In the 1980’s and living in Pretoria, I joined Pretoria
Bassmasters and, as part of the package, became a member
of Bassmaster, USA. The great thing about this was
receiving my regular copies of Bassmaster magazine
directly from the USA! I could hardly wait for the
magazine to arrive and scanned every article for
information and tips I was convinced would make me a
better Basser.
One article I remember particularly well was about
spinnerbaits. The author came to the conclusion that the
spinnerbait was the single most effective and versatile
Bass lure or “bait” as they called it – for every season
and every condition and circumstance. I was an instant
“convert” to spinnerbaits and fished them almost
exclusively for some years, putting into practice what I
had read and experiencing first-hand how productive
spinnerbaits were when fished correctly. Needless to
say, some of my best Bass were taken on spinnerbaits!
(By the way, this is a good way to learn how to fish any
lure – choose it and stick with it until you have
mastered it …)
Some time later, I read about the “Okeechobee Special”
in another issue of Bassmaster magazine …
The pages of Bassmaster revealed that the “Okeechobee
Special” was at one time a “secret” bait originally used
on the weedy and reedy waters of Florida’s Lake
Okeechobee to mimic live shiners. Bassmaster was now
revealing this “secret bait of the pros” to its readers
…
The drift was that certain (by all accounts, very
successful) pros would get hold of the old
Hildebrandt “Slim Eli” Willowleaf spinners (in sizes
6, 7 and 8), cut the spinners up to harvest the big
Willowleaf blades and put them on their regular
spinnerbaits to produce a big, slow bait with lots of
flash and vibration resembling a large shiner minnow
(that No. 8 blade is really humungous!) and an easy meal
for a big Bass. That was the “Okeechobee Special” –
basically an ordinary spinnerbait, but fitted with an
extra large Willowleaf blade.
Now I wanted an “Okeechobee Special” for myself as well,
but all I found in local tackle shops were
standard-sized Willowleaf spinnerbaits which I
considered to be rather “wimpy”, especially after being
charged up by the Bassmaster article! You could not
really get any blades to purchase separately in the
local shops at that time, so I resorted to some
desperate measures and got me a few (a good few, I might
add!) of the Hildebrandt No. 6 and 8 Willowleaf
blades (imported from the USA – quite a “schlep” back
then without the Internet and online ordering!) to
fashion my own custom “Okeechobee Specials”.
I used my custom “Okeechobee Specials” with much success
in the late 1980’s at Theewaterskloof from the shoreline
while I was stationed in the Cape and only graduated to
plastic worm fishing when my supply of spinnerbaits
started running out … I specifically recall an occasion
one early overcast February morning at the Draaiberg
Bridge area of Theewaterskloof where I latched onto two
magnificent Largemouths of close on 3kg each in short
succession right under the noses of some experienced
Western Province Bassers (who shall remain nameless!)
who were fishing with Texas-rigged plastic worms … That
experience served to reinforce my conviction that
spinnerbaits, in general, and the “Okeechobee Special”,
in particular, were a good idea for Bass!
Even today, I am convinced that the “Okeechobee Special”
is a “must have” in any serious Bass fishing arsenal of
lures. Two of my top five Bass, including my current
personal best (a Mteri Bass of 4.6kg) have been taken on
this bait.
Practising what I preach - a Bass of 4,6kg (10.12lb)
taken on a custom “Okeechobee Special” type
spinnerbait
on 2 August 2006 at Mteri, Zimbabwe The lure (clearly
visible) has a chartreuse and white skirt dressed with a
black Berkley PowerWorm trailer and a No. 6 gold
Hildebrandt Willowleaf blade. A real “confidence”
bait I’ll use anytime!
Not only productive in warm and weedy waters or the
stained timbered waters of what was Theewaterskloof, but
icy water as well such as to be found on a bluebird
cloudless day one May in the Cape when a sluggish Bass
came up from the depths of Theewaterskloof next to the
rip-rap of a submerged roadbed in slow motion to nail my
“Okeechobee Special” with a No. 6 nickel Willowleaf
blade …
The big Willowleaf blade (at least a No. 6 right up to
the max, a No. 8) is the key to the success of this
bait. The blade is big and relatively heavy and puts up
quite a lot of resistance on the retrieve, so it’s slow
but makes up for this with lots of flash and vibration.
It has a lot of lift and buoyancy, too, and comes
through grass and obstructions rather easily. I throw it
on a flipping stick or pitching stick with 17 – 20lb
test mono or, currently, on 50lb braid (Berkley
Whiplash) with a 20lb test mono or fluorocarbon leader.
Lighter line and softer rods just don’t cut it with this
bait. Also, you would want to use the traditional style
round baitcaster reels (such as the ABU 5 000C or
the Shimano Calcutta or Daiwa Luna in a
similar size) and not the more modern low profile
styles. You will get quality fish smacking this bait and
you do not want to lose you next personal best!
