There are countless sizes, head and blade styles, blade combinations and skirt/blade colors to choose from, so many that it would be impossible to review all the possibilities in a short article. Some general guidelines however will help you choose a selection to get started.
Most of the better spinnerbaits today are furnished with good quality hooks, some chemically or lazer sharpened. Don't assume however the hook is sharp right out of the package. Check the hook by lightly dragging the point across your fingernail and if it doesn't dig in easily, give it a good sharpening before hitting the water.
These baits can and are fished with spinning, casting or spincast rods, however I think you will find that the majority of seasoned bass fisherman prefer to use a casting rod. A 6 foot medium heavy graphite casting rod is generally accepted as the best length and action. Handles can be pistle grips or straight cork, however they should be on the short side. This length and handle style will work best for fast repetative casting, especially around shallow or tight cover when accurate casts are a must.
Casting, spinning and spincast reels can and are used for fishing spinnerbaits, however the reel of choice for most is the casting reel. Generally speaking a high speed reel, with a fast cast thumb bar, either a round or low profile design and with as many ball bearings as your budget will allow, will be the best choice.
The majority of spinnerbait fisherman are using mono, however there are those that now prefer to fish the newer braids. A good quality mono in 10-25 lb test will fit most applications. Line in 10 lb test would be a good choice for open, clear water applications or smallmouth fishing. Line in 15 lb test would probably be a good middle ground and cover all but the real heavy cover applications. In heavy cover or stained or muddy water, you can easily get away with a heavier 25 lb mono.
The quantity and variety of the techniques this bait can be applied is endless, so I will cover some of my favorite applications and offer what will hopefully be some helpful tips. One of the main reasons a spinnerbait is the first bait picked up by a lot of seasoned bass fishermen, is it's ability to cover water quickly and be applied as a search tool. That reason along, makes a spinnerbait worth it's weight in gold. Not only can it be used to quickly locate aggressive fish, it is also a good bait for determining what cover might be available out of sight.
The key to success with a spinnerbait, like any lure, is to experiment every day and let the bass tell you what they want. The biggest mistake most people make is fishing it the same way day after day. Before each trip consider the season, past and current weather conditions, what water temperature is likely to be encountered, what the water clarity will be, what the predominant forage is and what type of cover or structure you will be fishing. Using these basic variables bait selection might go something like this.
Here are some of the tricks I've learned over the years that should put some more fish in your boat with a spinnerbait. I might be stating the obvious, but sometimes it's good to rattle the old brain once in a while, because let's face it we all get stuck in a rut once in a while. You will catch fish just chucking and winding, however I find it very productive to start and stop the bait during the retrieve. This has the same strike triggering affect on a bass as an erratic retrieve with a crankbait and other lures. I get a high percentage of strikes after I stop my retrieve and after I start back up again.
Nothing will produce more bass on a spinnerbait, than contact with cover. You want your bait bagging off the standing timber, laydown logs, dock pilings, weed bed, lilly pad stems, boulders and chunk rock on the bottom. Just like stopping and starting the retrieve this erratic action will trigger reaction strikes. One of my favorite tricks for late fall is slow rolling a double willow leaf spinnerbait through weed beds that are still green. Nothing congregates bass in late fall like green weed beds. At that time, and I'm now talking cold water and very subtle bites, I switch to fishing a spinnerbait on a 6.5 medium action spinning rod. I do that because I prefer 30 lb spiderwire for this application and braids work best on spinning tackle. The spiderwire offers a couple of advantages. First it will transmit even the lightest bites and second it does a better job of cutting through the weeds. I'll make a long cast and turn the handle just enough to barely rotate the blades. I want the spinnerbait down in the weeds and actually snagging from time to time. If I feel my bait snag, I just continue my slow steady retrieve and eventually the bait will pop free and that sudden erratic motion will generate a lot of reaction strikes.
Most fishermen don't like very windy conditions, but at the right time of year, and with the right water temperature, wind will create ideal conditions for throwing a spinnerbait. Give me a early spring day just before a cold front comes through, water temperatures around 55 degrees, after several days of warm 65-70 degree 15-25 mph winds out of the southwest and I've died and gone to spinnerbait heaven. Head for the northeast spawning coves and put the trolling motor down and go. Fish the windy shorelines just outside the coves, primary points at the cove entrance, secondary points back in the cove, the back end of these coves where the warmer surface waters have built up over the past few days and hold on. Flip the season and those same conditions in late fall can turn into a day like no other. A couple of days of warming tread in late fall with main lake temps in the low 50's and the coves on the northern part of the lake will probably be 5-8 degrees warmer.
Experiment with bait weights, blade styles, color combinations, various retrieve speeds (don't forget to stop & go), different depths, contact as much cover and structure as you can and don't forget to take the season, weather patterns, water temperature and clarity, forage base and the cover into consideration. Only your imagination limits the applications for this versitile bait. One other helpful tip, keep a log book. Aside from time on the water, nothing will increase your chances for success year after year than a detailed log book. During or after each trip, make notes that detail the conditions, bait size and type, depth and cover or structure the fish were caught, retrieve speed and variables that produced, time of day, weather changes etc and you will have an easy reference to help you duplicate your success.
Good luck and tight lines.