The Great Spinnerbait Comeback: Where Did They Go and Why Are They Winning Tournaments Again?

After years in the shadows, spinnerbaits are back on the front decks of top pro’s boats and proving they can still cash the big checks.

Have you noticed spinnerbaits making a solid comeback in 2025? Why are pros winning tournaments again with this classic bass lure? | Kurt Mazurek

With advancing technology and tournament rules evolving and reshaping strategy, one old-school lure is finding its rightful place back on the front deck.

The Golden Era of Spinnerbaits in Bass Fishing

For as long as I can remember, the spinnerbait was a bass fishing mainstay of shallow water power fishermen. In my mind’s eye, I picture Jimmy Houston in his prime, yellow mop of hair flowing, perched on the nose of his boat, one foot steering the trolling motor, wearing white, polyester, flared-bottom pants, firing line-drive casts with an almost imperceptible flick of his wrist, holding a short-handled, pistol grip rod and catching big bass on a spinnerbait. I have no idea if that exact image exists, but that’s the way I remember it.

Jimmy Houston, circa 1976, showing off one of the spinnerbaits he made famous. Turns out my memory of him was fairly accurate! | B.A.S.S.

Inspired by such fishing greats, I embraced the spinnerbait myself. Early in my competitive years, as I learned the maze of backwaters on the Mississippi River, I’m sure I caught a majority of my bass on a spinnerbait. And I wasn’t alone. A lot of guys caught bass on spinnerbaits.

How the Spinnerbait Lost Its Spotlight

I've caught my share of bass on ChatterBaits, but that doesn't mean there isn't still room in my arsenal for spinnerbaits, too. | Kurt Mazurek

But just about 20 years ago, an alternative bait hit the scene. Bolstered by a 2006 FLW tournament win by Bryan Thrift, the ChatterBait, or bladed-jig, grabbed the spotlight and only picked up steam from there. It shared about half the components of a spinnerbait, and could be fished in a lot of the same cover and situations. But it had a unique hunting action the spinnerbait didn’t have. While the vibrating jig is an incredible, fish-catching bait in its own right, it soon became as if bass had never eaten spinnerbaits at all.

Then, starting a couple years ago, finesse baits that could be fished throughout the water column and monitored on forward facing sonar, grabbed all the attention. Once again, a lot of anglers were convinced this was the only way to catch a bass. The spinnerbait faded a little more.

Why Spinnerbaits Are Making a Big Comeback

Bass definitely still eat spinnerbaits. | Kurt Mazurek

But now, it feels like the spinnerbait has had a bit of a comeback. Obviously, the bass have always loved it, but what convinced the general public to give it a try?

One factor seems to be the decision by the National Professional Fishing League to ban the use of forward-facing sonar in their tournaments. When big fish wandering all parts of the water column over deep water are no longer a viable option, targeting the more predictable, shallow water bites is a smart move. And if you’re looking for a proven bite-getter that can do everything from covering vast flats to picking apart specific targets, the spinnerbait makes a lot of sense.

Pro Anglers Leading the Spinnerbait Revival

Bass pro Jason Christie won the first NPFL of 2025 with a spinnerbait. | NPFL

In fact, in the six tournaments the NPFL has completed in 2025, three times the winners have credited spinnerbaits as some part of their victory. It started at the first event of the year on Santee Cooper in early March. Jason Christie slow-rolled a 1/2-ounce Booyah spinnerbait around shallow cypress trees to set a new NPFL three-day weight record of 82 pounds, 12 ounces, including two 30-pound days.

Then Scott Canterbury won the Douglas Lake NPFL event in May. Canterbury said he started each day catching shad spawn fish on a spinnerbait. And in June, Chad Marler won the Eufaula event, rotating between two spinnerbaits.

Chad Marler rotated between two spinnerbaits to win the NPFL event on Eufaula. | NPFL

But before you conclude it's just the lack of forward-facing sonar that deserves the credit, consider these stats. In the 2025 Bassmaster Open Series, where competitors were allowed to use sonar, a few of those tournaments featured spinnerbait use among the Top 10 finishers. In April, Casey Scanlon won an Open on Norfolk Lake with a 1/2-ounce Trophy Bass Company spinnerbait. In fact, the top four finishers in that event all had spinnerbaits in their lineup.

Then at the Chesapeake Bay Open in July, Dillon Falardeau stuck to three key baits including a 3/8-ounce Jackall Super Eruption spinnerbait. And like the other event, he was not the only Top 10 finisher to mention the spinnerbait.

Why Spinnerbaits Still Catch Bass Everywhere

The unique thing about a spinnerbait is that it works well, even if you don’t really know how to fish it. In the hands of an amateur just getting started with artificial lures, a spinnerbait will get the job done, at least done well enough. Cast it and reel it back in. Even if it’s not the best choice that day, it’s a reasonable bet that you’ll catch something. Those small wins keep anglers coming back, eager to learn more.

Gerald Swindle finished second in that NPFL on Eufaula, and look at the bait he's showing off. | NPFL

And in the hands of an accomplished pro, it’s an incredibly versatile bait that bass eat. It’s not always the best choice every day for someone who understands all the complexities of bass behavior, but it’s almost never a terrible choice. If you were stranded on a desert island in the middle of a giant bass lake and only had a fishing rod and a spinnerbait, you probably wouldn’t starve.

The Return of a Classic

It's simple. Bass fishing can change, but bass will still eat a spinnerbait. | Craig Mazurek

Fishing goes through trends and fads, but the recent resurgence of the spinnerbait shows that the proven classics never really go away. In a tournament world where most anglers focus on technology, the bass couldn’t care less. If a bait had the triggering qualities to draw strikes last year, it still has them today, and it’ll likely catch bass tomorrow. Whether you’re just learning or a bass pro cashing big checks on the sport’s biggest tours, the spinnerbait always did, and always should, find a place in your tackle collection.