spinner making

[Shortbus]

Short how to tie spinners seems appropriate for springer season and late steelhead.

You will need wire, beads, clevis, blade, hook, 1" of tubing, side cutters and round tip plyers (twisting tool if your special)

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8629.jpg

I usually start with a pretied wire as it keeps all of the pieces from sliding off the end of the wire. Small 4mm bead on the top is a bearing to help the blade spin easier, and 4mm bead on bottom is to hold the tubing straight after the hook is wrapped.

Picture of the pieces in order, I generally increase size of beads from small to large and back to small just for balance.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8630.jpg

Small 4mm bead on bottom is now placed inside of the tubing on the bottom, this will keep the hook in line and keep the spinner from going into a death roll. Also keeps the hook in a position to actually hook the fish on the take

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8631.jpg

Place a 45deg bend in the bottom of the wire in preperation for the hook loop

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8632.jpg

With your round nose pliers, form a small loop and then pull your hook into the loop

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8636.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8639.jpg

Grasp both hook and wire with small pliers and start spinning the wire around itself to lock in the hook. This is the perfect time to make minor adjustments to align the eye and the wire again to keep the spinner run true

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8640.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8642.jpg

Pull the 1" tubing down over teh hook shank, notice the small bead in the top of the tubing, this will keep the hook set in a "locked" position
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8643.jpg

Almost done! Note the tip of the blade is just in line with the hook eye, not sure why, but i've been taught that this is the right distance and body length and it seems to work so I am not going to vary it. Now is the time to do the same to the top and shorten the wire to useable size
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8644.jpg

Twist the top the same as you did to attach the hook to the bottom, leave a small gap between the eye and clevis so the blade spins freely
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8646.jpg

Finished Spinner and blade and body the correct length
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8650.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_8649.jpg

Repeat as needed :)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/IMG_4471.jpg
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e116/goulet73/03bce420.jpg

[Mr. R & B]

It is addictive for sure. I started with just a couple and now I build thousands of these things a year!

http://i453.photobucket.com/albums/qq252/RBLureCo/IMG_0673.jpg

RB

[Chinook SSSF]

Beautiful lure collection! Are those for the columbia?, not the BF knock offs but the hogline spinners?

[Arctic]

Why do you shorten up the wire so much at the end? To save space maybe? Leaving the wire longer, enough to get your fingers around and spin it would tell you instantly if it was going to fish right. Granted it does make for a longer lure, but I guess I don't care if it means I can tune it to run proper. Just curious is all.

[Shortbus]

I'm a spinner junkie when I fish for salmon so I like to take way to many in my tackel box. Shorter wire = more spinners.

The thumpers I leave long because the blade works better imo. but the smaller blades i stay small as i havent noticed any affect with long or short wire

Columbia or even Tilly Bay is where I get to use the spinners. I have tossed one on in the Willy also but to no avail.

Nothing like catching a fish on something you've made!

[Arctic]

No doubt! I love the fact that all of my fish that eat spinners, were eating ones that I made, and probably put more than just a couple minutes into, in the end. Although I tied up about 150 number 2's for this special creek in Central OR. Didn't look at one of those a second time. Those are just dumb trout though! They eat the trailing mono when you are trying to get the twist out of yer line! Well, I will say you have the Willy Special paint scheme on at least a few of the pictured spinners. Do you find that using different sized beads helps with balance, or is is just one of those things you/we do to please our own eyes? I am fudgin a little with different bead sizes. Just tryin to get outside feedback, as the feedback from the fish is appearing that they really are dumb, and don't care about sizes. So far. But this year we will have to see for sure!:) Also, is that a 50/50, nickle/copper Cascade I see a couple of? Or is it just paint that looks cool. Either way, I am interested to hear how you like them.

[Shortbus]

I honestly dont know about bead size. I have looked at a bunch of spinners and that seemed like the norm but no, i dont have hard facts on how much beads affect the spin so i guess short answer is that it is appealing to my eye.

The main thing i'm embarrassed about is I still to this day have never caught a steelhead on a spinner, mine or anyone elsed :confused: Maybe someone could take me out for a fishing lesson for trade of a couple of spinners :D

[Arctic]

The all brass bells, and the all brass bullett you have should fish well for stinky sewer trout right about meow I imagine. I love rollin spinners, especially for Summers in nice riffles. Simply drift fishing them is the most effective method for me. And if those black bells are actual "blackened" brass, you will absolutely dominate Summers this year. I had such a killer year on blackened brass last year, and now I can't get the bells blackened, just painted. So I have been doing it with Brass Black, and it works awesome. Doesn't stick like the B.C. finishes do, but I find the muffed up bodies fish like crazy. But either finish is a killer for Summers, black paint, and Brass Black. Try Browns too. It is a ridiculously underutilized color for Summers. Poopoo spinners don't catch anglers, but they sure kill alot of fish! Haha!:D

[williesteal17]

Nice thread Short bus Very informative on the spinner makeing. I have a fishing buddy that is just geting into makeing his own spinners I'm going to show him this.

[ryank]

Arctic, with the blackened spinners do you use the same color blade as the body? and when do you start fishing these colors when the water warms up and lowers a little? Thanks, ryank

[Arctic]

Ryan, I do try to have the body, and blade in the same finishes. Both blackened brass. Sometimes I run painted bodies, and blackened blades, but I do prefer the all blackened units, over paint. The finish that is used fishes best when the sun comes out, and the water warms up a little. Although I have been crushing early Summers when the sun peeks out for 20 minutes, and I pitch the all black thumpers.

[Chinook SSSF]

I want to try some of the tarnished brass this summer, I hear good things from this.....now to get some un-coated blades from Rob, then tarnish them?

[JJBass]

Hey Shortbus,
This is cool info. I was wondering if you or anyone else knows how to build a colorado spinner.

I have heard of this but have never actually seen it, and obviously haven't used one. People have said they are good for Steelies.

I build and 99% of the time use my own style of spinners.

Thanks and take it easy
Jeff

[Arctic]

The "Colorado" you are referencing is the name of a particular blade. Not necessarily the name, or style of a spinner. All you do is use said blade in your set-up. I will agree that Steelhead do eat Colorado bladed units, but for Summers in particular, I like to drift them through riffles, so a fast water blade is what I tend to look for in a spinner being used for Summer Steelheading. And I do believe Colorados are on the slower end of the spectrum. But either way, the more variety you have to throw, the more chances you have at hookin up.

Matt, tarnished brass, or nickle does do a pretty good job. After about three days or so, of me handling a brass blade, or body, I can see my acid etched finger schmear. Alan has super funk, and it turns to a tarnished mess in minutes, and the fish like it. Tarnished. Try it oot.

[GoFish]

Thanks for the idea of using black's and brown's. I will try that one out.