Trophy bass on Swimbaits

[Jolly]

Hey guys,

So it's obvious that many guys use swimbaits as their goto baits for large fish. In reading on other sites, the california trophy guys really seem to use swimbaits for the hawgs they catch. The only time I use a swimbait is: 6" junebug c-riged at night in the summer and storm swim baits during spawn to catch the males. Obviously I need to start using them more so I leave it to all of you to tell me when, where, how, why and anything else I would need to know.

Thanks,

Jolly

[flbassman]

The storm version is a great bait, versatile, good all around. I personally like using the small ones around schooling bait. Match the Hatch. If you see a feeding frenzy on two inch minnows, the surface boils are mostly smaller bass and bait. THe hawgs wait below for an injured, easy meal. This is where a three inch storm swimbait can be DEADLY. I don't know a whole lot about the $80 dollar twelve inchers, so I'll leave that to the other guys.Good luck!

[Rebbasser]

Jolly, I'm with you. Us Texas boys just don't see a lot of the giant swimbaits down here. I'm sure they would work here, especially in lakes like Amistad, but with the exception of the Storm baits I don't have a clue.

[pig n jig]

Jolly, I would be interested in knowing as well.I think its a bait that is needed to be learned, but those who know aren't giving us the information to shortcut the learning process.I am going to be using them next year, what I learn I definately will let you know.The general rule of thumb says they are too big for the colder Northern waters where I live, but I am going to give them a try.P N J

[pig n jig]

http://www.swimbaitcity.com/html/techniques.htm

[cullin8s]

This past Fall my tourney partner and I began delving into the big baits a little bit, and the first thing I learned was that I didn't have the equipment that I needed to throw any of the baits over about 2 oz. For Christmas I bought a 7' 11" Okuma Guide Select rod, and paired it up with an Okuma Induron IDX 400a reel. I got it a little early so I've already gotten to fish it a few times and the difference is amazing when your throwing a bigger bait such as the BBZ-1 that weighs 5 oz. Using my 7' heavy flipping stick just wasnt cutting it.

The best advice on fishing the baits is to take just your swimbait set up so that you don't pick up another rod if you don't get bit really quick. I've had days where I only got a couple of bites after 2 hours of nothing, but the bites I did get were worth the wait.

Don't be discouraged by followers, you'll get that alot. Sometimes the fish just aren't in the mood, but knowing you got their attention lets you know that if it was the right day they would have blasted your bait.

I"ve done the best so far with a slow steady retrieve.

The BBZ-1 in the slow sinking model has been my best bait at this point, but I recently got a huddleston deluxe which will be seeing a lot of time in the water soon.

I live in Arkansas and fish mostly in Oklahoma, so there are not alot of people doing the big bait thing here.

My next planned purchases are a 3:16 wakebait Jr., more huds, and some mattlures ultimate bluegills.

[pig n jig]

Jolly, Cullins put me on to these baits.Reaction strike Bass Harrasser baits.Here is a picture of some of these baits, I am currently tracking down the 6" bait pictured on the bottom, couldn't find them for sale, but I found the guys email who makes the lure. I will let you know what I find out. I have a 8" bait coming from Tackle warehouse, just think the 6" is the ticket for my Northern water. P N J

[skeeter944]

those look great pnj! i might try one,they look like they would really work well down here.

[Jolly]

Man, that is interesting PNJ. I think Don knows what he is doing, jeez! I am going to have to take out a loan if I want to fish those baits though, 35 bucks for A swimbait is alot of money considering how man trees we have. Are those bass harasser baits cheaper?? They are good looking baits.

Cullin8s, do you fish swimbaits seasonally; as in just in summer or fall or do you fish them year around wherever the fish are? Are they the kind of bait that one would use exclusively and nothing else all year?

Thanks for all the help guys,

Jolly

[cullin8s]

I'm just learning about them myself right now, we just started throwing them last fall. There are definately times when they will not be the ticket, but what I am doing is trying to figure out when they work and don't that way I can incorporate them into my tournament strategies. Fishing them deep could be expensive, but we plan to explore that avenue soon. Right now were fishing a power plant lake where the fish are in the process of making beds to spawn (cooling the plant heats the lake, water temp is about 75° and dropping slowly) We fished wednesday and it was tough, threw the big baits for about 5 hours. Lots of followers, a few bites, but the only catchable bites we had we set the hook too soon. The mattlures bluegill probably got the most bites as you would guess on spawning fish, but they were not inhaling it, just moving it out of the way. It would have been much more effective if the wind would have let us put them in the beds, but at 25 mph it was hard enough to see the beds let alone if the fish were on them or not. We were around a lot of anglers and only saw one person catch a fish in the whole time which makes the lack of catching on the big baits easier to hack. Were going again next week closer to the full moon, the fish should be locked down and protecting those beds by then so it will be time to do work.

