I’ve noticed some people don’t seem to think there’s much of a difference between an underspin and a spinnerbait, so I decided to cover both of these lures and explain which one I use in which situation and why. Before I get into the differences of these two lures I figured I’d start with the things they have in common. These are both moving baits, so you will want to use them when the bass are active and that’s typically in the fall or spring, although they can still work in the summer and winter as well. I also like to use these baits in large lakes where there is a significant shad population and the bass are feeding on shad. You will see plenty of people use these in ponds, but in my case most of the ponds around here have bluegill in them and so I prefer to use different lures when I’m at a pond. In terms of conditions, I’ve found these do well in the same sort of conditions that you would go with a chrome crankbait in, which for me is when there’s some sun, a little wind, and a little stain to the water. Both of these lures typically have a large single hook on them and so I typically like to use a rod with a fast action when I’m throwing either of them.
Now that we’ve covered the similarities let’s get into when you would use one over the other and why. I’ll start with the spinnerbait since I don’t see to many people using one these days but it’s actually one of my favorite lures to fish with. Spinnerbaits do very well for me when the bass are higher up in the water column. You could also throw one and let it sink to the bottom and target fish that are further down, but most of the time when I’m using one I typically find myself targeting bass that are higher up and the main reason for this is the blades are above the bait so it’s easier for the fish to see them when they are at eye level with the lure or looking down on it. Spinnerbaits also make a little more commotion in the water so if you’re on a larger body of water or the visibility is a little lower then it might make sense to go with one instead of an underspin.
Another situation where I’ve found a spinnerbait does well is if there’s flooded wood around. You might actually hear some people say this lure is ‘weedless’ or that it comes through cover well. Just to clarify I wouldn’t call this lure weedless at all as that implies it can go through weeds which I associate with grass, and if you try to retrieve this lure through some grass you are probably not going to enjoy it very much. Having said that, the metal wire does deflect harder objects and can prevent the hook from getting caught on them, so if you are around something like flooded timber then this thing can do very well. Most anglers consider vegetation like grass and wood to be ‘cover’ so I can see how you might hear some people say that a spinnerbait comes through cover well, but in my case I don’t use these when I’m fishing around grass and would not recommend that you do so either.
On the other hand, if you are around grass than you might consider picking up a weedless underspin like the one I’ve included in the picture. And just for the record there are underspins with an exposed hook out there, but in my case I usually only buy weedless ones and if I want to throw a lure with an exposed hook I’ll typically use a spinnerbait instead. Weedless underspins will still catch some grass, but you can usually shake a lot of it off during the retrieve and as a result I don’t go around throwing one of these into the middle of some grass on a regular basis, but I have found that this is a good lure to use when I’m around grass edges or targeting fish that are in submerged grass and want to retrieve the lure just above top of it.
Another advantage to using an underspin is the blade is below the lure, so if you are targeting fish that are going to be below the lure but still feeding on shad then this can be a great bait to go with. One other thing about underspins in general is they also come in smaller sizes, and if the bite is tougher because there’s a lot of pressure or the water is really clear then going with a smaller size underspin like a 3/0 Owner Flashy Swimmer with a Reaction Innovations Little Dipper on it can be very effective. In fact, in terms of numbers that’s been one of my highest performing lures this year.
So that’s about it in terms of when I’ll pick up a spinnerbait and when I’ll go with an underspin. I’ve actually really been into spinnerbaits lately so I’ll usually try to go with one whenever I can, but if it makes more sense to go with an underspin I’ve got no problem doing so, and both of them can be very effective if you know when to pick one up.
