Metal baits
Dense metal lures that cast far and sink fast: casting, flutter, jigging and trolling spoons, blade baits (metal vibes), tail-spinners and balanced jigs, each its own class.
Metal baits are mostly metal: dense, so they cast into the wind, fall fast and flash far. Three big classes: spoons, blade baits and tail-spinners, each with its own subtypes.
| Class | Type | Body | Weight | Water | Main use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spoon | Casting spoon | Curved, cupped wobbler | 1/8–2 oz (3.5–57 g) | Weed edges, slop (weedless) | Pike, bass, trout |
| Flutter spoon | Long, thin, wide | 3/4–1 1/3 oz (21–38 g), 10–20 cm (4–8") | Deep ledges 4.5–9 m+ (15–30 ft+), summer | Bass on shad | |
| Jigging / ice spoon | Compact, heavy | 1/16–2 oz (1.8–57 g) | Vertical, 3–15 m (10–50 ft), winter, ice | Stacked fish | |
| Trolling spoon | Very thin, light | 5–13 cm (2–5") | Great Lakes, deep lakes | Lake trout, salmon | |
| Blade bait | Metal vibe | Thin plate, lead nose | 1/4–3/4 oz (7–21 g) | Cold water 2–10 °C (35–50 °F) | Yo-yo on deep fish |
| Tail-spinner | Lead body + tail blade | Compact | 1/3–1 oz (9–28 g) | Schooling fish, deep flats | Long casts, falls spinning |
| Balanced jig | Lead minnow, hooks both ends | Swims in a circle | 1/8–5/8 oz (3.5–18 g) | Ice, vertical | Walleye, perch |
One page for each below. A lipless crankbait (VIB) is plastic, not metal: it is compared on the blade-bait page.
- Casting spoons — A curved, cupped metal wobbler thick enough to cast far. Two main forms: the weedless single-hook spoon for slop, and the treble spoon for open water and weed edges…
- Blade baits — A thin metal plate with lead moulded at the nose. On a lift it vibrates hard; it falls fast with a small flutter. The cold-water bait: late fall through ice-out…
- Jigging and ice spoons — A compact, heavy spoon that falls fast and flashes on the drop. Worked vertically over fish you see on sonar, in open water or through the ice. Most bites come as the…
- Tail-spinners — A compact lead body shaped like a baitfish, with a blade on a swivel at the tail. It casts a very long way, falls with the blade spinning, and swims on a steady…
- Flutter spoons — A long, thin, wide spoon that glides and flutters slowly on the drop, like a dying shad. A summer deep-ledge bait. Against a jigging spoon: the flutter spoon falls…
- Balanced jigs — A lead minnow with a single hook at each end and a treble underneath. A plastic tail fin makes it dart out and swim back in a circle on every lift. Lead-bodied but…
- Trolling spoons — A very thin, light spoon that gives a wide wobble at trolling speed. Too light to cast; run on downriggers, divers or leadcore. A casting spoon is thick enough to cast…