Spinner or Shad ? What's your poison

[Taffypiker]

The array of shads available is incredible but for me you cannot beat a good spinner . Colour and vibration all in one . I just wish they didn't charge nearly 4 quid for them !

[Andrew]

Shad with a spinner on it

[Steve Dennington]

How often do you lose one to make a £4 lure expensive?

Look at the price of lamprey these days and £4 for something that might be usable over and over again for years is good value. Lots of lures cost many times that figure and still represent good value. I'm not sure how much I paid for the most expensive lure I've bought, but it was in the £80-£90 region. I didn't lose it and didn't lose money when I sold it either.

[Andrew]

How often do you lose one to make a £4 lure expensive?

Look at the price of lamprey these days and £4 for something that might be usable over and over again for years is good value. Lots of lures cost many times that figure and still represent good value. I'm not sure how much I paid for the most expensive lure I've bought, but it was in the £80-£90 region. I didn't lose it and didn't lose money when I sold it either.

Only time I regularly lost spinners to snags was targeting trout in very shallow very rocky rivers, that along with shopping trolleys bikes and traffic cones etc.

Just made my own spinners for broonie fishing with scraps of lead and beads to make the bodies and bulk ebay blades. Total value of them were about 20-40p each depending on how fancy I made them.

I cant even remember losing a spinner to an actual fish. I've got old mepps I found years ago that are still in use today.

[Taffypiker]

How often do you lose one to make a £4 lure expensive?

Look at the price of lamprey these days and £4 for something that might be usable over and over again for years is good value. Lots of lures cost many times that figure and still represent good value. I'm not sure how much I paid for the most expensive lure I've bought, but it was in the £80-£90 region. I didn't lose it and didn't lose money when I sold it either.

Trees , everywhere

It rains a lot here

[Steve Le maitre]

4 quid wouldn’t buy me 2 quality treble hooks and most cranks need three. Taffy you need to get out more

[Taffypiker]

4 quid wouldn’t buy me 2 quality treble hooks and most cranks need three. Taffy you need to get out more

After the rain and floods have churned up the rivers down here 3 or 4 spinners lost to debris is fairly common

That's 12 quid a session

[Steve Dennington]

4 quid wouldn’t buy me 2 quality treble hooks and most cranks need three. Taffy you need to get out more

After the rain and floods have churned up the rivers down here 3 or 4 spinners lost to debris is fairly common

That's 12 quid a session

Texas rigged shad will suit you then. You'll miss an annoying percentage of hits, but you won't lose lures.

Alternatively, fish somewhere less snaggy

[Lukemilnes]

Shad with a spinner on it

Definitely a winner

[MANO]

How often do you lose one to make a £4 lure expensive?

Look at the price of lamprey these days and £4 for something that might be usable over and over again for years is good value. Lots of lures cost many times that figure and still represent good value. I'm not sure how much I paid for the most expensive lure I've bought, but it was in the £80-£90 region. I didn't lose it and didn't lose money when I sold it either.

Trees , everywhere

It rains a lot here

The more experienced you get, the less lures you will lose to the trees.

As for snaggy rivers, there’s not a lot you can do other than go weedless or find somewhere less snaggy.

You can convert a standard spinner to a weedless one by removing the treble and replacing with a wide gape hook rigged with a shad/ grub. Also, as said before, Texas rigging is a good option.

Another tactic is to use an unweighted spinner such as Ondex/ Mepps Winner which can be fished higher in the water due to it not sinking like a brick. This helps to avoid the snags.

I’ve made my own version of the Mepps winner and for an initial outlay of around £20 for materials, I doubt I’d have to buy another spinner again.

As most on here will agree with, lure fishing ain’t a cheap hobby, and ‘spinning’ is probably the most affordable method, so you’re pretty much participating in the cheapest end of the sport already.

Wait until you get an addiction to custom lures at £30 a pop…..you’ll be moaning then taff

[peteren]

Shad with a spinner on it

Agreed; as I said before:-

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=44639

Jig spinners are best of both worlds - blade attraction and quick change jighead shad / grub options.

Great for spin, takes on drop, and snag avoidance with single upturned hook - which can be more weedless texas - rigged.

Cheap, too!

