Soft swimbaits - will they make my cranks second fiddle?

[BC]

This is gonna be the first year I really focus on fishing soft swimbaits (live magic shad, panic minnows, etc.). I'm already planning on fishing them on swimbait hooks and sled heads, and sometimes as trailers on chatters and bladebaits, and I'm wondering if they'll replace a lot of my cranking this year.

Anybody else find they do less cranking and more "swim baiting"? I'm a sucker for fishing slow and using soft plastics like senkos and shakey worms, but I need to improve my power fishing and searching game.

[FishnBen]

Well you will obviously be cranking less if you are using a new lure more, because you can obviously only use one lure on one rod at a time (something I tend to forget while shopping  ;D ).

But both are very different baits that offer very different presentations. Soft plastic swimbaits are much more weedless, but you have a worse hookup ratio with them. Also, cranks are much better in stained water, you can match the hatch because of more different color patterns available, you can pick what kind of vibration, noise, and wobble you want to put out, and probably most importantly-you can deflect them off cover much better than a soft-plastic swimbait.

At the same time, at a lot of smaller, less pressured lakes around the country, many bass haven't seen a lot of swimbaits, and if you fish heavy weeds and timber in stained to clear water, they are a great choice!

[Hammer 4]

I don't think you "replace" cranks, swimbaits are another addition to your arsnel.. Be forwarned, swimbait fishing can be addicting..especially when you get into the bigger baits, but then you have get the gear to accomodate them.

Each type of fishing has it's place, the conditions, and fish will let you know which to throw.

[bassman31783]

Well you will obviously be cranking less if you are using a new lure more, because you can obviously only use one lure on one rod at a time (something I tend to forget while shopping ;D ).

But both are very different baits that offer very different presentations. Soft plastic swimbaits are much more weedless, but you have a worse hookup ratio with them. Also, cranks are much better in stained water, you can match the hatch because of more different color patterns available, you can pick what kind of vibration, noise, and wobble you want to put out, and probably most importantly-you can deflect them off cover much better than a soft-plastic swimbait.

At the same time, at a lot of smaller, less pressured lakes around the country, many bass haven't seen a lot of swimbaits, and if you fish heavy weeds and timber in stained to clear water, they are a great choice!

X2.

Both lures serve their purpose & both have times when they will out fish the other. Learn when, where, & how to use a swimbait & it will be a very effective bait in your arsenal of fishing lures.

[247bassin]

I absolutely love soft plastic swimbaits.  They catch a lot of fish, and with the 6 inch or bigger baits, you can catch very big fish.  My favorite way to fish them is on a darter head jighead.  I use them the most around open water, or on banks with rip rap or chunk rock.  I have used the swimbait hooks, and they are ok, but as stated above, the hookup ratios are not as high as a crankbait.

I think that you will be very pleased with them once you start throwing them.  Good luck!

[iceintheveins]

They are good baits and good in clear water, but sometimes fish have a tendency to follow them without taking. But they will never replace cranks, because cranks are so deadly much of the time and are much different baits, used with much different tactics.

Swimbaits are usually used more for finesse and realism in a bait you can cover water with. Cranks are more designed for a reflex/reaction type hit, and adding pauses, directional changes, and bonking the lure off of rocks, weed tips, the bottom or wood is what triggers 80% of crankbait strikes.

[flippin and pitchin]

Two completely different tools for different situations.  I would think swimbaits should complement your options for a moving bait.  I think of crankbaits a contact lures because they work best when they deflect off cover or bottoms.  You will only make yourself more versatile by committing to working another lure type.  That's the fun of bass fishing.

[SkilletSizeBass.]

While I'm going to try some different baits this year that I've overlooked in years past, swimbaits being one of them, I allways have at least one crankbait of some type rigged up. I just love throwing cranks, probably my favorite lure. Besides, I've bought quite a few this past winter, so I got to try and justify it somehow ;D

[Hammer 4]

If you like crank baits...give the H20 4" swimbaits a try, they swim pretty nice, they catch fish, and for about 10.00 ea..they are a bargin.

