South Florida swimbaits?

[I.rar]

Curious if anyone throws swimbaits here in South Florida with success. I have a MH rod on the way along with some 5" keitech paddle tails but am looking for  some more options under 1 ounce. 

[Wurming67]

We use gambler ez swimmer swimbait in June bug color with 4/0 hook and have good results. 

[hawgenvy]

I use 4.8" Keitech Swing Fats a lot, but also like Gambler Big EZ and the smaller EZ Swimmer. They have good action but are much slicker and slide better through more dense vegetation, or over pads easily, because they don't have the ribs. Use a 4-0 or even a 5-0 hook. Also, you can actually punch mats with them rigged with a 1 1/2 oz tungsten weight. The EZ twins will attract big fish. Also, I've been meaning to try Zoom Swimming Super Flukes with the paddle tail. The regular Super Fluke keeps bringing me dinks. Oh, I use the Strike King Rage Craw sometimes Texas rigged 3-0 with a tiny screw weight and use it just like a spinner bait with success. Also can use the T-rigged Rage Craw like a jig, or as a jig trailer, or on a punching rig with a big weight. All depends how much jiggle you think the bass want.

[SoFloBassFiend]

2 hours ago, I.rar said:

Curious if anyone throws swimbaits here in South Florida with success. I have a MH rod on the way along with some 5" keitech paddle tails but am looking for  some more options under 1 ounce. 

All day every day is swimbaits season in south Florida. 

[BassinLou]

I throw alot of  Gambler Big EZ's and EZ swimmers, mainly when I fish on Lake O. Locally however,  I haven't had too much success with them compared to other non swimbait baits. 

[Mike L]

Absolutely!

There are times down here, in no matter what type of waters you fish, that you won't put the rod down. RI Skinny Dippers for a faster tail action and the Big EZ for the times when you want a little more thump. I don't use the EZ Swimmer's as I just don't see the need. 

I like the Houdini color for the Dippers and either Copperfield or 49er for the Big EZ. 

 

Mike 

[FloridaFishinFool]

Agree. What he said.

[0119]

Gambler EZ Swimmers are my favorite but they are very fussy about keeping them at just the right retrieve speed or they lay over on their side.  Everyone here is using Spoolteks but they look to gimmicky to me and I haven't seen a color I'd use.  I just got some Berkeley Ripple Shads and Ripple Mullets on closeout.  They are much less susceptable to rolling over.

[I.rar]

I'll definitely look into those gamblers. They seem to be everyone's go to down here. 

Thanks guys! 

[Dwight Hottle]

1 hour ago, Mike L said:

Absolutely!

There are times down here, in no matter what type of waters you fish, that you won't put the rod down. RI Skinny Dippers for a faster tail action and the Big EZ for the times when you want a little more thump. I don't use the EZ Swimmer's as I just don't see the need. 

I like the Houdini color for the Dippers and either Copperfield or 49er for the Big EZ. 

 

Mike 

 X2

[Mike L]

40 minutes ago, 0119 said:

Gambler EZ Swimmers are my favorite but they are very fussy about keeping them at just the right retrieve speed or they lay over on their side.  Everyone here is using Spoolteks but they look to gimmicky to me and I haven't seen a color I'd use.  I just got some Berkeley Ripple Shads and Ripple Mullets on closeout.  They are much less susceptable to rolling over.

That's one of the reasons I don't use the swimmers. I saw those Ripple Shads out your way somewhere and thought about picking up a pack but didn't. 

 

Mike

[geo g]

1 hour ago, Dwight Hottle said:

 X2

X 3,        Especially good at Loxahatchee and lake Okeechobee.  They are great any time you have thick cover on the shallow flats.  Not so much in the canals, until the water drops and the fish are concentrated.   

[I.rar]

Unfortunately I fish my local neighborhood lakes and the bite must be different than what you guys experience at okee or lox, lol. I have plenty of days without a single bite. 

[soflabasser]

The big ez's work good down here,I use them in the lakes and canals with good success. 

[0119]

6 hours ago, I.rar said:

Unfortunately I fish my local neighborhood lakes and the bite must be different than what you guys experience at okee or lox, lol. I have plenty of days without a single bite. 

So does everyone else too!  Neighborhood ponds are a thing all into themselves. Bowl shaped, little structure, they can be a tough nut to crack. I find down sizing a must as prey species are usually very small especially here in s. fl. like released aquarium fish and stunted bream. I think they have to prey on their own young a lot too.

[Frise]

I like to use a Spooltek 4 inch fatty perch. I catch a ton of fish on them including: Peacock Bass, Largemouth Bass, Tarpon, and Snook. I like to work it near the weeds. 

[I.rar]

2 hours ago, 0119 said:

So does everyone else too!  Neighborhood ponds are a thing all into themselves. Bowl shaped, little structure, they can be a tough nut to crack. I find down sizing a must as prey species are usually very small especially here in s. fl. like released aquarium fish and stunted bream. I think they have to prey on their own young a lot too.

I'm all about downsized/finesse fishing and just recently got the bfs bug. Actually, all of my largest fish have come from baits weighing at or under 1/4oz including the 12+lb arrowana lol. But it did take alot of sifting through dinks to get them.

But after seeing a near double digit bass try to inhale a dink I just released right at my feet, I just had to give these swimbaits a try but don't really want a bag full of them. 

