River2Sea Bling Spinnerbait

I know that summer is coming at us like a freight train and we’ll be taking a look at a lot of baits that are designed specifically for targeting off shore structure but today, we want to look at another new bait from River2Sea called the Bling Spinnerbait. This is another Ish Monroe designed lure.

If you’ve been with us for a while, you’ll recall that the Crystal Spin from River2Sea has been our favorite spinnerbait for several seasons. When the announcement came that they were producing a different spinner, we had to get our hands on it and see what it could do as well as what the differences are.

We chose the Bling in 3/8  ounce with  double willow blades as this configuration has been the most successful for us over the years no matter where we have fished. So let’s get the Bling out of the package and see what we can see.  

Bait Design

The Bling doesn’t make use of the swept wire design of the Crystal Spin but like it’s seasoned sibling, utilizes the same materials for the head that have proven to be so durable as well as providing outstanding colors and detail. Furthermore, the Bling doesn’t use the two segmented body which allows for the unique skirt configuration on the Crystal Spin.

Instead, it uses a more traditional skirt that, like most spinnerbaits, the angler will want to get out the scissors and do a custom trim job on. While these are more cosmetic characteristics, they have proven themselves to get strikes time and time again.

One of the new and unique features of the Bling is the material used for the blades themselves. While the components are nearly identical in quality as far as the swivels and wire goes, the blades are designed to flex. When you bend them by pinching both ends, they actually snap back to their original shape. So does this translate to a change in vibration for the Bling. Absolutely!

Fishing The Bling

We were having so much fun with the Bling that we decided to fish it side by side with the Crystal Spin. We used the same rod, reel and line combination on both just to see what the behavior of both were but also to compare similarities and disparities in their performance. Both were fished without trailers or trailer hooks so that hook up ratios could also be analyzed. The only modification that we made to either of the baits was trimming the skirt on the Bling prior to fishing.

In terms of profile, the Bling persents itself as a slightly smaller bait than the Crystal Spin due to the lack of the extra body segment as well as the traditional skirt. This can certainly be a plus when the bass are in the mood for something more compact while it doesn’t preclude big fish from thumping it. It has proven to be a very happy medium for the fish.

The feature that stands out most in our opinion are these new blades. They increase vibration at all retrieve speeds and seem to add a little lateral movement to the body of the bait as it’s coming through the water. This subtle difference in action and profile has provided us the opportunity to fish these spinnerbaits much like you would fish crankbaits.

When we fish crankbaits, we usually have identical patterns tied on different rods. One having rattles, the other being the silent version of the same bait. The idea is that as you fire up a school of fish with one, they can quickly become conditioned not to bite it. Simply by changing the sound of the bait, the angler will pick up more fish without having to leave that spot.

We did the same thing with the Bling and the Crystal Spin. When they quit biting one, we stayed put and threw the other. Sure enough, in most cases, we were able to pick up some more fish theoretically due to the differences in vibration and profile. At least that’s our thinkin’!

The Bling has held up very well during our testing and as of this writing, taken a beating from fish without having to be tuned at all. The blades continue to spin as freely as they did the day we got them out of the package and the hook remains sticky sharp. The Skirt has taken the brunt of the abuse but has not come unbuttoned by any means. It’s simply lost a few strands along the way which hasn’t hampered its effectiveness in the least.

While the color patterns are limited, they do cover the majors so to speak. Check out our Facebook Page for more pictures by clicking here.

River2Sea Bling Spinnerbait
Overall Rating
Excellent spinnerbait, built well.

See ya’ on the water …