[Daniel]

Ditch the spinners and use spinner baits.
All the flash and vibration of your spinner with the advantage of a single up turned hook that'll bounce over and through most things.

[Taffypiker]

4 quid wouldn’t buy me 2 quality treble hooks and most cranks need three. Taffy you need to get out more

After the rain and floods have churned up the rivers down here 3 or 4 spinners lost to debris is fairly common

That's 12 quid a session

Texas rigged shad will suit you then. You'll miss an annoying percentage of hits, but you won't lose lures.

Alternatively, fish somewhere less snaggy

Rivers wise there is no alternative , its tumbleweed down here during the rainy season

And here , that's all year

[Taffypiker]

How often do you lose one to make a £4 lure expensive?

Look at the price of lamprey these days and £4 for something that might be usable over and over again for years is good value. Lots of lures cost many times that figure and still represent good value. I'm not sure how much I paid for the most expensive lure I've bought, but it was in the £80-£90 region. I didn't lose it and didn't lose money when I sold it either.

Trees , everywhere

It rains a lot here

The more experienced you get, the less lures you will lose to the trees.

As for snaggy rivers, there’s not a lot you can do other than go weedless or find somewhere less snaggy.

You can convert a standard spinner to a weedless one by removing the treble and replacing with a wide gape hook rigged with a shad/ grub. Also, as said before, Texas rigging is a good option.

Another tactic is to use an unweighted spinner such as Ondex/ Mepps Winner which can be fished higher in the water due to it not sinking like a brick. This helps to avoid the snags.

I’ve made my own version of the Mepps winner and for an initial outlay of around £20 for materials, I doubt I’d have to buy another spinner again.

As most on here will agree with, lure fishing ain’t a cheap hobby, and ‘spinning’ is probably the most affordable method, so you’re pretty much participating in the cheapest end of the sport already.

Wait until you get an addiction to custom lures at £30 a pop…..you’ll be moaning then taff

Well that's covered all bases lol

Cheers

[Taffypiker]

Ditch the spinners and use spinner baits.
All the flash and vibration of your spinner with the advantage of a single up turned hook that'll bounce over and through most things.

Looking into it

[Taffypiker]

Shad with a spinner on it

Agreed; as I said before:-

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=44639

Jig spinners are best of both worlds - blade attraction and quick change jighead shad / grub options.

Great for spin, takes on drop, and snag avoidance with single upturned hook - which can be more weedless texas - rigged.

Cheap, too!

[Mike J]

I have got many hundreds of shads, some going back to the early 90's from Lunker City to the Fiish of today but I rarely use any except in the salt.
I have less spinners but use them slightly more simply because the species I target like them.

My Daiwa trebles are only 50p each but Ive paid nearly £50 for a custom pike lure and over £100 for a sea lure.

.

[peteren]

Ditch the spinners and use spinner baits.
All the flash and vibration of your spinner with the advantage of a single up turned hook that'll bounce over and through most things.

Looking into it

my "jig spinners" are just a cheap, flexible type of spinnerbait - with the same benefits.

[Pinkie]

I still have a surplus of jig heads and shads that I bought in the mid nineties before they became popular. I found jig heads and shads fish much better than spinners in the colder months ; especially on the coldest days in winter if fished very slowly bottom bouncing. You lose the odd one but one would lose a spinner much quicker. Whereas, spinners I found work better on warmer days with a medium to fast retrieve, just quick enough to avoid bottom. Jelly worms ; especially just the tails (last two inches) fish even better than both shads and spinners, with a small jig head, no matter what the season. They're great for bigger perch and chub. Fluorescent orange jig heads appeared to fish the best, along with red ones. Motoroil shads and worms, and sparkly orange ones have caught me the most fish. Best day was four two pound plus perch in ten minutes during an early morning session that saw me go back home after I caught the last one. Well I did live only five minutes from this swim and it was early morning!

[Taffypiker]

I have got many hundreds of shads, some going back to the early 90's from Lunker City to the Fiish of today but I rarely use any except in the salt.
I have less spinners but use them slightly more simply because the species I target like them.

My Daiwa trebles are only 50p each but Ive paid nearly £50 for a custom pike lure and over £100 for a sea lure.

