How Are You Guys Fishing Soft Plastic Swim Baits?

[Joedodge]

So we've talked about the best one what kinda hooks to use and all that. I've been struggling to make a bait work that I really want to and that I know others here in fl have excellent luck on. I'm using the gambler ez swimmers. But how are you fishing your soft plastic swim baits? Deep and slow fast on top? Pausing the retrieve? How do you decide when to run toop water? And so on

[Bluebasser86]

Never fished them, but if I was going to, this would be a good place to figure out how.

 

[Joedodge]

I've watched Mikey ballz bid a few times. I'm rigging it correctly. They run the top water with a slight pause. But there on toho and the other huge lakes here. Lots of grass. I have some lakes in fl near me like that. I just gotta keep at it

[BassinLou]

So we've talked about the best one what kinda hooks to use and all that. I've been struggling to make a bait work that I really want to and that I know others here in fl have excellent luck on. I'm using the gambler ez swimmers. But how are you fishing your soft plastic swim baits? Deep and slow fast on top? Pausing the retrieve? How do you decide when to run toop water? And so on

 

Determining how, where, and when to fish a particular bait is one of the beauties and challenges that I love about bass fishing. When it comes to swimbaits, imho, the fish will tell you how to fish it. For ex. the Ez swimmer you are using. I use the exact bait as well. I was told once to fish the water column. Top, middle, bottom. When a hit occurs, take note where it occur'd. What speed and/or cadence were you using. What cover was it around. What depth. etc.. etc... Keep presenting the bait in that same matter. If you continue catching fish then you have established a pattern. 

 

After throwing the swimbait for a while, and (you will determine what that time is), with 0 results, then I think its time to change baits and continue the process with another bait. At least that's what I will do. Some people play the numbers, they will continue throwing the same bait until they get the bite they want. Kudo's to them if they attain the fish they desire. Me, I go out to fish, so if something doesn't work I will find the technique that's going to illicit continuous signs of life. 

[Matthew2000]

Try going slow about a foot under the surface right long weed lines.

[Joedodge]

Hmmmm bassin Lou that is an excellent point. I'll have to give that a try. I do my best on weighted or weightless worms. I'd like to make these a confidence bait as well

[gnuisance]

I fish them like a crank with a slow retrieve and some twitches. I like the Zman diezel minnow because it is so durable. Swimbaits get hammered by pike and pickerel in my area so it is nice to have one that holds up. 

[Under the Radar]

Depends on the water I'm fishing. Some of the lakes I fish have little to no vegetation, on those waters I fish a weighted swimbait hook and crawl it across the bottom. If I can't feel the bottom, It's too fast.

Other lakes with good eel grass for example a weighted swimbait hook or swim jig just over or thru the tops of the grass.

[fisherrw]

using a 5 ot hook and a 5 in money minnow

[matuka]

I might be able to help a little here, but it's a big subject. Let's break it down.

 

Hollow bellies: 5-6"

  Shadeliscious, Bass Magic, Caching minnows: These have very wide swing, and stay up in the water column with an 8/0 3/8 Beast. I like to think of them as a subsurface buzzbait. Pure reaction strike! Heavy equipment. Pull them thru tules, grass patches ,and typical blade or buzz type cover. I have been disappointed with these ones on heavy jighead in deeper water. They wobble funny unless reeled faster than I want. The four inch version of the same baits also require a pretty quick pace to get them to kick right. KVD and others put a jighead on these But I find they roll too much I plain don't get bit like they do.

 

  Hippo, 6th sense, Basstrix: Great color selection, and several sizes. Up high in the column with a 6/0 Beast. You can pull them deeper if you put some (a lot) lead tape on the weight or hookshank. Same as above, any cover you want or flats. Pretty good in clear water too. Stick a heavy jig head on the front, or slit the belly and put it inside, and punch the eye thru. In colder water this is a good bottom bouncer. Count the rocks.

 

Solid Bodies:

  6" Trash Fish- 8/0 weighted Beast hook . Slow grind these anywhere you please. They don't get real deep, but probably can pull em up from ten feet or so. Huge variety of colors. Some guys throw them on a jighead ;but I haven't yet. Try chucking it out there and let it hit bottom, deadstick it for awhile to get them ticked off then grind it back in.

 4" Trash fish- this is one that I get bit alot on with a weighted jighead. You can get good numbers with this too.

 

Keitech- I've been messing with these for about a year. They just plain get bit! 

 Fat SI- Nice swing on all sizes. Use an appropriate jig head for depth and cover. Very nice for grass. Try a weighted swimbait hook too.

 SI- this basically is a small tapered ringworm with a boot tail. I've been throwing this all winter on clear(ish) water resevoirs. They love it! Darter, shakey, mojo rig and just tried it on a chin spin and they all worked. I like the four inch. Very fragile.

 Easy shiner- They look great, kind of finessy, more shimmy than wobble. SK/KVD has a similar one that probably taste like Starbucks. (Keitechs taste like squid).

 these have worked during the tougher times, though I haven't gotten a biggy on these. 4 or 5 inch. Same rig as above but I haven't used them on the chin spin.

 The 3 inch version of the SI and ES are too small for my taste but I've used them as teasers on an A-Rig. 

Swimming Senko- I guess this is a swim bait isn't it? On the Delta when the tides aren't right I stick it on a weedless darter head and swim it thru the grass

Others- Money Minnows, NetBait, some who's name I can't remember and even some hand pours, all take up space in the garage.

BTW-I have used or seen every one of the above on an A-rig.

I've also used the fixed hook variety ie, Baitsmith, Osprey, Jerry Rago's, and a few others. These can get some big bites if you are good with these. Heavy equipment and kiss these up next to cover or pull them uphill. For me these log in a lot of casting practice, but the Osprey seems to help me out.

 

That's my repetoire and it takes up too much room in my boat. And we haven't talked about hard baits! Hope this helps

[SirSnookalot]

Very versatile.  I use 2 types and fish them both in fresh and saltwater.  I use a Storm wild eyed shads but mostly use a fluke.  In freshwater I fish them weedless and the on the top.  In saltwater I put them on a 1/4 oz jig head, not a fish out there that won't hit them.  When I have heavy mats rolling in I'll keel weight it and fish the swash.

[Joedodge]

Thank you for the great replys Everyone! I'll keep at it and try all these techniques. I grabbed another types of bait to try also

[Matthew2000]

Thank you for the great replys Everyone! I'll keep at it and try all these techniques. I grabbed another types of bait to try also

what did you get?

[Joedodge]

Local tackle shop in our flea market here has keitek 3.8 in several colors for 5 for $1 gonna try them

[Matthew2000]

Local tackle shop in our flea market here has keitek 3.8 in several colors for 5 for $1 gonna try them

Dang that's a deal!

[Joedodge]

Yeah they sell dingers an trick worms and flukes and creatures the same way in all colors