The other day when we went fishing to conduct our lipless crankbait cage fight, we were looking at the conditions that we had to work with and quickly running out of time.
While we had a relatively nice day and caught several fish, we decided to take one lap around this small lake to see if we could pick up a few more before it was time to go home. We have written an in-depth review on the River2Sea Crystal Spin spinnerbait and this was our bait of choice for that last lap.
The Crystal Spin is one of my “confidence” baits for a lot of reasons. The number one being that it is so versatile and can be used effectively in myriad conditions. The spot that we chose to fish that day is a private facility that has two lakes, side by side, with very different qualities in each.
Two Very Different Water Clarities
The “top” lake has relatively clear water with widely varying depths and shore structure. On this day, it was already experiencing an algae bloom. The “bottom” lake is larger, has off-color water, has long shallow flats and a great deal of coon-tail growing in it. Both lakes have submerged timber in them as well as rock banks in places.
These kind of conditions are where the Crystal spin really shines. To begin with, the two willow-leaf blades are counter rotating and as mentioned in the review, close in size. They put out a lot of flash and vibration which allow bass to locate them in any water clarity. The head for the bait that I chose is 3/8 oz. While this sounds very light, you have to remember that this weight is just the head, not all of the components combined. You can throw this size for distance given a reasonable rod choice.
On the drop, the blades of the River2Sea helicopter well which does, on the right cast, elicit a strike on the initial drop. Due to the
weight of the bait, it can be used effectively in skinny water without having to burn it to keep it up. You can maintain a steady, slow to moderate retrieve and not have to worry about constantly bottom-bouncing. You can also cast this bait in emerging stick-ups without having to be overly concerned about it hanging up on the stems of the vegetation.
You can, if you wish, allow the Crystal Spin to sink to the bottom and slow roll it along creek beds,drop-offs or run it into structure with the purpose to deflect off of that structure and continue reeling looking for that reaction bite. And of course, you can burn it just under the surface creating a wake if that is the way the fish are wanting it. Bottom line is you can use this lure in a lot of places that you may not be accustomed to throwing a spinnerbait.
Getting A Good Slow Roll
The way that I caught most of my fish that day was slow rolling it at or near the bottom of the lake and allowing it to run into anything and everything that I could find. Almost without exception, the bites were solid and purposeful. I really didn’t have to do much of anything to set the hook. I even caught a trout on the Crystal Spin! Now you have to know that if a trout is willing to hit a standard size spinnerbait, he’s really serious about eating this thing!
We all have had hair algae stop our blades on our spinnerbaits from moving and this bait is no different. Although, it takes a lot of it to do that compared to other spinnerbaits that I have fished. Another quality of the Crystal Spin is that you don’t have to tune the bait very often. I have been using this lure since it was introduced and honestly, after catching a lot of bass on a single bait, have had to do almost nothing to keep it running as true as the day I took it out of the package.
The River2Sea Crystal Spin has been one of my absolute favorite baits for spring bassin’ for a number of years and still continues to be just as effective as the day that I got it. Thanks to it’s versatility, it is never on the back burner when I am on the water. If you still haven’t tried one, give the Crystal Spin a spin around your local water and see if you have as much good fortune with it as we do.
See ya’ on the water …