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.

[bassinbob]

Thanks cassidtya. I've asked a few questions already and I can't wait to try out my Hudd this year.

[MallenManson]

Great job, cass!

[keithdog]

Very cool post Cass! Thanks for the good read.

[MeanMouth]

Good read Cass.

*Edited my post, because I'm told that a "live pointer" isn't considered a swimbait.

[Embrey]

Hmmm... I was unaware that a pointer was considered a swim bait.

[CamG]

Originally Posted by Embrey

Hmmm... I was unaware that a pointer was considered a swim bait.

Not really considered a swimbait. More a jerk bait presentation.

Swimbaits are fun lures. I use them in the spring, but waters near me are typically not clear enough to use them as a most of the year lure. The fish that I have caught on swimbaits, all seem to be the next class of fish however.

[BassinNC]

Thanks for the info, enjoyed it.

[jasonfish320]

Good read! swimbaits have been around for a while..the hollow bodied ones were all the rave the last 2 years and it really brought swimbaits to the fore front. Needless to say every year seems to have the "go to bait"..I believe last year's winner was the "sexy shad"

[carolina-rig-01]

Good read Cass Thank you for sharing your thoughts.

[muddy]

I made the plunge
2 Mini Slammers
2 X Cabelas BBZ 1 knock offs
I already had some soft bodied minnow (shad a licious) and Musky Jitterbugs

Rod: I got a gift from a rod building friend of mine, now I have a use for it
7 ft/MH Lamiglass blank, can cast baits up to 1 1/2 ounces and is spiral wrapped, I like the spiral cause it keeps the line away from the balnk on the reel in and fight, cast the same as conventional wrap

Line; This is where i am stuck. Mike Long uses 8 lb Mono????
I am thinking either 15 or 20 lb mono to statrt.>Why the lower wieght Ratings on the line?

[cassidyta]

Muddy,

I can not speak for Mike, but I can give my thoughts. We here in San Diego do not have any real lakes. Almost all of ours are resevoirs and as such are pretty darn clear and line visibility is an issue.

[muddy]

I was going to use braid, not to use the lures. Now that I have the briad, I am going to try out the mono first

[BigBassin144]

The problem with braid and big swimbaits, is the braid can dig into itself because of its thin diameter and the weight of the swimbaits. Then you cast, and SNAP! no more lure.

BB

[muddy]

Thanks Guys; SNAP NO MORE LURE, is what I am trying to avoid.

[lilmule]

Hmmm if I break my 85lb gorilla braid tossing a 4 in to 8 in swimbait ill certainly switch to something else.Even using a lighter line like 30lb evolution,have caught both drum and stripers that exceeded in weight the line test,I can think of nothing locally that hits harder than a large striper.
Mostly however I use the smaller swimbaits,bzz1 and h20 but used to use the king shad by strike king gave that up as the stripers lovem.