Also known as “crawler harnesses”, spinners are brutally simple but possess the utmost flexibility in terms of customization. Therefore, they are extremely adaptable to a variety of conditions found throughout the Midwest and Great Lakes regions
In their most basic form, spinners consist of
(1) Leader Material
(2) Hooks
(3) Beads or Spacers
(4) The Spinner Blade
As an option, anglers will often complete their spinners with a barrel swivel on the non-terminal end of the rig to reduce potential line twist.
Spinners are incredibly effective at trolling because presentation depths can be modified on the fly through fine-tuning trolling speed and utilizing boat turning patterns. In multiple rods spreads these maneuvers manipulate lure presentation speed and depths for each side of the boat.
When waters are cooler and hover around 48 degrees in early spring, spinners can be trolled at a snail’s pace- under 1 mile per hour.
Conversely, when water temperatures peak above 70 degrees during the summer months they can be utilized well above 1.5 miles per hour. Keep in mind these temperature and speed range suggestions are only general guidelines.
To gain a broader perspective on spinner fishing I reached out to Ed Stachowski, a professional tournament angler who has fished every National Walleye Tour (NWT) event since its inception
