Spybaiting may not be a tool in everyone’s tacklebox, but it’s one you need to keep up your sleeve for those special situations when the bite is off.
Let’s face it — spybaiting remains a bit enigmatic for most anglers. It’s not something that works anywhere, anytime, and it’s unlike most conventional tactics, so it takes a while to build confidence. But man, when implemented on those days when the fish are suspended or not easily fooled, it can be a day-saver.
For those who are unfamiliar, the spybait looks like a smaller version of a twin-prop topwater or a jerkbait. It has a prop on the nose and on the tail like a topwater, but it’s weighted so it sinks. You don’t twitch or jerk it, either; simply wind it steadily through the water column. It’s an ultrafinesse-y technique fished on light line and one that best shines in clear water. Bassmaster Elite Series pro John Crews is a solid believer. He’s seen it save his bacon too many times — so much, in fact, he created the Spin John 80 lure for Spro.
“When I first saw the spybait seven or eight years ago, I thought it was a joke and garbage,” Crews said. “It didn’t make sense to try to catch clear-water fish with props on each end of a hard bait that you wind through the water.”
But being a pro angler, he knew he had to investigate further. He bought one and played with it. “When I pulled it through the water and saw the magic of the bait rocking back and forth as it fell, and as I wound it slowly through the water, I realized there was something to this,” Crews admitted.
He incorporated it into his lineup and began catching more fish. “It hasn’t replaced any of my other lures, but I do use it in areas of the lake where I may never have fished,” Crews explained.
