The 5 Best Blade Baits


A good fishing tackle box should have various lures to cover different conditions, fish species, and seasonal behaviors. No respectable tackle box would be complete without a good selection of blade baits. Functional in most water conditions and irresistible to game fish, a top blade bait will guarantee a catch. With so many on the market, there are 5 of the best blade baits you need to have.

The five best blade baits you need to invest in are the Damiki Vault blade, the Silver Budy blade, the Megabass Vibration X Dyna Response blade, the Jackall Keeburn blade the Strike Pro Astro blade bait. These blade bait lures are great for bass, Walleye, trout, steelheads, and pike. The vibration action will be irresistible to all predatory freshwater fish.

These blade baits have been selected for their consistent performance in the water. That will be based on vibration action, color and shape, and durability, and hook setting. The blade baits are manufactured to mimic specific forage species that game predatory fish feed on. The life-like action of these blade baits guarantees a strike every time. Let’s look at the five best blade baits you should have in your tackle box.

What Are Blade Baits?

If you are not familiar with a blade bait and what it does, here is a short description;

A blade bait is an artificial lure used in freshwater fishing, and it is usually colorful or metallic. It is a crankbait that generally has one or two sets of treble hooks on the front bottom and the back. The nose area is usually weighted, and the lure is manufactured to resemble a small fry. As you reel it in, you create a lift and drop action, making the lure vibrate on the uplift.

Blade baits are excellent to fish in current edges and breaks, in pockets or reservoirs.

The Top 5 Blade Baits

Damiki Vault Blade

The Damiki Vault blade bait is great for targeting bass. This vibration blade bait mimics a wide variety of forage fish very accurately. The Damiki Vault is available in various colors and comes with three different settings to attach your line. This line setting allows you to add variation to the pull, how deep you want it to be fished, and the level of vibration you would like.

The Damiki blade comes rigged with high-quality Damiki Viper treble hooks. One of the more versatile blade bait lures available.

Silver Buddy Blade Bait

This blade bait was designed by Paul “Buddy” Banks in 1983 and has been a staple lure in tackle boxes since. Its unmistakable effectiveness is due to the perfect weight distribution that produces a vibration no fish species can resist. The Silver Buddy Blade bait comes with two sets of razor-sharp treble hooks. This is a top choice for any water and any fish.

Megabass Vibration X Dyna Response Blade Bait

This blade bait presents some of the newest technology in angling available. Its ultra-hydrodynamic design slices through the water like a knife, causing potent vibrations in the water. The intense flash that it creates will outfish any lure in your tackle box. 

This lure sports a design feature that significantly assists in reducing line tangles while casting. The hand-tied tinsel tail creates just enough enticing flash. It is kitted with two Japanese treble hook sets guaranteed to keep the fish on. Designed by a Megabass pro-staffer Shinji Sato with experience and knowledge of what anglers need and what triggers fish like bass, you cannot afford not to have one.

Jackall Keeburn Blade Bait

The Jackall Keeburn blade bait is an exciting mix of conventional metal and unconventional circuit board material. Not only is it highly durable it also creates a greatly amplified vibration underwater. Upon reeling in, the head will remain stable, but the body will explode with vibration.

While the bait shimmies at high-speed retrieve, it will remain stable on the front. It is available in several exciting, high-quality finishes for any water or species. These blade bait lures come kitted with two sets of razor-sharp double hooks.

Strike Pro Astro Vibe Blade Bait

The Strike Pro Astro Vibe is a unique-looking lure. It has a life-like body mold resembling a shad with big 3D eyes. The gill plates make it look more realistic, and that also triggers more strikes. This lure is a combination of two fantastic lures with a history of success. It combines the lipless crankbait and the best of a blade bait in one.

Manufactured with a metal body and a polycarbonate belly, it creates heavy vibration and rattling, which attracts fish more readily. It comes with three-line connection points allowing you to imitate fish behaviors better depending on water, season, and available food.

Best Blade Baits for Bass

Bass is a powerful predatory fish and loves to eat anything that moves. The following blade baits are considered the best for bass based on performance, movement, color, and durability.

  • Silver Buddy Blade Bait- This blade bait should be a staple in your tackle box. It has been unmatched since 1983 in performance and reliability. One great feature of this lure is it does not grab the line and tangle up like many other lures. The excellent vibration action on this lure is irresistible to large and smallmouth bass.
  • Heddon Sonar Blade Bait: The Heddon Sonar is available in various colors and has a solid construction. It is manufactured with three areas for line attachment, allowing you to fish the lure according to conditions.
  • Damiki Vault: The Damiki Vault is a small and lightweight blade bait lure. It is incredibly successful in winter when the water temperature is low. Its vibration imitates small baitfish accurately, and bass finds this action irresistible. It is available in various colors.
  • Johnson ThinFisher: The Johnson ThinFisher is an excellent blade bait for the novice angler. Very successful in winter when the big bass becomes more active. The ThinFisher is available in a variety of colors.  

Best Blade Baits for Walleye

The Walleye is a great freshwater predator and a good-eating fish. Walleyes are more active at night and will come closer to the shoreline. It is sometimes referred to as ‘Yellow Pike,’ but they are not related to the Pike species. The following blade baits are successful in landing a good size Walleye.

  • Heddon Sonar Blade Bait – This blade bait is excellent at imitating an injured baitfish, and the Walleye love it. It has a significant vibration when jigged and gives just the right amount of flash.
  • B3 Blade Bait – With a weighted nose and vibrant colors, this B3 blade bait guarantees a strike within the first few cranks of your reel. Whether a slow or fast retrieve, the vibration on this blade lure is perfect.
  • Silver Streaks Blade Bait – Relatively new in the market, this blade bait has the best colors available to attract Walleyes. If you are serious about jigging for Walleye, get a few of these in different colors.

How to Fish a Blade Bait

While each angler will have his different style of fishing, there are a few guidelines you can follow to present and fish a blade bait effectively. Here are the basics of fishing a blade bait;

  • Casting – The casting is crucial. This needs to be done smoothly and with one action to prevent the hooks from grabbing the line and tangling up.
  • Presentation – A lift and flutter presentation while you reel the line in works best, but you can change that based upon fish reaction. You can snap up with the rod about 2 feet and change it to small hops if you do not get a strike. Usually, the colder the water, the slower you need to reel the blade.
  • Control – You need to keep control of your line at all times so that your blade bait performs appropriately underwater. This will allow you to yo-yo the blade, and if you need it to sink a little more, you will have a tight line keeping control. You need to ensure there is no slack line on the water when you let the blade fall. Keeping your rod at the 10 o’clock position will give you reasonable control when you need to set a hook.

Conclusion

These five-blade baits are some of the top lures you can invest in.  These blade baits ensure success every fishing trip, whether fishing for Bass, Walleye, or Pike. They are considered the best based upon success rate, manufacturing, action in the water, and durability.

Aaron Warner

Aaron Warner is an avid angler with over 15 years of experience. He has participated and won fishing tournaments all over the country and enjoys fishing for bass, trout, walleye and other species.

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