Hiya folks,

Y’know, a spinnerbait is probably the bait that fish become conditioned to the easiest—what they learn to avoid.

But here’s the ironic thing about spinnerbaits: When the fishing conditions are the toughest, in fall for example, when the water’s cold, when the fish are lethargic and down on the bottom, a spinnerbait comes into its own. Not just for Largemouth Bass or Smallmouth Bass, but for Northern Pike and muskies, too.

Here’s the other irony: The best way to retrieve a spinnerbait in those cold water, crystal-clear conditions? Burn, baby, burn. You throw it out as far as you can and then retrieve it—reel it—as quickly as you can, so it’s barely bulging, almost coming out of the surface. It’s a reaction bite. Those muskies, Northerns, Smallmouth, Largemouth, they charge it and they annihilate it in those tough conditions.

Happy Fish’n,Gord “The Doc” Pyzer