A Different 3.5 Spinner for 360° Flashers

Wise Guys Stand Out in a Crowd of 3.5 Colorado Blades

A round, or Colorado-style blade is not always the best choice for 360 salmon trolling.

It has its place, but sometimes there is a better option. Under certain circumstances, a Wise Guy will outperform everyone else’s spinners in the water. 

So, when would you troll a Wise Guy instead of a round blade?

It’s a matter of perspective. That is, the perspective of the fish, not the angler. 

If trolling in the same direction as the current, whether tidal or river, you are essentially fishing into the face of the fish. 

That’s because fish naturally tend to orient themselves facing into the oncoming water flow.

Under those circumstances, most spinner blade styles will work, but a round blade will present the largest, most visible profile due to the nearly perpendicular lift of the blade.

When trolling in any direction other than head-on into the fish, a blade with less lift will be more visible due to its lower profile spin.

This includes

• Trolling against the current
• Trolling  across it from an angle
• Trolling in slack water

Under these circumstances, the Wise Guy 3.5 spinner blade is the best choice due to the low lift, low profile spin. 

We asked two salmon fishing guides, Gary Geis and Ed Chin, some key questions about their experience with Wise Guy Spinners. 

Gary Geis is the owner and operator of Double G Guide Service. He has been either fishing or guiding for salmon in the Pacific Northwest since he was a teenager. 

Ed Chin is a pro staff member for Lowrance Electronics and guides for salmon and other game fish via  All About Adventure Excursions.

Here is what they say about Wise Guy spinners and Spinner Blades:

Q: How often do you use Wise Guy Spinners or Blades?

Gary: I have at least one rod daily using a Wise Guy blade in line spinner or a shrimp spinner.

Ed: I fish at least one rod with a wise guy blade, either my rod or one customer’s rod.

Q: Have there been times when Wise Guys have outperformed Colorados for you?

Gary: Wise Guy blades perform better than others because of their longer and tighter profile. 

Ed: YES, the wise guy blade has outperformed Colorado Blades, especially if the fish are pressured by the heavy boat presence. Usually, we can pick up a fish right behind someone who is fishing a Colorado Blade in front of us. 

Q: Are there certain times or conditions when you prefer Wise Guys over other blade styles?

Gary: I will use a Wise Guy blade at just about any time of the tide, or if the water color is a little off, it is a little more visible

Ed: YES, depending on the weather conditions, I like using the Wise Guy during bright sunny days and overcast days. They tend to send out a different vibration and attract fish to strike. 

Q: Do Wise Guys work well with 360 flashers for you? Is the rotation of the flasher impeded at all by the action of Wise Guys?

Gary: The Wise Guy blade has less resistance than others and rotates more easily and tighter to the line or shaft, which makes it perform exceptionally well with a 360 flasher. 

Ed: YES, they work well with 360 flashers, I don’t notice a difference in the rotation of the flasher, and I don’t see them impede the action of the flasher.

↪ See How Wise Guys Look Behind a 360° Flasher

↪ Checkout the different color selections by clicking below…

To simplify the whole 3.5 mindset and reduce confusion about actual spinner sizes, it can be helpful to think of all spinners that troll well behind a 360° flasher as 3.5 class spinners.

It is not the stated size for a spinner or spinner blade that counts, but rather how it behaves when trolled. To help illustrate, remember to check out this ‘Tech Sheet’.

Poulsen Cascade Tackle, based in the Pacific Northwest, specializes in crafting high-quality tackle solutions tailored to the needs of dedicated anglers. Renowned for innovative designs, exceptional craftsmanship, and the use of premium materials, the company is a trusted name in the fishing community.

We invite you to Share Your Thoughts and Questions. Please Submit Your Comments.

The Truth About 3.5 Spinners and Blades

How Spinner Blades Get Their Sizing

By Tom Hester

As a spinners and spinner blades manufacturer, we are often asked for a particular spinner blade size. 

You would think that such questions would be simple to answer. 

But rarely can they be answered without a lot of discussion. 

Typically, these questions are posed as:

• • • “What colors do you have in a 3.5 blade?”
    • “What colors do you offer?”
    • “Do you offer a size 6 blade in Denver Bronco?” 

