Anybody that is a self proclaimed fisherman knows what a Rooster Tail is. It is arguably one of the most effective lures when it comes to targeting trout. Not to mention effective when angling for other game fish like bass and even pike. But my question or concern regarding this lure is it's one potential weakness: The lure's blade and it's lack or performance while in the water. The blade is very inconsistent. Sometimes it spins and sometimes it doesn't! It even says on the packaging that the "Blade does not need to spin to attract fish" which, in my experience, is certainly true. I have caught many a trout while the blade was "jammed" or simply not spinning. But my question to my fellow members is, do you know a way to modify the lure in such a way that the blade spins EVERY TIME on every cast? I am eager to know if there is. Also, feel free to post any stories or experiences you have had with this unique little lure. Regardless, I will continue to turn to this lure when the bite is hard for trout. You will always find one in my tackle box!

Yes, you flatten the blade some right in the middle of it. It will make the tip catch just a little more drag to get the blade spinning everytime. It will fish just a little slower too.

CQ, here's a tip that will end your woes. I do this to eliminate line twist, but it has the added benefit of helping the blade spin. Bend the wire upward a little right above the blade. You're done! Now the line tie loop is higher than the body...when the body tries to spin, it can't...ending up rocking back and forth while enhancing blade spin. You can even feel the difference, and so can the fish. The more a lure vibrates, the more fish it attracts. Modified this way, this old classic is deadly!
                                                                                                                     

I was going to suggest your knot...maybe tie a rapala knot or loop knot so the lure moves more freely. Some knots actually restrict the lures movement. But then again, I'm not a self proclaimed fisherman. Or trout fisherman for that matter.

Another observation- inline spinner blades tend to suffer from inertia. They are harder to get started spinning than to maintain it. I find a quick snap of the rod tip often will get the blade moving.

Posted By Pegsguy on 08 Dec 2011 09:34 AM
Another observation- inline spinner blades tend to suffer from inertia. They are harder to get started spinning than to maintain it. I find a quick snap of the rod tip often will get the blade moving.

Yes, that certainly works and that is what I do. But you can't tell if the blade is spinning when it is deep underwater so it's hard to know when you should snap the rod tip to get it going.

Posted By slipperybob on 08 Dec 2011 04:47 AM
Yes, you flatten the blade some right in the middle of it. It will make the tip catch just a little more drag to get the blade spinning everytime. It will fish just a little slower too.

That certainly seems to make sense. The blade will catch more water thus creating more resistance and thus the blade should spin more frequently. Thanks! I will try that.

Hey Mo....I guess were not self proclaimed fishermen as the Captain. BTW CQ...Captain is an earned title...

Posted By Barresi on 08 Dec 2011 11:29 PM
Hey Mo....I guess were not self proclaimed fishermen as the Captain. BTW CQ...Captain is an earned title...

"Self proclaimed" is meant to be mildly humorous in this context as it simply means that you yourself go fishing on a regular basis and thus would call yourself a fisherman per say. No need to be so sensitive.

Posted By mo65 on 08 Dec 2011 06:55 AM
CQ, here's a tip that will end your woes. I do this to eliminate line twist, but it has the added benefit of helping the blade spin. Bend the wire upward a little right above the blade. You're done! Now the line tie loop is higher than the body...when the body tries to spin, it can't...ending up rocking back and forth while enhancing blade spin. You can even feel the difference, and so can the fish. The more a lure vibrates, the more fish it attracts. Modified this way, this old classic is deadly!
                                                                                                                     

Hey mo, not really sure exactly what you mean on this. Do you simply bend the top "wire" of the lure either way and this will make the blade spin more? Maybe you could post a picture of one of your Rooster Tails for me!

What ever _q, Your comment didn't come off as humorous, sounded more like hot air. That matter at hand was, Mo and I gave a good tip/ advice, which u dismissed, which is fine. However I do know a thing or two regarding knots and how they would affect a lures movement/presentation. If u do your homework, you'll discover this. Mo's advice was pretty good as well, Bending the wire of the blade upward will prevent line twist and get the blades moving, and that I learned from watching Bill Dance. And I'm not the sensitive type. It takes a lot more to get under my skin.

