Spinner Making Questions?

[You caught how many?]

I am interested in making spinners and had a couple of questions.

1. Do you need a spinner making tool? Or can you use special pliers.
2. Where do you get the best deals on your spinner making components?
3. In general when just starting out do you like to use a spinning or casting reel?
4. What is the best way to learn how to make spinners?
5. What are the best colors blades/ weights for steelhead and salmon?
6. Could you explain under what type of conditions you use different color blades. (Dark days = copper for Example?)
7. What types of hooks and when to use them?
8. Mainly I just want to learn how to make my own spinners and any step by step directions would be great.
9. Where can I get different types of diagrams to make spinners?

[Fish Hawg]

I would Go to Bc Angling Post; They are very helpful.

I Like a # 6 gold blade with 4 8mm flo red beads and two flo red 10mm bead in the middle. I like to use a 1/0 owner trebble. Good Luck.....Ross

[brdkdg]

BC Angling Post. They have everything you need and will show you how to build them. They can answer all of your other questions also.

[Siwash]

Are you talking casting or trolling spinners? You can get most all of the parts at the same place(s) for either or both, but the designs (size, weight, etc) are quite different.

[Spinhead]

You caught; Get Jed Davis' excellent book, "Spinner Fishing for Steelhead, Salmon, and Trout." It goes into great detail about everything you want to know about fishing steelhead with spinners. You can find it at Frank Amato Pulications (they always have an ad in STS), or at many of the bigger tackle stores. As for parts, I get mine at Fisherman Shack in Monmouth, Or. (**************.net). The first time you feel 'the grab' using a spinner you made yourself, you'll be 'hooked'.

[YaHoeeFishOn]

I buy components and twist up my own . I use a pair of wire or jewel pliers that have round tips . Bc angling in OC has alot of beads parts etc. Clavicles , beads , wires , blades, tubing etc... The bead shop on Hawthorn had a awesome collection of beads cheap or any craft store. My mardi gra beads got turn into some lucky lures for me ;^) .My daughters necklace kit as well. I enjoy bending up my own lures , I recycle old blue foxes and rooster tail parts as well. I use a sleeve on hook side so my hooks are replaceable

[Steve]

Just one thing in my opinion, last fall while fishing for those big fall chinook, I used some premade spinner shafts, and they looked like that you could just slide the hook into the loop and then slide both the shaft and short end into a couple of beads, to hold the hook in place, well the idea was sound, after the first nook hit and was landed I found out that was a bad idea, the fish had wracked the shaft out of the beads and the whole lure fell apart in the net, since then I use the wire bender on both ends and 2 complete turns on the shaft... Steve

[YaHoeeFishOn]

I use a wire leader sleeve . It is a thick section of metal tubing used to metal crimp heavy wire leaders together. .It won't open up . I use them on my home made flash trolls and indiana-88's aswell .It adds some casting weight and distance to get out and down as well. I've made ones with silver brass metal beads for weight as well . Have fun is expermenting with favorite colors , beads , blade shapes , tubing , color tape , flashabo , etc.. My X's pearl necklass etc ..

[Silver Eagle]

Who or what is BC angling or what ever where do you guys get your stuff, I have bought thru Stamina Cabelas etc....is there another source, I have also taken to craft stores etc...anywhere I think will work, the biggest last year Ocean was 50# but we are always looking for bigger River was 40+....let me know what you know........Ray

[B.J. Lilly Hunter]

I would definetly get Jed Davis' book. It tells you every thing that you need to know about making spinners, and how and when to use them. It tells you how to make them using pliers, but personally I prefer a tool. I use the Boggs tackle maker, and it works just fine. I have ordered from both Fishermans Shack, and from Pentac. You can sometimes find better deals, but if you want a quality spinner, I wouldn't skimp. Personally I prefer the Pentac stuff. It just seemed to have better plating, and the bodies of similar weight, were smaller in diameter(less friction). The Fishermans Stuff works just fine though also. As far as a reel goes it's personal preference. If you are comfortable with a casting reel than use one. I also believe that your rod makes a big differnce for casting spinners. I prefer a longer rod, with good sensitivity. Like previously stated, There is no feeling like hooking a steelhead on a lure you made your self. Good luck.

[The Reverend]

I would highly, highly, highly reccomend the Pen-Tac stuff. It is by far the best lure making components on the market. It's copy MorTac is also very good, and has more selection, but the price is higher. On MorTac's site they have a diagram that shows you how to put together a spinner. Super easy, all you need is needle nose pliers. Their components are better than BC angling post, and cheaper. It has a much better finish also. I'd say nothing but single siwash for the hooks, Gamakatsu is the best I've used. Spinning rod is much more handy in small water, baitcast on bigger rivers.

[Jacks or Better]

Silver Eagle - BC Angling is located a few doors down from Fisherman's Marine Supply in Oregon City. Looks like you're from Lebanon so it's a bit of a drive but worth stopping in and checking out if you're up this way. I too order parts from Cabelas. The price is worth it on the blades if you order enough parts to cover the S/Hndling. BC runs about $1.40 per blade. Some are more, some less. But the selection is a whole lot bigger than Cabelas if you're looking for that special blade.

[spinner fisher]

Check out your current copy of Salmon Trout Steelheader, advertising components companies or go to Amato Books.com for for some more info. Talk to the people you buy from before you buy. Know what you are buying apay little attention to price. You can pay way too much for something identical elsewhere.