If those sound like the questions you might ask, you’re not alone. We hear them all the time, especially at trade shows. 

• • • So why don’t we just answer them straight up? 
    • How hard can it be? 
    • After all, a size 6 is a size 6, and a size 3.5 is a 3.5, right? 

Wrong!

• • • The problem is that every blade style has its own size scale.
    • There is no universal spinner blade sizing chart. Each blade design was given its size range by its designer. 
    • To add to that confusion, manufacturers may size the same blade style differently. 

For example, Cascade-style blades made by us, Poulsen Cascade Tackle, vary in actual dimensions and specific sizes compared to other manufacturers. 

To confuse matters more, they may even have different family names. 

What we call a “Cascade” style blade (incidentally, that’s the namesake of our brand) might be called something such as ‘Mag Willow’ or ‘Olympic’ by other manufacturers.

 Even the well-known Colorado-style blades can vary in sizing by different manufacturers. 

Let’s look at some examples that might help you understand this. 

Here, we see a collection of spinner blades that one might argue are of similar sizes. 

The first blade is a 3.5 Colorado-style.

Can you guess the sizes of the remaining blades in this grouping?

If you guessed 3.5 or something close, you’d be incorrect. 

In fact, none of the rest are 3.5s. We flipped them all over so you could see, written in Sharpie pen, the actual sizes of each of these spinner blades.

The blades in this collection are as follows, from left to right: 

• • • # 3.5 Colorado
    • # 4 Indiana
    • # 1 Bear Valley
    • # 1/0 Bear Valley
    • # 2 Backmore
    • # 3 Willow
    • # G Prop

Now, look at this collection of blades.

What do they all have in common?

Every one of them is a size 6! That’s because each style has its own sizing scale.

The blades in this collection are:

• • • # 6 Tidewater
    • # 6 Backmore
    • # 6 Bear Valley
    • # 6 Wisdom
    • # 6 Cascade
    • # 6 Lucky “R”
    • # 6 Chinook
    • # 6 CV
    • # 6 CV Vortex

The sizes of spinner blades need to be considered in terms of length and width at the widest point of the blade. There is no other way to compare for size.

Size should not be the only factor when choosing a spinner or spinner blade. It’s essential to know how it will appear to a fish. 

Along with length and width, the shape and contour also contribute to determining how a blade style will behave in the water. 

The combination of these factors affects

• • • How much drag will be exerted by the spinner 
    • The degree of lift, or angle of the spinning blade in relation to its shaft
    • How easily the blade will start spinning
    • What perspectives offer the highest visibility

These qualities are essential when trolling behind a 360 flasher. 

Size, shape, and dish contour all affect the degree to which a spinner will interfere with the rotation of your flasher. 

If a blade is too large and has a too wide profile, it will dampen the flasher’s action. It can even stop it from rotating at all. 

On the other hand, if a blade has a narrow profile with a relatively shallow dish contour, it will have less draft and, therefore, less drag. 

That combination allows for a 360 flasher to function properly, even though the blade is longer and more significant than a traditional 3.5 Colorado.

>>> Check out the following article & illustration
3.5 Class Trolling Spinners – What Kind Should You Use?

One more thing to consider when choosing a spinner blade is the direction of presentation. 

When trolling downstream, chances are you will be presenting your offering directly toward the face of the fish.

In such cases, a blade with a lot of lift, such as a Baby Back, will have the highest visibility.

If trolling upstream, less lift is desirable because fish will view it mainly from the side. With less lift, you can have a larger blade, like a Wise Guy, thus increasing visibility.

To see a couple of examples of how this looks in tow behind a 360 flasher
click on these short video clips:

Now that you know there is more to choosing a spinner blade than the stated size, you should be able to select the best one for your purposes. 

The sizes stated for any blade are only relevant to that particular style. Shape and dish contour are equally important factors.

Poulsen Cascade Tackle, based in the Pacific Northwest, specializes in crafting high-quality tackle solutions tailored to the needs of dedicated anglers. Renowned for innovative designs, exceptional craftsmanship, and the use of premium materials, the company is a trusted name in the fishing community.

We invite you to Share Your Thoughts and Questions. Please Submit Your Comments.