Posted By Barresi on 09 Dec 2011 02:18 AM
What ever _q, Your comment didn't come off as humorous, sounded more like hot air. That matter at hand was, Mo and I gave a good tip/ advice, which u dismissed, which is fine. However I do know a thing or two regarding knots and how they would affect a lures movement/presentation. If u do your homework, you'll discover this. Mo's advice was pretty good as well, Bending the wire of the blade upward will prevent line twist and get the blades moving, and that I learned from watching Bill Dance. And I'm not the sensitive type. It takes a lot more to get under my skin.

I did not create this particular thread or any other to instigate or experience any kind of conflict or drama, so i am sorry if you have mistaken or misinterpreted my intentions as such. I merely wished to discuss fishing and, pertaining to this topic, Rooster Tails and their performance, specifically. Because I did not immediately address your comments, as I work quite frequently and for extended periods of time, does not mean that I "dismissed" them. It was that I was unable to reply to them, due to the constraints of time, at that given moment. I am sorry if I have offended you in any respect.

Not offended bro...now go take that rooster tail and catch a fish!
lol

Posted By Barresi on 09 Dec 2011 04:04 AM
Not offended bro...now go take that rooster tail and catch a fish!
lol

That's the idea!

Hey CQ, I started to take a pic of the lure modified...then it dawned on me...it doesn't matter if you bend the wire up, down, left, or right. The end result is all the same, the line tie point will end up higher than the body upon retrieve. If you still need a photo, let me know, but I think you'll get the picture(hee hee...pun intended).
                                                                                            

Posted By mo65 on 09 Dec 2011 04:49 AM
Hey CQ, I started to take a pic of the lure modified...then it dawned on me...it doesn't matter if you bend the wire up, down, left, or right. The end result is all the same, the line tie point will end up higher than the body upon retrieve. If you still need a photo, let me know, but I think you'll get the picture(hee hee...pun intended).
                                                                                            

Yeah! I get it! I will have to brave the 30 degree weather and try it out against the trout in our fine city's river!

By the way...I staggered onto this by accident...thought I invented it. Now I've learned that darn Bill Dance beat me to it!

Posted By mo65 on 09 Dec 2011 04:56 AM
By the way...I staggered onto this by accident...thought I invented it. Now I've learned that darn Bill Dance beat me to it!

Nah, don't worry too much about it. Go on to Youtube and watch the Bill Dance bloopers and you will feel a lot better!

Yep...I have one of his blooper DVD's...he's my hero!

I do the bend the wire trick on some of my rooster tails too. LOL, actually a big pike did it to me at first. Originally I thought it would weight the rooster tail bottom heavy so it wouldn't twist the line. However, I found out that my retrieve speed to get the blade spinning still cuased the entire lure to spin. It does, alter the spin performance enough to sometimes give off a different vibe.

That's interesting Bob, its the same way I discovered it. I had caught a trout and didn't notice the wire had bent. All of a sudden it felt like I was pulling a half ounce spinnerbait instead of a 1/16 ounce roostertail! I watched that spinner coming through the water, and the body would rotate toward the top, then fall back down, creating a rocking motion that really thumps! I have never had the LURE BODY continue to spin after doing this, so maybe you're fishing in heavier current, which may render this tip useless. On the other hand, in heavy current, blade spin shouldn't even be a problem...but line twist would be amplified also. A good snap swivel might be the only way out in this case.
                                                                                                                                                                          

LOL. Variances in rooster tails. Just like how one lure spins awesome out of the package and another is just headache.

Are we using 'rooster tail' as a generic term here? Sure sounds like it! I have gotten consistently better performance out of the Panther Martin and Mepps spinners that I own.

I don't know about the other guys, but when CQ started the thread with the word ROOSTER TAILS, that was my clue as to what we were talking about....Or any similar spinner. Your panther martins don't count...different blade stile. Mepp's is the same as the Rooster tail, anything that will improve one will help the other. I hate losing a Mepp's in the rocks...I can buy three Rooster tails for the price of one Mepp's!

I posted a picture at the top to avoid such confusion. Yes, i am referring to the Rooster Tail brand lures. Not Mepps or Panther Martins. I have never had a single problem with my Panther Martins they are actually my preferred choice of lure over a Rooster Tail. The blade on them seems to spin every time. But there is a time and place for a Rooster Tail as on several occasions I had been using a Panther all day and then switched to a Rooster and hooked a trout! You just never know what those trout are gonna wanna strike sometimes!

