Grinding - Spinnerbaits in thick cover -- What's your technique?

[RuKiddingMe]

Been hearing/reading alot over the last couple years about grinding spinnerbaits in thick cover (weeds). I have tried this a few times but find that I seem to come up with weeds and have little to no confidence in doing this. Could someone please explain the proper way to "grind" effectively? Also do silicon skirt spinnerbaits work better then bucktail skirts or does it not matter?

This is something I would like to work more on this summer...

RU

[rodbuilder]

I am not experienced in this either, but I recently watched the Dick Pearson video. When he was "grinding", he's making short casts into heavy weeds, then uses a slow, straight retreive using the reel ONLY. In that I mean he kept the rod pointed at the water, no twitches, pauses, rips or the like. Just keep the reel crank turning slowly and the spinner bait rolled and bobbled over the weeds with very few snags. I'll give it a try this season. Never know what might happen!

[RK]

Hiya RU -

Grinding really is a learned technique, so you have to spend a little time on it. But wow can it work...

First off though, you'll have a tough time grinding through 'junk weeds.' Almost nothing can get through that dump. It's so brittle and stringy that it wraps around the blade and breaks off too easily. Cabbage or coontail is another story though.

First thing with grinding from a technique standpoint is don't cast too far. The thicker the weeds the shorter the casts need to be. Heavier spinnerbaits help in heavy weeds too. Fire a cast out, and point there reel - not the rod really, but the reel - right at the spinnerbait, let it flutter into the weeds a little, and start cranking. You're basically just trying to worm your way through what you can, and overpower what you can't squirm through. The spinnerbait will do a pretty good job on its own, but if you feel yourself start to hang up, pull the rod straight back as you continue to reel, almost like you were trying to stab someone behind you with the rod butt. If you snap the rod off to the side or upward, the bait will tip over sideways and you'll foul the cast, but if you just pull straight back it'll sort of bull its way through most of the time. Keep cranking though - if you pause to pull back when you hit a weed the bait will stall and tip over into the weeds. Just keep cranking.

Powerful, low gear ratio reels like the Abu 7000 help a lot. You can bull through some pretty thick stuff with a 7000. Long rods help too. I usually use a 7.5 or 8 footer.

As for baits, I think silicone or living rubber skirts do help. They just seem to not 'stick' to weeds as bad. If I'm fishing a spinnerbait in heavy weeds, it's either a Rad Dog or a Grinder. Between the stiff arms and the bullet heads, they come through incredibly thick stuff.

Really, work on this. For cold fronts, or generally 'tough' conditions, it really can be amazingly effective.

Cheers,

RK

[RuKiddingMe]

RK,

That is exactly what I was looking for, a starting point so I atleast know that I'm on the right track.

You rock RK

Rodbuilder thanks for the Dick Pearson DVD tip to, I will be picking that up so I can see it first hand also.

RU

[TomWehler]

I fish like this a lot when out with the hounds alone.

Clients hate it.

Even before it had a fancy name and a refined technique.

In person, Mr. Pearson explained himself and his great techique.

That really helped me see a few things in how I was handling the rod.

He explined everything in very simple terms like the wonderful RK did, how a spinner bait gets caught up down there when you do this or that.

Dad used to say: Your not pulling up weeds sometime boy, your not down where the big ones hide.

Did I mention Clients hate it.

Long time ago I read, listened, learned how to slow roll large spinner baits like the classic M&G's.

Work them deeper, over or bump right into structure to locate and get untouched fish to chew.

All from reading Jack Burns Articles, or listening at his seminars.

He really knows his stuff also.

Older stuff still works great to.

Like the lures RK mentioned also.

Something about them just don't seem to bring the gunk up for a party in the boat.

New 5 Oz Grinders Matt @ Esox research sent over should put me where I aint been before.

Hey, when you try this and get tired of pulling up weeds, don't give up.

You will get it sooner than you think if you just keep trying what RK mentions.

Good stuff.

Bring a bucket too.

Fill bucket with junk weeds or make a pile in boat on some plactic like a garbage bag.

Dump weeds at end of drift or trolling run.

Motor AROUND weed bed.

That way when you come back over the area later or at night.

Less weeds floating around on top to mess you up.

