Mattlures

If your talking about "real" swimbaits that cost a little more then regular baits then don't buy junk. You are far better off buying 2-3 good proven baits for the same amount of money as 5-10 cheap baits. When it comes to swimbaits American or Japanese made baits are superior. Cheap made in China baits are almost all junk. There are always exceptions but follow this general advice and you will be started in the right direction. If your talking about paddle tail tubes like Basstrix or swimming worms like the skinny dipper then I cant really help you other then copies are rarely even almost as good as the originals.

Good choices in there. You stayed away from junk and got some good quality proven baits that are not too expensive.

Its not only about them breaking. Its not about their paint jobs, good or bad. Its about the baits ability to consistently get the big bites. Very few REAL swimbaits are considered proven. Very few REAL swimbaits have that special mix that gets the big bites. when those baits are copied they loose that x factor. When you buy a cheap imitation, expecting the same results you are not saving money, you are waisting preasious time. Swimbaits are different then other baits. You can easily replicate a jig, worm, spinner bait, etc. cranks are a little harder but no where near as hard as a swimbait. beginners should never start of buying a bunch of cheap junk baits. They should always start off buying a couple proven baits. They will save money and get better results.

There is a big difference in a complex swimbait and a simple crank bait. When the Chinese copy a bait that is mass produced it looks the same and can even function the same because the original manufacturer is using the same process and the originals may be being produced in china in the first place. Swimbaits that are made here in the USA are not mass produced from machines. They are not made from PVC and the molds are not machined. There are a handful of companies in the US who design and manufacture their own swimbaits. On these baits every detail serves some type of purpose and all these details were worked out through experience. When somebody copies them, it is almost impossible to match them. Many of our baits have been copied in china and in most cases they failed miserably. the more variables the bait has the harder it is to match. a simple crankbait that is already manufactured in china is much easier for the Chinese to replicate. Primetime I thank you for the good words.

There are also different levels of Chinese swimbaits and it has a lot to do with who is behind them. Take for example the Lunker Punker. Those baits were designed by guys who knew how to design that bait. They knew what made that bait work. They tested them and proved them against the fish. Then they sent them to China to me manufactured. The baits had issues with the paint falling off but they still were very productive. This worked because the guys behind them knew how to design a bait. When the Chinese knock off a bait they do not understand the bait like the guy who designed it. Subtle differences can make all the difference in a bait that produces consistant big bites and cheap junk knock off. Very rarely does a Chinese knock off work literally half as good as the original design. An example would be the Hudd vs bass harasser or any of the other knock offs. Many of them cost 1/10 the amount of the Hudd and they cant produce 1/100 of the bites. The worst of the Chinese swimbaits are the ones they design themselves. They design a bait and put it in their catalogs to produce for other companies. I have been sent boxes of sample baits they sent me in hopes that I would buy them and put them in my name. It was obvious that they never even tested them because many wouldnt even swim. or they broke really easily. So to break it down if a good design is being manufactured in china and meets the approval of the original designer then there is a chance the bait will bee acceptable. But there will usually still be issues like the original wooden Lunker punkers. Jeremy had to buy them unpainted and paint them himself and properly clear them to remedy the "china issues" If a china bait is a knock off, it has almost zero chances of even being close to as good as the original and very little chance of being good at all regardless of who sent the bait to be copied. If the bait is a chinese design(most likely the ebay baits) then the odds are low that you will even get a functioning bait , let alone one that consistently gets big bites. Guys think they are better off saving some money buy buying these cheap baits but what they forget to realize is they are putting no value on their own time. When I do finally get time to go fishing, I want to give myself the best chance at catching what I am targeting. I would rather spend a little more money ( or even a lot more) to give my self better odds at success.

