Spinnerbait specs

Here is the breakdown of the spinnerbaits with the weights and the hooks and wire frames available.

The hidden weight Stealth head shape:

In the tiny little 1/4 size, which is awesome for jumbo Panfish and even stocker trout, I only have them with a 3/0 Mustad hook with a long shank. The frame is the  "R" bend type with .035" stainless steel wire. This wire size and frame shape is the industry standard for bass spinnerbaits.

The 3/8 ounce size, great for Crappie Smallmouth or small pond fishing, has a 4/0 hook and the same "R" bend frame.

The 1/2 ounce baits have a few more options.   

Both "R" bend or closed loop line ties are available in .040" wire which is a stout wire that still allows for vibration."R" bends pick up less debris and therefore run a bit more weedless and also offers more vibration. The closed loop helps when using a snap connector (like a steel leader)  and adds some durability. 

Twin spin blade options are also available in the 1/2 ounce and 3/4 sizes.  More about the twin spins in an upcoming post.

Both the 1 ounce and 3/4 ounce baits are available with a closed loop line ties in .040" or heavy duty .051" wire.   Hooks are 5/0 Mustad extended shank hooks or 5/0 Owners.
The .04" is still very stout and works great for light tackle Pike, trophy Largemouth Bass or light tackle saltwater such as Spotted Bay Bass.  I even use the .04" wire for Calico Bass and have caught dozens of Calicos and Sand Bass up to five pounds on the same bait.

The Musky grade .051" wire frame option is more than heavy enough for inshore saltwater such as Calico Bass, Redfish, Flounder and California Halibut.

The 1.5, 2 and 2.5 ounce size Depth Charge are available with closed loop line ties in .040" wire and .051" wire

The .04" wire is a great option for Spotted Bay Bass, deepwater Largemouth or Pike fishing.  This slightly thinnner wire allows for more blade vibration and even works well in a short arm frame package for helicoptering deep for Sand Bass and California Halibut.  The .051" wire offers even more strength and is standard on the Musky Magnum series.  The standard hook is a 7/0 Mustad forged saltwater hook.  I also can pour them on 5/0 Owner x-strong hooks.

The HD series features a closed loop .051" frame and the 7/0 Mustad hook.  The HD series has a longer lower arm than the Depth Charge series is designed to be fished more like a oversized traditional spinnerbait.  This is great in the kelp or boiler rocks for Calico Bass or in the milfoil for Pike.

The other wire size option is a massive .078" wire.  This is the heaviest wire available on any spinnerbait.  Tough enough for Dorado, Albacore, Ling Cod, and trophy Musky. The .078" wire is poured on a 10/0 forged, welded eye Mustad tuna hook.  Again, the strongest hook available on any spinnerbait.

The Musky Magnum series is available in the .051" wire for tandem bladed baits and .078" for single blade spinners.  The same hooks as the options above.

After Dark Sculpin

During the winter months in the Port of LA and surrounding Long Beach area, good size Sculpin move in very shallow at night.  The action can be fast and can be a blast on lighter tackle.  On a trip this week we fished 1/4 to 5/8 ounce jigs with 3 and 4 inch Salty Claws, flippping right onto interior harbor rocks.  Browns and oranges worked well.  Joey, Dave and Wyatt teamed up to catch about a dozen solid Sculpin, highlighted by the three 14" fish that found there way into a tasty risotto. Yum.

Joey also caught a monster surfperch on a 4" Salty Claws on a 1/2 ounce All Rounder head.

Local Waters

The Mountainmen found some time to take the Whaler out and fish the local waters and find out what the Calico Bass were doing.  Wyatt, Joey and Dave fished from Dana Point, staying shallow fishing from 20 to 50 feet.  We pulled a nice bunch of pound to high two pound range Calicos, a couple of Sand Bass and as well as a noteworty Sculpin and Brown Rockfish that ended up in a tasty risotto for dinner.  The Calicos were active and hitting a HD spinnerbait, 2 oz Rainbow Trout color with twin #5 willows (in the  custom sized arm lengths that I really like)
The "biggest" two Calicos hammered the spinnerbait on the fast burn, right under the surface. The reaction bite slowed as the day went on and we flipped open pockets in the heavy kelp in 40 to 50 feet.  Heavy jigs with four inch Salty Claws in the crab colors were the ticket.
Tested out some more wacky blade configurations in the heavy 2 and2.5 ounce spinerbaits. Some worked well, some looked kind of ugly in the water. Stayed tuned.

