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Spinnerbaits for Shelbyville Bass and Muskie
Lake Shelbyville is well known for its muskie and largemouth bass fishery and can provide great action and a shot at big fish. At times, this lake can also be tough to fish, depending on the weather conditions, water level and clarity, fishing pressure and a host of other factors. A few techniques can help anglers to overcome tough conditions on Shelbyville and turn a tough day into one to remember. Few lures are as versatile as the long arm, safety-pin style spinnerbait. Unlike the in-line spinner or bucktail, the spinnerbait can be fished in a wide variety of places with a wide variety of retrieves. Spinnerbaits can be fished in open water and over the top of cover just like the in-line spinner, but they can also be fished through heavy cover like rocks, weeds, wood and man-made cover, such as boat docks. The wire arm on a spinnerbait deflects the lure off objects and protects the hook from being snagged, making it a great cover fishing tool. Unlike typical treble hooked in-line spinners, most spinnerbaits have single hooks that point upward, which helps keep the lure from hanging up. Spinnerbaits can be burned at high speeds to cover water when searching for active fish. They can be bulged on top with the blades breaking the surface like a top water lure. They can be fished at medium speeds and retrieved through the water column at any depth. Spinnerbaits can be slow-rolled along the bottom in extreme depths and even dragged and hopped like a jig. These great lures can even be dropped and fished vertically on structure. Unlike most in-lines, spinnerbaits are effective at catching muskies, bass and other predators all year, in all temperatures and conditions. Spinnerbaits are great search tools for taking active fish, but they also shine when hunting fish in a neutral or negative feeding mood, during tough conditions, such as after a major cold front has rolled through the area, or during times of extreme fishing pressure. The spinnerbait is my favorite lure for most predator game fish in every season. My guides, tournament partners, and I have caught more game fish on these lures than any other baits. The lower half of Lake Shelbyville seems to produce the best action for muskies and big bass. Look to the lake's many coves, bays and creek arms for good fishing. The larger coves, bays and creeks seem to produce the best action throughout much of the year. Structures such as points, humps, flats, breaklines and irregular shorelines are great places to fish spinnerbaits for Shelbyville's muskies and largemouths. Cover on these structures is a big plus. Boulders and chuck rock hold good fish. Wood cover in the form of stumps, standing timber, logs and brush piles are all excellent fish attracters, but laydowns often hold the biggest fish, especially if the structure is located close to deep water.
School N Shad spinnerbaits have taken countless big muskies, pike, bass, stripers, wipers and many other big predator game fish in both fresh and saltwater. Spinnerbaits are phenomenal lures to fish at any time on Shelbyville and any other water in which muskies and bass swim. Pitch School N Shads right up to and just past Shelbyville's many types of cover, and work the entire piece of cover from a couple of angles before moving on. When conditions get tough for muskie and bass fishing on Shelbyville, a spinnerbait is a great choice to cast or troll. The spinnerbaits that my team members and I rely on the most are the School N Shad series of spinnerbaits from SIMMS SPORT FISHING TACKLE (573-358-5948/ maout.com/colbysimms.htm). The School N Shad spinnerbaits feature three, four or five big, graduated willow leaf blades, depending on the model. These produce a strike-provoking flash and vibration unlike any other. These lures feature silicone skirts instead of hair for a better breathing look and a removable shad trailer for added bulk and size. These lures have two or three big heavy duty corrosion-resistant single hooks pointed up, and will fish right through thick heavy cover. They mimic a school of big baitfish, the perfect meal for muskies, bass and other big predators, and will fool even the oldest and biggest fish on the block. Shelbyville is loaded with shad, which is a primary food source for its predators. Outdoorsmen can book guided sport fishing and hunting trips at Shelbyville, Kinkaid and Spring Lakes, Lake Of The Ozarks, The St. Francois River, The Chippewa Flowage, Northern and Southeastern Missouri and many other great outdoor destinations throughout Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Ontario with the SIMMS OUTDOORS TEAM GUIDE SERVICE LLC, and get the very best custom big game sport fishing lures and leaders from SIMMS SPORT FISHING TACKLE at 573-358-5948 / www.maout.com/colbysimms.htm / colbysimms@hotmail.com . |
