Fish Trolling Spinners

Trolling For Fish With
Homemade Spinners

The basic spinner, which can be used for fish trolling, is the Indiana blade on a short wire shaft shown below. To make a basic spinner, cut off a length of wire for the shaft and form a locking type eye on one end.

For this you'll need diagonal cutting pliers and the round-nosed pliers (the small jeweler's round-nosed pliers are best for this work).

The first step in making the locking eye is to form it with the round-nosed pliers about an inch from the end of the wire shaft. Then form the catch on the end of the wire. See above for the steps in doing this.

Making Fishing Leaders on leaders and connections will also give you tips on forming eyes and snaps for spinners.

After you have finished the locking eye, slide about two metal or glass beads on the shaft, then add the spinner blade on a clevis and slide it up the wire shaft.

To finish the fish trolling spinner, form an eye on the end of the shaft to which the leader or line will be attached. The spinner is ready for use after you add a plain or feathered treble hook to the locking eye at the tail.

Another way to attach the hook to the spinner is to use a sliding coil spring or sleeve which slides on the shaft up to the eye and holds the wire together. See illustration below.

Using Coil Spring Or Sleeve To Close Eye On Shaft

These coil springs and brass or copper sleeves can be bought in various diameters from the mail-order houses. Still another way to attach a hook to a spinner is to form a permanent closed eye on the end of the wire, then slip on a split ring with a hook, as shown below.

Permanent Eye

These methods of attaching a hook to a fish trolling spinner are used if you plan to change the hook often. If, however, you want to make a stronger, permanent attachment you merely form an eye on the end of the wire shaft, slip on the treble hook, and then close the eye for good.

The basic spinner above for fish trolling makes use of a single blade. If you want to add another blade to the shaft, use a slightly longer wire and after slipping on the first blade add a small metal bead which you then solder to the shaft above the first blade.

Then slip on a loose bead or two and your second blade before forming the eye at the front of the wire shaft. This is shown below.

Another popular and effective spinner for fish trolling is the "June Bug" type shown below. The June Bug blade has an extension cut from the blade itself, and this keeps the blade revolving at a fixed distance from the shaft.

This spinner works very freely and smoothly even at slow speeds. When making this type of spinner use the large red ruby cut glass beads as bearings on the shaft, and add a barrel swivel to which the line is tied.

At the other end, attach a long-shank single hook such as the Carlisle pattern. Anglers usually use this spinner for fish trolling with the hook baited with a minnow, strip offish, pork rind, or a gob of worms.

You can also make this spinner with two blades by using a longer wire shaft and adding a smaller blade up front, as shown below.

The propeller type of spinner shown below is also good to use for fish trolling at slow speeds. You can buy the propeller blades in the largest sizes from the fishing lure parts suppliers.

The two propeller blades used to make this spinner are spaced so that they revolve freely without interfering with each other. You have to solder a metal bead to the wire shaft to keep the first propeller blade away from the rear one. This type of spinner is usually used with a feathered treble hook attached behind it.

Another popular spinner for fish trolling is the type known as the "Cherry Bobber" or "Cherry Drifter" shown below. This spinner makes use of a wooden, pear-shaped body which gives it buoyancy and prevents it from sinking too fast.

You can make these bodies from any light wood, but balsa is preferred because it is easy to work. You can also order these wood bodies, all ready shaped from a mail-order house.

The wood body is then painted a bright red —a daylight fluorescent lacquer is best for this. Likewise, fluorescent plastic beads are slipped on the wire shaft to act as bearings. A small treble hook is attached to the tail end of the spinner.

Still another old-time favorite among fish trolling spinners is the "Colorado" shown below. Here, instead of using a wire shaft, you use two barrel swivels and two split rings.

The blade, which is the round type Colorado, is attached to the split ring as shown. The split ring at the tail holds either two single hooks or one treble hook.

| Back to Top of Fish Trolling |

Fishing Lures HOME :
Make-Your-Own-Fishing-Lures.com

Fish Trolling Spinners

Trolling For Fish WithHomemade Spinners

Trolling For Fish With
Homemade Spinners