Swimbait (4-5 inches) rigged weedless...

[n8cas4]

I love throwing a 3.8 or 4.8 keitech Swimbait on a exposed jighead, but I don't like it much rigged weedless with a keel-weighted screw-lock hook.  Does anybody throw one swimbait on a jighead while preferring a different swimbait for sparse grass?  I'm especially looking for a swimbait that doesn't tend to 'grab' the weeds.  Bigger than a grub, yet smaller than most hollow bodied swimbaits-- say approx. 4-5inches in length.  

[Crestliner2008]

I love the jig & Keitech combo! Has accounted for a lot of smallies and lake trout over the years. If I'm fishing shallow however, I actually prefer a hollow bellied swimbait, such as the Shadalicious. I rig it side-ways, vs. normal up & down. Reason? The In'Fisherman told me to!!! LOL! It does catch fish that way though! I guess it's because when rigged this way, it creates a deeper hook gap leading to better hook-ups. Whatever.....it works!

I fish the jig/Keitect with a 1 1/2 oz. jig head....fishing the drop offs in early spring. The lakers go nuts over them and so do the smallies.

[n8cas4]

It's a great smallie bait for sure

[FloridaFishinFool]

Here in Florida I have to deal with a lot grass and vegetation and when I throw a weedless swimbait I use Zoom swimmin fluke or swimmin fluke Jr.

And I have tried a lot of hooks over the years, but one I keep coming back to is the Mister Twister keeper hook. It moves through weeds and grass without a lot of hangups or catching grass to hang off the lure fouling it up.

[eyedabassman]

I too vote for the Zoom swimming fluke or the Missile shockwave. The shockwave has great tail action at slow speeds!

[00 mod]

Here lately I have been throwing the True Bass little head.  It is a 4.5" bait and really slays them on a keel weighted hook.  Lighter the better.  Also have good luck with skinny dippers.

Jeff

[SoFloBassFiend]

Gambler Big EZ. 

[A-Jay]

11 minutes ago, 00 mod said:

Here lately I have been throwing the True Bass little head.  It is a 4.5" bait and really slays them on a keel weighted hook.  Lighter the better.  Also have good luck with skinny dippers.

Jeff

Sweet looking little bait Jeff -

btw - "some guy" from your area provided a positive TW review on this bait recently . . . .

A-Jay

[Mike L]

Skinny Dippers and/or a Big EZ depending on what kind of action they want. I rig both on the Owner Screw Lock with centering pin. 

 

Mike 

[gobig]

Baby trash fish.

[n8cas4]

4 hours ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

Here in Florida I have to deal with a lot grass and vegetation and when I throw a weedless swimbait I use Zoom swimmin fluke or swimmin fluke Jr.

And I have tried a lot of hooks over the years, but one I keep coming back to is the Mister Twister keeper hook. It moves through weeds and grass without a lot of hangups or catching grass to hang off the lure fouling it up.

What size weight is that?  

[primetime]

4"-5" Swim Senko is hard to beat, or a Rage Cut'r Worm..It can be fished as a swimbait, all the above answers are good choices...I would add that I like to use the Skinny Dipper style as well, but I like the Bass Pro Swim Sally since they are softer and have the best action out of that group imo. 

Strike King makes a nice swimbait that is the perfect weight and texture as well..the Caffiene shad swimbait-Not as much as a swing, or joint, different look. Creme makes the Screamer I think it is called, I had a bag and they worked well, just hard to find but they are legit.

A Swim Senko is hard to beat in grass...Keeper hooks from Mister Twister are really good at times especially on thinner baits and I believe the weighted hooks are all light like 1/16-3/16....

Another good option is the Z-Man Minnowz and Diesel Minnowz with a Wieghted Trigger Hook From ZMan which has a baitholder and will never bend..They make a bait called the grass Kicker which is thin and all baits are floaters  for most part, I just picked some up and have not tried them yet but they are similar to a swim senko in design-5" long..I used to struggle with hooksets on hollow bellies until I started rigging them sideways, now I have confidence in them, but here in Florida, Guys love to throw the Gambler EZ swimbaits...They make 3-5" in awesome colors and that bait excels in grass. I would guess they are the most popular in my area and it seems everyone throws Gambler swimbaits and flipping baits...

 I like the Keitechs rigged weedless, or the speed shad and other knock offs, but if I had to pick 1, I go swim Senko 4-5" any color that is a laminate or has contrasting flake....

[FloridaFishinFool]

2 hours ago, n8cas4 said:

What size weight is that?  

I just used that image as an example of the hook I use. I believe that one shown above is a size 2/0  1/8th ounce. I generally use a 4/0 or a 5/0 either without a weight, or various weights depending on desired depth, speed of sinking, and/or river current strength at the time.

Here is an 1/8th ounce 2/0 package, and below a 4/0 no weight package. These hooks do well for me.

[Mike L]

1 minute ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

I just used that image as an example of the hook I use. I believe that one shown above is a size 2/0  1/8th ounce. I generally use a 4/0 or a 5/0 either without a weight, or various weights depending on desired depth, speed of sinking, and/or river current strength at the time.

