Tired of losing inline spinners...
If you know anything about my fishing tendencies and preferences, then you know that I've been in love with inline spinners for a long time.
My first recollection of them started years ago with a 1/16th-ounce black Rooster Tail with a nickel blade. The thumping blade fooled bass after bass with a few green sunfish sprinkled in.
Unfortunately, it didn't take long for me to experience the soul-crushing defeat of losing a 6-dollar Mepps spinner to some unknown submerged structure, and I quickly learned that I had to keep my inline spinners up in the water column and away from known laydowns and weeds.
That sucks, 'cause that's where all the fish are.
I resigned myself to having to replace my beloved inline spinners every so often, but discovered a financial workaround that helped me save money on spinners - I started making my own.
This thrust me into the world of lure-building, and I've never looked back - not even for a second.
However, it's somehow more disappointing when you lose a lure you built with your own two hands, even though it was cheaper than the store-bought variety.
That brings me to today's theme...
A design update is overdue...
I first got the idea of crafting an inline spinner with a worm hook after losing a double-bladed Mepps Aglia spinner. My online research led me to Panther Martin's WeedRunner and Mepp's Comet Combo, so I knew my idea wasn't original.
I figured it was time for me to make some inline spinners that wouldn't be so easily snagged.
Jann's Netcraft was instrumental in supplying the necessary lure components. My first weedless inline spinner took shape with all the parts totaling $2.79. The blade was over 1 dollar since it was painted with a scale pattern so it's safe to say I could have easily gotten below the 2 dollar mark had I settled for a regular blade.
A fairly cheap lure body and an even cheaper bead from Walmart didn't add much to the cost. I decided to add a 2/0 G-Lock Gamakatsu worm hook for my official weedless feature, and we were ready to test out the new lure.
Trying out a new design...
I made a trip to Hanging Rock State Park as the temperature started to go down one early afternoon in December. My thinking was that this would be a good time to try for a trout. I pinched about 3 inches off the end of a Zoom trick worm in bubblegum pink and used that as a trailer.
Psssst: you can watch the video of this fishing trip by clicking here.
On my third cast, a brown trout nailed the lure within about 8 feet of the bank.
It was not a large fish - roughly 10 inches long, but I was thrilled to have caught a fish so quickly with my new lure. I walked around the lake trying multiple spots, but I only got one small "tap" that honestly was probably a submerged tree limb.
The next day I took a trip to the Ararat River in Mount Airy, NC, and caught two more brown trout with the same lure. The stocked rainbow trout had a bad case of lockjaw, but the browns were biting fairly well.
I want to make another inline spinner specifically for trout and panfish with a light wire hook. This probably won't be as weedless as the G-Lock worm hook, but it will be a small enough profile to be able to use mouse tails and soft plastic crappie baits as trailers.
Stay-tuned, and don't forget to sign up for my fishing lure giveaway if you haven't already. Good luck out there!
- Jesse