Winter search lures

I have been building lures of one sort or another for years. Over the last couple of years I have been playing around with inline spinners. I ordered Jed Davis' book Spinner Fishing for Steelhead, Salmon, and Trout. It is a fantastic read on spinner building and how conditions affect the chances a fish will strike different size and color spinners. His theory on spinners is they are an attractor lure. He wants to excite a fish into striking it almost to the point of spooking it. He has kept records and fishing logs for many years. He has concluded that environmental factors like water temp, water clarity, prevailing light conditions, and water height play major roles in the selection of the correct amount of flash and dash when it comes to the spinner.

After tinkering around with his theory's and techniques, I have to say I think he is onto something here. This certainly works on bass here in Mississippi during the winter. During the summer months here we wear the crappie out with spinners. We often out fish others who are using more traditional methods such as minnows and/or jigs. Often we will catch 2 and 3 to their 1 while using spinners.

During the winter we can't seem to buy a bite from a crappie on a inline spinner. I just can't seem to figure it out. I am hoping to start a thread here where we discuss lures you would cast and use as search type baits. Not just inline spinners here but all sort of cast-able lures. Be it spoons, roadrunners, beetle spins, crankbaits, or whatever you are building to find crappie. Maybe we can all learn something about exciter type lures and baits that don't have to be dropped on a crappie's nose to get it to bite in the winter and early spring.

So what do you use and how do you fish it? What conditions do you fish it in? Bank or boat? Deep or shallow? Day or Night? There will always a place for the vertical jigged tube or minnow but what else do you find effective?

So what say You?

I've been making in lines and beetle spins since the late 80's and always have one tied on. I like to use a duo lock snap for changing out baits. Also pour my own horse-heads and ponys and have them tied with materials or with a plastic grub. I fish mostly from the bank and only get out in a boat when I go with my nephew.

I use the jigs under a float whether it be a fixed or slip float. The new Mo's grub is excellent under a float and I've cast it out and just let it sit and they hit it - when they don't I'll do 4-5" drags and let it glide back under the float - I'll also do this with horse heads and pony's.

The in-lines and beetle spins I'll cast out and retrieve at a steady pace or stop in mid retreive let sink and then start retrieving again.

Don't do much night fishing except for bullheads in the spring IF we have open water.

Thanks for getting this started off. That is exactly the info I was looking for.

I also spend lots of time fishing from the bank. I have a boat but am too lazy to put it in most of the time and I find I catch an awful lot of fish form the bank so why bother.

Do you ever cast horse heads and pony's with a retrieve like the inline or beetle spin? Do you have luck with inlines during the winter months? I did a quick search for Mo's and came up short. I will search a little harder for them.

Do you ever fish current?

Thanks again for chiming in.

Also curious as to what size french blades y'all use on your inline spinners? and what colors?

Do you ever cast horse heads and pony's with a retrieve like the inline or beetle spin? Yes if I'm trying to keep them above the grass
Do you have luck with inlines during the winter months? Don't ice fish so no.

These are the mo's grubs
http://i218.photobucket.com/albums/c...f/100_6777.jpg

Snakeriver another member who does plastics calls them Texas Wigglers

On the French blades for the size I use most here for trout I'll use up to a size 1, but I don't limit my spinners to just french blades.

Nice looking jigs. Did you buy those or pour them?

I pour (almost all the heads, I trade for a few I don't have) and I paint them all. The ones above are ball heads that I squeezed the sides flat for the 3D eyes.

I Should have been more specific. .. I was referring to the grubs. Did you make them?

I started tying flies for warm water fish when I was just a boy, a long time ago. A lot of the flies ended up on the back of an inline spinner. The flies were tied from feathers I found and fur from various animals. Some of the spinner baits were home made of other baits parts and pieces. If these home built inline spinners were retrieved slowly enough they would catch small mouth to walleyes or even a northern pike. Like Fatman said, I don't ice fish but they worked up til the ice formed.

Nope I don't do plastics - check with Snake River and in his signature block is the link for his site.