Sick Fish..

[Mccallister25]

Anybody have anything to say about these?

I kinda want to get into swimbaits, but want to ease into them. Any kind of info would be great.

I fish retention ponds in a neighborhood. I don't think any of them are all that deep. Maybe 8-10 feet. Need to know what kind of hook to use, etc. Thanks as always!

[Penguino]

I have a pack of these, haven't fished them yet. They look like they should either be rigged with a 5/0 EWG or treble hooks line through.

[Big C]

I love these swimbaits.  The real trick with rigging these is slitting the belly from the fins to the gill plates.  I make the slit pretty deep, almost to the top hook slot.  I can't remember the exact size hook, but get one where the bend just hits the dorsal fin, go to BPS and measure.  It's really important to get a weighted screw lock swimbait hook.  If you don't no big deal get a drop shot weight, screw the hook in, put the weight on the hook,  and thread the point through the top,  so the weight hangs on the bottom.  Another thing to do with the them is boil them til they get "sticky" dip them in the boiling after rigging for 30 second intervals, the softer they get the better.  

[Mccallister25]

I love these swimbaits. The real trick with rigging these is slitting the belly from the fins to the gill plates. I make the slit pretty deep, almost to the top hook slot. I can't remember the exact size hook, but get one where the bend just hits the dorsal fin, go to BPS and measure. It's really important to get a weighted screw lock swimbait hook. If you don't no big deal get a drop shot weight, screw the hook in, put the weight on the hook, and thread the point through the top, so the weight hangs on the bottom. Another thing to do with the them is boil them til they get "sticky" dip them in the boiling after rigging for 30 second intervals, the softer they get the better.

Awesome info. Thanks. What's the best size to get of these? I wanna build confidence, so I'm not necessarily hunting the biggest fish in the water. I wanna have the best of both worlds if its possible lol. Bigger fish and maybe more than a fish a week.

[Big C]

The big one, which I prefer, really isn't that big.  Last year my brother caught an 8 pounder on the medium disco shad.  So size doesn't matter, really it's your preference.

[JeziHogg]

I've found the best hooks for these are Owner Beast. For the 4inch use the 4/0 1/8oz and for the 5.5inch the 6/0 1/4oz work flawlessly. Bluebasser also showed a nice trick awhile back where you can slide a treble hook onto the Owner Beast on the belly of the sick fish. Ill post a picture when I get home.

[Mccallister25]

I've found the best hooks for these are Owner Beast. For the 4inch use the 4/0 1/8oz and for the 5.5inch the 6/0 1/4oz work flawlessly. Bluebasser also showed a nice trick awhile back where you can slide a treble hook onto the Owner Beast on the belly of the sick fish. Ill post a picture when I get home.

A pic would be great! Thanks for the help guys.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

If price isn't much of an issue, I prefer the original Trash Fish over the Sick Fish. Softer plastic and livelier action in the bait. Downside is they don't last as long but you can always use Mend It or another soft bait glue to prolong the life of the baits.

[Dogmatic]

If price isn't much of an issue, I prefer the original Trash Fish over the Sick Fish. Softer plastic and livelier action in the bait. Downside is they don't last as long but you can always use Mend It or another soft bait glue to prolong the life of the baits.

*No boiling required.

When the Sick Fish came out, I thought great! A cheaper version of the Trash Fish. Unfortunately, they just aren't the same. As always, you get what you pay for.

[ww2farmer]

Sick fish works good for me, and price IS an issue, that's why I use it. My favorite size/color/hook combo is the 1/4 oz 5/0 belly weighted VMC swimbait hook, with the 4" sick fish in Clear Bream. I have always had good tail action from them, even at slow speeds, no boiling needed.

[Mccallister25]

Sick fish works good for me, and price IS an issue, that's why I use it. My favorite size/color/hook combo is the 1/4 oz 5/0 belly weighted VMC swimbait hook, with the 4" sick fish in Clear Bream. I have always had good tail action from them, even at slow speeds, no boiling needed.

I'm stuck bank fishing ponds with zero visable cover. Unless I'm working banks, I toss my baits into open water aimlessly. What's the best way to fish swim baits like these?

[Dogmatic]

I'm stuck bank fishing ponds with zero visable cover. Unless I'm working banks, I toss my baits into open water aimlessly. What's the best way to fish swim baits like these?

When stuck on the bank, with no visible "targets" it's best to try and pick spots that allow you to fish parallel to the bank. It's important to study your water. There may be no structure visible, but there are clues everywhere. You can identify points, flats, drop offs ect...just have to be observant. Even casting to the middle can give you clues to what's below the surface, just pay attention to your bait on the retrieve.

[Mccallister25]

When stuck on the bank, with no visible "targets" it's best to try and pick spots that allow you to fish parallel to the bank. It's important to study your water. There may be no structure visible, but there are clues everywhere. You can identify points, flats, drop offs ect...just have to be observant. Even casting to the middle can give you clues to what's below the surface, just pay attention to your bait on the retrieve.

