Blade baits and fish attractant spray

I’ve got two simple questions I hoping you more experienced anglers can answer. Question one: When vertical jigging with any type of bait, do you use a fish attractant spray? If so, what kind? I’ve was out this weekend and witnessed several boats using attractant. I wasn’t close enough to see the brand but I can tell you that they were catching more walleyes than my boat at almost a 2 to 1 ratio. Also, Question 2: When people refer to blade baits, what exactly do they mean? Thanks for helping a rookie out.

river fish have quite a bit less time to inspect a bait than their lake dwelling brethern….. and I feel that fish attractant plays little role in triggering them…. saying that however I admit there was a day when my buddies were munching some heavyly flavored potato chips… and afterwards I was outfishing them 3 to one…. until I suggested they wash their hands and spray them with some fish attractant *yuck!*…. but they actually did it.. and then they were staying right with me…… this happened in the fall about this time of year… so who knows? (not very helpful huh?) personally I feel that boat control, presentation, and keeping your line vertical (for jigging) are the biggest factors

blade baits are patterned off the old heddon sonar… they are usually cheap imitations of that pattern, often in 1/2 oz weights.. at this time of year they are VERY effective…..

my favorite color for these has always been orange… dont know why but it can really work better then most others…..

Hi

When using blade baits do you ever tip them w/ a piece of minnow that you tare in half….and if so, when do you decide to use this technique opposed to just a plain blade bait?

thanks

jenn

I don’t tip blade baits. Like rivereyes said the fish don’t inspect the bait much. The most important thing about blade baits is all the vibration they make, also they sink like rocks which makes it easy to keep them verticle.

Yep, no bait/scent on blades….. Not to be confused with spoons. I’ll tip a spoon with the head of a minnow, open water and ice.

J

I have never used attractant with blade baits on the River. Its the “fall” of the bait that I fins attracts them. Keeping verticle is the key/

OK….so another question…..are you ripping these up off the bottom several inches then letting them slowly fall and just upon sensing bottom, ripping them up again? Or….how are you working the action on these? i have a bunch of these and have heard of their success in producing walleyes….but i’m not so sure i’ve been working them quite the best way….and i think whoever said that before was right..i was confusing them with tipping spoons….

thanks….

I hover vertical, find bottom and lift up a couple inches then snap the rod tip up from a few inches to almost a foot. I don’t do well on blades when I really rip them like some of the guys do. Some of those guys look like they’re trying to start an old flooded lawn mower! When the come to the boat backwards and upside down… they don’t count!

James Holst

Moving Waters Guide Service

http://www.movingwaters.net

I agree, there are too many times I see people using blade baits and foul hooking fish that end up in the cooler. It’s not hard to see why some people think blade baits are just a glorified snagging hook. In fact, last year below a local dam, the DNR was trying to outlaw the use of blade baits because people were keeping fish they snagged.

I like to use them because often they will produce more numbers when other presentations fail. When the fishing is tough and many people switch to three-ways and minnows, I bust out the blades and go to work.

The way I work them is similar to James, I lift them sharply about a foot or two off the bottom and then follow them back until they settle. I may repeat this a few times, then I lift it a couple of inches from the bottom and hold the bait there for a few seconds, many times the fish will strike the blade while it is motionless. If nothing happens, I start the process over.

I think the most important aspect of using blades is to follow the bait back to the bottom. I see fisherman just let it freefall and then jerk again, this is why they snag fish. If you follow the bait back, you can feel the strikes and set the hook immediatly.

Give them a try, it can be very effective.

Trevor

I agree with all you guys have said… I use blade baits quite a bit… usually a moderate approach for jigging (as described above) works the best…. but sometimes a good solid rip is in order… it almost seems the more negative the fish the harder I have to rip the bait… I have a special rod I use just for jigging these… its short and stiff…. I sometimes rip as much as 2′ but the key is staying with the blade as it settles, and sometimes the more you slow the drop the better… I think the reason a lot of fish get snagged is they get jazzed when they see “lift off” and they zoom up for a quick look…. if you settle it too fast its gets past them and they are sitting right over the top of it when you rip it up next time… and *bam* you snag them….. its a on two combo…. you attract them and you snag them….. I very seldom snag anything but walleye and sauger with blades… which tells me its not totally an accident I have rang the dinner bell and they have come….. however the law is clear… snagged fish must be released….. and you will greatly reduce the number of snagged fish by slowing your drop… if your still snagging them try slowing the drop even more…. it should result in more bites and less snaged fish…..

Thanks guys (and gals). I just never heard them called blade baits before, always called sonars in Dubuque. I have them and use them with some success, but what about attractant spray, not necessarily for blade baits but for jigs and jig and minnow combos? Several fisherman were using some sort of attractant this weekend and notably better success than the rest of us. I’m talking for walleyes here, what is the best brand and flavor? Thanks in advance.