Whenever the bass are inhabiting shallow water, the effectiveness of spinnerbaits should never be overlooked. Not only do these age-old lures allow anglers to cover the entire water column with just a slight change in retrieve, but they also emit excellent vibration and flash to attract even the most fussy bass.
I’ve spent a lot of time lately testing the Nichols Elite Lo-Pro Spinnerbait. The bass in my area are in that irritating “post-spawn funkâ€, as I like to call it. The females are spread out and difficult to find while the smaller male bass are still guarding fry and short-striking just about every lure that crosses their paths. Despite subpar fishing conditions, I’ve enjoyed a lot of success while experimenting with this spinnerbait.
I believe there are several things you should know about this particular lure.
- Small profile without sacrificing weight
- Durable wire maintains flexibility
- Runs true at all speeds
- Beautiful finish and plenty of flash
Small profile with plenty of weight
When you see the Nichols Elite Lo-Pro Spinnerbait in its package, you’ll swear it’s much lighter than it really is. It features a much smaller head than most spinnerbaits on the market, but if you look closely, you’ll notice a hidden weight beneath the skirt band. So essentially, this spinnerbait offers a very compact, subtle profile with virtually zero weight sacrifice.
I’ve found this design to be hugely advantageous on my home fisheries. We have a lot of small forage in our lakes—a few larger gizzard shad here and there, but for the most part, the bass primarily feed on fairly diminutive threadfin shad. While I’ve had moderate success on larger spinnerbaits throughout the years, I’ve been thoroughly impressed by how productive I’ve been with this smaller spinnerbait.
In addition, I’ve also been testing this spinnerbait on some local ponds because—let’s be real, here—not everyone has access to large fisheries. The Nichols Elite Lo-Pro Spinnerbait has been excellent while fishing from the bank. Most ponds don’t have large forage and this lure has allowed me to “match the hatch†almost perfectly and enjoy some really fun fish catches.
Due to its hidden weight design, the castability of this lure has been impressive to say the least. I always harp on the importance of long casts, especially in shallow-water situations and the Nichols Elite Lo-Pro Spinnerbait has allowed me to put a “finesse†spinnerbait into incredibly tight areas while maintaining a safe distance from my targets. Fry guarders are notorious for spooking easily, but I’ve been able to make 30 to 40-yard casts without any issues. Although its profile is small, this spinnerbait has been a joy to use with casting gear. No backlashes, loops or unwanted knots—just excellent castability.
You’ll also notice that Elite Lo-Pro Spinnerbait has a very blunt head shape. To be honest, I didn’t know how I’d like it at first sight. But as it turns out, the head resists common “wedging†problems around hard cover that anglers encounter with many traditionally shaped spinnerbait heads. While I’ve had almost zero hang-ups around wood cover, the head does tend to snag a bit more grass than some other spinnerbaits I’ve used. The longer, thinner heads seem to snake through grass easier, but as long as you’re not fishing large expanses of thick, submerged vegetation, I think you’ll be just fine with the Elite Lo-Pro. I’ve caught several bass with it while targeting sparse grass with very few problems.
Durable wire that maintains flexibility
There’s nothing more frustrating than having to readjust your spinnerbait after each fish catch. Anglers put a lot of emphasis on the added vibration of a flexible wire, but there’s a fine line between “flexible†and “wimpyâ€, in my opinion.
I’ve caught lots of bass with this spinnerbait thus far, including some nasty chain pickerel—otherwise known as a spinnerbait’s worst nightmare—and have only had to make one or two very minor adjustments to the wire. Although it will bend and flex while fighting a fish, the wire snaps back to its original shape once the fish is landed.
With that being said, the wire of the Nichols Elite Lo-Pro Spinnerbait flexes and pulsates nicely throughout the retrieve, regardless of your speed. I’ve been using the double-willow leaf blade combination and have been very successful with it—even in dirty water. I attribute this to the added vibration from the flexible wire.
Runs true with a unique twist
I spend a lot of time finding spinnerbaits that run true at every speed. Because I primarily target cast with these lures, I want to be absolutely certain that the spinnerbait is in the optimal strike zone for as long as long as possible. When you’re pitching it to a specific stump or grass irregularity, you don’t have very much room to make the bass bite so it’s important to make it count.
I’ve spend an inordinate amount of time playing with the Nichols Elite Lo-Pro Spinnerbait in shallow, clear water in order to observe its swimming “behaviorâ€, if you will. Sure enough, I can burn it and slow-roll it without any veering, weaving or turning which is a major plus in my book.
What I found most interesting, however, was how the head of this spinnerbait actually shimmies and wobbles from side-to-side throughout the retrieve—especially at low speeds. It doesn’t change the trajectory of the spinnerbait, but it does produce a very unique action. Of all of the spinnerbaits I’ve used, this is the only one I’ve seen with this particular action.
Is it purposely designed to do this? I have no idea. Does it result in more bites? It’s hard to say, but it looks awesome in clear water. Is it unique? Absolutely.
Beautiful finish that holds up well
Double-willow leaf spinnerbaits can be excellent in clear water, so whenever I can find one with a detailed and polished-looking finish, I’m probably going to buy one to test it out. It’s just a little something “extra†that gives me a bit more confidence on the water.
The Nichols Elite Lo-Pro Spinnerbait is a beautifully crafted spinnerbait. The skirt is incredibly detailed, the head is very lifelike and most importantly, it can stand up to a lot of abuse. I’ve fished a lot of riprap while chasing shad spawns lately and I haven’t noticed any cracking or chipping whatsoever. The big, realistic eyes have also stayed intact without falling out.
Also worth mentioning is the added metallic flake on the blades. They don’t seem to make much of a difference on cloudy days, but I can certainly notice an increase in flash when fishing in sunny conditions.
Final impressions
I’ve been quite impressed by this spinnerbait, especially due to the smaller forage found throughout most of my local fisheries. It casts well, runs true and looks awesome both in and out of the package. I have about 10 of these spinnerbaits in my boat right now and when I run out, I’m sure I’ll buy some more.
The Nichols Elite Lo-Pro Spinnerbait is available at TackleWarehouse.com.