[Fish Hawg]

Also i use a twis tech spinner maker. I works better IMO then the boggs.



Here is a smaller spinner that i use for fall fish and steelhead. It has a #4 hammered back blade, with one 8mm flo red bead and two 10mm beads.I use a size 4 owner hook.

[Ifishsum]

Read the book by Jed Davis mentioned a few times above...it will tell you all you need to know.
One thing I have found in 10 yrs and much $$ is that for all the spinners I've made, there are only 3 or 4 combos I've consistently used (because they produced) all along. #4 bright silver w/red for winter steelhead, #4 and #3 bright brass w/red or green for early summer fish, and a #3 black finish for later summer fish. Got started reading the book and simplified my strategy to the above and it works.

[Larry@BigWater]

BC angling specialties is a great resource.
But.... the simple spinners, especially in clear water catch the fish. Try a simple gold/brass blade in a french designe (ooh la la) and bright orange beads.....two small ones and a large egg sized one..... KILLER. I know how it works. greate for years on the Sandy, Clack, Eagle, Columbia, Nestucca, Wilson, Nehalem......OK I'll stop. Use a Mepps style hook and light line. Quick penetration, solid hook-ups and.....OK I said I'll stop.

[Silver Eagle]

I know this wasn't my topic but thanks for the info, I have tried a million different spinners that we have made, some in the boat after a few and I always wondered why, but last year was setting on the Patio and making a few with my leatherman and my wife wanted me to make her one, so I made this thing (three blades) mostly in the purple shades, really pertty, put it up before the guys came by, while fishing off light house last year my grandson took a nice 38# off a spinner my youngest son had made, so out of borden I put that thing on, it was later named (no damn offensive) Gay Pride, anyway ended up catch one almost 40# about twenty minutes later, to say the least I have gotten no more crap from buddies. So don't be ashamed to try new stuff. I think the fish hit it with a smile on its face. Tight lines to all and will try the Amoto Book web site, the thing I have had trouble finding cheap is "T" beads..........
Ray

[Dragfreedrift]

you may want to try somelocal sources for spinner parts and advice...Fisherman's shack, Fisherman's corner and R and B lure Co..

(All have their own websites and can answer questions for you)


HC

[Blue Tip Spinner]

i tried the pen-tac site and mor tac site, and all i found were french blade. that seems to be the case at alot of the sites i have visited in the past. if you are looking for colorados, bear valleys, or willows, i would stick with a local shop in your area or fishermans and bc angling post for a more diverse selection of blades.

[parker]

Currently, I only make spinners for coho. A simple pair of needles nose pliars or spinner pliars is all you need, really.

I only use Mor-Tac 4.5 silver blades. Body color and hootchie make up the difference.



These spinners are strong enough to land 30 pound kings.

[ 03-03-2004, 01:54 PM: Message edited by: parker ]

[Blue Tip Spinner]

those are some pretty spinners.

[Siwash]

Ifishsum is right on. I'll also occasionally bump up to #5 silvers in winter when the water is unusually high and/or cold, and i've also had decent results with copper finish blades in the fall, but I use the same combos he mentioned ~90% of the time.

On the other hand, part of the fun sometimes is just getting creative. Often the lot sizes of parts from different sources don't come out evenly, so i'll use the leftovers to get a little zany. Like yahooee said, recycling parts from Blue Foxes or other old, trashed spinners enter the mix, too. Lo and behold, sometimes these really work. I think it's a little like tying flies, except it's not quite such a black hole of time & money (more like just a "dark gray" hole)--instead of millions of combinations of feathers, fur, hook sizes, etc., there's only like thousands of realistic blade/body combos and roughly 5 standard sizes.

Have fun...

[Chris Nordling]

Try a search in the 2003 archives. Lots of good stuff was put up by some very spinner savvy folks, I think around June or July is when many of the posts were.

Or send a PM to Get Bent Tackle, he's a member here on Ifish. Super friendly guy, and he can make some awesome spinners too. He'll be more than happy to give you a few tips on blade selection, and some other general instructions to help you out.

Chris

[Drachir]

I agree with Parker, I make all my spinners by hand with a pair of round nose pliers. I have done several clinics on spinner making, and show how easy they are to make with only a pair of needle nose pliers. Supplies are easy to come by and they all have really good components, good luck!!

[spinner53]

Spinhead, Former Marines become Ex-Marines when they climb the Water-tower and start sho****g.


on spinners, you definately need to buy Jed Davis' book. I'd say it was my bible, but that may get me bounced from this board :smile:

If you're going to build salmon spinners, you may look into a tool, otherwise pliers are fine. i use split rings on 95% of mine, also siwash hooks about 80 % . Less Snaggy and fish cant work the tines against their bony jaw or worse run into a log or root wad with the extra exposed tine.

Stay away from folded clevises, ya'll may have noticed that Blue fox finnally stopped uses folded clevis'

a few months ago STS had a build your own spinners story and the PUTZ writing it actually called for using pencil lead as bodies. [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

[BigBeanCounter]

When making salmon/steelie spinners for backbouncing behind a boat, is there any reason not to use a clevis that lets you easily swap in different blades (not the cheapo plastic type, but the metal type)??

TGB!