I would like to see a picture of these Chinese baits that look awesome. I don't see what you see when I look at the Chinese baits. If you ever go to forums that are specifically swimbait forums you will quickly learn that NOBODY who consistently catches big bass uses the cheap Chinese knock offs or Chinese designed baits. As for always being out stock on my hard baits, there is a reason for that. When I do manage to find enough time to do a big batch, 100-300 baits, they usually sell out in a day or two. There may be a few of the less popular colors left but the popular colors are sold out very quickly. So why don't I keep making more of them? Because I make less money on a hard bait then I do on my soft baits. My soft baits are almost always in stock. The soft baits just take much less time and labor to produce plus I personally do a lot more work on a hard bait then I do on a soft bait. Also I am always filling the next order of soft baits. I am just about never caught up. Plus hard bait molds deteriorate quickly so I have to make new molds after each batch. That in itself is expensive and very time consuming. If I am out of stock I urge you to try another PROVEN quality bait instead of the Chinese bait. If you choose a good quality PROVEN swimbait made in the USA by a guy who knows what they are doing, you wont buy anymore cheap Chinese stuff. I know this because it happens all the time. Guys start out buying cheap junk and they give up after a while because they don't produce like they think they should have or they have problems with the baits. Or after using the cheap junk for a while they decide to try a good bait and they realize how big the differences are.

Congrats that's a great fish!

They don't look like LMB to me either.

A high fence hormone deer is completely different then a bass that grows huge on a lake open to the public for fishing. Any bass that reaches 20lbs in a public CA lake has seen more fisherman and lures then any bass anywhere else on earth. Dottie was only caught while spawning. That lake was beaten to death for years by guys trying to catch her and no one ever could until she spawned. I think a huge bass caught in CA is more of an accomplishment then one caught in FL. WAY more pressure. We don't use big golden shiners, trout or bluegill for bait. Most of our lakes are only open for 3 or 4 days out of the week and are closed at night. There is always another boat near by and usually more then just one. If you catch a big bass in CA you have done something! I am not taking anything away from big catches from FL, TX, JP ETC, They are accomplishments. My point is any record bass caught from a public CA lake is more then enough to qualify for a world record and the IGFA agrees.

I hate braid and one of the main reasons is the noise. I wont use it. The #1 reason is because it is way to visible. #2 is because it cuts to easy against rocks and #3 is the horrible noise.

those redear next to that bass were a little over a pound each ( I caught a couple of them). That bass was right around 10lbs in its condition and probably would have been close to 12 pounds when it was fat. I had it nip my bait and I stuck its upper lip for a second but it came undone. I talked to Mike when he first posted that picture because I thought it was the same fish.

J Francho You are correct sir. I am not wealthy. I make enough to stay in business and pay my bills.

Rolo does have a point. Tons of R&D and a quality product does not mean the bait will survive if priced to high. When it comes to fishing lures the bait has to produce bites. When it comes to swimbaits, the baits have to produce big bites. If the baits fail to do this then only the collectors will want them. Quality product and great customer service will only last so long if the design does not produce the desired results. When you do have a bait that produces big bites and you provide great customer service along with a quality product, then you can charge a higher price and have a healthy market. When it comes to real swimbaits there are only a handful of companies producing great baits. There are many cheaper knock offs that simply do not produce any where near as good as the originals. Because of this, the market has not become saturated with great baits. there is a limited supply and there is a demand. There is a large supply of the inferior swimbaits and once a bait has been shown to be a poor producer there is almost no demand. Unfortunately these are the baits that many beginners buy to try out swimbaiting and then they think swimbaits don't work for them. Had they bought a good bait to begin with they most likely would have had much better results. 1 proven swimbait for $50 is better then 10 junk baits that cost $5 each. However ther are a few great baits that aren't very expensive and there are plenty of newer swimbait companies that charge a premium for bait that are poor producers. On a side note it always bothers me when guys think they don't need swimbaits because they don't have 10lb bass where they live. I bet they still have 8lbers. And 2lb bass do eat 8in baits. 5lbers eat them all the time. The idea of throwing real swimbaits is to target the biggest bass you have in your waters, weather its a 15lber or an 8lber.

