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Stephen Mills
Home: Seminole, Texas
Occupation: Irrigation Engineer and Sales Rep
Boat: Z9 Nirto w/ Mercury 250 Pro-XS
2008 Sponsors: Secret Weapon Lures,
Mercury Marine,
Nitro Boats,
Bass Pro Shops,
St.Croix Rods,
Alluring Baits,
Omega Custom Tackle,
Daiichi Hooks
2008 Tournament Trails
- Bass Champs
- Sun Country Bass
- WTTT
Favorite Fishing Style: Flipping and Pitching Timber & Deep water structure fishing.
Spinner Baits
Reels — I always choose a 6.3:1 high speed reel for every spinner bait application except slow rolling. When I slow-roll a blade I chose a 5:1 gear ratio reel. The slower gear ratio allows me to keep the spinner bait down deep for a longer period of time. You could just turn a 6.3:1 ratio reel slower if you prefer. Usually when I am slow rolling a spinner bait I am using a heavy body with very large blades. The slower ratio reel also gives me added power for pulling the big spinner baits through the water.
Rods — I have always preferred a 6’6" MH when casting accuracy is at a premium. I will use a 7” MH when I need more casting distance and I am not as target-oriented with my casts. I like the MH power rods for the added backbone for pulling fish out of cover and the increase of power on my hook sets.
Selecting spinner bait brand — Here is the easy part, deciding on a brand of spinner baits. I choose Secret Weapon Lures spinner baits. What the SWL baits allow me to do is very simple. Instead of having three or four spinner bait rods on my deck, I now have one or two. The blades and skirts are interchangeable. If I decide I want to change up my blade combination, color, or skirt, it only takes a few seconds, vs. having to tie on a totally new bait. Pretty impressive, huh? Well, it gets better. SWL only use the top components made today. From the huge razor sharp hook, to the incredibly strong wire, and don't forget a mold and finish that is of the highest quality.
Which spinner bait? — When choosing a spinner bait there are a few things I want you consider.
- Water clarity- clear, stained, or dirty
- Water Temperature
- Sky conditions- Bright and sunny, semi cloudy, or overcast
- Depth of water you will be fishing
These are all things you need to consider before you tie on your Secret Weapon Spinner Bait. Lets start with skirt color. I like to stick fairly basic with my skirt colors. I will often go with a shad color in stained to clear water, and I like chartreuse colors in dirty water. Choosing blade shapes and colors is probably the most complex part of putting together your SWL spinner bait. When the sun is out I want to create as much flash as possible. I will choose willow leaf blades in a chrome finish. The sunlight reflects grater off of chrome blades vs. gold or painted blades. If the sky’s are over cast, or clouds are present, hindering light penetration, then I will use gold blades in Colorado or willow leaf style. If it is a extreme low light conditions are present, this is when I will go with chartreuse or white painted blades. One thing to remember about the blades you select. Willow leaf blades give off the most flash and will allow you to reel the bait the fastest. Colorado blades put off the most vibration, and less flash, and are slightly harder to reel through the water. There are 4 combinations I use for 95% of my spinner bait fishing.
- A double willowleaf combination, in either chrome, gold, or painted.
- A tandem set up. This is where the front blade is a smaller Colorado blade, with a larger willowleaf in back. In either gold or chrome combinations.
- A single large Colorado blade, most of the time in gold or painted.
- A large spinner bait, 3/4 to 1 ounce, with a small Colorado blade up front and a huge will leaf blade in back. Primarily used for slow rolling the bait on structure locations.
1 & 2 are excellent choices for many spinner bait applications. In clear water I will use #1, because I want to be able to burn the spinner bait, reel it very fast. The willow leaf blades will allow me to reel the bait fast, just keeping it in the water. #2 I use in clear and stained water. The added Colorado blade will help add vibration and also give the bait more lift. Because the Colorado blade puts off more vibration than the willowleaf it will help suspend the bait when you are fishing heavy cover, thus keeping your bait just above the cover so you don’t run the spinner bait too deep.
#3 is the perfect bait for stained and dirty water. This blade will set off the maximum amount of vibration attracting curious fish that sense the vibration. This is my number one choice for dirty water. Because I am using #3 in dirty water, I will always go with gold or painted blades. The gold and painted blades are more visible in low light conditions.
#4 is my go-to bait on any structure fishing location. The heavy bait allows me to run the bait very deep, and the huge blades allow me to put off an enormous amount of vibration.
The right conditions — Spinner baits can be used all twelve months of the year. There are definitely better conditions than others though. To me a perfect spinner bait day would consist of slight cloud cover, with the sun present, though. Wind around 5-10 mph; just enough to put a slight chop on the water. The reason for the wind is simple: a spinner bait is probably the most unnatural bait that we could possibly fish with. The wind adds chop to the water which in return makes the profile of the bait hard to see. In other words, it makes it hard for the fish to get a good look at the bait. All I want the fish to see is either the flash in the blades, or sense the vibration of the blades and ATTACK IT! I do think if fish gets too good a look at a spinner bait, they either feel intimidated or realize that it is not something to eat.
Fishing your spinner bait — Spinner baits are my #1 search bait. A search bait is one I can make a ton of casts with and fish very fast to figure out if fish are in the location I am fishing. Then when I locate the fish, I begin to cover the area more precise by slowing down and taking my time. When reeling in your spinner bait, be sure to mix up your presentation.
- Pause the bait, allowing it to fall for a second or two, then continue reeling.
- Snap the tip of the rod, making the spinner bait dart in a direction. This will cause a lot of flash and even resemble a wounded bait fish.
- Change your retrieve speed. Burn it from time to time and then slow it down. Let the fish tell you what speed they want the bait at.