While I'm going to try some different baits this year that I've overlooked in years past, swimbaits being one of them, I allways have at least one crankbait of some type rigged up. I just love throwing cranks, probably my favorite lure. Besides, I've bought quite a few this past winter, so I got to try and justify it somehow ;D

[scrutch]

you didnt REEEALLY think the bait monkey would leave you alone...DID YOU??? ;D ;D ;D

[Big Bait Fishing]

i throw big swimbaits alot and i also throw crankbaits alot , plastics not that much ( except summer time and it's all about frog fishing  , i throw soft plastic frogs ) so i would say that i balance them out pretty good . as been said , certain baits have certain times of catching fish so you have to decide on there rotation/usage time .

[HeadHunter13]

I use the Lake Fork Live Magic Shad all the time. I keep one on a spinning rig, Owner Twist-lock swimbait hook.  It works great for skipping way back under docks. Sometimes the fish has it before I even start to reel it back in. Set the hook hard, alot of plastic there. ;D

[MALTESE FALCON]

I caught ALOT of fish with soft swimbaits last season, but I still threw my crankbaits, and caught more fish with them. I'll NEVER give up my crankbait fishing.

Falcon

[Clark Stewart]

i'm too lazy to read the other posts so I'll throw in my 2 cents, and maybe touch a new perspective. Crankbaits and swimbaits are too different tools. Kinda like comparing screwdrivers and hammer to me.

If the bass are actively feeding (i.e. summer weather) then I'll throw a crankbait until I quit getting bites. A crankbait is generally a reaction bait in that bass will hit it out of anger or whatever, and they don't pay as much attention to presentation or color, etc. They see a spastic object in their neighborhood and want to kill it. That's why you don't get too many soft bites on a crankbait. That's another reason a crankbait is a good lure for the novice fisherman because it's a chuck and wind kinda lure that doesn't require much skill to fish it. I'm not saying it's a less respected lure by any means - it's one of the most effective at the right place and time, but it doesn't require great effort to get bit on it.

A swimbait shines when the bass are less active and are paying attention to what's in their face - thus the reason swimbaits are so dang realistic - they are designed to mimic prey as closely as possible. Swimbaits usually work best fished slowly, another reason crankbaits don't usually work that well in super clear water with finicky fish, or in cold water - they just don't look real enough when it matters to trick a fish into biting.

Another example is in the wintertime when it's hard to get bit on a conventional crankbait, yet a rattle trap is deadly. Bass want an easy meal that stays a true course - a regular crankbait wobbles so wildly that I guess the bass think it's too much trouble to chase down. The tight wobble of a trap looks like an easy target no matter how fast it's going.

Bottom line, this time of year I'm throwing traps to locate the fish, and then switching over to swimbaits or other slow moving plastics to keep getting bit. Screwdrivers and hammers!

If you want the best of both worlds this time of year and maybe you should try a hard jointed swimbait. They can be fished slowly, or quickly enough to be a marginal fish locator, and yet be super realistic to get a cautious bass to bite. I've had a lot of luck this year with a cheap jointed swimbait that looks like a bluegill (or bream if you're up North!) I can fish it super slow, or burn it like a trap and still get bit.

[bear7625]

Clark, I agree, You nailed it!! 8-)

[Clark Stewart]

If you like crank baits...give the H20 4" swimbaits a try, they swim pretty nice, they catch fish, and for about 10.00 ea..they are a bargin.

While I'm going to try some different baits this year that I've overlooked in years past, swimbaits being one of them, I allways have at least one crankbait of some type rigged up. I just love throwing cranks, probably my favorite lure. Besides, I've bought quite a few this past winter, so I got to try and justify it somehow ;D

That H2O bait is exactly what I was referring to! I have been killing them in a local pond fishing the 4" bluegill/sunfish pattern. To be such a cheap lure it looks great underwater! The only gripe is the finish isn't that tough, but for 8 bucks what do you want? A mattlure?!

Another tip: When they quit biting that bait switch over to a rage tail lobster on a swimbait hook and slow swim it - I did this all day yesterday and kept the bite alive!