  I went fishing and while on the water I tied on a Rooster Tail. As per a few of your suggestions (If I interpreted them correctly) I bent the blade slightly into the opposite direction. I guess the theory being it would produce more friction against the blade and thus create more spin. It seemed to work! My lure had more of a "wobble" as mo65 mentioned and the blade definitely spun more than usual! Thanks everyone!

Hey guys, check this out. This is an early version of the "bend the wire" trick...It's an original ABU-REFLEX...still in the package! Note the off center hook...same idea...no line twist. These dudes were top of the heap when I was a kid. I know, I know, it's not a Roostertail...just thought you guys might like to see it.


 

I get a kick out of the price! But to put things in perspective, at the time that same $0.68 would buy 2 loaves of bread or possibly a gallon of milk. 2 gallons of gas for sure!

Pegsguy, at that time, my dad would give me 50 cents to buy him a pack of smokes...they were only 35 cents. I had 15 cents left, which bought me a candybar. Can you imagine that? A five year old kid buying cigarettes!

My dad also used to send me to the store when he ran out of smokes. He bought his smokes at a local independent pharmacy that was run by the owner and his wife who both knew my dad and I and there was never a problem. I remember smokes being 28 cents a pack and a candy bar a nickle. Anyone else remember when cigs went up to 31 cents and you put 35cents in themachine and there were 4 pennies taped to the pack?

Ha ha! I must have just missed that, a little too young. I also got them from a machine, but they were 35 cents.

Rooster Tails, yellow ones in particular are great on white bass also.

Posted By perchjerker47 on 15 Dec 2011 09:07 PM
Rooster Tails, yellow ones in particular are great on white bass also.

Yes, I have heard from many a angler that yellow is THE color. I have also had tremendous success with yellow Rooster Tails myself.

Gotta agree, probably half of the fish I have caught on inline spinners have come on yellow or chartreuse. And yes, Mepps are more expensive but at least where I live the selection of Mepps is much better as far as size goes. Seems smaller Rooster Tails are everywhere but nothing in larger sizes 1/4 oz and up.

Same here...yellow and white are big producers...BUT...my best producer is the ol' Mepps Black Fury. I usually buy a new one every spring because those little stockies actually chew the hackle off the hook! Does anyone know if Roostertail makes a copy of the Mepps Black Fury? I could save some bucks if they did.
                                                                     

Don't know about Rooster Tails but I like my Panther Martins in black. (with or without spots)

South Bend tackle made spinners with the "reflex" blade and triangular line tie which was angled to one side.

Yes indeed AZ, I had forgot about those South Bends with the off center line tie...yet another version of the "bent wire" modification. I even used to have some! Do they still make them?
                                                                          

This is my latest tackle related acquisition. A yellow and black Rooster Tail. It is the most productive color in my experience. I guess it's time to "bend the blade!"

Also, it has a bee pattern on it. Literally. There is a bee painted on the side.

It looks like it has a gold blade. Around here, a gold blade draws twice as many strikes as silver. Wonder why? Its not like we have golden baitfish here.
                            

CQ,
You also might want to give the Chartruse/Black one a try. You cant miss it, the blade and about 1/4 of an inch of the body is chartruse and the rest is black. I recommend not bending the blade on that one.

Posted By salmonking on 27 Dec 2011 10:27 AM
CQ,
You also might want to give the Chartruse/Black one a try. You cant miss it, the blade and about 1/4 of an inch of the body is chartruse and the rest is black. I recommend not bending the blade on that one.

I'll have to pick one of those up!

Hey mo, yes South Bend still makes spinners but they use the ofset wire rather than the triangle bit, probobly cheaper.

You might try painting some of the Silver blades gold. And keep on hand Silver ones too. Then you have the best of both Worlds.

I really don't know how much of the stuff marketed under the South Bend name is actually made by them. Near as I can tell, most items are made under contract or purchased and marketed under the South Bend name. One thing I will give them, their products are cost effective! I will always buy certain spinners from Mepps, but I don't curse as loud when I lose a cheapy even if I do have to spend some time tuning it.