# steelhead spinners



## fish-on (Nov 27, 2004)

was getting ready to reorder some blades and thought i'd throw this site up incase anybody else was looking for good spinner blades for makeing steelhead spinners.they have the best spinner componets i've found so far.

http://www.mortac.com/


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

Try Fishermanshack.net. They are even better.


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## fish-on (Nov 27, 2004)

hey thanks for the tip.how's thier french blades compared to pen-tacs (mor-tac) blades for spinning at slower speeds?mor-tac blades spin at very low speeds.just wondering if you've tried both.


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## steelhead1 (Jan 2, 2005)

They're pretty equal.


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

Fishermanshack makes a heavier french blade in silver plate that will spin at a very slow speed. If I remember, the blade is about .032 or .035 thick, compared to their standard blade which is .027.


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## paulywood (Sep 2, 2005)

Good luck if you order more components from Mor-Tac. I placed an order there a month ago and not only haven't I received it, they won't answer my phone calls or emails. I found a thread in a northwest fishing forum that said they were going out of business and guys had canceled their orders because of the same problems. I'm going to cancel my order and place one with the fisherman's shack. I have contacted them by email and they seem very helpful. Hope this helps.


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## fish-on (Nov 27, 2004)

great thanks for the info guess i'll do the same


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## modo1221 (Jan 17, 2003)

:woohoo1: :irked: backwoodstackle.con


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## pdkpotocki (Aug 3, 2004)

What size spinners and color do you guys like using


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## fish-on (Nov 27, 2004)

mostly # 3's silver/red, gold/red.red,red,red.steelies,red,red,red


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## bigbob (Jul 7, 2005)

i think he likes red


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

I don't think color makes all that much difference, if the fish is so inclined to nail a spinner, then the color matters little if any. I do feel, however, that the flash under water is what really matters. I have found over the 40 or so years of tossing spinners for steel, that a genuine silver-plated blade is by far the best fish-catcher. The reason is that a silver-plated blade reflects "all" available light while under water. I have done extensive tests on this very matter, you can believe it or not but it is true. A nickel-plated or brass blade actually turns dark under water. Don't ask me why, but it indeed does. I feel strongly that the added flash of silver-plating makes all the difference in the world. It is the flash that will either turn them on, or in the case of bedded fish, turn them off. Bedded steel are another matter altogether, for those who don't think it unsporting to fish for them. Me included. Look at it from a fish's point of view, the only defence mechanism that they have is their mouth. Now think of a fly or a bee flying close to your face, what do you instinctively do about it? You try and bat it away, right? Well now think about a flashing intruder in front of a steelhead's face, and the first thing it will do is either turn away or strike at it. I have had many occasions when the fish would actually chase the lure down from across stream to nail it. Never so with a painted or nickel or brass bladed spinner.
One more thing, seeing as how I'm ranting on anyway, I firmly believe also that a spinner will outfish a fly, bait, or any other lure, but the reason that the percentage of fish caught on spinners is low, is because most guys don't fish with them because of the loss of lures to the snags, etc. That's why the best spinners for steel are those which can be made at home for a fraction of what they would cost in the store. If more fishermen used spinners, their catch ratio would go up immensely.


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

Oh yeah, i forgot to mention, that for bedded fish my favorite color is either all black or copper, in a size 2 or even a size 1. A little chartreause on the back side of the blade doesn't hurt either. Now, I also welcome all the goody-goody purists to chastise me for advocating fishing for bedded fish. I turn all of my fish loose, by the way, so go ahead and cry about it.


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## fish-on (Nov 27, 2004)

yep my biggest steelie came on a home made spinner,solid silver blade.181/2 lbs.if i'm shore fishin steel it's only with a spinner.i gave up throwing anything else due to how many fish i get with them.and your right if you aint loosein them your not fishin them right,thats why i ended up makeing my own.3 bucks a pop makes ya not want to throw them at that snag.under a buck and away she goes.i've caught more fish on spinners than ANY orther lure i've used,here,west coast,montana.idaho.hands down.


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## pdkpotocki (Aug 3, 2004)

i fish spinners all he time on the Big M but i never had tried to make them my self. How much is it per spinner if you make you own. I'm tried of spending 20.00 everytime o go out to the river just on spinners


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

For current prices, the best components, and the best service, go to www.fishermanshack.net. The are located in Monmouth, Oregon. Don Greene is a great guy. I can build a #4 french spinner for steel for about $.050 a piece, because I purchase the components in bulk from Don. I think the last time I looked, a #4 Mepps was about $3. I lose on the average about 10 to 12 lures in a day's fishing, so the cost of fishing spinners isn't bad, compared to buying them. I haven't bought a Mepps spinner in about 20 years.


