"The big deal with mono is it lets a fish inhale the bait. You get really good hookups," says Dobyns, who uses 12- to 15-pound CXX P-Line. "You are fishing it around cover. There's no need to throw less than 12-pound test. If you use light line you'll risk breaking off the fish."

Some anglers opt to fish lighter line, but it's not necessary and could work against you. Keep in mind that a spinnerbait is a reaction bait. It's not a slow-moving plastic worm the bass is going to watch and then decide whether to grab it. In this case they see it swimming by and make a quick decision whether to grab it. Having a lighter line isn't going to increase your catch rates, but it can make getting the fish back to the boat more challenging.

Braided lines are becoming increasingly popular, but they too must be matched to the style of fishing necessary. If you are fishing a braided line, chances on you'll be tossing 50-pound Power Pro. Braided line, which doesn't stretch like a monofilament, allows you to dictate the bass' movements without having to worry about breaking the fish off.

"Once you hook a fish up on braided line you have a lot more control, but the con is that you have to let them eat the spinnerbait. You can't be fast on the trigger," Dobyns said. "If you react right away you'll put it out of the fish's mouth before he has a chance to eat it."

SPINNERBAIT RODS
Rod selection is important when fishing spinnerbaits. While you can throw a spinnerbait on any rod, to maximize results it can be beneficial to purchase a rod specifically designed to throw these baits.

"With a spinnerbait, you are talking about a reaction-type bait. You want the rod to let the bait work. Too many times guys will try to get one rod to work everything. When you use one rod to fish topwater baits, crankbaits, worms and jigs, what you are doing is compromising yourself quite a bit," says John Posey, national sales director for Lamiglas, one of the nation's leading rod manufactures. He recommends using a medium-heavy to heavy rod, to allow for enough backbone for hook-setting power. "You need to have a little softness in the tip so the bait can work, but when you want to set the hook you want to have some power too."

Dobyns is a firm believer in having several rods, including a spinnerbait rod.

"The spinnerbait is going to spin no matter what rod you are throwing it on. What's important is that you have a soft tip on it so the fish can grab the bait. Otherwise you'll put it away from it," Dobyns said. "You can't have one rod that does everything. You are seriously handicapping yourself if you are doing that. You have to have a spinnerbait rod, but it will double as a topwater rod as well and a lot of times you can throw a crankbait on it too, but it would be a horrible jig rod."

Narrowing the scope between fiberglass and graphite rods can further maximize the ability of a spinnerbait.

"Fiberglass works well because the softer action of most fiberglass rods allow the spinnerbait to work as they are designed," Posey said. "Some graphite rods work for throwing spinnerbaits, but they need to have softer action. A fast-action rod won't allow the bait to work right."

It can be challenging to choose an ideal length for a spinnerbait rod. The length depends on several factors, including each person's casting style and height. For the most part, anglers use a 6 1/2- to 7-foot rod.

"Rods are so individual and people don't realize it," Posey said. "You need to pick it up and see if it feels right to you. The rod has to feel right to the individual angler."