blades for smallies
Chartreuse and white skirt or all chartreuse skirt and orange blades on overcast days or when bass are feeding on perch
General: Painted blades when I feel the bass don't like the flash from a metal blade(s)
wnybassman reply :
On 2/23/2014 at 11:39 PM, Jigfishn10 said:Overcast and wind in you face = White skirt and white blades.
Chartreuse blades for smallies
Chartreuse and white skirt or all chartreuse skirt and orange blades on overcast days or when bass are feeding on perch
General: Painted blades when I feel the bass don't like the flash from a metal blade(s)
I think you are thinking spinnerbaits.
Water temp below 50º and a bladebait will always be on my deck.
Jigfishn10 reply :
On 2/23/2014 at 11:46 PM, wnybassman said:I think you are thinking spinnerbaits.
Water temp below 50º and a bladebait will always be on my deck.
Man I read the OP wrong...LMAO...Thanks bud!
Time for a nap! 
Shadow93 reply :
I've never actually used blade baits, I've always thought of them as a white bass/striper lure.
skeetercraig reply :
love blade baits my favorite spring time lure , piranha gets the nod for me
papajoe222 reply :
The only downside to these baits, for me, is locating a supply of them in my area. I fish them on spinning tackle and 6lb. line and end up loosing half of the ones in my box to snags or toothy fish.. My favorite is the Sonic, but I really like the look of Capt Jay's. Too bad it only comes in one size.
roadwarrior reply :
The biggest issue for me is losing them!
The best performance is on light line, but they are hard to recover,
especially on the Tennessee River.
J Francho reply :
Noel, any chance you can put a pic up of your modded buddies?
tholmes reply :
I loves me some blade baits, especially in late winter/early spring! I make my own and instead of treble hooks, I ues open shank double hooks. Just clip them through the holes in the blade, making sure the points face to the rear. That solves a LOT of the hang-up issues.
Tom
wnybassman reply :
On 2/27/2014 at 4:59 AM, J Francho said:Noel, any chance you can put a pic up of your modded buddies?
I have been making these for many years now, although only really began catching fish on them consistently a few years ago. Cheap enough to make, the blanks are about 35¢ each, the lead is free, the clips are about 8¢ and hooks are whatever you want to put on them. In the picture above I have Mustad Triple Grips on it, but since I took that picture I have been using a black pearl Eagle Claw round bend hook. I bought a couple bags of them somewhere for $9 a 100 and they are halfway decent hooks. I also use the Duo Lock snaps now, instead of what's pictured.
Most people would probably cringe the way I attach the hooks. I read a couple years ago about someone doing it this way, and they said to attach the hooks to something solid and pull until something breaks. They said something will give besides the hooks every time, and I would have to agree. Basically I just use side cutters and cut the hook eye, flex the eye open just enough to slip on the bait then close back up with needlenose pliers. I have caught lots and lots of fish doing it this way and have had zero problems. Only once have I had a hook come off, but the fish was already in the net and doing the death roll and getting tons of leverage on the bait.
My set-up for bladebaiting is a 7' MH casting rod with straight 17 pound flouro. I see no reason to use anything lighter than that.
smalljaw67 reply :
On 2/27/2014 at 4:48 AM, roadwarrior said:The biggest issue for me is losing them!
The best performance is on light line, but they are hard to recover,
especially on the Tennessee River.
I've used Heddon Sonars, Silver Buddies, and Cicadas and they do catch fish in cold water, no doubt about it but I lose so many it isn't funny and I was going to start making my own but I didn't think it would work out since I only use them in winter and only on certain lakes that I don't fish in winter if I can get a good smallmouth bite going on the river.
Scott F reply :
On 2/27/2014 at 4:32 AM, papajoe222 said:The only downside to these baits, for me, is locating a supply of them in my area. I fish them on spinning tackle and 6lb. line and end up loosing half of the ones in my box to snags or toothy fish.. My favorite is the Sonic, but I really like the look of Capt Jay's. Too bad it only comes in one size.
You are in the same area as I am. If you like blade baits, you MUST get hold of some "Big Dude" baits. They are the same as Zip Lures. All the tackle shops that service the Illinois River carry them. Bedford Sales in Morris always has them. The smaller ones are THE white bass bait on the Illinois. I use them for whites and stripers on the cooling lakes and I get smallies on them too.
