"Killing it keeps your spinnerbait where it needs to be," he added. "Bass are very much cover- and structure-oriented, and anytime you can bump that structure or cover with your lure -- spinnerbait or crankbait -- you're going to trigger that bass to bite out of pure instinct."

Another approach Niggemeyer uses is to lift his spinnerbait off the bottom with his rod before allowing it to flutter back. Sometimes known as a pump-and-flutter retrieve, this technique is very much like what some anglers would call stroking a jig. The idea behind stroking a jig is to violently pop a jig off the bottom, then let it fall straight back down.

"This is just like that, only your jig has a spinner attached to it," Niggemeyer said. "So, this technique is going to give those deep bass a little bit different retrieve that they might need to trigger them to bite."

While Niggemeyer's techniques could work in just about any lake in the country, Tibbs explained a technique that specifically works great on lakes that still have standing timber.

"One of the ways we fish the Ledgebuster here at Eufaula is to cast it out past the standing timber on the edges of the channels," he said. "As you reel your spinnerbait back in, you'll feel your line begin to load up as it pulls over the timber. The closer the spinner gets to the wood, the more pressure you'll feel on your line."

When he feels his lure pop over the obstruction, Tibbs kills his retrieve and allows his lure to flutter straight back to the bottom. This technique targets bass that suspend around the standing timber no matter how shallow or deep they may be. Most times, the closer the spinnerbait is to the timber as it falls, the better the bite will be.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS
The very nature of the blades turning on a spinnerbait creates lift much like helicopter blades. The larger the blades, the more lift they provide. That's why most spinnerbaits designed to get down and stay down in deep water feature a single blade. These single-bladed lures can be kept near the bottom at a much faster retrieve than those with tandem blades.

"We make the Ledgebuster with either a single No. 7 Colorado blade or a No. 6 willow-leaf blade," Tibbs pointed out. "And, of course, the Colorado blade produces more lift than the willow blade, so you've got to fish it slower."

Another way to keep a heavy spinnerbait down on the bottom is to use smaller blades, especially if you desire a tandem blade setup for more flash. Niggemeyer has often replaced the larger blades that typically come on heavier spinnerbaits with No. 4 and No. 5 blades to keep his lure down.

"Anything you can do to get a big spinnerbait down to the bottom and keep it there will pay off in more bites because you'll have your lure in the strike zone a lot longer than you would otherwise."