[pig n jig]

Jolly, The Reaction Strike Bass Harrasser baits are a little bit cheaper.The 8" Bass Harrasser series retail for $23.99 and the 6" Bass harrasser is $19.00 direct, but I bought a 8" Bass harrasser from Tackle Warehouse for $19.99. They don't carry the 6" model yet as it is so new.Rick Quade,the owner of Reaction strike company says a 4" & 7" Bass harraser series is in the works and will be out very soon.I am getting the swimbait fever, got alot of learning to do. P N J

[Raul]

First thing to learn with swimbaits J&P:

Patience my young padawan, lots and lots of patience.

You get lots of follow ups & lots of failed strikes.

You need to play safe with those swimbaits, add a trap hook on the top, fortunately and thank God those Bass Harrasers got lots of hook hangers, something missing in other swimbaits , you have no idea how much I hate having to add a trap hook with no hanger to attach it to; the only thing missing is a weedguard.

Got a linky link to Reaction strike Bass Harrasser baits ?

[Big Mac]

These are what I use and they work just fine for me. They are a lot less expensive and really nail them all year 'round.

http://mattlures.com/bluegillswimbait.htm

......mac

[pig n jig]

http://www.reactionstrike.com/ You will find the Bass harrasser series under the California Classics section, Not everything is updated to the site yet from the looks of the site. I bought my Bass Harrasser here. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/descp...RIKE-RSBH.html

[skeeter944]

welcome to the forum big mac!

[Super Fluke]

I use hudds and matt lure and castic and optumims

[pig n jig]

Welcome Big Mac, I looked at Mattlures, He makes some nice looking baits.I have been reading where they use the bluegill baits for bedded bass.My question is how do you rig them to get a hook in the fish ? My experience with bedded bass is they will move a lure off the bed and drop it once they are a away from the bedding area. Do they take the whole bluegill bait, or do you use a stinger hook near the tail ? P N J

[JB]

pnj
I'd say fishing that bait on a bed, your senses will have to be keen to the first sight of said bass picking up your bait, or the first feel on you're line, set the hook, of course you knew that huh

[Big Mac]

As said in the advertising, the bluegill bait rests head down on the bottom. Youu give the line short jerks to make the bait look like a feeding fish, feeding on the eggs! The bass are not gentle in moving that type of tresspasser. They hit it hard.
On the lake I fish, there is a ledge about 5 feet deep and 7 feet out from a old established weedline. I just cast this baby out and "walk" it back to me. Rarely does it go far without being molested.
These baits are just about 1 oz in weight or a little over. I fish them on 20 lb seagar flourocarbon line. With a little practice they pitch and flip real quiet and fit nicely into nooks and crannies in the coontails. These are deadly baits.

Remember: Catch and release!!

......mac

[JB]

awesome reporting there mac~ does that bait get hung up much?

[Jolly]

They are extremely lifelike, I am definately going to have to buy a few and give em a try. Thanks for all the help everyone!

Jolly

[Super Fluke]

Most of these will work for big bass, the castic may be a little small but the others will work. The huddelston is the best.

[Big Mac]

I have caught them as small as 2 3/4 lbs on the bluegill. They will hang up if you are not careful, there is a exposed large hook on the top of the bait. I have like I said pitched and flipped these into the reed pockets and rarely get them snagged. I do use these months to practice however. I use a curado 200 SF and a special rod made for me by rick smotherman of crazyfish rods. The only other reel that seems to work real good for me and these baits is my old ambassaduer reel (5000D, green frame). The 200 I use for open water and the 5000 for pitching and flipping, My thumb seems to work better on the old style reel for the precision placement needed for reed pitchin. I put pressure on the side of the spindle, half on the line, and half on the spool side. This doesn't seem to work as well for me with the 200. Just my quirk, I guess.
Try the lures you can afford and work with them, a slow steady retrieve works best. I do not try to cross the eyes when I get a bite, I sweep the rod to the side and start reeling. I try not to play them at all, I get them in as soon as I can, these are heavy baits and if given half a chance to shake their heads they can wiggle that hook and throw the bait.

......mac

[Super Fluke]

You need to have a net on the boat if you are fishing them.

[pig n jig]

I have got a small lake nearby that has the Bait Monkey just screamin in my sleep to buy this bait from Mattlures.Thats why I am up so early, can't get any sleep until its ordered.Roflmao.....