Why Can't I Get Swimbait Hits?

[smr_hga]

Well i've been using these livetarget live series bluegill swimbaits for a while now, and i've only ever caught one bass on them. The bass at my pond have only one other species in there with them, bluegill. So you would think i'd get a good amount of bites with this swimbait right? The swimbait is like perfect size for the bass here so i dont know what else could be wrong. When i fish it i just retrieve at a steady pace occasionally pausing. Why am i not getting more bites?

[j bab]

Can you post a link or pic of the lure? I didn't know that Live Target made a bluegill swimbait.

[smr_hga]

6 minutes ago, j bab said:

Can you post a link or pic of the lure? I didn't know that Live Target made a bluegill swimbait.

Well excuse me, i got my brands wrong. Sorry I haven't looked at the case in a while. Anyway it's a storm wildeye bluegill. The body is soft and the nose is weighted. It's 5/16oz and 3" long, which like i said, is perfect size for my bass.

[riverbasser]

could be there is something about them that puts the bass off, or that your fishing during non active times. I don't normally ask why im not getting hits with a certain lure unless someone else is getting bit while using it. don't get dead set on one bait, just let the fish tell you what they want

[Fishin' Fool]

Use the Keitech soft plastic swimbaits they are amazing. I prefer the Fat Impacts. You can't not catch fish.

[atcoha]

Agreed. It's almost unfair.

[j bab]

I try not to say things like "you can't not catch fish" about certain lures because that's simply not true. That gives an inexperienced fisherman unrealistic expectations. Sure the keitechs are excellent fish catchers, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible not to catch fish with one. Especially if you don't know what you're doing with it. It's more helpful to tell someone how to use it in order to have the best chance of catching a fish with it rather than just saying "this is the best lure ever."

That being said, I also think that plenty of people do catch fish on those storm baits; switching to keitech isn't the only solution. Riverbasser could be right, maybe you aren't using it at the right time. Maybe you should try different retrieve methods. Try slowing down and keeping it near or dragging the bottom (take the bottom treble off in order to do this), also try speeding up or "stroking" it if that doesn't work, and so on. Then again maybe you should listen to the fish if they don't want those baits and try something else if they won't hit it that particular day. I wouldn't give up on them completely yet, though.

Good luck.

[Mike L]

19 minutes ago, Fishin' Fool said:

Use the Keitech soft plastic swimbaits they are amazing. I prefer the Fat Impacts. You can't not catch fish.

Don't mean to hijack with this question so hopefully it will help someone else too...What size hooks are you useing? and Do you weight them at all?

I use Skinny Dippers with a keel weighted hook or with a glass nose cone almost exclusively down here, but want to try these before Rage's line hits.

 

Thanks

Mike

[Fishin' Fool]

Swimbait heads. They are weighted.

[MassYak85]

You could try removing the bottom treble (as long as it it doesn't throw off the balance of the bait). This might make it look a little more natural plus you will be able to fish it through thicker stuff, where the fish may be hiding. Just something to try. If you fish those enough I don't see why they wouldn't get bit unless the bite is just off. 

[Fishin' Fool]

1 hour ago, j bab said:

I try not to say things like "you can't not catch fish" about certain lures because that's simply not true. That gives an inexperienced fisherman unrealistic expectations. Sure the keitechs are excellent fish catchers, but that doesn't mean that it's impossible not to catch fish with one. Especially if you don't know what you're doing with it. It's more helpful to tell someone how to use it in order to have the best chance of catching a fish with it rather than just saying "this is the best lure ever."

That being said, I also think that plenty of people do catch fish on those storm baits; switching to keitech isn't the only solution. Riverbasser could be right, maybe you aren't using it at the right time. Maybe you should try different retrieve methods. Try slowing down and keeping it near or dragging the bottom (take the bottom treble off in order to do this), also try speeding up or "stroking" it if that doesn't work, and so on. Then again maybe you should listen to the fish if they don't want those baits and try something else if they won't hit it that particular day I wouldn't give up on them completely , though.

Good luck.

Just trying to help him be more effective on the water. No bait works all the time. But Keitech's are pretty darn good. Plus they catch big fish.

[Ktho]

Wind slow, like really slow and then slower still. 90% of the time i'm fishing a swimbait whether a keitech, glide bait or Hudd it takes a slow crawl with a low gear ratio reel 5.5:1 to get the desired action and bites.

Storms seem cheaper or whatever but they are good lures, a lot a lot of my swimbait fish came on Storms until they changed my favorite one the 4" Bluegill so I found other stuff to use.

[Slade House]

Hudd makes a bluegill swimbait , try that.  those storm ones kind of suck 

[bassguytom]

Try a zoom swimming fluke with a 4/0 screw lock 1/8 oz. weighted belly hook. Cheap, fairly weedless,  durable and effective. You can get these items at Dicks's or one of the other stores. I have never really had much success with Storm stuff  except in the salt. Hope this helps. 

[Burtonxj]

3 hours ago, Mike L said:

Don't mean to hijack with this question so hopefully it will help someone else too...What size hooks are you useing? and Do you weight them at all?

I use Skinny Dippers with a keel weighted hook or with a glass nose cone almost exclusively down here, but want to try these before Rage's line hits.

 

Thanks

Mike

I usually use a 4/0 VMC swimbait hook. 3.8" Fats. Rarely throw them weighted but that's just me.