Swimbaits

[rowyourboat]

i just started fishing last summer and i have never even used a swimbait. I dont know why, i guess theres just so many different styles and selections that im confused about them.

anyway, i was wondering if you guys could recommend a few swimbait that produce well in multiple situations.

Thanks!

[Hammer 4]

Be best to know what the forage is in the lakes you fish, also the structure, i.e. weeds, rocks, ect. Depth of the water.

Do they stock trout..?

There's some awesome swimbaits out there, choosing the right ones are the key.

Mattlures makes some good lures, Huddelston, these are priced for most budgets. You can get into the high end baits, like the Rago baits that sell for 85.00 to 300.00.

Also, you'll need a swimbait rig or 2 to throw them, depending on what sizes of swimbaits you need.

[brushhoggin]

the new zoom paddle fluke

[midnighthrasher]

Berkley hollow belly are awesome. this year i will be trying swimming senkos, shadalicious and the swimming flukes but i think it will be hard to be the berkley hollow bellies.

[simplejoe]

I like the Strike King Shadalicious swimbait in AYU, green gizzard and neon ghost minnow colors.

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_100875?cm_mmc=froogle-_-100-18-2-_--1-_-38-250-311-04&hvarAID=froogle&mr:trackingCode=7E75D4A7-E881-DE11-B712-001422107090&mr:referralID=NA

[bassman31783]

I would start out with a hollow body / paddle tail swimbait.  If you've never fished swimbaits before it's going to be real hard to have confidence in the large swimbaits right away.  I personally had to work up to the big ones both mentally (gaining confidence) & physically (acquiring the right gear for giant swimbaits).  You'll be able to throw the hollow body swimbaits on a normal spinner bait set up.  Now I'm confident in all sizes & the hollow body has become a go to bait for me.

[NeedAnewScreenName-587943]

you can't go wrong with pre-rigged Storm or Tsunami swim shads. they have caught lots of largemouth, stripers, and even a few hefty smallies.

[Primus]

Here are few that have worked well for me, I'm going to focus on smaller swimbaits that will produce a lot of action...

RivertoSea Live Eye Bottom Walker this is a underated bait in my opinion with smaller sizes easily thrown on regular gear,it's also reasonably priced and simple to use.

RivertoSea V Joint Wake Minnow- another inexpensive but very effective bait. I like the 3/4 oz 95 size in the Chartreuse Shad color. The only thing is unlike the description of the name it's more a shallow runner than a true wake bait. The good thing about this one is will run true with a fast retrieve which can be an asset when fishing clear water.

MattLures Baby Bass Swimbait- 5" long weighs 1.5 oz which will cast well on most flipping sticks. I like to crank this one in slow, very realistic bait for a lure that runs about 12$.

Strike King/ King Shad-Very easy to cast on conventional equipment has produced a fair number of 5 lb plus bass and the occasional Northern Pike as a bonus fish (as long as they don't bite you off). This is another one that works well on either a fast retrieve or slower retrieves with the occasional twitch. My favorite colors thus far has been the Mojarra, Baby Bass and the Green Gizzard shad. I will often use this in situations where I would consider using a topwater like early mornings to give the fish a different look.

Their are a lot of Paddletail tubes out there the best I've tried so far are the Pro Swimbaits brand. The original Basstrix and the Berkely Hollowbelly's are also good choices. These type of baits are effective with a keel weighted hook and fished through the weeds. There are some that will slow roll these with a jighead or jighead spinner combo though I haven't tried that myself.

Last bit not least would be the Reaction Innovations Skinny Dipper & Little Dipper. These can be fished in a similiar manner to the paddletails. They aren't quite as realistic looking but the fish don't seem to care.

Good Luck.

[zero]

buy hollow swimbait with 1/4 oz keel hook

i like those because you can use your regular baitcaster or on spinning rod

then you can advance to bigger and heavier

i like sebile 9 inch magic swimmer its 4 oz

[MALTESE FALCON]

Last season I did fantastic using Luck "E" Strike Bass Magic (Green Shiner), and Strike King Shadilicious (Chartreuse Shad, and Green Gizzard).

Late in the season I got a Strike King Sexy Swimmer. I did OK in the short time I used it. I'm looking forward to giving it a workout this season.

Falcon

[nickw234]

I just picked up some 4.5 inch Shadalicious swimbaits. What size hook would you use for these?

[eyedabassman]

I just picked up some 4.5 inch Shadalicious swimbaits. What size hook would you use for these?

I would say 4/0 or a 5/0 .

[angler1]

Lake Fork Tackle makes a swim bait called the magic shad. It is a jointed plastic bait. They are affordable if you are not sure what to start with. I have some and like them.

[bassman31783]

Lake Fork Tackle makes a swim bait called the magic shad. It is a jointed plastic bait. They are affordable if you are not sure what to start with. I have some and like them.

That's actually a very good starter swimbait.  Light & small enough to still cast easy & get bit.  At the same time it's got a big enough profile to attract the big ones. 

I personally like the Jaw Jack swimbaits by *.

[RoLo]

Here in Florida our most productive 'soft-plastic' swimbait has been the Berkley Hollow-Belly Swimbait

and we've tried most of the brands. The Hollow-Belly comes in 4, 5 & 6" lengths.

In our experience anyway, the Basstrix Paddletail Swimbait isn't far behind the hollow-belly,

followed by the Luck E Strike Bass Magic.

Although KVD pushes the Shadalicious, I stopped throwing that lure.

The swimming action seems a bit unstable and laborious,

and the soft-plastic tears-out a little too easily in heavy cover.

Roger

[fourbizz]

Sassy Shads

[Hammer 4]

What if he was wanting Bigger baits..?

6" Huddelston, and Mattlures soft swimbaits are a good start. You pretty much go up in price from there...btw, where's the OP..?

[RedhookRR]

Anyone used the Spro bbz-1 4-inch shad?

[Sherlock 60]

No one has mentioned the Mann's Hardnose Swimshad. They are similar to the Hollow Belly and Money Minnow, but are about 25% cheaper.

Anybody have experience with the Hardnose Swimshad?

[Hammer 4]

YUp, have had mine for 9 months and have yet to catch a fish on it...I have the dirty shad, slowsink.

Anyone used the Spro bbz-1 4-inch shad?

[wisconsin heat]

my favorite is the 3.5 bass magic (luck E strike) in baby bass color, that thing is a fish catching machine! its the only swimbait i have full confidence in... im not saying that bigger swimbaits dont catch fish, cuz they do, but i use these little guys as search lures, i went through ten of them in 8 hours