Makes sense. Nearly 85-90% of the fish I catch come from working the banks. I bust a lot of small and bigger fish casting parralel to the bank. Jigs, buzzbaits, spooks, etc. They all produce for me in shallow water. Would a swimbait produce the same?

I just don't really get the concept of a swimbait I guess. What makes my artificial bluegill on a steady retrieve back to me any more appealing than the plenty others bass pass while I'm fishing?

[Dogmatic]

That's rub. Who's to say that 5 lb. swimbait fish you just nailed wouldn't have hit a jig, or any other bait? Fundamentally though, although swimbaits are meant to imitate bait fish as realistically as possible, they have to trigger the instinct in a bass to eat it. You do that by one, putting the bait in front of the fish, and two, by making it look like a meal easy to eat, so it has to stand out. When it comes down to it, a swimbait is just another tool in your arsenal. I'll give you an example. This past season, my partner and I were out early morning, it was still pretty dark out, I was in the front, throwing a Wake Jr., he was in the back, throwing a buzz bait. Top water bite was off the hook, and long story short, he matched me fish for fish, and actually had the biggest fish(we weren't catching anything "big"), and had me by numbers too(mainly because he had twice the number of cast). So, all I can say is do what you will with the info. I use swimbaits to target the largest fish in a body of water, but it's just another technique I use. I try to know as many techniques as I can and be as well rounded as I can. Hope that helps.

[Mccallister25]

That's rub. Who's to say that 5 lb. swimbait fish you just nailed wouldn't have hit a jig, or any other bait? Fundamentally though, although swimbaits are meant to imitate bait fish as realistically as possible, they have to trigger the instinct in a bass to eat it. You do that by one, putting the bait in front of the fish, and two, by making it look like a meal easy to eat, so it has to stand out. When it comes down to it, a swimbait is just another tool in your arsenal. I'll give you an example. This past season, my partner and I were out early morning, it was still pretty dark out, I was in the front, throwing a Wake Jr., he was in the back, throwing a buzz bait. Top water bite was off the hook, and long story short, he matched me fish for fish, and actually had the biggest fish(we weren't catching anything "big"), and had me by numbers too(mainly because he had twice the number of cast). So, all I can say is do what you will with the info. I use swimbaits to target the largest fish in a body of water, but it's just another technique I use. I try to know as many techniques as I can and be as well rounded as I can. Hope that helps.

It does help, and I completely understand what your saying. I'm assuming you fish with a swimbait often. Ideally, I'm sure you want to fish it near any kind of cover and any place you know holds fish. However, in my case, sense I'm gonna start off working parallel to the banks - how should I go about a retrieve? Steady/ slowly/ quickly? Of course I'm gonna need to find what works, and no two days are the same.. Generally speaking though?

[Dogmatic]

Fish like to trap their meals up against something, so running (somewhat)parallel to banks is almost perfect. I always start with a slow steady retrieve. Then if I see followers or short strikes, mix it up, let it die, give some jerks ect...

[Alpha Male]

I rig these in 3 ways. First is just a straight tx rig (sometimes i will peg the weight 4" past the hook and drag it instead of swimming it). Second is with a weighted hook like any other swimbait and just swim it. Third option...sometimes i will put it on a shakeyhead and alternate draging and hopping.

[Mccallister25]

Just found 2 packs of these in one of my soft plastic tackle bags. Only 1 bait in each. 1 in clear bream, and 1 chartreuse shad. If I don't have shad in my waters, do you think bass will still eat it?

[Bluebasser86]

I like the Sick Fish. I mainly fish the 4" on a weighted swimbait hook. Sometimes I have a hard time with white bass or crappie hitting them and not hooking up, when that happens I add a belly treble.

That one is obviously been chewed on a time or two If you're only getting bass you really shouldn't need the belly treble though. 

[hatrix]

Depending on the color you pick the hardness and softness seems to vary with them. If you want to get super fancy with rigging them making a line through is the best way to rig them. Other then that I just use a swimbait hook to go weedless although a jighead would work in sure

[hatrix]

I case you were wondering

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[SPEEDBEAD.]

FWIW, I have heard Green Penny is typically softer.

[hatrix]

Well I can't edit that post and it's a pita using my phone adding pic links. It would be way cooler if the forum resized stuff for you. Wink wink

[WRB]

Look at Owner #5132W size 4/0 for 4" and size 5/0 for 6". Little Crippers Trash Fish is a better swimmer if catching more bass is your goal. Off color water with low visibility of less than 2' is very marginal swimbait water, IMO. Brighter color is a better choice for off color water and the 6" size will help to move more water.

Tom

[David Ball]

Its a must to take these out of pack and let them air out, preferably outdoors because they smell like STRONG PAINT. Open a pack at tackle store. Smell will about knock u down. Especially the larger ones.I like havoc baits for price but the trashfish which in a picture looks like a spot on match. Not even close.The original is around $20. Compared to Skeet Reese havoc knock off, which is $2.99.iriginal is very limber with great action the havoc is board stiff with little action. Boiling helps but I would use a money minnow or strike king hollow boddy. Over either trash or sick fish.