Spybaits — those, dainty, odd-looking minnow-like lures with tiny spinners fore and aft — could best be classified as today’s “Shhhh hush” baits. Mention them around Bassmaster Elite Series pros and that’s the reaction you get. It’s the latest in trendy tactics that pros are doing their best to keep under wraps.
“Shhh hush” also may be an appropriate category given the lure’s unobtrusive performance characteristics when fishing around finicky bass. It glides harmlessly through the water, like a vulnerable yet unsuspecting baitfish, yet is one of the few baits in an angler’s arsenal that still appeals to seemingly unresponsive bass. Perhaps that’s why they’ve been slowly accepted by mainstream anglers. They don’t thrash or sputter, dart willy-nilly, or, when fished properly, scurry through the water like a fleeing baitfish.
Despite its diminutive size, the spybait sinks easily at the end of the cast. When retrieved slowly, it rocks subtly side to side while the propellers create a tiny vortex that is believed to imitate that of a baitfish gliding through the water column.
“It’s an overlooked technique that needs to be in your tackle box,” said Elite Series pro Chad Pipkens of Michigan.
Like most anglers, Elite pro Jesse Wiggins was curious yet skeptical at first. He saw a video and heard stories touting its performance and decided to try it out.
“I kept hearing whispers about it catching spotted bass on Smith Lake in Alabama, so we bought some and decided to try them out,” explained the Cullman, Ala., pro. His partner rigged a reliable swimbait that has always caught spots for them at Smith while Wiggins threw the Duo Spinbait 80, one of the first Japanese spybaits to emerge in the U.S. bass market.
