swimbait starters

[jomatty]

im just starting to get into swimbaits and the variety is somewhat overwhelming.  im hoping some of you guys who are experienced swimbaiters may be able to make some suggestions.  i live in central virginia and do not fish many big bass waters.  a 5 lber is considered a very very good fish where i fish the majority of the time.  the predominant forage is shad and bluegill.

ive had great success with the lake fork swimbaits although they catch A LOT of small fish.  the mattlures bluegill is definitely one ill be getting and i am also looking forward to the release of his shad bait.   the baby e looks good, as does the ABT or strike king king shad.  i like these baits because although they should appeal to larger fish they should also catch the 3 lbers that are considered good fish  where i fish.  i would love to get a hudd or a hardbait like possibly the spro bbz but am not sure how productive they would be in the waters i fish, and also not sure i have the patience to fish them like for as long without a bite as it would inevitably take, especially where i fish.

one last question, if you were going to buy only one hardbait would you choose the slow sink?  this seems like what i should get and there is no way im going to buy 3 baits right off the bat, especially as expensive as they are.

so any bait suggestions would be appreciated,

matt

[Raul]

I would go Japanese for a slow sinker in a "decent" size:

Jackall 180 Jointed Pencil:

Jackall Dekahamakaru ( not exactly a swimbait but a large jointed minnow ):

Jackall Godon:

Gan Craft Jointed Claw:

All of those are good, cost between 20-30 bones and don 't weight a ton ( 1 1/2 oz) so you can fish them with a H power flipping stick, I catch a lot of medium sized fish with them ( 2-3 lbers ).

[mike bat]

if i where going to buy 1 hard bait id look at a wake bait ......  and the bait would depend on what i wanted to spend .... for 80 bucks you could get a 3:16 baby bass wake bait ,,,, this thing is sweet .... OR IF I WHERE LOOKING to spend less id look at a mr slamer ,, ugly looking bait but they get bit .....  ;D

[jomatty]

thanks guys,

one other thing ill mention is that i would like to start with something i can throw on my heavy 7'0 flipping stick, with a low profile baitcaster.  i have no doubt ill eventually get a swimbait set up but that is not gonna happen for awhile. those japenese baits that raul posted look like good options and seem to be in the price range im looking for.

matt

[Raul]

You can cast those with a flipping stick, I do, they are not that heavy ( 1 1/2 oz ). If you want a good wake bait you can get a Daiwa Dead or Alive, goofy looking bait but a real fish catcher and in the US they are priced cheaper than in Japan ( $30 vs $45 ).

[fourbizz]

Stay away from the jackall jointed pencil 180, worst boredom purchase EVER!

If you get a hardbait, get a floater.

[p-funk]

Take a look at the Jerry Rago Rats as well.  Nice wake bait plus it can be cranked down a foot or two.  I've caught a lot of fish on mine here in VA biggest being 6lbs 6oz.  Also of course, don't forget the Mattlures baby bass.  Another option is the Mini Slammer.

For the big baits like a Hudd, Spro BBZ, 3:16 Wake Baits, Slammer, etc, you are going to need a swimbait rod.  Most of them are 5oz or so in weight.

[Guest avid]

i would love to get a hudd or a hardbait like possibly the spro bbz but am not sure how productive they would be in the waters i fish, and also not sure i have the patience to fish them like for as long without a bite as it would inevitably take, especially where i fish

I know where your comin' from this.  My first impulse was to say "stay positive" but when it comes to fishing the really big swimbaits outside of the trophy lakes they were designed for, then it can be slow going.

I have fished the hud, and the BBZ and not gotten any fish.  I know a fish slammed or bumped my hud one time but that's it.  Being the antsy sort, I can't commit to this methodical type of fishing.  but I can and do fish them in incresments.  Say 20 minutes at a time two, sometimes three times a trip.

The smaller Mattlures baby bass and 3:16 mission fish etc. get me fish.  Biggest so far is a 6 lber on a baby bass.

[Raul]

Stay away from the jackall jointed pencil 180, worst boredom purchase EVER!

If you get a hardbait, get a floater.

Because it doesn 't work for you doesn 't mean it won 't work for somebody else, if you don 't catch with it then the problem is not the bait, it 's you.

[fourbizz]

Whatever.

