Throwin Bass a Corve Ball by Colby Simms 2-27-2010

THROWIN BASS A CURVE BALL
Actually a Curve Blade, the Hatchet
By: Colby Simms with Ray Simms & Jim Lyle

www.SimmsOutdoors.com

Sometimes, the very best thing that an angler can do to experience one of those dream days of fishing, a day that will never be forgotten, is to do something different. Standing out in the crowd is not a bad thing for a fisherman, and while this article is geared toward bass fishing, the same is true for anglers of most species. Zigging when everyone else zags can spell success on the water in many instances. Fishing in different locations than the ones that most other anglers are targeting can be productive for bass. Using different tackle can mean great results at times, like opting for light line to draw more strikes in clear water, when other anglers are going heavy. One of the biggest factors for success however, is to change lures and utilize something that most other anglers aren’t. When bass see and feel a type of lure that they’ve never seen or felt before, the reaction is often predictable, a vicious strike.

Spinnerbaits For Big Bass

Experienced anglers know that spinnerbaits are one of the best lures for producing all species of bass. With the flash of the blades of a spinnerbait and the pulsating skirt, these lures mimic baitfish better than any other type of lure out there, and bait fish are what big bass feed upon most. It is true that all bass of all sizes eat various bait fish on a routine basis, but big bass in most bodies of water use baitfish species much more than many other kinds of forage, and the spinnerbait is a dead ringer.

Curve Blades For Bassin Success

There are all kinds of spinnerbaits available with all different kinds of blade combinations. The two most common types of spinnerbaits, like the Big’un Flash N Spin and the Big’un Thump N Spin, sport either willow leaf blades or colorado blades. The reason that willow leaf and colorado blades are the most common types of blades is because they are on the opposite end of the blade spectrum, and are excellent for specific tasks. Willow leaf blades produce maximum flash with little vibration, while colorado blades are the opposite. One of these two styles of blades will usually be great for various fishing situations. The only real drawback with these styles of blades is that the fish may be used to seeing them, especially on waters where spinnerbaits get a lot of use by anglers.

Curve blade is another term for the hatchet blade. Hatchet blades feature a curve down the length of the blade that comes to a point on one side of the blade. These curved hatchet blades are not as long and skinny as a willow leaf, and not as short and round as a colorado, but the unique shape of this blade drives bass wild. Hatchet blades produce a completely different flash and vibration in the water that fish can see and feel, and in most cases, it’s something that they’ve probably never seen or felt before. Hatchet blades haven’t been around the block as long as most other blade designs.

Spinning Hatchet Blades

Ty Williams is a guide and tournament angler that prefers spinnerbaits for bass fishing. He states “Spinnerbaits are my go-to lure whether competing in a tournament or guiding clients.” Ty continues, “I rely on the Big’un Series Spinnerbaits for bass every day I’m on the water, and the quality and fish catching ability of these baits is much better than any other spinnerbait I’ve ever used.” Ty continues “The new Big’un Hatchet Spins with those wild looking hatchet blades are dynamite and they catch big bass when all other lures fail.” Outdoor Photographer and avid angler Adrianne Masters favors curve blades for big fish and offers, “I’ve caught more big bass, big muskies, big crappies and others, with spinnerbaits, than any other lures by far.” Adrianne continues “The Big’un Series Spinnerbaits from Simms Sport Fishing Tackle are top quality American made baits that produce fish after fish, and the Hatchet blade models are something that the fish haven’t seen, but respond very well to.” Guide and tournament angler Mike Thurston prefers spinnerbaits for big largemouth and smallmouth bass as well as whites and hybrid stripers, and states “My customers and I catch all kinds of black and temperate bass on the Simms Big’un Hatchet Spins.” Mike explains, “the different flash and vibration from those curved blades makes fish really hit em hard, and even my inexperienced customers hardly ever miss a fish with them, because the fish practically set the hook themselves, like they are just trying to kill it on the strike.”

The Big’un Series Hatchet Spin Spinnerbaits (www.SimmsOutdoors.com * 618-521-0526) come in single and double hatchet blade models. The single blade baits are great for jigging vertical structures and open water, slow rolling contours and hopping on and off bottom. The double blade Hatchet Spins are best for shallow water fishing and fishing mid-depth areas horizontally. All models and sizes work great when fished through cover. Weeds, rocks, wood, and man made cover such as docks, are all great places to throw Hatchet Spins, but their versatility allows any of them to be fished effectively in virtually any location with any retrieve style.

Spinnerbaits produce fish during all seasons of the year. Working Hatchet Spins at slow speeds is particularly effective during the cold months of the year, while faster retrieve speeds are often best when the air and water temperatures are warm. Weather can also affect bass activity. When conditions are stable, higher speed retrieves can work much better, but after a front has rolled through, slower retrieves with Hatchet Spins often work better, even in the summer. The spinnerbait is the most versatile of lures that’s effective in spring, summer, fall and winter, on bass and most other predators.

Non-Stop Excitement

During most of the year, big bass and other predators can be taken on spinnerbaits from the shallows. Spinnerbait fishing is a real thrill ride, as it can be a very visual game, almost like topwater fishing. Tossing these baits up into cover and watching as big bass rush out to hammer them with vicious strikes right in front of an angler’s eyes, demonstrates the best that this sport has to offer. Give Hatchet Spins a try for bass and you’ll be glad you did. Good luck!

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