Advice for using Dixie Spinners

[Wayward Son]

I've been fishing Otisco Lake in the eastern Finger Lakes region of New York for a little over a year now. My favorite lure for that lake has been the Dixie Spinner. In case you may know it by a different name, it is a long leader, usually 36" to 48" with colored beads and a spinner blade on the leader.
Directly behind the leader is a night crawler harness with two or three hooks.
It can be used with a minnow or leech instead of a crawler, but the crawler is the bait I prefer. My problem is with the overpopulation of sunfish in that lake. It seems like I spend half of the day removing these unwanted pests from my hooks. Does anyone have any advice on how to keep the "small fry" off the line without trying a different bait? Also, I was wondering if anyone has ever tried a natural colored rubber worm on this rig instead of a real crawler. If so, what were the results?

 

[rndn]

Re: Advice for using Dixie Spinners

Have you tried a larger hook so the small fry can't get their mouth around it? Are you referring to an Erie Deerie trolling setup?

 

[rndn]

Re: Advice for using Dixie Spinners

I didn't notice that you are new to the forum. Welcome!! Feel free to ask anything on the forum from fishing tips to motor and boat maintenance and repairs. There are many great people on the forum always willing to help.