Justin Clark reply :
On 2/27/2014 at 4:32 AM, papajoe222 said:The only downside to these baits, for me, is locating a supply of them in my area. I fish them on spinning tackle and 6lb. line and end up loosing half of the ones in my box to snags or toothy fish.. My favorite is the Sonic, but I really like the look of Capt Jay's. Too bad it only comes in one size.
They are coming out with a 3/4 oz this year. and I heard a 3/8oz later this summer.
Grizzn N Bassin reply :
I never used these. That lead on the front looks like,it gives the blade a deadly nose dive . So you just pop up and down on the bottom and the same just swim and pop it like a swim jig in,the middle of the water column?
J Francho reply :
I go really slow. Think slow jigging.
papajoe222 reply :
My standard retrieve in the early spring is to cast it out, let it fall to the bottom, then drop my rod tip and take up the slack. A slow sweep of the rod and reel up the slack as I drop it back down, occasionally allowing it to fall back to the bottom. The only other retrieve I've ever used is an almost steady crank just under the surface similar to a spinnerbait, but I only use that when the water temps. get up near 60.
Going to try jigging one like a jigging spoon. That tight fibration should give the fish around here a much different look from the spoons and jigging Rapalas most guys use.
Comfortably Numb reply :
I get them on 3bay for about a buck a piece (without hooks).
Crestliner2008 reply :
I've been using blades for many years when the ice first comes off the water, until the weeds pick up. Probably one of my most successful, early season presentations. However, loosing them is a problem, regardless of their effectiveness. Barlow's Tackle has pre-molded blade bait bodies (no hooks). When you add split rings and trebles, the cost is down somewhere around $1.50/each, when purchasing 25 at a time. Very cost effective. Lipless cranks do the same, but at a much higher cost!
I have probably 6 or 7 different brands of blades that I bought over the years and have cost me upwards of $5.00 - 6.00 each! None of them have been any more effective than the run-of-the-mill, standard blades, like a Silver Buddy or Heddon Sonar type. The more expensive and varied configurations do little, in my opinion, to enhance my success ratio. (But if you have a particular brand that increases your confidence level, then that's all that counts, right? The object afterall, is to catch fish!)
All blades will catch smallmouth, largemouth and especially lake trout, during this early, cold water period. I fish them on a medium spinning rig with 8# test fluoro. Long cast, letting the bait hit bottom. Then I raise it just enough off the bottom (and with enough snap) so that I feel the first couple of vibrations. Then I drop it again and repeat, back to the boat. You won't have to guess when you get hit! Works in lakes, reservoirs and rivers, although you loose a lot more in rivers obviously. Normal day I'll loose maybe 2 or 3 blades per trip. Not bad when you buy them in bulk (or make them yourself).
AQUA VELVA reply :
Ive carried those things around in my tackle box for years. Used them ocassionaly but never had much success. Seems like something you would need to use a steel leader on or you would lose a lot of them.
primetime reply :
I have a few, but have never used one.....I love the little george and also a jigging or flutter spoon, but I have never actually tossed one even though a few have found their way into my box...I believe I have some cicadas and Cordell's, and some Heddon Sonars, but I would rather throw a spoon....Maybe I need to try some and see what happens. I don't think Florida Bass ever see them.
Grizzn N Bassin reply :
Id like to throw that lead head blade bait !
bigbill reply :
I have the heddon sonars but never put any out there. I never really tried spoons too I have them. I do use the mepps timber doodle weedless lure. The silver blade with the mister twister 4" split double tail grub in clear, to slightly stained/stained water and the gold blade with the mister twister 4" split double tail trailer in green pumpkin or chartruse depending how dark the water is.
This weedless blade bait works awesome.
TorqueConverter reply :
This is type a bait I need to get into. They're some real interesting looking baits out there.
donk reply :
Last year at ice out, water temp at 35, my tourney partner and I learned a valuable lesson. Bladed baits flat out produce in cold water.
We normally open up the tourney season at the same lake every spring, and while pre fishing boated more fish on blades than we ever did with the old standard lipless cranks, jigs, and jerkbaits.
If the ice on our lakes in Pa. ever decide to go away, a blade bait will be my #1 presentation in the first tourney of year no doubt.
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