Are Blue Fox Spinners any good? (How do they compare with the competition?)

I have been fishing Blue Fox spinner lures for nearly two decades, and they are among my favorites. When I first got into trout fishing, I favored Blue Fox Vibrax based on price alone, at that time they were a couple of dollars cheaper than the other big brands and I frequently found them in clearance bins.

I continue to use them because they work.

If I have to describe the Blue Fox Vibrax in just a couple of sentences it will be a loud, heavy spinning that gives off a lot of vibration. Excellent for grabbing a trout’s attention in even the most turbulent of water.

I will now go into some more details that I like about Blue Fox Vibrax.

Heavy

For its dimensions, the Vibrax is solid. It casts far, sinks quickly, and swims deep. If you need to get a spinner down deep fast, the Vibrax is a great choice.

The marketing claims that they retrieve between 2 and 6ft. While I have no way to measure that myself, just from my observations it seems fairly accurate.

I often fish them on windy days, when I need to cast powerfully to punch into a gusty headwind.

Loud

The Vibrax gives off a lot of vibration, it is not for finesse or delicate presentation. It is designed to be loud and to be noticed. Sometimes, it will spook fish, but at other times I am sure it is so annoying it will trigger a strike out of aggression.

Because of the ‘loud’ vibration, it is probably easier for the trout to hear and sense through the roar of turbulent rapids. I call it my big water spinner.

Minimizes line twist

Due to the unique design of an internal rotating brass gear, it does not generate line twists to the same amount as other inline-spinners. If you are only occasionally using a spinner, it might even be possible not to use a swivel.

Good build quality.

In my opinion, the Vibrax is the second most durable inline spinner out of the big brands, only being beaten by the Mepps Aglia.

Overall build quality is typically high, and ‘duds’ are extremely rare. The metal wire is also unlikely to bend, a common issue I face with some other brands.

Finally, they come rigged with VMC hooks. I like VMC and they have never given me any issues. Although I do know some people who have had bad experiences VMC, that has not been my experience.

While the included hooks are good quality, It is probably advisable to change out to a single hook when practicing catch and release. A single hook is also less likely to snag the bottom.

Where I do not recommend using Blue Fox Vibrax Spinners

While I believe the Blue Fox Vibrax is a very good spinner, there are some situations where I feel other spinners are more well suited.

Shallow water

The first situation is in skinny, shallow water with not much current. This is because the Vibrax sinks quickly, and does not spend enough time suspending in the feeding zone. It basically just drags along the bottom, and sooner or later will snag.

While it is usually desirable to bounce spinners close to the bottom, it is not desirable if they spend the entire time there.

When fishing shallow water, my preference is to use a Mepps Agila. They flutter down slower increasing hang time.

In saying that Blue Fox does make a shallow swimming variant of the Vibrax, that is meant to retrieve in depths down to 2 feet.

Spooky fish

Sometimes I feel the loud vibrations from a Vibrax are simply too overwhelming for trout, and they want nothing to do with it.

I personally do not like fishing them to line shy fish, or in very still water. I like a bit of turbulence and current.

How does the Blue Fox Vibrax Compare?

Vibrax vs Panther Martin

I feel these two inline spinners have a lot in common and I use them in similar situations. The main difference seems to be that the Blade on the Vibrax can flutter on the drop, while it takes some forward momentum to get the Panther Martin going. For this reason, I feel the Vibrax is more likely to be hit on the drop.

Vibrax vs Mepps Agilia

Putting my two favorite spinners head to head. Other than both being spinners, they are quite different. The Vibrax is heavier and creates more disturbance as it spins through the water. Mepps are a lighter lure with a more finesse action. This allows them to almost suspend and flutter through shallow ripples.

Vibrax vs Roostertail

I have never been a fan of the Roostertail, I find the wire is a bit soft. Seems to bend more often than the other major brands. In saying that, the Vibrax and Roostertail share a lot in common, they are heavy and fast sinking. The main difference is that the blade on the Roostertail is less responsive and generally only spins during faster retrieves

Vibrax vs Joes Flies

The Joe Flies is the most finesse spinner on this list, it is feather light. It excels in very shallow water and skinny streams. The colorado blade also makes them ideal for very slow retrieves.

My three favorite Vibrax colors

I personally feel all colors work and can catch trout on the right day. But, there are some colors I like more than others. The most important piece of advice I can offer when selecting colors is to fish what you have the most confidence in.

To start off, Silver and gold are classics that work well, but I find them a bit boring.

Red tiger

The red tiger pattern is vivid red, with tiger stripes to mix things up. I like to fish this pattern at the heads of pools, where there is plenty of turbulence and bubbles.

Silver/chrome blue

When the sun is out, I find the combination of silver and blue to be extremely effective

Chartreuse Green Candyback.

For some reason, when there are rainbow trout in the river, the combination of a chartreuse body and silver blade can really get them excited. Slightly less effective on browns.

Summary

Not much to summarize, I find Blue Fox Vibrax spinners to be excellent trout lures for bigger water. The dense design makes them easy to cast, and they sink fast while the blade spins even at a slow retrieve.

For more information about other inline spinners check my guide here.

To read my views comparing Mepps Agilia and Panther Martins check here.