Fishing Metal Baits For Cold Water Bass (Spoons, Blade Baits, Tail Spins)

"Heavy Metal Bass Fishing" is even more fun than it sounds! Winter is prime time to fish a variety of metal baits. Blade Baits and tail spins were born out of necessity in the heart of Winter. Jigging spoons and flutter spoons have amazing fish catching abilities any time baitfish are around. If you're not putting these metal baits to work for you, you're leaving fish behind in the cold water months!

A lot of anglers misunderstand Metal baits. They look at these hunks of metal hanging on the pegs at their local tackle shop and can't believe bass would eat them. It's not until you see the action in the water that they'll begin to make sense. After the first few bites, you're shocked by the realization that fish can't resist these lures! Cold water bass fishing with metal baits can be incredible! Now, not all baits are created equal and we definitely have a few favorites.

Below you'll find links to the exact baits and gear we discussed in the video. We've included our favorite sizes, colors, and hook upgrades for each. We've also included our favorite rod and reel combos for fishing these baits effectively. All the links go directly to Tackle Warehouse where you can see detailed photos and descriptions of each item.

BLADE BAITS...

•Megabass Dyna Response (1/2 oz): https://bit.ly/2R7FlvL

Colors: Jukucho Shad, Ito Hiau

•Damiki Vault (1/4 – 1/2 oz): https://bit.ly/2rnO7e2

Colors: Black Holo, Real Shad, Holo Cyber Purple

•Silver Buddy (1/2 oz): https://bit.ly/2AcTelj

Colors: Silver Plated

HOOK UPGRADES FOR VAULT...

Split Rings– Owner Hyperwire: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Sizes: 2 and 3 (3 on tail and head, 2 on belly)

Hooks– Owner STX 38: http://bit.ly/2oNIeCD

Size: 6

FLUTTER SPOON...

•Nichols Lake Fork Flutter Spoon: https://bit.ly/2ICAGKL

Colors: Shattered Glass Silver, Purple Threadfin

JIGGING SPOONS...

•Nichols Blade Runner Duh Spoon: https://bit.ly/4cSEVki

Size: 3/4 – 1 3/4 oz

Colors: Morning Dawn UV, Sierra UV, Shattered Glass Silver

•War Eagle Jigging Spoon (7/8 oz): https://bit.ly/2H9dJV1

Colors: Nickel, Purple Shad

TAIL SPINS...

•Jackall Deracoup (1/2 – 3/4 oz): https://bit.ly/2p8X4b0

Colors: Silver, Clear Shad, Dera Shad

•Damiki Axe Blade (3/4 – 1 oz): https://bit.ly/2w2uB9t

Colors: Black Holo, Holo Real Shad

BLADE/TAIL SPIN COMBO...

Rod– Shimano Expride 7'2" Medium Light: https://bit.ly/32IrXqE

Reel– Shimano Curado 70 MGL (HG): https://bit.ly/2apmDJt

Line– Sunline FC Fluorocarbon (12 lb): http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

HIGH END SPOON COMBO...

Rod– Fenwick World Class 7'1" Medium Heavy: https://bit.ly/3qbGEya

Reel– Abu Garcia Zata Tact–Z: https://bit.ly/3B8E7Ks

Line– Seaguar InvizX (20 lb): https://bit.ly/2oVsG2Y

BUDGET BLADE/TAIL SPIN COMBO...

Rod– Shimano SLX A 6'10" Medium: https://bit.ly/2L3wppO

Reel– Shimano SLX XT A (HG): https://bit.ly/3YgnWE8

Line– Seaguar Red Label (12 lb): https://bit.ly/2LOVEwA

TACTICALBASSIN LURE DESIGNS (AND APPAREL)

We have a variety of custom lure designs and apparel available! Everything from Swimbaits and crankbaits, to apparel and merch! See it here…

•TacticalBassin Apparel and Merch: https://bit.ly/3ZxEI0z

•TacticalBassin Lure Designs: http://bit.ly/38YpPIz

We caught them deep! Swimbait and Spoon Tips For Fall Bass

Big bass love deep water, don’t be afraid to catch them! In late Fall bass congregate offshore, forming schools that are much larger than anything found in the shallows. Most anglers ignore these fish because they’re not used to fishing deeper structure with electronics, or don’t have confidence targeting suspended fish. Come along with Matt and CC to find out just how easy it is to catch quality bass in deep, open water. 

