Muskie lure question (blades won't spin)

[jvm1]

Hi guys, I'm new to musky fishing and was testing my new rod the other day. I could not get the blades to turn on the lure when i was retrieving. Any ideas why? Is there something I'm doing wrong? Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks!

[smeese]

Dumb Question....what kind of lure was it?

Assuming its a bucktail of some sort it helps to give a good tug on the lure right after it hits the surface to get the blades going and keep the tension on the line while you start the retrieve and they should keep going.

[rugbymn]

How fast were you reeling?

[Jmeyers]

+1 for giving the line a tug as soon as it hits the water

[50inchpig]

take a look at the clevis on your blades and see if they make a perfect C shape. lots of times they open up a little bit or are manufactured like that. pinch them just a bit with a needlenose to reduce clevis friction on the shaft and allow them to spin more free.

other thing is painted blades sometimes stick together, or clevis are just so bad a bait just doesn't work and needs to be retied. would help if you told us what type of bucktail you were using and if blades were painted or not.

[Musky Buck]

Assuming they spin fine by hand ?

[jvm1]

The lure was a northland boobie trap

Blades are red

Yes they spin fine by hand

[50inchpig]

then i'd betcha anything it's a clevis problem. never looked at the bubeies up close but next time i'm on the motorboat i'll try to check them out.

[hunterjoe]

then i'd betcha anything it's a clevis problem. never looked at the bubeies up close but next time i'm on the motorboat i'll try to check them out.

Lol. Good one. Just eat some cheese did ya? Cuz that's pretty cheesy. Made me laugh tho.

[Rob M]

those baits have the blades taped together for packaging purposes. I bet there is some clear tape adhering the blades together. easy to miss.

[SmellEsox]

I think it is the lure. I bought one last year out of the bargain bin and it didn't want to spin either. I see now why they were in the bargain bin.

[RuKiddingMe]

then i'd betcha anything it's a clevis problem. never looked at the bubeies up close but next time i'm on the motorboat i'll try to check them out.

Oh man that is good stuff there 50"Pig!!!

On a side note I have yet to meet anyone that can tune a of blades like 50"Pig, so my guess is he's spot on. Also a quick snap when the bait hits the water can help stubborn blades, especially the ever difficult "BabyGirls"

[401TE]

Try bending the shaft of the bucktail at a 45 degree angle just below the eye where you attach the lure to your leader. Fixes most bucktails that have these issues.

[Jeff Gapen]

Cannot get blades to spin on my musky mayhem baby girl bucktail. Tried jerking them when they hit the water.What can I do to fix this problem?