Big Swimbaits in Wisconsin?

[Eric Peterson]

I want your opinion on fishing big swimbaits for bass in Wisconsin. Swimbaits between 6-8 inches. Huddlestons, glide baits, stuff like that. A big bass around here is a 5+. I have heard of up to a 9lbs being caught around me but it's obviously not common. I want to know weather you think it's worth fishing or not.

[Zachb6]

I mean if you truly think the forage is this large in the lake and if the lake is large enough to hold 5+ ponders in it then go for it the worst that can happen is you don't catch anything and that's not the end of the world but you very easily can surprise yourself and catch a big gin it will just take some dedication to catch a large fish! If I were you and you're really hunting for that giant then go for it

[zeth]

Yes go for it. I grew up fishing for musky in wisconsin and have caught bass in the process. A few months ago a buddy of mine caught an 8lb. smallie while fishing a musky tournament.. 

[Raul]

A 5 lb momma bass ain´t gonna refuse an 8" trout for lunch. 

I won a tournament with a 3 lb bass, no need to say that 1 lb of that weight was a 1 lb trout it had in it´s stomach.

[KYBassin']

If it can fit in its mouth...a bass will eat it.  And sometimes even if it doesn't.

[Klebs01]

I haven't caught anything on the 6"+ baits yet (probably not sticking with them long enough), but have caught some of my best on 5" hard swimbaits. 

[stkbassn]

Big baits will work there! Get out there and see how you do! In my opinion , catching fish on big swimbaits is a preference and a style all it's own when it comes to artificial baits. I love it and I'm addicted to it but it can put you in a box so to speak. What I mean is, you have to commit to throwing the big bait and often suffer fishless trips when you might have been able to catch a bunch on conventional tackle such as the old plastic worm, jig, spinnerbait, buzzbait, and now the ever popular drop shop and ned rig. If it's numbers you seek or are used to you need to wrap your mind around not expecting that on bigger baits but generally you will get more quality when you do hook up. However, there will be the day that you whack em' on big baits. The more you go the better the odds obviously.  Have fun man! I love throwing the big baits even when they aren't producing...it's the anticipation of the possibility of that one special fish that might be at the end of any cast....dream!

[RichF]

I do quite well in northern NY on 6in shadalicious swimbaits.  Mostly pre spawn fishing though.

[CarolinaBoy4Life]

You can fish a swimbait anywhere. The issue with swimbaits is the # of bites is going to decrease. A lot of people don't understand the commitment it takes to fish swimbaits long enough and consistent enough to produce the results that they can. When I first started fishing I spoke with some guys on the underground and got an idea of what how and where to fish. I went 3 months without catching a single fish on a swimbait. Then boom nailed an 8lber on a pats perch. I always have a hudd rod and a pats perch on board. May not pick them up if conditions do not call for it but its always there as a possibility 

[Scarborough817]

caught a 5 pounder on a 7" savage gear 2 weeks ago so go for it

[MI.Kayaker]

You don't even need 5# to catch fish on swimbaits. 2015 total average: 14.19". Average fish caught on BBZ1 Rat 50: 14.68". I also caught a 10" rock bass and this bluegill off his bed using the one swimbait I had last year. 

[MassYak85]

As long as you are willing to put in the time commitment definitely go for it. But you have to be willing to commit to fish-less trips. If you haven't caught any in a few hours and are tempted into switching over to a senko to smack some 2-3 pounders then it might not be for you. 

[Eric Peterson]

Lol it sounds like it might not be for me then

[MassYak85]

13 minutes ago, Eric Peterson said:

Lol it sounds like it might not be for me then

It's not to say you can't pull out a swimbait for an hour every trip and catch the occasional pig. But the people who are really successful with the baits are the ones who dedicate time to them and fish them in the right conditions. Of course you can say that about all lures and techniques though.  But with swimbaits you are now singling out a very specific class of fish that quite simply, you might not run into that often, of course this also depends on your knowledge of where big fish hang out under certain conditions.

[RyneB]

My only problem with throwing big swim baits up north is possibly losing it to musky or pike. I have thrown hudds an the bigger strike king shadalicious and have caught bass, but have caught more pike than anything. I have found if I want to target bigger fish up north, I'll throw a big jig. It tends to catch me bigger northern bass and minimizes the toothy critters. 

[RevoSEMIpro]

I found them to be largely a waste of time unless targeting Northern or Muskies as well.  And if you're on of the guys that get bent out of shape about hooking into the toothy ones then definitely forget it.

[Eric Peterson]

I have fished them some and only caught and broke off pike (quite frustrating cause swimbaits aren't cheap). I need to fish them more to completely decide if I can handle the lows of swimbait fishing lol

[wisconsin heat]

I caught a 14 incher on a 6 inch Savage Gear Line-Thru Trout  like a week ago. If there are muskies in the water might want to consider a steel leader, or at least really heavy Flouro.

[Bluebasser86]

As long as the bass eat other fish where you live, then they'll eat big swimbaits. I catch them on big swimbaits here in NE KS all the time and our population of bass over 18" is terrible.