Its just a big spook with poor action. It is not a swimbait, it  is not a wakebait. For that kind of money there are much better options.

Since the problem is me, how many big fish have YOU caught on this bait Raul?

Just because it says made in japan and costs more than thirty bucks does not make it a good bait.

[jomatty]

as soon as i saw fourbizzles initial response i new fireworks were comin.

by the way i appreciate both of your advice (how is that for pc)

matt

ps

if avid is having trouble getting bit where he fishes on some of these larger swimbaits then im pretty sure i dont want to be chucking them around in central va because the lakes he fishes look like el salto compared to the waters i fish.

[jomatty]

what do you guys think of the king shad or it's ABT made counterpart as a first non soft plastic swimbait?

matt

[fourbizz]

those abt's catch fish, thats for sure. but i don't think that they are big enough to really boost the big fish attraction, even on water where a giant might be 8-10lbs.

I have caught a couple dozen fish between 4 and 7 on a 9" MS Slammer in the last year. Alot of those fish are in waters without trout. I would whole heartedly recomend that bait to anyone getting started in swimbaiting. It also catches an amazing number of 2 pounders! It is ugly, but it REALLY works.

[mike bat]

yea ,, i wouldet worry about fishing any of the swimbaits ..... you have to stick with it ,,, and keep covering water ..... if you want to catch a bass on every cast you may wanna toss a spinner bait ..... i also have had small 12-14 inch bass in hail a matt-lures 6inch perch ..... if you wanna swimbait get your head right first  be prepaired for a long day .... if the hoggs are there they will hammer that bait ... good luck and stick with it .... and stay FOCUSED the seconed you dont an 8lber will yank that stick right outtta your hands .... i fish the swimbaits here in north eastern WI we dont have big bass by any means .... here a 5lber is a HOGG ,,, our record bass is just over 10lbs i believe and i olny heard of a few bass taken in the 6lb plus range ( a few like 2) .... however i seem to do great with the mattlures and wouldent worry about fishing the baits anywhere .....  ;D you must focus and grind it out ... the fish will come if you do  

[Triton_Mike]

Jomatty, WHen I got started in the big swimbaits I visited the review section of Calfishing.com They have EXCELLENT non biased reviews of alot of swimbaits and even videos for you to see the action that they have. I figured if I am going to spend $30 to $200 for a swimbait I'd like to see the action of them first. Go here and spend a couple of hours reading the reviews. In all honesty I feel like the 6 inch Triple Trout has your name on it. Althought it's twice as expensive as some of Raul's suggestions. Don't let the trout name fool you as you can get this bait in a variety of colors.

http://www.calfishing.com/reviews/index.html

Here is the triple trout review (watch the video it's sick!!)

http://www.calfishing.com/reviews/trout_plugs/22nd_century_triple_trout/index.html

Mike

[jomatty]

thanks triton mike that does look like what im looking for.  i think the 6 or 7 inch one might be right up my alley and it appears i could probably throw the 6 on a heavy action flipping stick.  what do you guys think about that?  im just not ready to to throw down the bucks on a swimbait combo yet.  

one more question is there anything else you throw on you swimbait rods or are they pretty much only good for swimbaiting.  they are too stiff for deep crankiong right?  ledge fishing or fishing deep brush with a heavy jig?  just curious, as it is always nice for me if there is some versatility as i currently only have 5 decent set ups so unlike a lot of you guys some have to do double duty.

matt

[Triton_Mike]

JoMatty,  I guess you could use your swimbait setup for shark fishing or big cats LOL.  OTher than that thats pretty much it.  You definitely need to see if your going to get on the swimbait bandwagon before you invest in a swimbait rod.  

Do keep one thing in mind.  The reason people get BIG BASS on swimbaits isn't because they fish swimbaits.  It's because they fish BIG swimbaits.  Something to think about here.  It's always a good idea to start small then get bigger as you go.  Just be sure to erase your hard drive on what you think you know about big bass and what size baits they will eat.  I catch 14 inch fish on a 10 inch swimbait REGULARLY!!!  A 10 inch bait is a morsel to a 4-5lb fish.

Mike

[Raul]

Mike ! long time no see  , what 's up bud ? how you 've been ?.

[Triton_Mike]

Thanks Raul,  I think I'm gonna play with you guys more in the future.  BFHP is getting a little rowdy after 12 years LOL.

Mike