So you are considering trying swimbaits

[cassidyta]

I have been answering questions in a few swim bait threads and figured that I would put this out there for anyone who is considering joining the swim bait world.
I do not claim that any of this is gospel and except for the history portion, it is all just my opinion and experience. I am purposely not mentioning any brands.

As most of you know, swim baits can be as broad of a term as saying plastics. Heck, a broken back crank is not much different than a swim bait.

A little history:

While CA and TX claim to be the creators of swim baits, they have been around since the 1800's. They were originally used as decoys for some of the early commercial fishermen. They would be attached to a line and would either bring in predators or in some cases would be used to try to get a school to form.

Pure Soft Bodied, Hard Bodied or Hybrid
Most soft bodied swim baits are very similar to any other plastic in your tackle bag. You need to rig them up with an appropriate hook and weight. To the human eye, these often look less like a real fish than other baits. Their biggest advantage is the price tag. The second advantage is that you will be more comfortable casting these into precarious situations then you might on more expensive baits. These will usually come in a pack of 3 or more for a set cost that is considerably less than hard baits or hybrids. The biggest disadvantage is the lack of durability. These baits can often become useless after a single fish. Sometimes just casting them will cause the plastic to tear. I always suggest that this is how folks start using swimbaits. You shouldn't need any new gear and if you hate it then you can always drop shot them.


As their name indicates, hard bodied baits are going to be made from either wood or a plastic. Because these baits are painted, they will display a much broader scale of color and realism. These baits are meant to be cast and reeled or trolled to make them “swim”. They are truly meant to be a moving bait and will trigger a very aggressive strike. In my opinion they are one of the most exciting ways to catch fish. Their biggest disadvantage is their direct and indirect costs. The direct cost of a $50 bait. In reality they can run between $20 to $75. There are exceptions that can cost much more. The indirect cost of needing a rod that is designed to throw such a heavy bait.

A hybrid swim bait is one that swims like a hard bait but is made out of a softer material. These baits will last longer than pure soft bodied baits, but will rip. Most hybrids are also pre rigged out of the packaging. They weigh less than a hard bait, but do not have the longevity. Their price tag also makes them a middle of the road bait. Their biggest advantage is the ability to dead stick them on the bottom. Most of these baits can be twitched to create a very subtle movement.

Rate of Fall
I don’t care what the size is; a floater is just a very big top water bait. I find that these are best used at very specific times. I like to twitch a floating bait over a spawning female. Sometimes I can keep it right over her long enough to induce an incredible blow up. The other time that I like is immediately during the post spawn. When I can imitate a fish eating the fry.

Unless you are fishing deep, most of your baits will likely be a slow falling bait. These can work through each water column. I also feel that slow falling baits have greater action at slow speeds. The fast sinkers need to be moving faster to swim properly. When using slow sinkers, be aware of the pendulum effect. This will cause you to never reach your depth.

I don’t worry about fast sinkers unless I know that the fish are suspended in a lower column. I know other that will use them when working on a long line trolling method.


In closing, swim baits have been called dream catchers or the baits of 1000 casts. They can be very frustrating to fish, but they can also generate the fish of a lifetime.