In the Tailraces - The New Lindy Spinner

The leaves are turning, and so are the turbines at the hydro-electric dams. It is autumn in the tailraces, and as the water cools, everything that eats baitfish is swimming up into the current to take advantage of the shad migration.

Drifting live shad in the current below the dams on the standard ‘hook and split shot’ rig has been around forever. But Lindy has a new twist in the game plan, and the New Lindy Spinner tipped with the river’s natural bait is arm-jarring temptation for everything that swims in the flow.

You never know what you will catch… smallmouth, walleye, stripe, crappie, drum, catfish – they all slam the spinner rig with vigorous force, there is no mistake when they strike. And when it comes to getting them to the boat, these fish have the current advantage, making it all the more fun.

For those who don’t get into catching their own bait, using store bought minnows of local choice will work fine. Usually, bigger baitfish are better. Large "tuffies" or shiners are great trailers on the spinners. About all species will eat them. Natural bait from the lake or river is always best, and most of the time shad are readily available if you can throw a cast net. Typically, they can be found schooled up in areas out of the main current. Threadfin shad work best, but gizzard shad will also work when threadfin are hard to find.

Keeping bait alive is tricky, even in the cooler temperatures of fall. With shad, it’s best to use a round bait container so they don’t get gathered up in the corners. Shad have to keep swimming to survive.

Adding a couple handfulls of rock salt to the water in bigger tanks helps keep them lively. A few table spoons of the salt is sufficient in tanks or bait buckets under 5 gallons. Do not use the salt in built in livewells unless you flush the pumps afterward. Salt is tough on equipment that is not made for it.

Keeping the aerator going full time is important, and if the water get’s foamy, a small pack or two of coffee creamer will clear it up and the foam will disappear. 

The Rig –



The New Lindy Spinner minnow rig has some incredibly functional features for fishing in the tailraces. The quick-change clevis allows sizes or colors of the spinner blade to be changed with ease, no need to tie on a new snell.

The premium bead combinations are matched perfectly to the blades, and the hook is strong and sharp. The blade turns at the slowest of speeds, making it perfect for slower current situations or slower trolling. When casting, even slow retrieves in deeper water keep the blade turning and the bait looking vibrant and alive.

For most waters less than 14 feet deep, a ¼ oz No-Snagg sinker is the best bet for working the New Lindy Spinner. Even in rocky terrain, it resists hang-ups when it contacts the bottom. On medium spinning gear, the New Lindy Spinner with a No-Snagg sinker can be cast across the current for long distances. It will cover a lot of water across the drift. There are many variations that can be used for any conditions. Place the No-Snagg sinker on the line followed by a Lindy bead, then tie on the spinner rig at the swivel. Hook up a minnow or other live bait and hang on, the strikes are usually vicious.

The New Lindy Spinner with a No-Snagg weight is the perfect long distance casting rig. Even when drifting, casting across the current and slow reeling puts live bait in places that simply drifting will miss. Allowing the rig to go down current and holding it while the current provides the action is a really good tactic for smallmouth, stripe and hybrids. It looks like the baitfish is struggling to swim up the current, and gamefish slam it. You can pull it slowly up past big rocks and into eddies, or you can let it slip back behind cover that is breaking the current. And if you don’t have a boat, you can throw it a long way into the current from the shore… this rig puts a lot more fish within reach of a cast.

When the turbines are off, most people won’t even fish. But with the spinner rig, trolling or casting in the slack water is still very effective. 

Equipment –  

A 7’ Medium to Medium Heavy spinning rod is ideal. 8 to 10 pound test line is sufficient and reels
that have a high line capacity are a good idea. Keeping the drag set to slip a little is important, since the strikes of bigger fish often come as they are on the run, and they will literally begin stripping line in the current. On Southern waters, the Spinner Rig is deadly during the hybrid runs and on big saltwater stripe. There is nothing subtle about the way they eat this setup. If they are on, you will feel it at the end of the day. The spinner rig can be used in a lot of ways for a lot of different fish in any part of the country.

And don’t forget that keeping the New Lindy Spinner organized is easy with the Lindy Rigger or Lindy Rigger X-Treme. It makes keeping the spinners, snells and components very easy to maintain.