The spybait is a lure that has become a go-to for anglers targeting suspended bass in clear water. They have a knack for catching hard-to-catch bass and excel in calm situations when hardly anything is working. Major League Fishing pro Josh Bertrand has become a huge proponent of the lures. He has had success with them around his Arizona home and fishing as a professional angler across the country.
When to Spybait
The spybait is just another piece of Bertrand's arsenal and he knows it has a very specific time and place.
"It's an amazing bait to catch fish that are hard to catch, but it doesn't work everywhere," he said. "It's not a lure you just throw all day because it is hard to cover water and the key is to fish very slowly. It excels when you know there are fish in an area and it's hard to get them to bite."
Bertrand's biggest piece of advice is to fish it in clear water as he feels this is the most vital component.
"You need clear water with at least three feet of visibility," he said. "If you don't have that, there are better baits to use. It works great for fish that are tough to catch, whether from heavy fishing pressure, because the fish are suspended or if the lake is flat calm."
Bertrand loves the spybait in these challenging situations and will also use it as a clean-up bait when the action slows.
"It works for those times when you are catching schooling fish or on a ledge and catch a few and they stop biting," he said. "You may get one on a crankbait and some on a worm and then nothing. You can usually pull another fish or two with a spybait because you know they are there still and they just stopped biting."
The Right Gear for Spybaits
In all of fishing, having the right tool for the job is critical for your success. Bertrand says it is even more critical for spybaits.
"It's so important to have the right rod with a spybait because of the tiny little treble hooks and because, a lot of times, you are dealing with big smallmouth," he said. "If you have the wrong setup, you'll lose a bunch of fish. I like a little longer rod for better casts and prefer a medium-light action."
His rod of choice is a 7'2" medium light Abu Garcia Winch Series composite rod.
"Even a medium action will pull those hooks out if you are using braid, so I like the medium-light," he said. "I like to use braided line and you need a more forgiving rod. The Winch series rods feel like graphite in your hand, but the way they let you play fish is completely different and helps you land more bass."
Spybait Line
As mentioned, Bertrand likes a braided line, whereas some anglers prefer fluorocarbon on their reels.
"I'm not willing to make the tradeoff and use braid because you get much longer casts and will have fewer issues with your line," he said. "I've switched to Berkley X5 for a lot of things but still like 8lb Low-Vis Green Berkley Nanofil for my spybaits because it casts so well. I pair it with 6lb Trilene 100% fluorocarbon for my leader."
Reels for Spybait
One of the biggest things to consider when selecting the right reel for spybaits is the gear ratio. This is something that many anglers talk about for baitcasting reels, but it is not as common when it comes to spinning gear.
"The key with spybaits is you want to fish them slowly," said Bertrand. "The Abu Garcia Winch is a great reel because it has that slower gear ratio. That would be my best advice to get a slower reel like that one, but if you don't, I suggest getting a smaller reel like a Size 20 because the smaller spool will have a slower gear ratio and help force you to slow down your retrieve some. The real key is fishing slow to get the bait to rock and move side to side."
Picking a Spybait
There are now several different spybaits on the market and Bertrand is understandably partial to the Berkley Spy 70, a bait he designed. It comes in two versions, a slow sink and a fast sink, and he uses both.
"I fish the same setup for both versions, and I'd say my favorite color for both is called Stealth Shad," he said. "I like to start with the fast sink version and use that most of the time unless I start to get it hung up in rocks or grass. The slow sink is great for shallower water and works great when fished above grass or shallow shoals because they hardly ever see a bait like this in that depth zone."
Fishing a spybait is something that takes patience and the willingness to slow down. That's where they excel and are perfect for challenging situations when nothing else is working.
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