# The Betsie "Spinner"



## rbarta (Aug 20, 2011)

Got a king that had this crafty "spinner" pegged in the dorsal fin last week while float fishing kings.







Was the first one I had ever seen. But after looking around more, I noticed them hanging in a few trees as well as tied on to quite a few anglers lines. The new regulations sure brought the ingenuity out in some folks. My buddy and I had quite the laugh over this one, can't wait to see what new inventions they will have next year!


----------



## Dpricher (Mar 9, 2016)

rbarta said:


> Got a king that had this crafty "spinner" pegged in the dorsal fin last week while float fishing kings.
> View attachment 274473
> Was the first one I had ever seen. But after looking around more, I noticed them hanging in a few trees as well as tied on to quite a few anglers lines. The new regulations sure brought the ingenuity out in some folks. My buddy and I had quite the laugh over this one, can't wait to see what new inventions they will have next year!


That's why you have to be careful when handling fish. I tail picked up a king last year and grabbed right on to a spinner. Was lucky the hook didn't end up in my hand.


----------



## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

rbarta said:


> Got a king that had this crafty "spinner" pegged in the dorsal fin last week while float fishing kings.
> View attachment 274473
> Was the first one I had ever seen. But after looking around more, I noticed them hanging in a few trees as well as tied on to quite a few anglers lines. The new regulations sure brought the ingenuity out in some folks. My buddy and I had quite the laugh over this one, can't wait to see what new inventions they will have next year!


Forgive me. What, _exactly _am I missing here? The fact that the person who made it used 'craft' beads to make it. Or, that it lacks metal bearing beads and Stainless Steel wire? It looks to me like an honest attempt at making a spinner. I'm not too sure about the color pattern, _but, to each their own_. Is there something illegal or immoral about using a homemade spinner to catch Kings with?

Just curious.


----------



## Jimbo 09 (Jan 28, 2013)

PunyTrout said:


> Forgive me. What, _exactly _am I missing here? The fact that the person who made it used 'craft' beads to make it. Or, that it lacks metal bearing beads and Stainless Steel wire? It looks to me like an honest attempt at making a spinner. I'm not too sure about the color pattern, _but, to each their own_. Is there something illegal or immoral about using a homemade spinner to catch Kings with?
> 
> Just curious.


I didn't get it either. Plenty of fish are caught on spinners. I bet there are ten times more fish with flys snagged in them over spinners or cranks.


----------



## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Dpricher said:


> That's why you have to be careful when handling fish. I tail picked up a king last year and grabbed right on to a spinner. Was lucky the hook didn't end up in my hand.


Just so we're clear: I'm sure you would agree that flies also end up in dorsal fins, pectoral fins, backs and bellies.

I've tied over a _thousand dozen_ flies commercially. 

I applaud anyone's attempt at crafting a lure or fly to catch a fish. _Especially if there isn't an ounce of lead involved_.

Just sayin'.


----------



## Far Beyond Driven (Jan 23, 2006)

We were at the Platte Hatchery when they were handling the coho. The techs wear Kevlar gloves, have pliers handy, and ended up with a bucket full of everything including a flasher / fly when they were done with a couple thousand fish that day.


----------



## rbarta (Aug 20, 2011)

I do agree that flys end up in the same spots on kings. The picture does not do it justice, the blade was so small that it would not even spin when in the water as well as the hook being oversized. In comparison it would be like putting a #4 treble hook on a size 1 panther martin blade. I agree spinners do work well for kings coho and steelhead, have caught my fair share on them. As well as using spinners for brown and brook trout. While observing how these spinners were fished, with 1 or 2 large split shot above the spinner to get to the bottom followed by a hookset every cast. Seemed to me that it was just a stretch of the regulations. In hind sight I should have included all of the details so the message was not misinterpreted


----------



## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

"Legal" flossing is a hard thing to teach to those that ain'ts gots a no teef I spose. :sad: I cannot believe the lengths snaggers will go to when it is actually a less effective means than flossing or Heaven forbid actually getting fish to bite. Must be they enjoy all that extra fight from a tailhooked fish. :lol:

I took a Mepps out of a king several years ago that had the blade glued to the body. WTH?


