Spin to Win: Panfish Secrets for Catching Limits on Spinners No lure outperforms spin baits for landing more bluegills, white bass, perch and crappie. Stick to smaller versions of spinners when targeting small-mouthed panfish species like bluegills. (Photo by Keith Sutton) By Keith Sutton Few fishing lures have stood the test of time like the spinnerbait. In America, it’s generally thought that "Big John" Hildebrandt put the first spinner on a shaft in the late 1800s when he fashioned a thin dime and one of his wife’s hairpins into a workable lure. The commonly used safety-pin spinner appeared in the early 1950s, and the Blakemore Road Runner—the first spinner—came along in 1958.The reason for their...READ THE FULL STORY ON Game & Fish GET THE NEWSLETTER Join the List and Never Miss a Thing. Email Address Sign Me Up