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## fish-on (Nov 27, 2004)

already got them bookmarked.getting ready to put a order in as long as mama dont find out :16suspect :lol: thanks for the tip.last time i looked at a blue fox #3 spinner it was around the same price.me to poor to throw that kind of money away :lol:


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## Butch (Aug 29, 2001)

I just saw this thread. Thanks for the update on Mor-tac.

FWIW, I'll support those above, especially the suggestions about real silver blades(or smaller and dark for fish on the gravel). By the way, matte(unpolished) silver is often more visible than polished silver in turbid water, because the more polished it is, the more the silver just mirrors the color around it(ie brown instead of silver/white). Fisherman's Shack makes good stuff, but the blades I have from them are polished like mirrors. I've never tried to ask them for a batch of unpolished silver blades though. 

Most of the time I use #4's, although I use #3's quite a bit also. For color, I like chartruese or yellow tape(back of blade) and hook tubing with a black or orange stripe for contrast. Red or orange is good too, but red fades out and isn't very visible in times of poor light penetration. Red or pink contrasts well with a green stripe too. I'm not sure the tape color matters all that much most of the time though.

To all those thinking of making your own, I started out mainly to save money, but the because of weight and color options, I soon prefered my own(Mepps and Vibrax are too light in blade sizes bigger than #2 imho).

Now for a question-does anyone have a source for unlaquered copper blades in .025-.032? Fisherman's Shack sells nice copper blades, but they are so well laquered, it's hard to tarnish them. I've pretty much used up my old supply of copper from Pen-Tac(anyone else remember back when Jed started Pen-tac? I tried to get him to make offer copper blades for years, and he finally did, then sold out  ). The .018 blades from Worth(I think?) tarnish up nicely, but I'd like some thicker copper blades.

Butch


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## pdkpotocki (Aug 3, 2004)

Do you guys buy thejig to twist the wire or do you just use pliers​


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## Butch (Aug 29, 2001)

pdk-

I don't use a jig. I use needlenose pliers with the smallest/pointiest nose I can find, and a pair of vise grips. I always have vise grips in my truck, and I carry a traveling kit of spinner components in a cheap plastic box with compartments, so I can freehand a fresh batch of spinners anywhere. Whatever you use, I suggest that you tune your spinner eyes so your knot aligns with the shaft to minimze wobble and line twist. 

By the way, I recommend that you don't go cheap on hooks in an effort to save money. I buy VMC round bend conecut hooks(model 9650, if I remember right). If you buy in large volume, price isn't an issue anyway.

Butch


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

I mainly fish a smaller sized stream for steelies. I actually have been using much, much smaller spinners for the steelies on this smaller water. I do have some homemade spinners, but in my opinion sometimes the smaller the better. I actually have used more of my trout spinners the past couple years with more success. Most has come on yellow or white 1/8oz roostertails with a nickel blade. Thowing such small spinners requires light line though, I usually go with straight 6lb limp line, same thing I use for spawn and other baits. I love throwing spinners more than anything else.


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

Some pretty cool responses out there. Nice to know there are other spinner fanatics around. Butch, that idea with the copper blades is a good one, I'll have to try that. Another thing, I never thought about the dull blades in the murky water, but it really makes perfect sense. Thanks for the heads-up on that. I hope someday this season I run into some of you guys on the streams. You all sound like good guys who actually know what their doin' out there. Tight lines to all!!


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## pdkpotocki (Aug 3, 2004)

me and a friend up here on the big m if were not pulling plugs were throwing spinners or spoons and we do pretty good we have been to lazy to look up the stuff to make them. Im finnally getting around to doing so


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## bigsid (Jan 13, 2003)

Wow, that really sucks about mortac! I've used their components exclusively and needless to say, successfully for about 8 or 9 years. I really liked their product and service. Too bad!!:rant: 

Sid


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## Speyday (Oct 1, 2004)

I whole-heartedly agree with the genuine silver blades. My experience and a book by colin kageyama ("What fish see") goes into great detail about how a lot of stuff turns black; even as deep as 3 feet in clear waters.

For a tad of color,(not sure if it makes a diff) I carry some florescent pipe cleaners in about 8 colors. I use my needle-nose pliers to snip off a half inch or so, then twist that little tuft around the eye of my single siwash hook. This also allows you to put some scent on it in case the fish are nuetral or won't commit.......it can't hurt, right? All of my fishing lately has been centerpin and spinners; and im catching a lot more fish.

And singles are the way to go........as long as you offset it. Much better on the steelies poor mouth, and they snag 66.6% less than a treble.....you do the math..lol.

