Storm Swimbaits

[Heron]

Im really not pleased with these products much at all.  At best, Ive found them be slightly below marginal.  But recently I picked up a jointed swimbait called the Live Kicking Minnow, in the 5inch, 3/4oz size.  Just to see how it might be.  Wow, this thing is a complete dud.   This product is terrible enough to make a man wonder, how does Storm even release this thing to the public?  

 

I really doubt I did anything wrong with this. 

 

 

What are your favorite Storm swimbaits? 

[F14A-B]

I've done well enough with the bluegill swim bait, has a boot tail and it works. The bigger crappie swim bait with a square bill is complete junk..

I would rather throw a Texas rigged Oscar Meyer wiener that that crappie junk..

[Matthew2000]

The wild eye are great pike lures. Except I hate when I catch a pike.

[Crestliner2008]

I've used the Wild Eyed Shad in larger sizes for stripers in the river, as well as walleye. Never did great with them on bass however.

[HoosierHawgs]

The storm pre rigged baits pretty good they are pretty versatile. They have curly tail swimbait spinnerbaits I like too

[deep]

The tiny ones worked well for crappies.

[Big C]

It sounds like you just hate cheap swimbaits (read the Sick Fish thread).

Seriously, don't take this the wrong way, but try buying the more expensive version of these swimbaits.

Sick Fish=Trash Fish.  Storm Wild Eye=Mattlures Bluegill

One thing I've learned with swimbaits is you get what you pay for.

Prime example: I have the Castaic version of a Hudd which cost about $15, it has crappy action.

I now own a comparable Hudd  68 ($30).  The action/quality is not even in the same league.

The Hudd looks like a real fish swiming through the water, while the Castaic is now retired. 

[Heron]

It sounds like you just hate cheap swimbaits (read the Sick Fish thread).

Seriously, don't take this the wrong way, but try buying the more expensive version of these swimbaits.

Sick Fish=Trash Fish.  Storm Wild Eye=Mattlures Bluegill

One thing I've learned with swimbaits is you get what you pay for.

Prime example: I have the Castaic version of a Hudd which cost about $15, it has crappy action.

I now own a comparable Hudd  68 ($30).  The action/quality is not even in the same league.

The Hudd looks like a real fish swiming through the water, while the Castaic is now retired. 

Nah, I don't hate cheap swimbaits.  I hate swimbaits that don't swim.   This Live Minnow I purchased does not swim.  It aggravates me.  I don't like to buy anything that doesn't function.

[SirSnookalot]

As far as I'm concerned when company like Storm markets a lure, it's been tested beforehand.  If it doesn't catch fish it won't be marketed, if their research staff is successful so will I.

I've caught my share of bass on a wild eyed shad, but I really like them for snook and tarpon.

[smalljaw67]

When I first got a hollow body swim bait I used it in the river for smallmouth, I used a weighted hook but the current pushed it to the surface and that was the end of doing that. So I'm at Cabela's and they have a sale on the Storm Wild eye swim shads in pearl and shad colors with a jig head already in it, so I decided to give it a try. It turns out the swim shads are awesome!!!!Since that time there are other swim baits I like better, such as the Easy Shiner from Keitech and the Gene Larew Sweet Swimmer but when the summer comes and I'm on the river, if the fish are in the riffles and current seams next to heavy current, then I'm using a Storm Swim Shad, they stay down and had a good tail kick, these baits also draw big fish. I haven't tried any others and really have no desire to, I know when and how to use the hollow body baits now, and the same deal with the solid plastic baits but when there is current, the Storm swim shad works.

[scaleface]

The storm pre rigged baits pretty good they are pretty versatile. They have curly tail swimbait spinnerbaits I like too

The spinnerbaits are pretty good , just not very durable. I had one that didnt make it through a day of fishing before the wire broke. It caught a whole bunch of fish though .

[SPEEDBEAD.]

As far as I'm concerned when company like Storm markets a lure, it's been tested beforehand.  If it doesn't catch fish it won't be marketed, if their research staff is successful so will I.

 

 

I know you're not naive enough to believe that statement.

 

It's the fishing industry. Of course it will be marketed regardless.

[Dogmatic]

It sounds like you just hate cheap swimbaits (read the Sick Fish thread).

Seriously, don't take this the wrong way, but try buying the more expensive version of these swimbaits.

Sick Fish=Trash Fish. Storm Wild Eye=Mattlures Bluegill

One thing I've learned with swimbaits is you get what you pay for.

Prime example: I have the Castaic version of a Hudd which cost about $15, it has crappy action.

I now own a comparable Hudd 68 ($30). The action/quality is not even in the same league.

The Hudd looks like a real fish swiming through the water, while the Castaic is now retired.

