Combining a slow fall, slight shimmy and counter-rotating propellers for flash, the new Storm® Arashi® Spinbait will catch wary, suspended fish that ignore other baits.
“When those fish see a Spinbait swimming by ever so slowly, they can’t resist it,” says Brandon Palaniuk, a five-time Bassmaster Classic contender. “It’s almost like a power-finesse presentation — I can cover a lot of water, but still have the ability to draw fish from deeper, clear water. And it will catch not just numbers of fish, but big, heavily pressured fish as well.
Although similar in appearance to a prop bait, the Spinbait is not a splashy, flashy topwater lure. It’s a finesse bait. So you don’t fish it on the surface, but rather count it down to where fish suspend. Although suspending fish are often the most difficult to catch, a Spinbait, subtle and silent, captures their attention like other lures can’t.
“It gives them a different look than your typical finesse presentation,” Palaniuk says. “You fish most finesse baits on the bottom. But this is a finesse presentation that moves horizontally through the water column.”
The Spinbait’s unique 3-2 propeller design (three blades up front, two blades in back) imparts a vibration that anglers easily feel, ensuring an optimal slow retrieve speed that will maximize the lure’s action and stay in the strike zone.
“That 3-2 blade design is really key in triggering bites,” Palaniuk says. “It’s all about hydrodynamics and water vortexes and the way water moves off of the bait. That 3-2 setup almost gives off an injured-baitfish feel. So it helps trigger fish and turns followers into biters.”
Use your sonar unit to determine the depth at which fish are holding, back off the area and make a long cast. Then count down your Spinbait to that depth and reel it very slowly through the school.
“You want to keep it in the strike zone at whatever depth those fish are at,” Palaniuk says. “Those propeller blades are fine-tuned to spin at extremely low speeds, so you can swim it through really slow.”
The Spinbait will elicit bites both on the fall and on the retrieve. “There’s a lot of things going on, but it’s very subtle,” Palaniuk says. “The bait’s rocking as it comes through the water, the propeller blades are turning and you’ve got the different water vortexes between the 3-2 blade design.” In addition to imparting vibration and subtle flash, the Spinbait’s counter-rotating props ensure that the Spinbait will swim a straight path back to the boat.
Palaniuk’s favorite way to fish the Spinbait is to target isolated rock piles and isolated grass patches. “I’ll fish it just above them with almost a run-and-gun approach,” Palaniuk says. “I’ll run to those areas, throw the bait out there, count it down to right above the grass or right above the rock pile and bring my retrieve back.” The Spinbait is great for targeting finicky schooling fish as well, according to Palaniuk.
Throw Spinbaits with a medium-light action rod on as light of 100 percent fluorocarbon line as you can – no heavier than 8-pound test, generally. “Light line is key,” Palaniuk says. “With finesse techniques, too heavy a line will hinder the subtle action the bait is designed for.”
The Arashi Spinbait measures 3 1/8 inches, weighs 1/3 ounces and comes in 10 fish-attracting color patterns: Hot Blue Shad, Bluegill, Blue Back Herring, Wakasagi, Ghost Hitch, Ghost Pearl Shad, Green Gill, Pro Blue, Black Silver Shad and Green Gold Shad.
Rotated hook hangers, a feature of all baits in the Arashi lineup, ensure that the Spinbait’s two sticky-sharp No. 6 Premium VMC® Black Nickel Treble Hooks will grab fish and not let go.
“With this new bait in the lineup, there’s pretty much an Arashi that fish will bite in any situation or condition,” Palaniuk says. Arashi (Ah-Rah-Shee) means “Storm” in Japanese. Storm is one of many respected names in the Rapala® family of brands.