----------



## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

rbarta said:


> While observing how these spinners were fished, with 1 or 2 large split shot above the spinner to get to the bottom followed by a hookset every cast. Seemed to me that it was just a stretch of the regulations. In hind sight I should have included all of the details so the message was not misinterpreted


If you're saying that you observed people fishing with these spinners in an unethical way then I believe you. Maybe the Blue drinking straw on the treble shank was used as an 'indicator' for setting the hook. Violators will violate. I get it.

Reminds me not to wade into the river forums during Salmon season...


----------



## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

357Maximum said:


> I took a Mepps out of a king several years ago that had the blade glued to the body. WTH?


Maybe this was an attempt to impart a special 'darting-action' to the lure...


----------



## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

Can you get it back to me? 

Thanks


----------



## jd4223 (Feb 12, 2012)

At a quick glance,the spinner looked legal. I thought for sure you were going to post a picture of a home made spinner sporting a 1 ounce lead sinker crimped on a wire with a 3/0 treble hook with a piece of red/orange yarn on the treble hook.


----------



## Vicious Fishous (Sep 12, 2006)

Saw slightly “better” versions of those years back on the BSBPM. (Back when I still believed my nymphs and long leaders were getting fish to eat legit... ) the spinners were rigged up on super heavy rods leaning on a group of trailers with out of state plates. Their spinners were smaller and the hooks were bigger. We saw them in action, it was a rip fest. They also had generator hooked up to a freezer, just above the hodgepodge cleaning station on the bank. Sooo many carcasses in the hole down stream from them, it was crazy. They whooped and hollered with every fish snagged. Didn’t matter if the fish was black with a white tail or silver, it went right to the freezer. I heard one of them say “it’s the poor man’s Alaska” 
I Called rap the line when it was clearly an over limit meat mission kind of BS operation. Campers were gone by the evening


----------



## Mr Burgundy (Nov 19, 2009)

Yeah I was confused as well. I make all my own spinners and use them a lot on river kings and cohos.


----------



## fishfray (Jul 30, 2013)

Now this is a Betsie River spinner. There is another treble on the clevis instead of a blade. And the body is pure lead. The worst part is I pulled this off a fish's face in AUGUST, along with a dozen flies. Crazy what those poor fish go through. Obviously spinners can be very legit but many people abuse them


----------



## AdamBradley (Mar 13, 2008)

Umm apart from being a poorly engineered spinner with no dropping weight, can't understand personally why the undergunned brass wire spinner shown would not entice a potential bite? Perhaps I'm missing something?


----------



## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

Seems like a good/appropriate spot to drop a video I find rather neat.


----------



## slowpaya (Oct 23, 2011)

quite entertaining max


----------



## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Nice. I wonder what equipment they used to film the underwater camera footage.


----------



## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

PunyTrout said:


> Nice. I wonder what equipment they used to film the underwater camera footage.



I think it was a WaterWolf type camera, but that's a guess made by watching the "rig" fall to the bottom in that one spot @ 35 seconds.


----------



## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

357Maximum said:


> I think it was a WaterWolf type camera, but that's a guess made by watching the "rig" fall to the bottom in that one spot @ 35 seconds.


Cheers. 

Now I know what to get you for Christmas...


----------



## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

PunyTrout said:


> Cheers.
> 
> Now I know what to get you for Christmas...



You buy me a Waterwolf for Christmas and your dog may get a bit jealous when I do what I would do to your leg. :sad: :lol:


----------



## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

:lol:

Save it for your Missus.


----------



## piscatorial warrior (Sep 14, 2011)

357Maximum said:


> You buy me a Waterwolf for Christmas and your dog may get a bit jealous when I do what I would do to your leg. :sad: :lol:



This made me spit beer all over my computer screen!


----------



## 357Maximum (Nov 1, 2015)

piscatorial warrior said:


> This made me spit beer all over my computer screen!



Success :lol:


----------

