ARTICLES

When to Pick Up a Blade Bait

Blade baits shine when water temperatures drop into the 40s and upper 30s. Feider breaks down how to fish a blade bait for both cold-water largemouth and smallmouth bass when other staples like jerkbaits, lipless crankbaits, and swimbaits lose their effectiveness.

In northern waters, it's the last lure standing before ice-up — and one of the best ways to catch both largemouth and smallmouth when the bite gets tough.

"Something about a blade bait just keeps getting bit right to the end," Feider says. "It's one of the few baits you can throw before a lake freezes and still have really good days."

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How a Blade Bait Works

At first glance, a blade bait looks similar to a lipless crankbait — compact, vibrating, and built to mimic dying baitfish — but it's much thinner and denser. Proper blade baits like the Rapala Rippin' Blade sink fast and produce strong vibrations on the lift, followed by a quick drop back to the bottom. That fall triggers cold, lethargic bass to strike.

Feider favors heavier models in the 9/16-ounce range for fast sinking and long casts. "You don't want a light blade bait," he says. "You want it to fall like a rock after you lift it up — that fall is what triggers bites."

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The Right Retrieve & Rod Setup

Feider fishes a blade bait as a bottom-contact lure. Rather than ripping it hard, he keeps the rod tip up and uses a few quick turns of the reel handle to make the bait pulse, then lets it fall back to the bottom. Most bites come on the drop or the instant it hits bottom.

"In cold water, bites are usually subtle," Feider explains. "If I feel any resistance when I start reeling, I lean into it."

He throws the Rippin' Blade on a spinning rod with 8-lb braid and a 12-lb fluorocarbon leader for abrasion resistance around rock. The braid gives solid hooksets in deep water, while the softer rod and fluoro help keep trebles pinned.

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Blade Bait Color Choices

Water clarity and light conditions dictate his color choices:

• Clear days: chrome or gold for flash and realism
• Stained water / overcast: white, glow, or bright patterns like clown

"Glow is kind of a sneaky killer," Feider says. "Most people think of it as a walleye color, but it's deadly on smallmouth in off-color water or on dark, overcast days."

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The Details That Matter

The Rippin' Blade stands out for its finishes, 3D eyes, realistic scale pattern and VMC treble hooks sized for keeping big bass pinned. It also includes three line-tie holes to adjust vibration intensity. Feider usually uses the middle position for a balanced feel.

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Targeting Largemouth & Smallmouth

While blade baits are popular for smallmouth, Feider also uses them for deep-water largemouth. For largemouth, he targets the first deep break near flats and bays that held fish earlier in the year — usually rock or remaining weed clumps.

For smallmouth, deep rock with boulders and access to deep water is key. "Every place I've seen smallmouth winter, there's always rock and proximity to deep water," he says.

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Why Blade Baits Excel in Late Fall & Early Winter

Few lures cover water quickly and trigger cold-water strikes like a blade bait. When other techniques require painfully slow retrieves, blades allow you to power fish — from long casts down to vertical retrieves under the boat.

Fall lakes also receive far less pressure as many anglers hunt instead of fish. "When everyone else hangs it up, that's when I like to get out there," Feider says. "You'll have the lake to yourself and some phenomenal days right before freeze-up."

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Simplify Your Cold-Water Approach

Blade baits excel for both largemouth and smallmouth in cold water. A simple setup — spinning gear, a heavy blade, and a small set of proven colors — keeps you efficient and confident when other lures stop producing.

"When the traps, jerkbaits, and swimbaits stop working," Feider says, "that's when the blade bait takes over."

Watch the video: Blade Bait Cold Water Bass Tips Video

Product link: Rapala Rippin' Blade