DIY: Adding a tail gunner blade

Adding a spinning blade to a hook creates a new level of attraction. This easy modification has become a mainstay on the rear treble hook of several types of my baits. I add it to tubes, topwaters, and jerkbaits. My primary application is for muskie/pike fishing, but it can easily be scaled down for other species.

Here’s how to do it.

What you need

• Treble hooks (size 4/0 to 8/0 for muskie)
• Swivels and split rings
• Shrink tube
• Blades (Colorado, willow, and Indiana)
• Wire (see right for more info)
• Pliers: side-cutting, split-ring, round-nose and split-joint

Directions

1.  Cut a six-inch length of wire using side cutters.

2.  Using round-nose pliers, make a loop on one end. Leave a ¾-inch tag for wrapping around the shaft of the wire to complete the loop.

3.  Insert a swivel into the loop, then close the loop by wrapping the tag end once around the shaft using pliers.

4.  Using split-ring pliers, attach a ring, then a blade to the swivel.

5.  Insert the shaft through the loop of the treble hook. Bend the wire 180 degrees so it comes back down along the shank of the treble hook. Trim off any excess wire hanging below the shaft of the treble hook.

6.  Slide a length of shrink tube over the shaft of the treble hook. Apply heat to shrink the tube tightly to the hook and wire.

Note: I use a size 18 wire (not 18 pounds — It’s actually 325 pounds). Your blade should hang far enough from the hook that it won’t get stuck/fouled.

Originally published in the Fall 2025 issue of Ontario Out Of Doors

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