I'll have the keitech easy shiner, impact fat and roboworm ez shad soon and will be picking up a pack of those gamblers to start with. 

... Then I saw some budget friendly jointed baits like the sebile magic swimmer and lucky craft pointer smasher and the bait monkey almost broke out of his cage. 

What's everyone preference for jigs to pair with these? My few lakes are 20+ ft deep with bottoms that are covered in weeds so I opted for screw lock swimbait hooks. 

 

 

[soflabasser]

2 hours ago, I.rar said:

I'm all about downsized/finesse fishing and just recently got the bfs bug. Actually, all of my largest fish have come from baits weighing at or under 1/4oz including the 12+lb arrowana lol. But it did take alot of sifting through dinks to get them.

But after seeing a near double digit bass try to inhale a dink I just released right at my feet, I just had to give these swimbaits a try but don't really want a bag full of them. 

I'll have the keitech easy shiner, impact fat and roboworm ez shad soon and will be picking up a pack of those gamblers to start with. 

... Then I saw some budget friendly jointed baits like the sebile magic swimmer and lucky craft pointer smasher and the bait monkey almost broke out of his cage. 

What's everyone preference for jigs to pair with these? My few lakes are 20+ ft deep with bottoms that are covered in weeds so I opted for screw lock swimbait hooks. 

 

 

I bet the Arrowana was a nice surprise!I also fish for exotic fish, my favorite are the Pacu. Probably the strongest pound for pound 100 % freshwater fish we have.

[SoFloBassFiend]

On February 1, 2016 at 10:35 PM, I.rar said:

Curious if anyone throws swimbaits here in South Florida with success. I have a MH rod on the way along with some 5" keitech paddle tails but am looking for  some more options under 1 ounce. 

All day every day is swimbaits season in south Florida. Check out the River 2 Sea S-waver also for jointed baits. A good weedless option also is a Huddleston 68 weedless. The big girls gobble them up down here. 

[N Florida Mike]

On 2/1/2016 at 11:45 PM, hawgenvy said:

I use 4.8" Keitech Swing Fats a lot, but also like Gambler Big EZ and the smaller EZ Swimmer. They have good action but are much slicker and slide better through more dense vegetation, or over pads easily, because they don't have the ribs. Use a 4-0 or even a 5-0 hook. Also, you can actually punch mats with them rigged with a 1 1/2 oz tungsten weight. The EZ twins will attract big fish. Also, I've been meaning to try Zoom Swimming Super Flukes with the paddle tail. The regular Super Fluke keeps bringing me dinks. Oh, I use the Strike King Rage Craw sometimes Texas rigged 3-0 with a tiny screw weight and use it just like a spinner bait with success. Also can use the T-rigged Rage Craw like a jig, or as a jig trailer, or on a punching rig with a big weight. All depends how much jiggle you think the bass want.

Those swimming super flukes catch a lot of fish but one fish pretty much destroys it.

[SFL BassHunter]

On ‎2‎/‎1‎/‎2016 at 10:35 PM, I.rar said:

Curious if anyone throws swimbaits here in South Florida with success. I have a MH rod on the way along with some 5" keitech paddle tails but am looking for  some more options under 1 ounce. 

I pour my own swimbaits now. Similar to the Ez Swimmers. Very successful with them. They have become one of my favorite baits to use.

[MikeOGNR]

On 2/1/2016 at 10:45 PM, hawgenvy said:

I use 4.8" Keitech Swing Fats a lot, but also like Gambler Big EZ and the smaller EZ Swimmer. They have good action but are much slicker and slide better through more dense vegetation, or over pads easily, because they don't have the ribs. Use a 4-0 or even a 5-0 hook. Also, you can actually punch mats with them rigged with a 1 1/2 oz tungsten weight. The EZ twins will attract big fish. Also, I've been meaning to try Zoom Swimming Super Flukes with the paddle tail. The regular Super Fluke keeps bringing me dinks. Oh, I use the Strike King Rage Craw sometimes Texas rigged 3-0 with a tiny screw weight and use it just like a spinner bait with success. Also can use the T-rigged Rage Craw like a jig, or as a jig trailer, or on a punching rig with a big weight. All depends how much jiggle you think the bass want.

x2 on this. we slayed them on golf course ponds in the rain with these. I ran mine pretty fast and they just slammed them.

[SFL BassHunter]

2 minutes ago, MikeOGNR said:

The regular Super Fluke keeps bringing me dinks.

Interesting you mention that. I've never caught a bass bigger than maybe 12-13 inches on a fluke. Not sure why.

[MikeOGNR]

Also to add i'll be in the Sunshine state in 23 days.... and I know what i'll be throwing. especially trying to get that 10lber me and Hawgenvy gonna make the fish crawl back to there holes when were done with them. Fact

[GonzoFishing]

On February 2, 2016 at 11:43 PM, soflabasser said:

I bet the Arrowana was a nice surprise!I also fish for exotic fish, my favorite are the Pacu. Probably the strongest pound for pound 100 % freshwater fish we have.

X2!! Had a Pacu hit a top water propeller type lure with such ferocity that I actually flinched! Don't know if hit out of hunger or annoyance but it was an amazing drag pulling fight. Same pond has a nice red tail catfish that I'm dying to catch! SoFlo fishing is crazy!! Never know what the next cast brings ?