What length spinnerbait arm is best

on the Thumper Series?

Short Arm vs. Long Arm. It is practically impossible (at least for me) to feel that a short arm or long arm actually vibrates more or less than the other. When you compare both the long arm and short arm with the same spinnerbait head, wire diameter and same blade size, using the same model rod, reel, and line (i.e., everything identical except the upper wire arm length), they both vibrate about the same amount, which is an awful lot. So the "volume" of vibration is about equally high with either a short or long arm with the same size thumper Colorado blade.

However, there is a big difference in the type of action generated by the long arm versus the short arm:

• Long Arm. What you feel in your rod tip with the long arm is similar to the pulsing throb of a wide-wobbling, big-billed crankbait.
• Short Arm. What you feel in your rod tip with the short arm spinnerbait, is more like the rapid, short, choppy bounce of a tight-wiggling crankbait.

When to Use One or the Other?

Are there times when fish favor the heavy pulsing throb of a long arm? Are there other times they prefer the rapid, chattering jackhammer action of a short arm? Well, I keep on asking them, but so far, no fish has ever admitted that.

Nevertheless, if you want to try spinnerbaits that act about as close as spinnerbaits can to simulate the actions of wide-wobbling or tight-wiggling crankbaits, then give these long arm and short arm thumpers a respective shot.

In addition to the difference in action, these are differences in application:

• Long Arm. For me, the long arm gets the nod in dirty shallow water when there's a lot of unpredictable brush, stumps or other debris that just can't be seen due to dark water color. There may be a lot of brush, wood or other stuff under the surface, you just can't see where. So when you are casting blindly to cover lots of water, and you cannot see what obstacles are underneath, then the long arm acts very much like the protective brushguard on a jig, preventing the long arm spinnerbait from getting snagged too badly.
   
  For the same reason, I opt for the long arm at night, since it's too dark to really see what you're casting into or over. So the long arm is more forgiving in terms of not snagging as badly at night - or during the day in dark water. The long arm is more of a "tell tale" that gives you more feedback when it bumps something. With the long arm, you have an extra split-second to speed up, raise the rod tip, shake or rip it loose, or otherwise react when the "tell tale" tells you it's hitting something.
   
• Short Arm. In shallow water, the short arm can be flipped or pitched like a flipping jig. After all, it is a jig, head and skirt (you can even add a pork or plastic trailer) coupled with a thumping blade. Since it's more compact (like a jig), the short arm more easily gets in and out of tight spots (which takes a lot of good hand-eye coordination). So you are often peppering tight spots where a bass may be holed up in weeds, wood or rock cover, and pitching or flipping the short arm into the proverbial "strike window" right in cover. Think of and use it like a flipping jig. Many fish will hit on the initial fall as it helicopters down, or as it lays motionless on bottom. If no bites, let it sit a spell before you shake and flop it around a little (enough to make the blade flop and flare). Then pull it out of that spot, and flip or pitch it into the next spot.
   
  The short arm's true specialty, however, is bottom-bouncing slowly in deep water and vertical jigging where you can use a lift/fall retrieve or yoyo it in deeper water.

Sure Thing Lures can make either style

just be sure to specify which one you would like.