What this bait represents to the Bass is anyone’s guess.
The original theory behind the bait apparently was to
“match the hatch” with the wild shiners so much loved by
the Lake Okeechobee Bass. The standard big Bass bait at
the time on Lake Okeechobee was a live shiner (and
probably still is, today too!). The profile of that big
Willowleaf blade coming through the water represents a
shiner (or in SA a yellowfish, scaly, trout or any other
slim-profiled, but substantial, baitfish) which makes a
great, easy to swallow and nutritious meal for a hungry
big momma Bass.
Hildebrandt
now also sells their own branded version of the
“Okeechobee Special”, but you may find it difficult to
get the size 6, 7 or 8 Willowleaf blades in the
commercially made-up version.
Hildebrandt’s “Okeechobee Special”
with the standard (in my opinion, too small) Willowleaf
blade (probably a No. 4 or 5). You could, however,
transform this into a real “Okeechobee Special”
if you upgrade to a No. 6, 7 or 8 Willowleaf blade.
In a recent online search I could only find this bait/
lure with No. 4 or 5 Willowleaf blades. This is actually
missing the point, because to qualify as an “Okeechobee
Special” you need a Willowleaf blade in at least size
No. 6. Anything less, in my opinion, is just a plain old
Willowleaf spinnerbait – nothing really “special” about
it … Go big or go home!
The real deal, a custom “Okeechobee Special” with
a big Hildebrandt No. 8 Willowleaf blade. Now
that’s quite a mouthful …
What remains then, is to buy the bigger blades
separately (easy to find the No. 6 and 7’s online), or
do as the old-timers did and buy the size 6, 7 or 8
double blade Hildebrandt “Slim Eli” spinners and
cut them up to get at the blades to put on your
spinnerbaits – a bit expensive this way, but you gotta
do what you gotta do … By the way, Hildebrandt
also makes excellent premium quality Colorado style
blades, a must for any spinnerbait aficionado who
insists on only the best blades.
A selection of Hildebrandt Willowleaf blades in
sizes No. 6 and 8, gold (top) and nickel (bottom).
Ensure you get the best possible basic spinnerbait to
work with to use as your basis for customising your own
“Okeechobee Special”. In the past, I was partial to
Fleck “Weed Waders”, currently I like the Stanley
range of spinnerbaits …
Through the years, I have narrowed the styles and
colours of spinnerbait down to what works best for me. I
get rather dogmatic about certain spinnerbait components
– this is a “confidence” thing for me when it comes to
spinnerbaits.
Weight: Generally, 3/8 oz or ½ oz. I would not recommend a
lighter head with the bigger blades – you can go heavier
if required.
Head colour:
Black or white, gold or silver, head colour is not too
critical.
Skirt colours: A mix of white and chartreuse for daytime
(with the white head); black at night (with the black
head).
Trailer: I almost always add a black trailer worm (or large
grub) to dress my spinnerbait day or night (my current
favourite is a 7” black Berkley PowerWorm with
about an inch pinched off the head to shorten it
slightly). I never use a trailer hook or stinger
hook – the way I fish spinnerbaits with big blades –
slowly – it’s just not necessary.
Blades: My favourites: A single No. 5 or 6 Colorado style blade
(gold or nickel colour) for general daytime and
night-time fishing; a small Colorado style blade teamed
with a large No. 6, 7 or even 8 Willowleaf style blade
in gold or nickel colour – the “Okeechobee Special” for
big Bass. The Hildebrandt premium blades are
probably the best you can buy – heavy, shiny and durable
for excellent flash, vibration and “thump”. I almost
always replace the blades on any spinnerbait I use with
Hildebrandt blades. Only when you try them will
you know why. Also, I generally like bigger blades than
normally found on stock spinnerbaits, so that
necessitates replacement of the blades.
Swivels: I always use a ball bearing type swivel to connect the
blade to allow the big blades to turn easily. Also
ensure the split rings on the swivel are of good
quality. Those big blades generate quite a lot of torque
and pressure (enough to deform the split ring
connections on some cheaper spinnerbaits) and big Bass
can smack a spinnerbait hard – hard enough to dislodge
the blades! It’s a shame to lose a Hildebrandt
blade!
You may get some strange looks (and comments) about the big
blade (not to mention the big trailer worm) … Don’t let
this put you off. It really works and it won’t be long
before you, too, are a ”believer” …
A last word to leave you with: you will generally do better –
have more success – with bigger Bass if you slow down
your presentation (with any lure, including spinnerbaits),
but to get the most from a spinnerbait you must actually
feel that blade turning – working, slowly and steadily …
Now, “THERE SHE IS!”
Jacques Wolmarans
www.BigBass.co.za
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