Here is an 1/8th ounce 2/0 package, and below a 4/0 no weight package. These hooks do well for me.

I've seen that style before and always walked away thinking that the pin, even with being barbed, wouldn't hold in the nose as well as a twist lock would. Do you have that problem with those at all?

 

Mike 

[FloridaFishinFool]

7 hours ago, Mike L said:

I've seen that style before and always walked away thinking that the pin, even with being barbed, wouldn't hold in the nose as well as a twist lock would. Do you have that problem with those at all?

 

Mike 

No I really don't. I don't want it to hold as well as the screw on type. I want a fish to be able to easily depress the rubber so I can get the hook into the fish faster and better is my theory. The screw on might hold on too well and tends to tear up the nose of the rubber once a fish hits you might have to replace it which takes time.

I actually prefer this style because when it does pull out it does not tear up the rubber as bad as the screw it type. Out on a boat this type is quick and easy to use for me, and I'm not standing there trying to twist it back in. A re-insertion is darn near instant so if there is a fish I just missed I don't have to worry about taking too much time getting it ready to cast again. It is almost instant with these.

Another issue with the twist on type is you have to remove the hook barb from the rubber in order to spin it back on. With this type I can re-insert it without removing the barb from the rubber bait. Much quicker.

Another reason I like this type is that it seems easier to set the hook than the screw on type which does not give as easily as this type does. This is just a theory of mine, but I've tried them all and I keep coming back to this type because of how easy it is to use.

ADDED: When I use a screw on hook and a fish grabs it, the screw on tends to try and hold the rubber lure in place longer when I am trying to set the hook. Using this mister twister type of hook when a fish hits it, the entire rubber bait can slide/move more easily down away from me to set the hook faster and easier in my opinion. If the screw on holds the rubber in place then the barb has to push through the rubber where it sits held into place, but with this hook, when a fish hits the rubber can slide down making it easier for the barb to hook into the fish. Hope this makes sense.

I don't even buy the twist on type any more. I have some and they just sit in the box these days while I reach for these. And generally I get these in bulk for quite a bit less than other brands and types.

[Mike L]

14 minutes ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

No I really don't. I don't want it to hold as well as the screw on type. I want a fish to be able to easily depress the rubber so I can get the hook into the fish faster and better is my theory. The screw on might hold on too well and tends to tear up the nose of the rubber once a fish hits you might have to replace it which takes time.

I actually prefer this style because when it does pull out it does not tear up the rubber as bad as the screw it type. Out on a boat this type is quick and easy to use for me and I, not standing there trying to twist it back in. A re-insertion is darn near instant so if there is a fish I just missed I don't have to worry about taking too much time getting it ready to cast again. It is almost instant with these.

Another issue with the twist on type is you have to remove the hook barb from the rubber in order to spin it back on. With this type I can re-insert it without removing the barb from the rubber bait. Much quicker.

Another reason I like this type is that it seems easier to set the hook than the screw on type which does not give as easily as this type does. This is just a theory of mine, but I've tried them all and I keep coming back to this type because of how easy it is to use.

I don't even buy the twist on type any more. I have some and they just sit in the box these days while I reach for these. And generally I get these in bulk for quite a bit less than other brands and types.

Ok Great, Thank You

 

Mike

[n8cas4]

4 hours ago, primetime said:

Strike King makes a nice swimbait that is the perfect weight and texture as well..the Caffiene shad swimbait-Not as much as a swing, or joint, different look.

I think Faircloth won on the Sabine (first year there) using this with a small bullet weight.  That grass seemed super sparse, though.  I'd be fishing in grass that's less sparse than that.  

[fishwizzard]

5 hours ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

No I really don't. I don't want it to hold as well as the screw on type. I want a fish to be able to easily depress the rubber so I can get the hook into the fish faster and better is my theory. The screw on might hold on too well and tends to tear up the nose of the rubber once a fish hits you might have to replace it which takes time.

I actually prefer this style because when it does pull out it does not tear up the rubber as bad as the screw it type. Out on a boat this type is quick and easy to use for me and I, not standing there trying to twist it back in. A re-insertion is darn near instant so if there is a fish I just missed I don't have to worry about taking too much time getting it ready to cast again. It is almost instant with these.

Another issue with the twist on type is you have to remove the hook barb from the rubber in order to spin it back on. With this type I can re-insert it without removing the barb from the rubber bait. Much quicker.

Another reason I like this type is that it seems easier to set the hook than the screw on type which does not give as easily as this type does. This is just a theory of mine, but I've tried them all and I keep coming back to this type because of how easy it is to use.

I don't even buy the twist on type any more. I have some and they just sit in the box these days while I reach for these. And generally I get these in bulk for quite a bit less than other brands and types.

This is good info, thanks.  I have used those hooks for panfish plastics but never considered them for larger stuff. I use a lot of z-man baits and twist on keepers don't work well for them, these hooks look like a good fit. 

[TxHawgs]

6 hours ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

No I really don't. I don't want it to hold as well as the screw on type. I want a fish to be able to easily depress the rubber so I can get the hook into the fish faster and better is my theory. The screw on might hold on too well and tends to tear up the nose of the rubber once a fish hits you might have to replace it which takes time.

