Most spinnerbaits on the market have a wire that's fairly large, and this increases the profile of the lure. What I wanted was something with a smaller wire configuration as well as a smaller head -- truly a compact spinnerbait.

I did quite well with this lure at a recent Top 150 tournament at Toledo Bend. I caught all of my fish on this lure by retrieving it just off the bottom. The fish were about 5 or 6 feet deep. I still employ a method I've used for 20 years that was taught to me by Elroy Kruger of San Antonio, Texas -- to add a sinker to the hook under the skirt. That way, the bait maintains a

When fishing clear water, I like the golden shiner pattern. In murky water, I go to a perch pattern, which is chartreuse and white with a little red in it. The configuration I was using at Toledo Bend in clear water was a No. 3 or 3 1/2 Stanley Wedge willowleaf blade with a small Colorado blade in front of it. In murky waters, I use the Colorado Wedge blades.

A particularly good application for this lure is when cold front rolls in. A front will cause bedding bass to move into deeper water. When this happens, you can catch them with some of the methods you used during the pre-spawn phase.

Also, not all bass are involved in the bedding process, and you can still hook a few early in the morning on spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Usually when bass are spawning, you can forget using a spinnerbait from about 10 o'clock on. But there's always a few fish running around those areas early in the morning, and the Compact Spinnerbait will catch them.

Tracker Marine pro Rick Clunn of Ava, Mo., is a four-time BASS Masters Classic champion, and has never failed to qualify for a Classic during his 27 years as a professional angler. He also is a consistent winner on the FLW tournament circuit.