No More Swim For The Swimbaits..???

[cubanice27]

Hey all!! I looked once again in the forums and didnt see much on a question I had and was wondering if I could just get a few tips. Here in the midwest, fall fishing has started so naturally Im throwing crankbaits and swimbaits (with a few other things) but mostly focusing on the cranks and swimmys.

     Here is the question... while using hard swim baits, Ill see fish following the swim bait for a good 4 feet in the water. When I feel the bass is getting to close to shore (i dont want him to see me or get spooked) I STOP SWIMMING the swim bait. EVERYTIME I have done this, as soon as I pause the lure, the bass takes off like a bat out of hell in the opposite direction and wont even hit the lure. Should I just continue swimming the swimbait all the way to shore? Should I not pause the swimming motion? 

 

Thanks for the help/tips

 

[Bluebasser86]

The swimming action attracted the fish's attention, why stop? When a big fish is chasing a little fish they don't stop, they speed up or change directions or both  . I've had fish eat swimbaits off my rod tip. Keep swimming it, if the fish follows to the bank and doesn't eat then take a page out of a muskie fishermans book and start figure 8's. Sometimes that change in direction will make them attack. A lot of times it seems the bass knows that your bait is running out of room to run and is actually waiting for it to get close to the bank so they can pin it against the bank. 

[Master Bait'r]

If you're noticing the reaction's prevalence, try the opposite! Make the swimmer "notice and run" and see what happens. Heck, worst possibility is already happening!

[SPEEDBEAD.]

A bass's "catchability" when following a lure can often be gauged by the fish's relation to the bait. This is especially true with glide baits, which are notorious for followers.

 

In my experience, the further away from the end of your cast you can see a fish, the better. If a fish is right on the tail of the swimbait, typically a short reel burst or few quick twitches of the rod will make the fish eat. If they are further back, it has normally required coming back at a later time with the same bait or trying a bait change. If the fish is back off the bait and also under it, you're gonna need to switch up color, bait, try another time, etc.

 

Seriously, the best thing ever is seeing a fish follow a glide and get increasingly excited by your actions with the bait. If the pec fins start flaring, hold on to the rod.

[smalljaw67]

When I finally began catching fish on hard swimbaits, it was because of a little thick that I saw on a T.V. show. The guy was using a swimbait and he would reel slow and steady and then he would give his rod a quick pop and quickly get the rod back straight to make slack in the line. He said by doing this popping, or jerking the rod on a slack line, it would cause the swimbait to turn sideways and some swimbaits would do a complete 180 and the fish couldn't stand it. So I set out with a newly purchased Storm Kickin' Stick and tried it and it didn't take but 3 casts to catch my first fish on a hard swimbait and it has been working ever since, so give that a try, it may help you get some big fish.

[J Francho]

A bass's "catchability" when following a lure can often be gauged by the fish's relation to the bait. This is especially true with glide baits, which are notorious for followers.

 

In my experience, the further away from the end of your cast you can see a fish, the better. If a fish is right on the tail of the swimbait, typically a short reel burst or few quick twitches of the rod will make the fish eat. If they are further back, it has normally required coming back at a later time with the same bait or trying a bait change. If the fish is back off the bait and also under it, you're gonna need to switch up color, bait, try another time, etc.

 

Seriously, the best thing ever is seeing a fish follow a glide and get increasingly excited by your actions with the bait. If the pec fins start flaring, hold on to the rod.

 

I had the same issue and solution come up while trying out my custom HPH baits for the first time.  Randall gave me the same advice as Speed did here, and I caught one while on the phone with Randall, lol.

[ClackerBuzz]

I've been having incredible success with a tip from a trout guy. i'll post the video if i can find it.

i can't count how many times i've lifted my rod at the end of a cast only to have one of two things happen: the rising action of the lure made the fish commit. or i was raising my rod to re-cast but the bass saw me/ the boat before committing so he got spooked off.

the trout guys advice was to create the 'false rise' long before you're close enough to the boat to spook the fish. now i lift my rod up while still 40+ft out and the upward change in direction has proven effective over and over.  it probably evokes the predatory response to baitfish breaking the surface while being chased

[ClackerBuzz]

he explains while fly fishing for trout but it works excellent for bass and probably many other species. 

8:00-9:00min mark

http://youtu.be/_hiKvlFyv0I?t=8m

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Just another FYI, if you do see a fish following your bait and you can't get it to commit on THAT CAST, in most instances don't throw directly back into the area from the same angle, with the same bait at the same retrieve. The majority of the time, you'll notice that fish may follow your bait again but will be increasingly further back from it on each cast.

 

Mentally mark the location from where you pulled the fish. It will likely return to that area. Let it settle and return at a different time, from a different angle, potentially a different bait. The less times a fish sees the same thing, the better the odds are of turning a follower into a feeder.

[gardnerjigman]

The swimming action attracted the fish's attention, why stop? When a big fish is chasing a little fish they don't stop, they speed up or change directions or both  . I've had fish eat swimbaits off my rod tip. Keep swimming it, if the fish follows to the bank and doesn't eat then take a page out of a muskie fishermans book and start figure 8's. Sometimes that change in direction will make them attack. A lot of times it seems the bass knows that your bait is running out of room to run and is actually waiting for it to get close to the bank so they can pin it against the bank. 

Totally agree. I've had luck getting a following fish to strike by switching rod tip location. (I real to the right of my body, so i'll move it to the left of my body and burn it. Usually get's hammered with the direction and speed change.

[gulfcaptain]

Speedbead his the right idea.  Speed it up.  They are just like a cat.  You pull a toy from them they quickly pounce where you stop it they loose interest.  Predator insticts take over.  If the fish is right at the back of the bait and you speed up or give it a quick jerk the bass reacts thinking its meal is going to get away at which point their instincts take over and they inhale the bait.  Also try swimming your baits closer to the bank.  Like mentioned above, the closer to the bank the bass may rush in quicker to try and take advantage of the shoreline to pin it's meal.