The guys who use those expensive swimbaits are hunting big bass. My biggest bass before I started using swimbaits was 8lbs 10 oz. On a plastic worm. I caught hundreds of bass over 5 lbs and had lost a couple bigger then the 8.10. After I started using swimbaits I started catching bigger bass. I now hove probably caught 300 over 7lbs and probably 40 over 10lbs with my biggest at 17lbs 2oz cought on a swimbait all on highly pressured public lakes. The guys who know what they are doing, who fish these expensive swimbaits know they are worth every penny when they consistently catch bigger bass then they have ever caught before. You can argue that you once caught a big bass on a crank or spinner bait etc. My argument is that the seasoned swimbaits catch big bass consistently. If a tool (expensive bait) produces bigger bass consistently then its worth a lot more then an ordinary bait that catches ordinary bass. Sometimes big bass prefer cheaper baits like big worms or jigs. I will throw them when I think I should. But other times I think they want a swimbait so I will throw them. Different tools for different situations. comparing a $5 crank bait to a $100 swimbait is like comparing a screw driver to a hammer.

When I am throwing 5-8in swimbaits I expect to catch fish just about every where I am fishing. I am very confident that I will. When I throw 10-12 baits it depends a lot on where I am fishing. I think I have a good chance but I am not shocked if I don't get bit. I am shocked if I don't get several follows. I use them in some what specific situations Huge baits over 12 in are very specific for me and I could throw them all day with no bites and it would be almost expected. However I don't throw them all day. I throw them when I think that size is the best tool so my odds go up a little

There is a simple solution for you. Out here I have done a ton of saltwater bass fishing. the normal depths are between 40-70 ft and I am mosty using 5 inch swimbaits on 1/2 oz heads. This is similar to what your doing because in both cases there is a lot of line out when you set the hook. If I swung the rod hard and then reeled I would probably hook 5-10% no matter how fast my rod is. The key is to reel FIRST. Reel hard until all the slack and stretch is gone from the line, then swing hard and continue reeling. This method is used by all the good saltwater bass guys. Your hook up ratio will go up a lot. For an experiment, have a buddy stand 50 yds ( or as long as you can) and wrap the line around your hand. Have a little slack in the line just like you would if you were fishing. Then have him set the hook. You will be surprised at weak a rod only hook set is. Then tri it again and just have him reel with the rod pointed at you. Just the reel will be a stronger hook set then just the rod. Last try it with reel first and then swing the rod when the line gets tight. This will be the strongest hook set. You must reel fast and you must reel when you swing. Line and rods have a lot of stretch especially when you have a lot of line out. You can get by with a rod first hook set when you are fishing close.

Raul I am not disagreeing with you. What I am saying is, The better look the fish get, the more I think realism helps. That doesn't mean it doesn't help when the water is dirty. It just means it helps more when the water is clear. I hear people say that swimbait are only for clear water all the time and it frustrates me. Bass see good and the realism helps in dirty water as it can make the difference in a bass committing or turning away at the last second. Not all our lakes out here are clear and some muddy water lakes are our best swimbait lakes. I always want super realism when I am fishing a realistic bait like a swimbait. Its all or nothing for me. If I am fishing a spinner bait, or a jig or just about any other regular lure I want those with simple finishes, with maybe just eyes. I am not a fan of in between baits. If its a fish I want it to look just like a fish. If its another type of bait, I want little detail.

I believe that extremely realistic lures make a big difference especially when the fish get a good look at the bait. However I feel that most baits that are thought of as realistic, are not realistic to me. To be realistic it needs to be shaped like the species its trying to replicate. It needs to be the right size. It needs to be painted correctly, and the action needs to trigger a bait. Notice I did not say the action has to be realistic, because it doesn't have to be. If it swims realistically thats good to, but there are baits that don't swim naturally and they get bit. I will use the stocker trout as an example. It has the right shape, close enough colors, and the right size. It lacks details but it is meant to be fished deep and faster then most swimbaits so the fish don't get a great look at it. It does not look like a natural healthy trout when it swims. It has some body wobble and with the one joint it is not as fluid. Does it get bit? yes it does and that's what matters. Something about its action triggers bites. Maybe it looks injured? Back to "realistic" baits that I don't think are realistic. A spinner bait with a detailed head, is not realistic, it still looks nothing like a fish. It looks like a spinner bait. Most crank baits that have realistic finishes do not look realistic to me. They look like a crank bait and swim like a crank bait they just have a fish painted on them. I am not saying they don't work because they do. I just don't consider them realistic. Most of the time when I am targeting big bass, I am fishing slow and the fish can get a good look at the bait so I want the bait to look as close to a real bait fish as possible. The faster and more erratic your presentation is, the less realism matters. It matters even less on younger, smaller bass. I also believe it matters in waters that are not clear. Fish see better then we think in their environment. I think they can see great in stained water. Unless its chocolate milk or at night then I think they still rely on sight as there #1 way to hunt food. Funny thing is back when I used to fish jerk baits( I think that's what they are called) I did not like the ones with fish painted on them. I liked the Silver foiled, black backed, yellow eyed baits. They just got bit a lot more. If I was to fish like that again I would take all those Rapalas and paint the tops olive green. It's never made sence to me to paint the top of a bait black when its trying to resemble a fish. I have never seen a bait fish that was black on top where I live. Sorry for the long winded rant/reply

