Today, BassFans learned more about the Sworming Hornet company and its flagship product – the Fish Head Spin. But how the heck do you fish the thing? The short answer is, any way you like. It's great anytime a spinnerbait would apply, or a soft-plastic jerkbait. And it's an excellent clear-water bait, because the painted-lead/metal/plastic combo is a remarkable likeness of a shad.
Other applications are emerging almost weekly, but to refine the bait's killer app, it's definitely at its best for schooling fish, with the unique benefit that it's an excellent choice for schooling fish that are "down" – meaning, no longer busting bait on the surface.
The bait grew out of the Lake Lanier spotted-bass fishery – a deep, clear bite for schooling fish. And when those fish are down, they're way down, which means you need a compact bait that gets down quick, but has a finesse-style action for non-aggressive sitters.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Gerald Swindle is one angler who threw the bait last year – long before he inked a deal to endorse it. Below, he offers his tips for fishing the bait. Afterward, Sworming Hornet founder Rick Steckelberg provides his guidance.
Go Yo-Yo
"I fished the (Fish Head Spin) last year," Swindle said. "I had success with it and spent some time learning it. It's one of those specialty baits that, when you spend the time to analyze it, it offers a lot of variations for fishing.
"I saw it a couple years ago, and never give it as good a chance as I should have," he added. "I think after the Wylie (Bassmaster) Classic (When Aaron Martens nearly won throwing compact spinner-style baits–Ed.) a lot of guys had seen it. I saw it prior to that, but had never fished it much. This last year at Wylie (for the Bassmaster American Major), I saw how good it can be."
Swindle likes to fish the Fish Head on a 6 1/2-foot light-action rod with a fast 6.3:1 reel. His favorite rod for the technique is his Quantum signature-series topwater rod.
"It has a nice, fine-wire hook, so you don't need a heavy rod," he noted. "And I like 10- to 12-pound fluorocarbon, for the feel."
The bait can be fished on a straight retrieve, which Swindle said can be "dynamite," but his preferred approach is to yo-yo it. He makes a long cast, lets it sink to bottom, turns the handle once or twice to tighten the line, then begins his retrieve.
Swindle noted he appreciates the integrated swivel, which gives him the confidence his bait is working down deep all the time.
"I raise the rodtip slowly to 10:00, then let it fall rather slowly, but keeping a tight line. You don't always feel a hit, but with a tight line, you might see the line jump. That especially happens with big fish that hit it when it's falling.
"A good example is when you see suspending fish near a ledge. That's the perfect time to yo-yo through them."
For Concentrations
Although the Fish Head Spin, like most baits, can be used to pick off solo fish on cover, Swindle much prefers it as a bait to work through concentrations of fish. These fish tend to be non-aggressive, which is when you need a compact, but realistic, bait that matches the forage to trigger a strike.
That said, he does fish it for schooling fish that are feeding aggressively on the surface. But there again, he's fishing a concentration of fish.
"When they're not aggressive, and not chasing a lot, here comes this shad-like bait, and it looks too good – they have to take a lick at it to see what it is.
"If I see a lot of bait in an area, or fish breaking on the top – that's when I really like it. I don't throw it as much for single fish. When you find them like that – grouped up – you can really catch them with this and hurt a school. Plus, I think it fires them up. When you catch one, several come up with it. And the bait's so small, it doesn't spook them."
> Swindle favors water that's clear to lightly stained for the Fish Head Spin. And he feels it's good all year – "from winter to fall."
> He also likes that it doesn't "malfunction" much, because of the balanced components. That can be a big problem with other baits of its style. "I like the lifelike shad-style head, and the components are all very good. With a bait like that, you can have a lot of trouble feeling it. The swivel can lock up and for four casts, you won't know it's not turning. This bait gets that trouble out of your mind."
> He chooses size (weight) based on the depth he wants to fish it. The heavier heads (like 1/2-ounce) he uses for deep water, lighter heads for a shallower presentation.
> He typically threads a Zoom Super Fluke Jr. on the head, matched to the head color. But he's also had success with a single-tail grub and half a trick worm. Baby bass and smoke shad are his favorite head colors.
Brush Attack
Steckelberg designed the Fish Head Spin to attack a common problem at Lake Lanier. There, from late spring through early summer, the spotted bass school on top during the hot of the day. The action' great when they're up, but once they're down, it's darn near impossible to get them to come back up again until a few hours later.
Sworming Hornet founder Rick Steckelberg often slow-rolls the Fish Head Spin over deep brush.
A crankbait couldn't reach down far enough – the fish were suspended at 30 feet in 40 feet of water – but with the Fish Head Spin, he could let it drop to 30 feet, slowly reel it over planted brushpiles, and get to whacking 'em.
About that technique, he noted: "If they're not coming up over the top of the brush we've planted, we actually throw over the brushpile, count it down, then slow-roll it over the top of the brush. The fish that were either in the brush, or the surrounding area, would eat it that way."
He also loves to throw the bait around bridge pilings (aka Martens at the Classic), and he also fishes it vertically like a spoon, but with a twist. He drops it, and if he sees a fish charge up toward it on his graph, he begins reeling quickly straight back up, and will typically get bit before the bait reaches the surface.
> Like Swindle, he prefers fluorocarbon, but a little heavier (12- to 15-pound, depending on cover, water clarity and size of the fish). And he prefers a medium-heavy rod. In super-clear water, he will drop down to 8- or 10-pound line on a medium-action rod, typically with the 3/16- or 1/4-ounce heads.
> He matches head and plastic color to the forage, and noted that blueback herring and Arkansas shiner are two of his favorites for Lanier.
> He noted that Zoom has matched two of his heads with their Fluke colors. Zoom's rainbow trout matches the rainbow trout Fish Head Spin, and Zoom's aurora black matches the aurora blue head.
> He offered the following advice for matching Fluke size to head weight. "I'll use the Tiny Fluke on the 3/16 head. The Fluke Jr. works on our whole family of products, and is easier to rig on straight. For the 1/4-ounce, I use the Fluke Jr. exclusively. I use the Fluke Jr. and Super Fluke on the 3/8- and 1/2-ounce heads."
> To order Fish Head spins, click here.
