Spinning my way....

[Capt. Hook]

Light tackle spinning with artificial lures is by far one  of my most favourite ways of fishing. Here in South Africa we have an abundance  of fish species from fresh water to saltwater that can be targeted using this  method of fishing, the list of lures is endless...

Spinning is known in Japan as the Lure Casting Game, and  these guys are the true masters due to them fishing heavily targeted areas  where the fish are “educated” and so nothing but the best will do. I have had  the privilege of fishing with some of these guys over the past few years, and  my eyes were really opened to this kind of fishing.

Rods, reels and lines do make a difference, and these  will depend on what lures one is casting, the lure weight and species one would  target because different rods have different actions, and can cast different  weights, are rated for different line strengths and this subject alone could  fill several pages in a book.

One of the characteristics of a good spinning set up for  lure casting is that the set needs to be low weight, as using a heavy set up  will impede on a person’s ability to impart proper action onto the lure and  will also cause fatigue and even muscle and joint damage to the angler. This  fact alone already puts a reasonably decent spinning rod on the higher price  tag, and really if you want results you need to start with the proper rod that  has strong light eyes, I also prefer using smaller reels for this kind of  fishing due to the control the lighter set allows a person.

Longer rods will allow a person better casting distance,  whilst shorter rods will allow for better casting accuracy and more importantly  shorter rods allow better control on your lures and the action one imparts onto  them. Looking at my set ups I can see that all my favourites vary from 6’2” to  6’8”.
Typically I like a spinning rod that has a light  sensitive tip action, whilst having a strong butt section.

Form and movement  is everything
Form being the shape and size of your lure, movement  being the speed and action of the lure, and whilst other factors like colour,  contrast, hot spots and noise play a part, I believe that the form and movement  of the lure is key to successful spinning, and I proved this time and time  again fishing next to someone who keeps on changing lures whilst not paying  attention to the movement and I have pulled fish after fish and they have  caught nothing.

With my style of spinning I like my rod tip pointing down  towards the water and lower than the reel as I find that in this way I can impart  the best action on the lure, whilst having full control, this also increases  sensitivity as you line is not affected by the wind and so you have more direct  contact to your lure. This type of spinning is not really possible with a long  rod and so perhaps the reason that I prefer shorter rods.

Retrieves will vary according to the lure used, and the  speed required, but for certain one needs to learn how to synchronise the  action on imparts to the rod and the turns one is doing on the reel. Particular  attention needs to be paid to the rod tip, as with this type of direct spinning  the movement that the rod tip does is directly proportionate to the lure  movement.
Basically what I am saying is that simply casting out and  retrieving a lure is not sufficient and will end with a session that has poor  results. One really needs to focus and pay attention to what is happening,  where the lures is, what it’s doing, how to make it do what you want and what  reaction it will have to what you do to the rod.
When buying a new lure, I strongly recommend a fishing  session in the swimming pool where you can learn how that particular lure works  and how it responds at various speeds and with various actions that you impart  to your rod, then and only then should you take that lure out fishing with a  full knowledge of how it works.

Pausing, jerking, dropping, lifting, skipping, twitching  and many other actions are critical to success and so one really needs to learn  how to get the lures to work and vary your retrieves and actions on a constant  basis and watch to see what happens and if you get chases or bumps. Generally  cheap lures do not produce the results because they are unbalanced and cannot  swim properly and cannot be tuned.

Colours &  Character
It is true that certain colours will work better than  others, and this will vary from area to species targeted. As an example when  spinning in Durban harbour brighter lures with chartreuse or hot pink  produce the best results, whereas at Kosi  Lakes subtle colours with grey’s, silver and black produce better results, and  I think that water clarity plays an important role. Blue lures produce very  little in Durban harbour, whilst just outside the harbour blue is a king  colour.
Lures with hot spots like oversize eyes, red on the gill  area, an orange chin, black dot on the tail area often will produce results  when other lures will not, or sometimes lures with high contrast two tone  colours do the trick.

Retrieves and  actions

Fast Jerk
This is probably one of the most important retrieves to  learn for estuary and inshore lure fishing and is usually done best with  shallow running minnow type lipped lures like the Rapala X-Rap splash bait, and  then there is a host of specialist Japanese lures for this from Tackle House,  Mega Bass etc.
With this retrieve you keep your rod tip down, and then  as you reel you synchronise the medium up and down movements of the rod tip  (+/- 300-400mm) with a full turn on the reel making the whole action a singular  movement. If your rod tip splashes against the water surface it is OK.
If using a suspending lure with this type of retrieve, it  is good after every few casts to take advantage of this property and in the  middle of a retrieve to just pause for a few seconds and the continue  retrieving.

Twitch Jerk
This is an all round good retrieve, and is not a very  fast retrieve. It is a good retrieve to use with jig head lures (drop shot) and  buck tail jigs; it is also good for top water stick baits.
Again with the rod tip down you make short jerks with the  rod tip (100-150mm) and synchronise this with half turns of the reel.
This retrieve will allow the weighted lures to rise and  sink and will give stick bait’s a left to right (walk the dog) action.

There are many more ways one can manipulate a lure, some  lures have inherent movements whilst others require complete manipulation by    the rod in order to perform.

[jaenswart]

Very informative thank you Mike. 

[eric cotton]

Thanks Mike, info came at the right time.... Want to do a lot more spinning fishing with Kai this year,, at different esteries and dams... as it keeps him busy and enjoys reeling....
 

[SAfish]

  Good, informative post. Well done, Mike. 

[Manuel Junior]

Nice post!!!!

[Searaider]

  Mike   

[ebvahed]

Thanks for this informative and almost explicit information. One question, for the fast and twitch jerk retrieve, should you still direct your rod tip down if fishing from a bank? Thanks

[Capt. Hook]

One question, for the fast and twitch jerk retrieve, should you still direct your rod tip down if fishing from a bank? Thanks

You may have to lift the rod tip higher if fishing in the surf, but for flat water rod tip must always be down

[strandloper]

Great Post Mike

Nice explanation of the jerk retrieves.

 

[PH]

  Thanks, Mike. Looking forward to the Inanda Bass Bash to see this in practise.

[WalkersKiller]

  Mike, simply awesome!!!!

[Willie]

Great stuff Mike    will be needing this on my next trip.

[caesar]

I am going to fish Kosi lakes at the end of the month. this will help so much. thank you very much.

[John F]

Great post FA. Took some time to read it slowly... great write up and very informative!

@caeser: and looking forward to the pics of fish on your DIY lures!

[caesar]

I will post a report as soon as I am back.

[Half-Pint]

Nominated for post of the month

[strandloper]

Nominated for post of the month

Second that

[J-Rock]

 :shre: Great article!