At the start of the day Matt and CC planned to locate feeding fish around offshore schools of baitfish. Upon arriving at the lake they were greeted by heavy winds and cold air temperatures. While this required some adaptation, they stuck to their plan and successfully located schooling bass. This style of fishing is a commitment and often requires time spent on your electronics searching for fish. Matt used his Humminbird Solix units to scan flats and located an old house foundation in the process. While it didn’t produce today, a few waypoints were dropped around the foundation’s perimeter for future trips. This goes to show once again that time spent on your electronics is never wasted time. 

After a few stops the bass were located around baitfish in 35-40 feet of water. Matt and CC made short work of them using a jigging spoon, finesse swimbait, and a tail spin. This 3-part approach allowed them to cover water by fan casting but also provided an option for dropping down in an instant on fish that appeared below the boat. The key to schooling fish is speed. Once the bass are fired up you must get the bait to them as quickly as possible or the school will calm down and the feeding frenzy will end. The combination of spooning for a quick reaction and casting to relocate the school as it moved around the area was a deadly combination. 

Below is a breakdown of the gear and equipment that was used in today’s video. 

The baits… 

-TacticalBassin Finesse Swimbait Head (1/2 oz): http://bit.ly/2Pqrq3n

(Blue Shad, Tennessee Shad)

-ZXone Lures 4” Swammer Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2PogV0q

(309, Bream, Tennessee Shad)

-Keitech 4.3” Fat Swing Impact Swimbait: http://bit.ly/2ab7s8v

(Electric Shad, Ghost Rainbow)

-Damiki Axe Blade 1 oz Underspin: http://bit.ly/2w2uB9t

(Holo Real Shad, Black Holo)

-Blade Runner 1 3/4 oz Spoon: http://bit.ly/2aKVLlG

(Morning Dawn UV, UV Fried Chicken)

Matt’s Spoon Combo… 

Rod- Shimano Zodias 7’2” MH: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Daiwa Tatula CT 7:1 Reel: http://bit.ly/2zT6tDZ

Line- 20 lb Sunline Assassin: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

CC’s Swimbait Combo… 

Rod- Shimano Zodias 6’10” MH: http://bit.ly/2cgmMAe

Reel- Shimano Curado 200K: http://bit.ly/2tHewEh

Line- 20 lb Sunline Assassin Fluorocarbon: http://bit.ly/2h4LNjm

Budget Spooning Combo… 

Rod- Shimano SLX 7’ MH: http://bit.ly/2L3wppO

Reel- Shimano SLX HG Casting: http://bit.ly/2NfdOnk

Line- 20 lb Seaguar Red Label: http://bit.ly/2LOVEwA

Tail Spinner Tricks For Spring Bass Fishing

The Tail Spin is an overlooked option for Spring bass. Its traditional use is deep water presentations around baitfish and schooling bass. Like many techniques it has been refined in recent years and a variety of new lures have hit the market to help capitalize on the shallow bite, smaller baitfish, short strikes, etc.

If you're still using a tail spinner one dimensionally its time to consider your other options. This bait can be hopped, steadily swam parallel to bottom, jigged, burned, or used to cast extreme distances to busting fish. With so many options its a wonder we don't have a tail spinner tied on every time we hit the lake.

We've found 4 tail spins that fit our fishing style the best. These baits cover all the bases and can fish in a variety of conditions. Below is a break down of the baits as well as the tackle we use to fish tailspins effectively.

The baits...

-Blade Runner Line Through Tail Spin: http://bit.ly/2UZaQXP

(Blue Shad, Iris Shad)

-Damiki Axe Blade: http://bit.ly/2w2uB9t

(Ayu, Real Shad, Crystal)

-Revenge Tail Spin: http://bit.ly/2tmR2lv

(Blue Shad, Purple Met Shad, Shad)

-Duo Realis Spin: http://bit.ly/2QKeL9X

(Black Smokey Shad, Tanago 2)

Hook Upgrades...

-Light Hook (for duo)- Owner ST-36: http://bit.ly/2cWpeyw

-Heavy Hook- Owner ST-56: http://bit.ly/2cVg7xW

-Split Rings- Hyperwire #3: http://bit.ly/2v8ArBX

Use size 4 hook for all baits except the Duo Realis. The duo hooks are extremely small, a size 8 is best.

Great Rods For This Technique...

G Loomis GLX 842 MBR: http://bit.ly/2gqziwT

Dobyns- Champion 702: http://bit.ly/2aFrSYt

Shimano- SLX 7'2" Medium: http://bit.ly/2L3wppO

Daiwa- Tatula 7' Medium Reaction: http://bit.ly/2Q4NgKA

13 Fishing- Muse 7' Medium: http://bit.ly/2xVM80V

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