Good rule. There are exceptions to this rule. Castaic does make paddle tails that work, and I had a floating Platinum that worked well as a large deadstick/slow wake bait before there were higher quality equivalents. And now there's Savage Gear that are "cheap" and effective. I purchased Reaction Strikes before I knew better, and as poor as those baits were, the Tigers loved them. I also had a "no name" bait, horrible swimmer, but it was in a creek chub pattern that I just couldn't find anywhere,(until I found a custom painter), and it would catch everything(bass,walleye, crappie,musky) within 50 yards of main inlet to the lake I fished until I lost it(I seriously thought about purchasing a new one, but I found a large custom painted Jerkbait that worked). But overall, you get what you pay for, and I will never waste money on "cheap" baits again, especially Storms.

[levih725]

the storm wildeye bluegill is amazing for bass, especially the smallest version. also the medium to largest size of the minnow

 

sorry I don't know the exact weights of them I just grab off the rack and start slaying fish

[rippin-lips]

This is why I only purchase swimbaits that are tried and true performers. Why waste time, and money on something if you don't have to. That's my mindset.

[Bluebasser86]

I catch a ton of bass on the Wildeye shad, along with lots of white bass and wipers. It really shines in moving water because it can be fished a lot faster than most other swimbaits. One of the KC area guys had a 9 1/4lb largemouth on one this past winter in fact, about 2.5 pound off our state record. 

[SirSnookalot]

None of my rods are what I would classify as "beefy", I use the smaller size for bass.  Don't know how acquired a small sized Storm wild eyed mackerel, I caught bass using them as well.   Some of the rods I use for snook and tarpon don't handle much more than 1 oz, the Storm wild eyed about 1/2 oz is my choice for those species.  I have done well with similar baits from other companies too, I'm not so sure the brand makes much difference.  I personally don't care to use a large or heavy lure for any kind of species.  

[mod479]

They work good for walleyes, but I've caught bass on them too. Pearl gets bit. They're not exactly expensive, not sure what you were expecting paying 3 dollars a pack.

[scaleface]

Have any of you ever seen the weighted hook  inside ? Ive never done it but if you wear one out , I think you could remove the weighted hook add a spring  keeper  and have a bottom weighted snagless soft plastic rig .

[Bluebasser86]

Have any of you ever seen the weighted hook  inside ? Ive never done it but if you wear one out , I think you could remove the weighted hook add a spring  keeper  and have a bottom weighted snagless soft plastic rig .

The inner lead/hook is a jumbled mess. I've destroyed a bunch of them on wipers and beating them into the rocks and other objects. Not sure how you'd remove the lead without destroying the bait though. 

[SirSnookalot]

I know you're not naive enough to believe that statement.

 

It's the fishing industry. Of course it will be marketed regardless.

Being naive doesn't enter into it, it's track record.  Don't believe I have ever bought a lure that didn't catch fish, even ones I make myself.  Fish have been caught using a white rag and hook, at times the flash of a bare gold hook will catch fish during a feeding frenzy.  Fish are caught with lures that don't resemble native forage or native baitfish.

 

True about the fishing industry that most lures will be marketed.  The companies do know that just about any lure will catch fish, the buying public will always look for that new magic lure.  The intent of any company is to make money, hooking fishermen with the new products is the way it's done.  What's naive is believing the "new and improved" model is magic.  For pure catching a plastic worm in freshwater or a spoon in saltwater are pretty tough to beat.

[everythingthatswims]

I have a friend who won't pull the trigger on a higher end swimbait. So he now has half a dozen mediocre baits that don't catch fish that well and instead of getting used try just sit in his box taking up space, that's a waste of money. Better to just spend the money on a proven bait.

The storm swimbaits like the one you describe do really suck. I bought a couple when they were on sales for 2$ and they wouldn't even swim upright. The only storm swimbaits I like are the internally weighted swimshads, we use them in the bay for stripers (Calcutta makes better ones though)

[primetime]

The Storm swimbaits that have the interchangeable jigheads are really good at times, I mostly fish them in saltwater but when I do not have weeds I like the boot tail versions that come 3 per pack....I never liked the segmented swimbaits but I also have never given them a fair chance, I have only tried them when nothing  else was working so not really a good guage...

 

I know Bill Dance was catching fish on the BPS version which is softer than the Storm baits, but I found they swam offline but again, I have not used them enough to offer any advice, I do like the weighted swimbaits with a boot tail, they are pretty versatile and cast a mile....

[Hooligan]

If you're talking about the jointed hard bait, and saying it doesn't swim, you're not fishing it right. Fish it like a twitch bait and the thing will get annihilated.

I've caught thousands of spots and brownfish on that thing.

[Senko lover]

I find a bunch of Wildeye swimbaits, and I've started throwing them. Just caught my first fish on a crappie swimbait thrown over panfish beds. They aren't what I would call killer lures but when the time is right, I think I can get a bite on them.