i have one goal in mind when fishing spinners. that's to get my spinner as close to the bottom as i can with as slow as a retrieve as possible without hanging up.

so when people as question like how do you retrieve a spinner?, cast upriver and reel down?, cast across and let it swing?, drift fish it?, or just reel it back in?

the answer to all of it is whatever i need to do to stay near the bottom. in slow water you need to keep reeling. let it get down but keep reeling. keep it moving and out of the rocks. in fast water you can get away with more of a drift fishing style of fishing and let the current do most of the work. always have pressure on you rod tip though. even if the water is fast and im not reeling im still slightly pulling back on my rod keeping a small bend in the tip. you also need to play a lot with where your rod is pointed as that has a huge influence on how that spinner acts.

the biggest thing that helped me was seeing how my spinner acted when i moved my rod tip to a certain position or reeled at a certain speed when sight fishing. lots of time on the water and lots of practice.

 

...you also need to play a lot with where your rod is pointed as that has a huge influence on how that spinner acts.

the biggest thing that helped me was seeing how my spinner acted when i moved my rod tip to a certain position or reeled at a certain speed when sight fishing. lots of time on the water and lots of practice.

+1, this is huge indeed ~ BIG difference when retrieving in line with the current (think slicing with the grain) vs working across the current; and not just from one cast to the next, but even at different points within the same retrieve. Where you're standing can also play a significant role in this depending on how much choice/flexibility you have in positioning yourself along the bank. Not saying one is better or worse, it just depends on the piece of water and also as WC points out spinner choice can also influence how well it gets down in a given situation. I've fished spots where I found a fish holding in a seam or 'bucket' and switched spinners specifically to get one that worked that particular spot better from where I was standing, and then switched back to do a better job of covering the water right next to it without hanging up. That simply takes a lot of repetition to get the level of feel for exactly the optimal combination of line angle & reeling speed vs depth & current.

One general rule I'd offer is to try and avoid a large belly in the line either way, as it'll make it harder to control what your spinner is doing (compounded by the fact you'll have a harder time feeling the feedback as well). Especially when quartering downstream (whether the cast is set up that way from the start, or just on the finishing leg of an upstream cast), it's helpful to slightly 'lead' the line with the rod tip to try and keep it straight and minimize the line drag so your spinner can still sink a bit (unless the current is just way too fast). This is very similar to the feel/technique you get swinging a wet fly, too ~ if you let the line belly because you're kind of holding the rod tip against the current instead of leading it across, it will cause the tension to pull more laterally on the spinner and then accelerate it across the current as the belly straightens out, both of which will lift it up out of the holding zone.

 

Here's a good recent thread on the subject:

http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=1242434

As for fast, shallow water, you may be better off with different spinners than in slower, deeper water. Some spinners spin better in slow vs fast water. I personally really prefer RVRSHR #4's and 5's in fast water (little jackhammers), or if it's low and clear, Pen-tac #2's and 3's. R&B's #3's are good too. These blades just seem to rotate and thump better in fast water. Save the Blue Foxes for slower stuff or casting upstream.

 

Siwash makes an interesting point about the line belly. Actually, if you're into fly fishing at all, swinging hardware is a little like traditional greased line wet fly fishing in that you aren't just letting it swing and whistling Dixie (modern dry line swing), you are actually leading the spinner with your rod tip, accommodating for variations in current speed. Mending line isn't as effective with mono or braid, of coarse, but it can help too. I often throw an upstream mend into my (braid) main line to help the spinner initially get down.

Back to the fast and shallow thing: One aspect I'd mention now is that fast and shallow (aka the riffles/seams in the riffles) is largely a warm weather/water technique. I've found those areas to fish best when the water's in the high 50's or higher. The Clack was 53 degrees when I fished last week. In high 40's, low 50's, you'll find some steelhead in the riffles, but more will hold in a little slower, deeper water. One of the main reasons why fish use the riffles in summer is because the broken water is better oxygenated and the fish need more oxygen when the water's warm. They also like a broken surface when the sun is high - the predators above can't see them in the riffles.

 

On my home river (the Feather) spinner's are the staple. I like to cast up stream and let my spinner thump downstream with the current. :twocents:

 

read this - http://www.ifish.net/board/showthread.php?t=1133930

 

You've been given some good advice here in regard to how to alter the presentation of the spinner. As was suggested, some spinners are better suited for different current speeds, different depths, and different ways of presenting the spinner.

My experience is that in fast, shallow water, the size 3 spinner that is weighted fairly lightly is the easiest lure to get to swim through without hanging up all the time. Related to that issue, hanging up, there's one thing that leads to a lot of hang-ups for novice and intermediate spinner fishermen ,and that is this huge, new reliance on ultra-thin diameter braided lines; MOST common spinner weighting patterns were developed before braided line was invented, and many traditional spinner weights are too high for fishing shallow water on line that is the diameter of 6- or 8-lb test monofilament.

In shallower water, I prefer to have a spinner that will "swim", on its own, based on the amount of line drag created by a monofilament line of about .014" diameter (which will be a 12- to 15-pound test lien, depending on the maker of the line). There's this idea that thinner line is "better", when in reality, in shallow, fast water, thinner line is actually worse on many types of casts, like upstream at steep angles, and so on.

Use a spinning reel, and have a regular-diameter monofilament line, but also have a THICKER-diameter monofilament spool with you, one which will "swim" the lure, so you get a longer, slower presentation. I can guarantee you that unless you are a really bonafide expert spinner fisherman, that you will find it much easier to fish shallow, fast water with a .014 to .017 diameter line, especially when casting upstream, and allowing the current's movement on the line to "swim" the spinner downriver. Shallow, fast water is also a situation when it is not so necessary to adhere to the "low and slow" rule--a LOT of fish can be taken a foot under the surface with the right spinner for the conditions. In three feet of water, a foot deep is ample if the fish are negotiable and the lure does not spook them by being ridiculously too-bright and reflective.

Try a #2 or #3 that is **lightly** weighted in shallow, fast water. If you find yourself "reeling the spinner in" to make it spin OR to keep it from hanging up, the line is too thin and/or the spinner is too heavily-weighted for the conditions, or both. My ideal idea is a #3 that will "swim", not "thump through" a shallow area, swimming on its own, with the very minimal amount of retrieve, the retrieve being nothing more than gathering up loose line as the spinner gets closer to my position when it had been cast upstream. On cross-stream and quartering-down casts, the force of the current will mean that no retrieve is needed--and in fact the opposite, letting out line in small amounts, frequently, will often be needed.

For years I carried three spools: standard, thicker, and thick line. This is the main advantage of spinning reels: the ability to change the line to IMPROVE the performance of a fixed weight spinner for different conditions. Once braided line became so common, but spinner body and blade weights stayed the same, I think it set the stage for many beginning and intermediate spinner fishermen being sort of set up for difficulty in shallower water scenarios.

Again though...this thread is trying to condense something tricky into a couple hundred words per fisherman. My advice: get into the .014" to .016" line diameter general area, present mostly upstream, or quartering upstream, and approach this more as, "How do I get my lure to SWIM, on its own, by using the right line diameter?" The LINE itself plays a huge part in how the fly is presented...errrm, I mean 'the spinner'...