Revenge makes very nice heads https://revengebaits.com/products/display/?id=101

Stop fishing for small fish. If your goal is to catch big bass and you think you are doing something right, or are heading in the right direction because your catching fish, your wrong. Think of big bass as a separate species from small bass. Only fish for the big ones. When you catch a small one, think of it as if you just caught a bluegill or carp. Do not think it will just happen because you catch a lot of bass. It probably wont, or if it does it will be very rare. #1 Fish places that have big bass #2 Target ONLY big bass #3 learn the habits of BIG bass, not just bass

slonezp I have no doubts that a swim jig has worked great for you and I am sure it has worked great for a ton of guys. It is a proven producer and a great bait. I just don't believe it is replicating a bluegill even if it is called a bluegill color. Tom I am hoping for spring 2014 but I never know until I actually find the time to do them Thanks for asking

First let me say, my argument is not really about my baits. I have had this argument a 100 times and even before I ever made a bait. Bass are opportunistic and they will eat prey when given the chance. They have to eat or they die. Bass have eaten just about anything they can fit in their mouths. The older, more experienced, bigger bass are more cautious and make fewer mistakes then the less experienced, younger fish. Everybody that I know that successfully targets trophy bass in presured waters knows how important realism is. Now a crank bait in a gill patern in motion in poor visability could look like a gill. But its still a stretch. A jig could jus about never look like a gill. Does it still work? of course it does! does a gill colored jig work? of course it does? does a bass think its eating a gill when it eats a jig? No. It is reacting to an opportunity to eat. The bass thinks its food. What kind of food? I don't know. I have studied bass for years in private ponds I managed and I have had many as pets in an aquarium. Feed a pet bass minnows and it will eat them. Put in a crappie jig without a hook. It will eat it once or twice and then no more but it will keep eating the real minnows. Put in a realistic minnow bait and you will fool the bass more then once or twice because it thinks its a real minnow. With wild bass there is more competition. Sometimes they cant be choosey. Sometimes there in a feeding frenzy and will hit anything moving. This is one of the exceptions where they might think they are eating real prey if its similar in size and color. There are a lot of guys who disagree with me. They think bass are so stupid and they think a bass can mistake a jig for a real fish. I disagree. I think small young bass are stupid. I think once they get caught a couple times they get smarter. they get harder to catch and they make fewer mistakes. They know what a real bluegill, trout, baby bass is. So I don't have a great answer as to what they think a swimming jig is. What do they think a buzzbait is? what do they think of the color chartruse? They are hungry and it looks like something they can eat. Here is how I look at it. If I stand on a dock 50 feet away holding a jig or a crank bait, is there anybody who would mistake those for a real fish? NO. If I am holding a realistic swimbait (say a Hudd)a lot of guys would be fooled. Same thing with a swimming bait. Look at a video of a swimming jig. Nobody would think its a real fish. I am not saying fish are as intelligent as humans. Of course they are not. but they are not as dumb as rocks either. Again swim jigs and crank baits are great, proven baits. I just don't believe they imitate a bluegill. Many of you will disagree and thats ok. Its an opinion.

Crank baits and especially swim jigs are great baits because they are great baits. Not because they are kind of bluegill colored. They look nothing like a bluegill and I doubt a bass has ever eaten one thinking it was eating a bluegill. Don't misunderstand me though. I am not putting them down. They are proven producers. I just don't consider them a bluegill imitator.

You guys are awesome!

Just about all my online shopping is from TW. IOther then that I buy local.