With numerous alternatives for various angling presentations and rig combinations, your unique collection of baits may be practically limitless. Worms and shrimp are common, well-known baits, whereas blade baits and other strange baits may sound bizarre to you.
They are as effective as they can be when utilized correctly at the appropriate fishing site and with a corresponding style and approach that maximizes your bait.
If you have not heard or known blade baits but are interested to discover more about angling, then you have come to the right place!
Let us talk about what blade baits can offer and when this tool can optimize your fishing.
Get to Know a Blade Bait
A blade bait is a metal crankbait with a set of treble hooks on each side, a flat metal spoon, and a weighted nose. Blades baits cast like bullets and quickly descend to the fish zone since they are relatively weighty for their size.
This vibrates and produces a sound that gets the fish to respond during a “reaction strike.” It also vibrates during lift and retrieval.
Blade baits are ideal when you are inclined to bass fishing because they can catch various species whether you are expecting them or not. Everything appears to enjoy a blade bait, so you may catch a walleye, trout, crappie, perch, pike, striper, or anything else that shares your local waters with bass.
One thing about blade baits is that even when the bite is sluggish, fish will still slam the bait. When a fisherman using a jig may need to add a stinger hook to his jig because the fish are biting the tail.
Additionally, blades are primarily thought of as a cold-water presentation and are frequently combined with jigging spoons. Because fewer fishermen are willing to risk the weather for a few fish in the Northeast during winter, many anglers have never used blade baits.
The fact that blade baits may be fished in a variety of ways is what makes them so appealing. They can be thrown and retrieved or vertically jigged, covering a wide range of depths.
Choosing the Ideal Blade Bait
You may come across a lot of options that will get you wondering which one might work just fine for you. Many fishing brands produce top-of-the-line blade baits but we like to keep it simple.
Here are two of our cherished blade baits.
- Molix Trago Vib — This is ideal for many depths! We go for half an ounce of this bait when fishing in shallow waters while ⅝ or ¾-ounce work exceptionally well for deeper fish.
- Norisada Custom Tackle Blade Bait — This lure is also ideal for a variety of fishing techniques, such as cast and retrieve vertical jigging, and trolling. This bait’s adaptability makes it perfect for a variety of species, including bass, walleye, trout, perch, and crappie.
We like to keep both in our toolbox and see which one garners the most bites.
Aside from the types, blade baits also have plenty of colors to choose from. They do not matter that much, but we do prefer something that loosely blends with the type of water we will be fishing at. If you want to go for a safe bet, a plain silver will do.
Blade Bait Fishing
During a seasonal occurrence, many anglers start with a jigging spoon, but we feel like it is easier to cover a broader horizontal swath of water with a blade bait, which frequently produces bigger catches.
Therefore, you may simply cast and work the blade back to cover the water more effectively if you know the fish are suspending or related adjacent to steep breaks but are unsure of where along the breaks they are.
The blade bait is a special type of lure that has a metal blade that vibrates a lot. They may be retrieved quickly, almost like a lipless crankbait, but the lift and drop retrieve is where they shine.
Lift and Drop
The blade bait works better when you lift and lower your rod. As you lift, the bait will vibrate. The rod will then return to the bottom as soon as you lower it.
You can experiment with different inflections for the height and speed at which you raise your rod, but as with any bass fishing technique, you should let the fish tell you what they want and attempt various movements until you find what is effective that day.
A lot of the catches will happen as the bait falls, so keep an eye on your line and use a fluorocarbon leader and high visibility braided line to make it simpler to spot bites. Blade baits work well on spinning gear, but you can also use casting gear to catch them.
Bite attacks can also happen as you elevate to perform a subsequent lift and drop. Be prepared for anything because bass can sometimes crush the bait while other times it may only seem heavy.
When and Where to Fish with Blade Baits
These lures are effective throughout the year, but they perform best in the late fall, early winter, and early spring when the water is the coldest it has ever been. The fact that many basses and other bait fish are dying off at this time of year and the blade bait exactly mimics them is one reason they work so well.
Although you can fish them anywhere, due to the time of year, deeper water is usually the best place to do so. One or two spots to start looking for include fishing around main lake points, deep flats, and the borders of deep weed lines. They also work well around rocks, but if you fish for them appropriately towards the bottom, they will frequently hang up.
Blade baits can be thrown by dropping them below the boat and fishing vertically or by tossing them out and reeling them back in. They operate well in northern regions late in the fall when the water is down into the 40s, and when fishing in such bitterly low weather, they may be your safest alternative. However, they also work just as well in other regions where it is never that cold.
Close to the end of the year, the blade bait is a tried-and-true technique for catching bass and may offer some of the greatest game when nothing else seems to be working. If you can master fishing a blade bait, you will have a ton of fun catching bass and anything else in your lake that swims.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why fish with blade baits?
Blade baits are terrific lures for smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass. Other gamefish, including walleye, sauger, crappie, stripers, and others, will also be hooked by blade baits. Fishing in the winter might therefore be enjoyable because you might catch additional big fish that you hadn’t planned to.
Can you use blade baits in summer?
Since the fish have gone up shallow to feed on shad, minnows, and other bait species in the fall and early spring, blade bait functions so brilliantly during these times. Given how similar the Steelshad is to a shad, that makes sense. The blade bait, however, will pay for itself in the summer and winter when the bass travels offshore and starts to school in deeper water.
What are the holes in a blade bait for?
The majority of blade baits have three holes for tying at the top, and each hole gives the lure a different action. The blade’s movement becomes more subtle the more forward your tie is. Tie to the back hole if you want additional vibration and motion.
When should I fish with B3 blade bait?
While blade baits can catch fish during the entire season, early spring and late fall are when they are at their best. Try comparing your catch from each season using B3 blade baits and tell us how it goes for you!
What size hooks are for blade baits?
The size of the hooks varies depending on the weight of the blade. However, because sizes 6 and 8 hooks are typically present, we advise switching them out for sizes 4 and 6.
We suggest going for size 2 or 3 rings for split rings.
Conclusion
As we enter the tail end of the year, you may find blade baits to be handy and worthwhile for winter fishing soon. They are versatile, easy to handle, inexpensive, and guarantee the success of your fishing trip.
It may not work for you the first time you use it as your bait, but blade baits can be your go-to bait for bass fishing with enough experience and skills. Read through other beginners’ guides and buyers’ guides so you can tweak your gear, set up the best rig, and apply the most efficient technique for reeling in the best fish!