I actually prefer this style because when it does pull out it does not tear up the rubber as bad as the screw it type. Out on a boat this type is quick and easy to use for me, and I'm not standing there trying to twist it back in. A re-insertion is darn near instant so if there is a fish I just missed I don't have to worry about taking too much time getting it ready to cast again. It is almost instant with these.

Another issue with the twist on type is you have to remove the hook barb from the rubber in order to spin it back on. With this type I can re-insert it without removing the barb from the rubber bait. Much quicker.

Another reason I like this type is that it seems easier to set the hook than the screw on type which does not give as easily as this type does. This is just a theory of mine, but I've tried them all and I keep coming back to this type because of how easy it is to use.

I don't even buy the twist on type any more. I have some and they just sit in the box these days while I reach for these. And generally I get these in bulk for quite a bit less than other brands and types.

Do u buy these in bulk directly from mister twister or somewhere else?

[FloridaFishinFool]

Just now, TxHawgs said:

Do u buy these in bulk directly from mister twister or somewhere else?

ebay. If you buy one pack at a time you can pay like $6 to $7 per pack, but some sellers sell lots of them like this one- 5 packs to your door with free shipping for $11. Can't beat that price anywhere. This is how I am buying them:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-PKGS-MISTER-TWISTER-4-0-KEEPER-HOOKS-BEST-FISHING-HOOKS-FOR-PLASTIC-BAITS-/151986075638?hash=item23631377f6:m:m2zzIBXJAYpCOXi5vHDY8hw

9 packages for $27

http://www.ebay.com/itm/9-New-Packages-of-Mister-Mr-Twister-Keeper-Hooks-for-Plastic-Baits-Bass-Salmon-/182009301974?hash=item2a60998bd6:g:zMoAAOSwPe1UAm7x

3 packages for $8

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Packages-of-Mister-Twister-4-0-Weighted-Keeper-Hooks-for-Bass-Salmon-Walleye-/401064247057?hash=item5d614abf11:g:-T0AAOSwoydWrrYN

[primetime]

3 hours ago, n8cas4 said:

I think Faircloth won on the Sabine (first year there) using this with a small bullet weight.  That grass seemed super sparse, though.  I'd be fishing in grass that's less sparse than that.  

Yea, you can get any soft swimbait through grass I guess it comes down to matching the activity of the fish this time of year, and the baitfish even here in Florida are sluggish after the cold, So a light 1/16-1/8 bullet weight on the caffiene shad swimbait is finesse enough and not too much thump, swing, and has a nice glide on the fall...I actually prefer to use an open jighead as often as possible on a soft swimbait in sparse grass and I fish them similar to a rattle trap meaning I want to snap it off and get reaction strikes from fish that may not be active. Right now I am using the Bass Assassin Elite Shiner on a J-will Jighead since it is super finesse like the Keitech shiner not sure of the length though, it is maybe 4". 

Either way, Good luck on your next trip, so many good baits out there to choose from and so many cool ways to rig them weedless these days. 

 

[TxHawgs]

5 minutes ago, FloridaFishinFool said:

ebay. If you buy one pack at a time you can pay like $6 to $7 per pack, but some sellers sell lots of them like this one- 5 packs to your door with free shipping for $11. Can't beat that price anywhere. This is how I am buying them:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/5-PKGS-MISTER-TWISTER-4-0-KEEPER-HOOKS-BEST-FISHING-HOOKS-FOR-PLASTIC-BAITS-/151986075638?hash=item23631377f6:m:m2zzIBXJAYpCOXi5vHDY8hw

9 packages for $27

http://www.ebay.com/itm/9-New-Packages-of-Mister-Mr-Twister-Keeper-Hooks-for-Plastic-Baits-Bass-Salmon-/182009301974?hash=item2a60998bd6:g:zMoAAOSwPe1UAm7x

3 packages for $8

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-Packages-of-Mister-Twister-4-0-Weighted-Keeper-Hooks-for-Bass-Salmon-Walleye-/401064247057?hash=item5d614abf11:g:-T0AAOSwoydWrrYN

Awesome thanks!

[primetime]

1 hour ago, Bunnielab said:

This is good info, thanks.  I have used those hooks for panfish plastics but never considered them for larger stuff. I use a lot of z-man baits and twist on keepers don't work well for them, these hooks look like a good fit. 

You can order them in bulk from the Mr, Twister Website at a reduced price and they are often in the $1 bargain bin as well. They are actually really good for z-man baits and I usually put glue on the pin, after I heat it for Elaztach, but When I was a kid I fished only keeper hooks with all plastic worms, never used any other type of hook. They also make a Kahle style weedless hook with the pin, I still try to use them as often as possible except on heavy braid for flipping etc...Worth a try, they are better than Screw style hooks imo and do less damage and they will hold a worm or swimbait in place easily and fast to rig or texpose...Mr. Twister has good deals on their site and are nice people if you call, they send out sample packs of baits when you buy direct.