Swimbaits in the Fall?

[papajoe222]

My attempts at using soft body and hollow body swimbaits in the fall have been less than productive. I've switched up my retrieve, gone with heavier weighted hooks to get them to run deeper. When on a decent jerkbait bite, I've switched to them in an effort to gain some confidence in their use. Problem was, they wanted the jerkbait.  Anyone have success with them in the fall?

[A-Jay]

Do this ~

A-Jay

[Angry John]

I am having much better luck running a swim jig.  Don't know if its the secondary action that helps or the added bulk of the jig.  I have just added the jig to the 4" swimbait I was already using.

[lo n slo]

papajoe, i have been throwing some around the last few weeks. a Storm pre-rigged 3" 1/4 oz chartreuse shad looking pattern. i have caught some spots on them and yesterday i even caught two bruiser crappie. however, i am like you, not sure about the method(s), even with experimentation. i have some in perch and crappie patterns that i want to throw too. hell, i would eat them if i was a fish. i am more than certain we'll get plenty of help right here!

edit: thank you AJ    git r done

[A-Jay]

I'm having some decent success on both LMB & SMB using the 5 inch Strike King KVD Swim N Shiner on either the VMC Boxer Jig Head or the VMC Flat Shad Jig Head - 1/4 ounce.   Have used casting gear some but prefer medium to medium heavy spinning gear with 15 - 20 lb braid and a leader.  

And while the Swim N Shiner is good - the SK Rage Rage Swimmer has been just as good or perhaps a little better. 

Both the 3.75 " and the 4.75" baits - they swim excellent on the 1/4 oz head; especially on a slow crawl & on the fall back to the bottom - where at least half my bites are coming.

The colder it gets - the better this should be. - at least up here.

A-Jay

[papajoe222]

Just to show how little I use them, the only way I've been rigging them is with a belly weighted hook and fishing them in the mid to upper water column.  Thanks A-Jay  I'm rigging one up for tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll get int some cooperative fish and build my confidence up some.

[A-Jay]

1 minute ago, papajoe222 said:

Just to show how little I use them, the only way I've been rigging them is with a belly weighted hook and fishing them in the mid to upper water column.  Thanks A-Jay  I'm rigging one up for tomorrow. Hopefully, I'll get int some cooperative fish and build my confidence up some.

You're very welcome.

And if the waters you fish have other game fish besides bass . . . . possibility for by-catch is decent with this one.

A-Jay

[primetime]

I like throwing them on a darter head open hook like you would a grub, and I get most strikes when the bait falls. I fish the RI skinny dippers and Charlies/Bass Assassin versions in mostly 3.5"-4". I also do well with the beat shad style swimbaits on some days, and I rarely use weighted hooks.

I like to texas rig them with 3/16 bullet weight not pegged or give the weight 2 feet to slide. I only use the weighted bigger monster beast lock hooks on the speed shad 4.8" style, but I think the drop speed and depth is key. Some days they want a fluke/Sluggo, some days the swimbait, but in the fall I get more bites suspended when I use a darter head that is light 1/4 oz the most, and cast, swim it let it fall, then experiment to I figure it out...Some days it works, some days I end up throwing lipless cranks all day. I always prefer an exposed hook when possible for hook up ratio.

swimbaits can be tricky to fish if not on the surface, at least for me....Not sure I am still 100% with them,but I still swim grubs all the time when most people use swiimbaits. 4" Grub on a darter head is hard to beat in the fall for numbers.

[Ktho]

in addition to jigheads swimbaits on underspins and A-rigs are great this time of year through winter!