Dana Point This Weekend

Stop by Baby Beach in Dana Point this Saturday the 4th from 10 AM to 2 PM and check out some great deals on Mountain Man Tackle lures!
We will also be holding a catch, photograph and release contest for Spotted Bay Bass.  This is a free event, all you have to do is take a clear photo of your fish showing the length.  Points will be awarded based on length of the fish.

14"- 5 points
15"- 7 points
16"- 9 points
17"- 10 points
18"- 14points
Fish caught on Mountain Man Tackle lures are awarded a bonus point. Fish can be caught from any location.

You must place an item (to be announced on Friday night) in the photo with the fish to insure it was caught during the contest period.  You can enter up to 5 fish. Prizes will be awarded at 2 :00 PM.

The Highs the Lows.

Ever lose a nice fish?  We all have experienced that terrible, heart-sinking feeling. Now imagine losing a fish that might be worth a 5 figure paycheck...

I love this video, it shows the pure emotion (and how quickly it changes) of fishing.

Posted by Dave K.

LA Float Tubing

Dave and I decided to take our two new float tubes for a test run last night in LA harbor, launching shortly after 9:30 PM. It was a little windy to start the night off, and we didn’t come across a single bite in the first quarter mile of the float. After switching to our heavier ¾ ounce jig set ups, we pulled 1 small rockfish and a single 13” sand bass from roughly 40 feet of water. We moved on to the intended destination with rocky banks and plenty of man-made structure. Things seemed promising after landing three sand bass in the 14”-15” range within the first 10 minutes. Even had something hit a couple feet away from my fins. The biggest one of the night showed up a bit later as a fat 16”er. Then they all disappeared. We covered the area 2-3 times over the 3 hours we were there, with only a few nibbled baits to show for it. Well that and two trash slimed float tubes.

Overall it was a slower night than expected. The current and wind conditions were generally quite manageable, though. Only lost one lure due to an errant cast over a sea wall.  Both of us seemed to have the system down for his first time out, and I am looking forward to more tubing throughout summer. Hopefully the bite will come back again and we’ll have more updates and pictures to share. What has your experience been of the fishing so far this summer?

Posted by Joey K.

Depth Charge Spinnerbaits

Introducing the newest model to our spinnerbait line-up: the Depth Charge.
Designed to fish deeper than any other spinnerbait available, the Depth Charge features a "standard" size wire frame of 0.35" stainless steel wire in hefty 1.5, 2 and 2.5 ounce sizes. The 0.35" stainless steel, closed eye wire frame was selected for durability while still allowing for blade vibration. We currently feature 3 stock blade combinations: the Slow Roller, the Chopper and a Tandem Willow.


The Slow Roller

This is a killer design for structure hugging fish in deep water. The combination of big Oklahoma and an Indiana secondary blade provides lots of fish attracting thump. This combination has proven to be killer in our Stealth series of spinnerbaits on Sand and Spotted Bay Bass. Now in this series of heavy spinnerbaits you now have a great option for fishing deep for giant Sand Bass, Halibut and Ling Cod.


The Chopper

A big single willowleaf blade is great when cranked over heavy weeds and almost completely weedless. The compact frame and shields the hook from fouling, while the big #7 blade attracts the trophies. This configuration has also proven deadly on Calico Bass when flipped into small open pockets in heavy kelp. Let it helicopter down vertically and hang on. But it isn't limited to SoCal saltwater fish, try it off deep ledges (or rip it through the coontail and milfoil) for Northern Pike and Musky. Great Striped Bass option too!

Tandem Willow

 A tandem willow may be the most tried and true spinnerbait blade configuration. In the heavy 1.5, 2 and 2.5 ounce sizes you now have the ability to fish it D-E-E-P! The model shown in the photo is a 2 ounce size with tandem #5 willow blades. Troll it for deep summertime Pike, longline it for Sand Bass, crank it for giant Largemouth Bass; explore the possibilities!

As with all the Mountain Man Tackle products, these are designed to last and feature powdercoated and epoxy sealed paint jobs, high strength epoxied eyes, heavy duty stainless steel split rings and hand tied skirts.
Contact us to order you favorite custom color --for only $12 shipped to your door.