If you tie your spinner so that the plane of the spinner eye is paralell to the bend of the hook, your spinner will SELDOM twist your line if your retrieves are slow to medium as they should be. the hook point rides up, minimizing snags even MORE. I only lose a few spinners per trip, but i am certainly bouncing and griding them against the wood in the IN creeks that I fish.

speyday


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## fish-on (Nov 27, 2004)

thanks for the twist tip..thats always been a major problem with trolling with spinners.if it was'nt for the twist i'd troll'em all the time


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## Speyday (Oct 1, 2004)

Hey, im by no means a boat guy or troller; but if your looking to troll spinners, why not use a weight forward configuration..........like an erie dearie? we used to pitch and troll those things for hours with zero line twist. 

In fact, I'll let a little secret out for those skamanias off the piers.....i can cast a spinner twice as far as anyone and of course, skams love spinners.........especially near the surface. I have absolutely no magical connection to those oslo's that people oogle about. they are just a spinner with some motion and action in the form of a rubber skirt. they are great, but they arent magic. I can put a flo. orange twister tail on mine and pound em like the dickens cause im casting farther.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

I love making my own spinners. For steelies I almost always use a single weedless hook. I'll use a #4 weedless worm hook like the Eagle Claw 249W of the Gamakatsu weedless worm hook (the gap measures exactly 1/2", legal on the rivers). The longer shanks are good for hooks you want to put lots of dressing on, or in applications with long willowleaf blades. The downside is thew longer shank doesn't seem to stay buttoned up to a fish as well as the other hook I like to use, which is Eagle Claws or Gamakatsu's weedless finesse hooks. The shorter shank finesse hooks still have plenty of shank to add some crystal flash and a bit maraboo, whic I find gets a lot more hits than bucktails. With the wire weed guards, you can run the spinner where trebels fear to go, and the way spinners get hammered, hook ups are never an issue.


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## pdkpotocki (Aug 3, 2004)

what is everybody paying per spinner and how many are you making at a time i figured on making 50 of them and it was going to cost me 1.20 per spinner


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Too many variables to calculate the cost per spinner, depends upon the blade, body etc. The weedless hooks I use aren't cheap, but easily pay for themselves because I seldom lose spinners on the timber.


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## Erik (Jan 17, 2000)

I've never bought anything through these guys but I found this link the other day and I know the company has a very good reputation. 
http://www.pen-tac.com/index.php?p=cart_default


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## Butch (Aug 29, 2001)

It's great to hear all the ideas and approaches. Lots of ways to skin a cat.:evil:

As for cost/spinner, as Esox said, too many variables. Also, I honestly don't know, I'm still using some parts I bought in large quantity from various sources over the course of many years and I mix/match components from different makers at times.

Eric, thanks for the Pen-Tac link--less than a week old So, Mor-tac is done as of last month, and Pen-Tac is back(with new owners) within days. Products look the same, except the logo. Not unlike the original demise of Pen-Tac/appearance of Mor-Tac... Hmmm....:idea: 

Butch


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

Erik, thanks for the link........according to the Pen-tech site, 5 #4 blades cost $5.25. That's $1.05 each. Fisherman's Shack have #4 blades at 10 for $4.65. That's roughly $.046 each. Hmmmmmmmmmm! Think I'll stick with Fisherman's Shack.


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

I just figured out my cost per spinner, when building #4 for steel is approximately $1.25 per lure. In a previous post I had stated that I could get away with $.50 but obviously that was an error. Sorry bout dat. But still, it's less than half of what a #4 Mepps costs.


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## fish-on (Nov 27, 2004)

cost is 1/2 but the spinners are twice as good.pen-tac(mor-tac) or whatever they call themselfs now had a hammered silver blade.i guess i better see if they still have that.would make for a flashy little spinner


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## skipper34 (Oct 13, 2005)

How are the spinners twice as good? Please elaborate.


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## Erik (Jan 17, 2000)

Just a thought,
you could buy a some from both suppliers and see if one seems better than the other. 
Could be one supplier gets their stuff from china? I always try to avoid products made in china or indonesia. Even if it means paying more.


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## Hemish (Feb 3, 2003)

http://www.staminainc.com/spinnerblades_clevises.html


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## quietman41 (May 7, 2005)

I have been following this post pretty interesting. I have two questions. Is there a good book out there on the subject? Has anyone used Jan's Net Craft out of Toledo OH for their parts? You have all peaked my interest on doing this. I am already making my own spinner baits for bass fishing so this would not be to much of a change in equipment to make my own. I have already repaired a couple of smaller spinners for friends.


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## pdkpotocki (Aug 3, 2004)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0936608404/ref=pd_bxgy_img_b/002-0796547-7486452?%5Fencoding=UTF8 this book is very good. there is also a book on spoons for steelhead that i really liked


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