- Slow rolling, this is where you allow the spinner bait to sink to the bottom and then slowly work it back to the boat. The retrieve could be compared to how you would fish a jig or a worm.
Spinner bait fishing is an exciting way to catch a bass. The versatility of a Secret Weapon Spinner bait is really only limited by the fisherman's imagination. There are thousands of possible bait combinations and ways to fish each bait. The creativity that spinner baits and SWL allows the angler is one reason why I love this sport so much. It’s all about figuring out the puzzle each time we go out of the water. Having Secret Weapon spinner baits in your box is best way to unlock your potential.
Flipping and Pitching tactics
Reel — I always use a 6.3:1 gear ratio high-speed reel. The high-speed reels allow me to reel in quickly and cover more water due to the fast line pick-up.
Rods — I will either use a 6’6" or 7’ rod in a medium heavy or heavy action flex. I let the cover I am fishing determine which rod I will pick up. Some anglers may like using a 7’6" flipping sticks. I am 5’9" tall, which makes using the 7’6" and 8’ rods uncomfortable for me. Whichever rod length you decide on, make sure it has a strong backbone so you can pull the fish out of the heavy cover.
Line — I prefer fluorocarbon to braid whenever it is possible. I choose fluorocarbon, usually in 20-pound test. Fluorocarbon allows me to fish strong line with excellent knot strength that is virtually invisible in the water. Having the proper gear when you are flipping and pitching will allow you to maximize your fishing potential.
Lures — My favorite flipping baits are jigs and plastic flipping baits. Whatever baits you choose to use, make sure it has a super sharp hook. The strikes when flipping and pitching are fast and furious, having a sharp hook will make up for a lot of late hook sets. Often when working with short line techniques the bass will actually hook itself. However always reel down and really drive the hook into the bass. Also be sure and keep a tight line until you have the fish in the boat.
I have always felt that it is very important to be target-oriented when flipping and pitching. Whenever you make your flip or pitch always place your bait in an area that you feel should hold a bass. Do not be afraid of pitching your bait into a tree, or making an errant cast. I like to make pitches into the tightest areas possible — areas that other anglers shy away from because of the difficulty.
Water clarity also plays influence in the targets that I will be selecting. When the water is stained, the visibility of the fish is hindered, there for they will be staging close to the cover. When you are in a clear water situation the bass still relate to the cover, but they will increase their staging zone due to having maximum visibility. So in stained water I want my bait to be right next to the cover, even running my bait into the cover so it will deflect. When you deflect your bait off the cover it often imitates a wounded bait fish, which makes for an easy meal for a bass.
When the water is clear, I always start by casting to the outsides of the cover, working my way closer to the cover with each flip and pitch.
Practice flipping and pitching so you can develop excellent technique. It is very important to be able to flip and pitch your bait into tight areas without disturbing the water. Ideally we would like the bait to slip underneath the water without even making a ripple. If you are splashing the water when your bait is entering the water, it can and will spook any fish in the area. You don’t even have to be at the lake to work on this. I will go in my backyard and throw at targets a few times each week. This technique takes a lot of practice, but with hard work you can develop a flawless action.
Flipping and pitching have always been two of my favorite ways to catch a bass. It is a very rewarding experience when you slip a bait into the tightest target and drive the hook into a huge large mouth. Having great technique will allow you to make several high percentage casts and maximize your catching potential. Bass can be caught flipping and pitching at all times of the year. Next time you’re on the water give it a try; it just might become your favorite way to catch a bass.
[Editor’s Note: Try flipping a Secret Weapon Sidearm with a single Colorado blade around docks, standing timber, buckbrush, and pilings. Not quite as compact as a jig, it adds some vibration and flash to your presentation.]
Deep water structure fishing Tip
Deep water structure fishing is one of my favorite techniques. I grew up fishing Lake Alan Henry in Texas, which is known having some of the steepest banks on any reservoir in the country. The steep banks at AH make for a structure fisherman’s dream. Fishing deep water can be a challenging but very rewarding endeavor. I talk to many anglers who are actually intimidated by fishing deep water. Hopefully, in the following I can shed some insight on structure fishing so the next time the bass are holding in deep structure you can have a successful day on the water.
The most important thing to remember about bass is they will always be relating to some kind of cover. The cover does not have to be huge, but it does have to be present. This is where utilizing your electronics will come into play. Always be looking for depth changes, and for cover to be on the slope of the depth change. Bass will often be relating to the cover on the slope in their desired water temperature. When you locate the slope on your graph throw a marker buoy at the top of the slope then position your boat below the slope casting back in the direction of your marked buoy. Always be sure to mix up your presentation until the bass tell you what they are looking for.
For example, fish a few casts slow, then a little faster, then hop the bait along the bottom. Again, just mix up your presentation until you land a fish, then you will know how the fish want the bait presented.
Humps, ditches, and creek channels are all things you need to be looking for on your graph. These are all excellent structure areas that will almost always hold bass.
Remember to stay positive when structure fishing. You may find the best slope or ridge on the lake and not catch a fish. Do not let that discourage you. Simply re-visit this location in the near future. Be sure to examine all your results, positive and negative.
I caught a fish in this location.... What bait was I using, how was I presenting the bait, what depth did the fish come from, what location was I fishing, what was the water temperature, and what type of structure and cover was the fish holding in?
I did not catch a fish in this location.... Was I using the wrong bait, was I not fishing the bait properly, were conditions right for the fish to be holding in deeper water, and were fish even present while I was fishing this location?
It is important to take the bad with the good; we can always learn from our positive and negative results. Take the information you acquired and apply it to your future fishing. Applying what you have learned is the best way to ensure your fishing day is as successful as possible.
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