Blade baits

[Geezle]

I didn't want to hijack my own thread, so I figured I'd start a new one about blade baits. Seems that they're another type of bass lure that's making its way into the walleye world.

I've noticed them coming out in a couple stores recently, but in their ice fishing section, and from what I understand, they're mainly used for vertical jigging?

Do these also work in a cast and retrieve situation, like if I was fishing the river, or are they mainly just a jigging lure? :confused:

[WayneChristie]

not sure what you mean, got a pic? I consider spinnerbaits and crank baits as blade baits.

[Geezle]

http://assets.espn.go.com/winnercomm/outdoors/bassmaster/ii/P2v_fea_BMM070910_Sharp_Blade_Bait_Cicada.jpg

[WayneChristie]

ahh, Cicada's Ive tried a couple of them, one tiny in the upper Bow, and have a bigger one that hasnt been used much. they do have a great action, maybe I will give them a shot thru the ice this winter. Watched a demo on them at the Sportsmans show in Calgary years ago, not sure who was holding the rod, might have been someone from the forum :thinking-006:

[Cal]

I luse blade baits quite a bit, they work well most places a jig would. Fish have an easyer time finding them than jigs when the water is stained. Another lure that you dont see around too often that I would like to try for walleye are "Spoon Plugs", very intense action and you can fish them slower, deeper, and on a shorter line at a given depth than a crankbait.

[Chris K]

Spoon Plugs, that's some old stuff! I think you gut Buck Perry's attention in his grave! The blades have been around for ages, and used since the late 80's for walleyes.

As a walleye tournament fisherman, blade baits have a cult following amongst some of us. The Cicada's are popular, as are Heddon Sonars. Northland has a new one coming out that's in their Live Forage series called a Minnow Trap, and that one should be dynamite through the ice this winter! I don't fish these lures from shore though, only in a boat (or on ice), and when I do they are strictly vertical.

Maninly they are used deeper, and I will go to them when traditional cranks wont catch larger fish we mark, or if jigging with livebait off of points, I just can't get the marked fish to bite. They cause big vibrations, and you snap them vertically about three feet with the rod tip, then follow down, pause shortly and repeat. They are fished like guys fish Buzz Bombs, but the blades have more flash, and vibration. At Deifenbaker we use blade baits alot when the water gets high and dirty, and the heavier baits get you down fast, and the vibrations can be felt by fish to focus in on a bait.

Chris K

[Cal]

Spoon Plugs, that's some old stuff! I think you gut Buck Perry's attention in his grave! The blades have been around for ages, and used since the late 80's for walleyes.

As a walleye tournament fisherman, blade baits have a cult following amongst some of us. The Cicada's are popular, as are Heddon Sonars. Northland has a new one coming out that's in their Live Forage series called a Minnow Trap, and that one should be dynamite through the ice this winter! I don't fish these lures from shore though, only in a boat (or on ice), and when I do they are strictly vertical.

Maninly they are used deeper, and I will go to them when traditional cranks wont catch larger fish we mark, or if jigging with livebait off of points, I just can't get the marked fish to bite. They cause big vibrations, and you snap them vertically about three feet with the rod tip, then follow down, pause shortly and repeat. They are fished like guys fish Buzz Bombs, but the blades have more flash, and vibration. At Deifenbaker we use blade baits alot when the water gets high and dirty, and the heavier baits get you down fast, and the vibrations can be felt by fish to focus in on a bait.

Chris K

I fish them horizontal more than vertical, in current they sometimes get down better than jigs. On the lake I sort of troll them, let the wind push me along and jig them as far behind me as I need to make contact with the bottom. I think they are almost the oposite of fishing a buzzbomb. With buzzbombs the the lift need not be very agressive, all the lure's action is on the drop which needs to be a free fall to get them to work properly. Blades need an agressive upward sweep to make them vibrate but you can let them sink slowly on a tight line.

[Geezle]

So with a blade bait in the river, would I be pulling it along more like a crankbait, or should I treat it a little more like a jig, contacting the bottom then giving it a good rip to get the blade vibrating? Or something else? :confused:

[Cal]

Fish it like a jig whether your casting, slow trolling, or jigging verticaly. Even if you dont want to contact the bottom I would still fish it in a jigging sort of manner.

[Geezle]

Gotcha, thanks Cal :)

[Geezle]

Okay, I picked two of these things up yesterday to try and see what they're all about. One nickel/silver, the other gold/orange, both 1/2oz size.

Let's see if they help me outfish mooseknuckle today! :evilgrin: