As long as artificial lures have been used to catch fish, anglers have been developing ways to make their baits look more attractive. One of the foremost ways to imitate live shad or fingerlings is with something flashy, like spinners.

Large willow leaf, Colorado and other spinners are primarily used on bass baits. Today, let’s look at spinners on smaller baits. These smaller lures are used predominately for panfish.

Small jigs are the first choice for artificial lures for big bluegills. About half of seasoned panfishermen use jigs with spinners and half do not. All appear equally successful.

Let’s look at the jigs first. Jigs are manufactured in two basic designs: either soft plastic or tied like flies with thread and chenille. Some have lead heads while others do not. Some folks like slick plastic jigs and others prefer fuzzy ones. I personally like plastic just a tiny bit more than bug imitations.

One of the most prevalent presentations for jigs is to suspend them with a bobber over structure. If there is any wind at all causing surface disturbance, it will transmit action to the jig. Vertical jigging is another presentation. Cast-and-retrieve can be successful with spinnerless jigs as well.

Cast-and-retrieve is where spinners on your jigs really comes into play. Using spinners adds a huge degree of realism to your bait. I love jigs with spinners.

Some jigs come with their spinners built in. The Road Runner comes to mind first. The underbelly spinner design of the Road Runner is extremely enticing to all panfish. The flash of the spinner often seems irresistible.

But my favorite jigs are plastic. The variety of color and size make these jigs my perfect choice. And I can use them vertically or add a spinner for cast-and-retrieve. I prefer adding a spinner.

Later in the season when the post-spawn fish move back to a bit deeper water, cast-and-retrieve with spinners gets hungry, active fish excited. I have caught many a limit on jigs with spinners.

This really is not a debate. With or without spinners, plastic and tied jigs can be effective in the right hands. Experiment this year and find out what works best for you.

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