Summer Night Spinnerbait Patterns & Techniques

A tried-and-true classic, the spinnerbait has been a long-time standout for summer night fishing across the Country. With its vibrating blades, pulsating skirt, and hard thumping action, a spinnerbait has all of the attributes you need at night to pique the interest of voracious bass returning to the bank to feed. Find the perfect blade combination and you could unlock one of the most thrilling bites that happens once the sun goes down. Target flats, brush piles, stick ups, stump beds, rip rap points or any shallow water ledges and humps that no longer have the sun and boat pressure that exists during the daytime.

There are always many factors and variables that dictate rod selection, but your nighttime spinnerbait rod choice may also be influenced by your fishing style and the depths you want to target. A shorter rod in the 7ft range with a Medium Heavy to Heavy action will be a great tool for making quick repetitive roll casts to shallow water targets, fishing docks, and covering water. For deep water slow-rolling, try using a Medium Heavy to Heavy action casting rod 7’6” or longer. The added length can provide a distinct advantage when you’re trying to make long casts to keep your spinnerbait in the strike zone longer, or when you’re making big sweeping hook sets. Most anglers prefer a Moderate to Moderate Fast taper.

During the summer, bass will remain active long after the sun goes down, so consider bumping up the gear ratio, so you have the speed to better match the attitude of the fish. A faster 7:1 gear ratio allows anglers to cover large stretches of water with more efficiency. It allows you to speed up your retreive and elicit aggressive reaction strikes, and still have the ability to ease off and slow down the retreive when necessary. While a bigger 200-size reel provides the capacity and power required for longer casts and deep-water fishing, a smaller, less cumbersome reel in the 100- to 150-size will get the job done when you want to put the trolling motor on high and cover water down the bank.

Fish that are spooky and line shy during the day become less finicky after the sun goes down, so some anglers will swap their translucent fluorocarbon out for the added strength of braided fishing line. Spinnerbaits put off tons of vibration and the no-stretch quality of braid sends that reverberation down your rod tip to enhance feedback on what your bait is doing. Take advantage of the high response performance by using braid in the 40-50lb range and consider using a softer rod. If you prefer fluorocarbon over braid, it’s not a bad idea to bump up your fluorocarbon line ratings for nighttime spinnerbait fishing. Based on the type of structure you’re fishing around and the weight of the spinnerbait you are using, try using fluorocarbon in the 16-20lb range for heightened abrasion-resistance.

Running a trailer hook will help you convert more short strikes and missed bites, especially when the fish are feeding without sight. A soft plastic trailer, like a grub, split tail, or swimbait adds bulk to your spinnerbait and creates a bigger target for fish while generating additional action. You’ll usually want to go with one or the other, not necessarily both at the same time, so you don’t have to worry about the plastic tangling with the trailer hook. Try using a smaller soft plastic like a split tail or fluke if you want to add bulk and still use a trailer hook with your spinnerbait. A lot of times the fish will bite the blades at night, so try to find a spinnerbait where the blades are positioned directly above the hook.

A good rule of thumb is to upsize all your blades when fishing at night. Your goal is to get as much vibration and thump out of your spinnerbait as possible. Dialing in the right combination of vibration can pay big dividends when fishing after dark on a summer night, so bring a pair of wire-bending pliers and some extra non-typical blades, like Indiana, oversized-Colorado and Willow blades, or Turtle Shells.

There are many types of blades and blade combinations, so mix and match to see what works best for you. For a truly unique presentation try adding a vibrating jig blade to the front of your spinnerbait and secure it around the bend with a few wraps of braid. This hybrid design adds some erratic nighttime attraction and will catch even the most seasoned bass by surprise.

On a bright full moon, white or vibrant colored shad patterns will grab the light and put off a bit of flash. If you are fishing at night with very little moon or intend on slow rolling your spinnerbait through deep water, some anglers prefer blacks, reds, and purples to provide some added contrast to help the fish track down your lure.

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