3.5 CLASS TROLLING SPINNERS

SPINNER GUIDE

WHAT KIND SHOULD YOU USE?

All 3.5 spinners are the same, right? Wrong! While there are many similarities, some 3.5 class spinner blade styles have different “spin profiles” which can significantly change the presentation.

The most common “3.5 spinners” use a 3.5 size Colorado style blade, which is where the name “3.5” came from. Even so, most similarly sized blade styles use their own unique sizing scale. It’s the shape, contour, and length and width that makes the difference, rather than the number on the blade.

The term “3.5 Class” is used to identify spinners and spinner blades that are appropriately sized to fish well behind a 360° flasher.

Each of these 4 blades are considered 3.5 Class Spinners:

3.5 CLASS TROLLING SPINNERS GUIDE

Blade

Shape & Size

Lift – Angle Between Blade & Shaft

Colorado

Round
1-1/8” Long x 3/4” Wide

Moderately dished contour provides high lift

Round
1-1/4” Long x 7/8” Wide

Pear shape provides medium lift

Round
1-1/8” Long x 3/4” Wide

Deeply cupped lip provides even higher lift than a Colorado

Narrow ‘double-ended’ profile
1-5/8” Long x 3/4” Wide

Moderately dished contour and unique shape provides lower lift for a tighter rotation around the shaft

Ever notice that some spinners have different wire shaft lengths? 

Here’s a few reasons why …

Longer wire shafts:

  1. Allow for easier tuning
  2. Can aid in protecting your leader because the fish’s teeth will more often be scraping on the wire and not on your leader line

Short wire shafts:

  1. Don’t bend as easily, which may allow more time before you have to straighten or re-form the wire

Tuning a Spinner

Take the spinner shaft between your thumb and forefinger and twist it back and forth. Your treble hook should spin in a straight line with the wire shaft, without moving side to side.

If it is off center, make minor adjustments until the hook is in true alignment with the shaft. This is often best done by moving the hook within the hook tubing.