.

I have some of those lunker city flukes but I can't get on with them

The shads I like are fox rage slick shads , fox rage spikey shads and savage gear but get rid of those and I would still have several hundred shads which will probably never be used

So the real question here is not what we like but what do the fish prefer ? Plastic soft baits or spinners ?

I have caught trout , chub , perch and pike on spinners but no chub or trout on soft shads

[Taffypiker]

Ditch the spinners and use spinner baits.
All the flash and vibration of your spinner with the advantage of a single up turned hook that'll bounce over and through most things.

Looking into it

my "jig spinners" are just a cheap, flexible type of spinnerbait - with the same benefits.

You might be onto something

[Taffypiker]

I still have a surplus of jig heads and shads that I bought in the mid nineties before they became popular. I found jig heads and shads fish much better than spinners in the colder months ; especially on the coldest days in winter if fished very slowly bottom bouncing. You lose the odd one but one would lose a spinner much quicker. Whereas, spinners I found work better on warmer days with a medium to fast retrieve, just quick enough to avoid bottom. Jelly worms ; especially just the tails (last two inches) fish even better than both shads and spinners, with a small jig head, no matter what the season. They're great for bigger perch and chub. Fluorescent orange jig heads appeared to fish the best, along with red ones. Motoroil shads and worms, and sparkly orange ones have caught me the most fish. Best day was four two pound plus perch in ten minutes during an early morning session that saw me go back home after I caught the last one. Well I did live only five minutes from this swim and it was early morning!

I will be round after tea

[Oldskoolfool]

For me the starter is a spinnerbait as productive and gernally pretty snag proof but not perfect. Great way to find out what's out there.
Second would be a shad on a jig head - use these a lot in all sizes and generally do well.

I am using spinners more in the last few years - not sure why I stopped using them.

[Steve Dennington]

For me the starter is a spinnerbait as productive and gernally pretty snag proof but not perfect. Great way to find out what's out there.
Second would be a shad on a jig head - use these a lot in all sizes and generally do well.

I am using spinners more in the last few years - not sure why I stopped using them.

I know why I don't use them much anymore - horrific line twist!

I now make spinnerbaits in the size required with a treble instead of the single hook. Great hook up ratio and no line twist.

[Mark Phillips]

Ditch the spinners and use spinner baits.
All the flash and vibration of your spinner with the advantage of a single up turned hook that'll bounce over and through most things.

Exactly! Being able to fish through snags and even moderate weed is what the spinnerbait was designed to do. Very (very) rare to lose one to a snag.

[Taffypiker]

For me the starter is a spinnerbait as productive and gernally pretty snag proof but not perfect. Great way to find out what's out there.
Second would be a shad on a jig head - use these a lot in all sizes and generally do well.

I am using spinners more in the last few years - not sure why I stopped using them.

I know why I don't use them much anymore - horrific line twist!

I now make spinnerbaits in the size required with a treble instead of the single hook. Great hook up ratio and no line twist.

Quality swivel ?

[Steve Dennington]

Quality swivel ?

Unfortunately, no. Using swivels to avoid line twist is one of the biggest myths in angling. Swivels do not and cannot prevent line twist. They're a handy connector, but nothing more.

For a swivel to turn in a way that would prevent the line twisting it has to have something to turn against and fishing line doesn't offer that. What actually happens is that the entire swivel rotates with the line and your line gets twisted just as badly as it would without one.

[Chico 48 PAC]

Spinners leave me cold, I do like spoons though.

I just thought about spinners and I do like the Vibro in the largest size.

[Taffypiker]

Quality swivel ?

Unfortunately, no. Using swivels to avoid line twist is one of the biggest myths in angling. Swivels do not and cannot prevent line twist. They're a handy connector, but nothing more.

For a swivel to turn in a way that would prevent the line twisting it has to have something to turn against and fishing line doesn't offer that. What actually happens is that the entire swivel rotates with the line and your line gets twisted just as badly as it would without one.

So don't bother with my mustad size 10 snap lock swivels to attach spinner ?

[Taffypiker]

Spinners leave me cold, I do like spoons though.

I just thought about spinners and I do like the Vibro in the largest size.

I like the Abu spoons in the smaller sizes