5/16/2008

The Spinner Drift

These Spinner Drifting techniques work in fresh and saltwater environments.

Timothy Kusherets

Spinners catch current the same way a sail captures wind.

Look at these beautiful salmon! It’s hard to believe, but the tiny spinner used to get their attention was in some “fast” moving water during an overcast day. Getting the lure down to these holding fish would not have been possible without first understanding the hydro-dynamics of currents, the spinner shape of the blade, and the cast necessary to make the presentation of it attractive enough for these fish to strike. The fight these salmon put up was spectacular and the ultra-light test of four-pounds was used employing an artistic perspective that made landing these large fish possible.
Note: The monofilament in the photograph is so thin that it cannot be seen even as it holds a vibrax spinner in place on the first guide of the rod!

Spinners are very productive in fast water but are not used the same as they would be in slow moving waters found in Lakes, Pools, and Eddies. The simple design of a spinner keeps it aloft in moving current and therefore must be fished differently or risk routinely missing hookups; moreover, it’s possible that the spinner will never be seen by a fish if it gets close to fractured surfaces. It is equally possible that spinners reeled in fast surface currents can be swept away far quicker than it takes a fish to first get attention of the lure and then to swim over and strike at it. This does not infer that spinners do not produce in fast water, quite the contrary.
There are a few simple things that anglers must do to successfully drift-fish spinners: use a double swivel leader setup to counter spin line-twist; Cast upriver (or up-current in saltwater) without reeling in slack; drift the hold near the bottom purposefully letting line belly form, and reeling in slack as the mainline “swings” around the bend of the drift. Tides flow parallel to the shoreline with currents flowing either to the left or right, much the same way currents do in rivers and streams. These applications of drifting freshwater can be used while saltwater fishing. Combine these fishing techniques to successfully drift fast currents to make spinners one of the most productive lures anywhere.
It all begins with first understanding how “line-twist” is formed and how to remedy it. When fishing line springs off the spool quickly knotting up all the slack, it can be very difficult to unwind these twists without needing to cut it off the spool. Line-twist will form while using a spinner without a set of swivels, which is why it’s imperative to use a barrel and snap swivel setup. Tie on a barrel swivel to the mainline and then tie on a leader to the other end of it. On the lure end of the leader, often called the tag end, tie on a snap swivel. Using both swivels allows a counter-spin to form as the spinning of the blade twists the leader. The snap swivel tied to the leader makes it easy to change from one lure to the next; this combination of swivels remedies any possibility of losing line that would otherwise be snarled and twisted. The next step is to figure out the proper approach to casting spinners in fast water and currents.
Make each cast upriver (or up-current when fishing the salt) as far and as deep as the water is. If the water is ten feet deep then cast upriver, and current, ten feet, let the lure hit the water, flip the bail over, and allow belly in the line to form on purpose. The slack line allows the lure to fall quickly to the bed without the blade catching the current that would otherwise force it to the surface. Regardless of the depth, casting to the depth of the river and creating slack allows all spinners to get down to holding fish.
As the lure gets to the bottom there will be slight tugs on the mainline. Reel in the slack without adding tension to it; this will keep just enough of the mainline out of the water and keep the spinner down in front of holding fish without making it look unnatural. Normally, the length of the drift is dependant on the distance of the cast and the depth of the hold. As it gets close to the end of the drift get ready to reel in any excessive slack that forms at the “swing” of the drift. Most veteran anglers anticipate this regarding the "swing" as the most likely time salmon, steelhead, and trout wills strike the hook. Reeling in slack at this time makes the leader and mainline straight dramatically enhancing sensitivity of the line. When the strike comes, the hook-set is solid sinking deeply into the jaw of the fish, most of the time the swing of the drift lifts the spinner just enough to catch the roof of the mouth, also called the Vomer. If there isn’t a strike within ten to fifteen minutes move to the next reach of water. Most reaches are determined by the length of the cast, the clarity of the water, and the shape and direction of the current. The great thing about using these techniques is that they produce hits fast. If fish aren’t biting there are only two possibilities as to why: pressure from fishing, predation, or turbidity is stressing fish out preventing them from striking, or there aren’t any fish in the water.

All of these spinners weigh less than an eighth of an ounce are still heavy enough to get down into deep fast water without adding weight to them. The typical body of a spinner might convince novice anglers that it’s too light to pass through any fast water inspiring them to add weight to it. Don’t do it. Spinners used properly in current can be every bit as effective as when fishing in a lake or eddy. Trust in the applications of drift fishing with these lures and you’ll garner more strikes than you ever thought possible.
Each of these spinners is as capable of producing fish in fast current as they are in slow moving water, but “how” they’re used is very different. The blade of a spinner will act like a sail catching currents inspiring them to gravitate to the surface “if” tension is exerted on the line, which is why it’s important to give it slack as it hits the surface to get down to holding fish.

Let spinners sink without reeling in the slack until they come within contact of the riverbed.

Ripping fast water like this can easily produce when using spinners, though it might look intimidating to novice spin fishermen. By casting further upstream above the hold of these riffles, spinners can easily get down to holding fish. Remember, spinners used in rivers are not used the same way they would be in lakes. The blade, if not properly considered, will catch waves like a sail in the wind and speed to the surface without ever getting near the bed.
A natural drift using this turbid current will garner strikes fast from spinners! One of the single greatest things about using spinners is that strikes are almost always an arm jarring slam!