Fun stuff.

How's thing RK?

T.

[guideman]

I have been accused of throwing a spinnerbait to much. I absolutly love them in the grass, and so do the Muskies.

The Grinder and the Rad Dog have been a part of my arsenal since they were made. Use them, you will find that they will catch fish in places you didn't think you could get to with a spinnerbait.

"Ace"

[RK]

Hiya,

Hey Tom - life's good man...

Hehe - yeah I can imagine grinding is tough on guide clients. Hard to convince them it's fun when they're ankle deep in weeds in the front of the boat. Really not difficult, but there is sort of a trick to it, and you have to concentrate. Not always easy when there's hours between fish.

For sure have learned a lot about spinnerbaits from both Pearson and Burns. Learned a lot about a lot of things from them come to think of it. Burns was Mr. M&G back in the day when Don Bownik was tying and Kiley and Voigt owned the Co. Them dudes caught a lot of big fish slow rolling M&Gs.

Sure is nice to have a lot of options for decent spinnerbaits now though. Grinder, Rad Dogs... Grim Reaper makes a pretty good one. I love Bruce Shumway's Funky Chickens for slow rolling in the fall. Something about that marabou. M&Gs are back... For a while the M&G and Tom Fudally's baits were about it. M&Gs caught a lot of fish. Heads would get loose and you'd have to put 'em in a vice and beat on 'em a little so the head wouldn't flop around - heh. I still use M&Gs some, and I dearly wish Lindy would make the big M&G Magnums again. Big fish baits for sure. I'm down to 3 of them and they're all in sorry shape. Gonna have to retire them someday I suppose. Not yet though

Hard to beat the Rad Dogs and Grinders though. I bet if you totalled up my fish over the past 5 or 6 years, 40% or more have come on spinnerbaits. There's one on a rod at almost all times in my boat...

Cheers,

RK

[TomWehler]

RK.

We still got them Stumphawgs going.

One or two pretty old M&G Mags left.

Lost my top fish getter last fall in a big wind.

Snap!

Gone.

Love the Chickens myself.

Ugly when wet and hangen on a tube, but they wake up quick in the drink.

Unreal how they breath eh?

Tasty looken even to me.

See ya next weekend if your hanging in the ESOX booth.

T.

[Scoot]

Question about grinding- I can think of two types of bays on LOW in which grinding might be applicable. 1) Cabbage beds in sandy bays. Most of the ones I can think of are nice and thick, but not so think that you can't fish a bucktail in and around them. 2) What I usually consider "back bays" which have a lot of cabbage, but are usually in quieter water and are really, really thick. Lots of other weeds besides cabbage in many of these. No bucktail can get through them.

Do you fellers suggest grinding in just #1 or do you get through the slop in #2 also? Do you sit outside the weed edge and cast into the slop or do you put your head down and head right into the slop with the boat? I'd imagine you've got to ride the outside edge with the boat or at least weasel through openings near the outside edge or you'd fight weeds with the trolling motor the whole time.

[TomWehler]

One thing to remember is you want to getdown to the roots or stalks of the weeds.

Were the big fish hang and few fishemen go.

Create some commotion, shake things up Grinding. Wham!

Maybe fish over the tops of position #1, work the edge, then grind it up some.

Move to Postion #2 and Shake things up a bit deeper.

Never a bad idea to start at or simply work any weed line.

Chances are very high something will just want to hammer your offering.

I enjoy short casts, 50 feet or so.

People seeing me might even thing I was BASS fishing.

Drop lure into depths of pockets, weave lure around in the openings until it is back boat side. Let Lure rest a bit then rip it up to surface.

All the time holding the rod and working lure as RK mentioned to bang the roots & stalks. Keep the lure some what weed free and get the fish to notice what the heck is in my area and WHY.

Chomp!!

You can do this sort of stuff in boulder fields also.

That can get nasty fun.

Enjoy.

Sounds like you know how to find what the fish like to hang in, go fish it.

Tom

[markkstanley]

Cabbage is one thing but can you grind milfoil?? I've tried but my arms give out real quick hauling 40lbs of milfoil back to the boat. Wish there was a way to get through the junk because the fish are hanging out below the milfoil canopy. Takes forever to vertical jig plastics.