Ah... The Good Old Blade Bait

 By Jesse Quale (Green Water Walleyes Guide Service)

Blade baits have been around for many many years.  Blade baits have been used on the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers.  By old timers for 50 years.  Blade baits were originally use as a cold water bait as in late fall and early spring.  These baits vary in size and colors.  Most guys like to use them below the dams in deep holes vertical jigging or ripping them off the bottom.  These baits throw off a large vibration that attract fish from a good distance.  These baits also can be casted and pitched along wing dams rocky shore line or steep breaks along the main river channel.  

 What we have found is that blade baits are not just for cold water.  We found that blade baits can be use year round. In a vas variety of different ways.  To start out early spring we like to jig blade baits in deep holes below dams bridge pylons or on the main river channel,  you want to use a heavy enough blade bait to keep a vertical contact with the bottom as being worked in fast current.  As the water temperature warms up you will be able to work your blade bait faster.  As in snap jigging, rip jigging and casting and retrieving in a slow manner.  We have found that these baits work tremendously in the summer as well.  I recently caught a 30 inch 11 lb walleye rip jigging a main lake point on the Wisconsin river.  This walleye was caught on a 1 oz Echotail®.  Echotails come in a large variety of sizes and colors.  

(30" Walleye Jesse Qaule caught on a 1 oz Echotail® with a St. Croix Eyecon Rod)

Also they are the only blade bait on the market that has a large twister tail added to the bait.  They have a vas variety of sizes from panfish to walleyes working there way up to muskies and also a salt water version.  What I really like is that these Echotails come in bright colors.  Where I fish in Wisconsin, the water is very dark and stained.  These baits throw off a good flash and color  great vibration and a good thump from the Kalin's twister tail.  Also what I like to do is add scent to the blade bait which adds the little additive in cold water conditions.  My recommended scent is BaitMate.  When I vertical jig or snap jig a Echotail I like to use a 7 foot St. Croix med action eyecon rod.  With 10 lb test fire line in high vis green.  The reason being to use the fire line is when you rip your Echotail off the bottom and let it free fall back down you can have a better feel when the fish grabs the line verses with monofilament. Also in alot of the areas we fish in Central Wisconsin, Berkley® FireLine works well to help pull the lures from snaggy wooded areas. 

 We also use Echotails throughout the winter months.  We down size on the baits and work them in a slow jigging manner.  These work temerously on walleyes, panfish, pike and other game fish.  You can tip them with minnow heads spikes, or just use them plain.  My favorite on the Wisconsin River when the crappies and whitebass are on fire is to drop the Mini Echotail to the bottom pop about 3-6 times on the bottom or get above the suspended fish and jig it away from them and get them to follow it up and hit it.    

The last few years on Green bay, Petenwell and Castle Rock Flowage we have been trolling Echotails.  The Echotails have a series of holes on the top part of the bait.  The middle hole works great for snap or vertical jigging.  The front couple of holes work great for trolling.  The last couple of holes work great for casting or retrieving.  because of the style and weight of the Echotail while trolling, you will have to troll them at a little faster speed which works great in warm water conditions for walleye, pike and muskies.  

 For all you guys that are into vertical jigging, there is no other blade bait that comes close to the Echotail that the Blanchar family has introduced into the fishing industry.  This is the number one blade bait on the market... There is no other blade bait that even comes close.