Recommendations for swimbaits

[haggard]

10 hours ago, Dorado said:

For the Spro 40, do you recommend float, slow sink, or fast sink? 

If you're fishing mostly shallow water, I'd go with the slow sink (falls 1 foot every 4 seconds). If you go with fast in shallow, it'll hit bottom too quickly. With slow, you won't be dragging on the bottom as soon, and you can use the rod tip and retrieve speed to work different depths on the retrieve.

 

If you're in deep water (say 15 feet or more) I'd go with fast sink (falls 1 foot per second) because on or near topwater won't be as effective in deeper water, and if you use the slow sink you're waiting a full 60 seconds just for the lure to get to 15 feet. Fast sink will let you fish more, wait less. In deep water the fast sink can also be an effective search lure because you can cover lots of water both horizontally and vertically in relatively short time.

 

I didn't get the floater because I already have a topwater/floater Spro Rat, and in terms of mimicking live fish, the fish don't usually swim on the surface so I opted for the rat. However a benefit of the floater is that if it breaks off, you can retrieve it more easily (assuming it's not inside a bass  )

 

Slow sink for shallow, fast for deep. I got both because the water I usually fish has both.

 

Another think to think about is what pace you like to fish at. For the fast sinker, you're probably going to be working the rod faster and more actively due to the sink rate - you need to work to keep that lure where you want it in the water column.  With the slow, I imagine your retrieve will be a little more relaxed because the lure is a little more stable. Not saying one is better than the other, all depends on how you like to fish. Maybe both.

 

If I had to have only one? Probably the fast sink because if you work the rod enough you should be able to work any depth in shallow, and it will also cover deep easily. And its 1 fps sink rate is easy to count off, whereas 1 foot every 4 seconds on the slow sinker requires some heavy math  But the fast sinker is a 1 oz lure which my "go to" rod (M/F) is not rated for, so maybe I'd go with the slow after all... See? Both!

 

Keep in mind I haven't even used these lures yet; I got them after shutting down for the season. I am really looking forward to trying them and learning how to use them effectively. They're already my favorite lures in my small arsenal and that's before even casting one.

 

 

[Bluebasser86]

13 minutes ago, cgolf said:

I generally use 50 lb power pro and this is what my setup for swimbaits is gonna be, because Musky love swimbaits too;) Never casted off a bait with this and very few bite offs even and I am lazy about retying. The heaviest lure I know I have thrown on the line is a 6.6 oz storm thunderstick with it. 

 

What lb test are guys using when they toss swimbaits? I tried some 20 lb power pro and spider wires version of suffix 832 and encountered exactly what you were talking about even with clean line tossing deep divers and Bandit 100s. Never have the issue though with 30 lb suffix 832 or fireline (not sure what category this fits). I just assumed it was a bad bunch and stuck with the 50 lb power pro and the 30 lb 832. 

 

So I guess in a way I agree with you, and have found line I trust and have stuck with it for years. 

 

 

 

 

Most I've heard use 50 or 65. A majority of guys use 20 to 25 pound copolymer or Fluorocarbon though.

[Cgolf]

6 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

 

Most I've heard use 50 or 65. A majority of guys use 20 to 25 pound copolymer or Fluorocarbon though.

The problem I have is we have 50 lb fish swimming around so for me I would be afraid to throw the 20 to 25 lb co poly or flouro for reasons of either getting bit off or broke off. Probably not a perfect solution for up here. 

[Bluebasser86]

1 hour ago, cgolf said:

The problem I have is we have 50 lb fish swimming around so for me I would be afraid to throw the 20 to 25 lb co poly or flouro for reasons of either getting bit off or broke off. Probably not a perfect solution for up here. 

Heavy fluoro leader is what I hear a lot of guys using, like 100lb actual leader material.

[Scarborough817]

depending on the rod and what baits you're throwing. i would use 20-25 lb co poly for glides and hard swimbaits, i use p line c21. for my hudds i throw 65 lb power pro and a 20 lb cxx leader 

[WRB]

13 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

I tired the 25lb DA this fall and found it to be super stiff and weary, to the point where coils would form in slack line when floating on the water.  Is this unusual or just how heavy line behaves?  I have been using the 12lb DA and found it to be really soft and manageable, but the 25lb is killing me.  

 

I am trying to resist the urge to give 60lb braid a try, the most expensive swimbait I own is around thirty five bucks, so it will not be the most expensive lesson I had to learn for myself 

The reason I use Sunline Armilo Defier 25 lb is it has less memory, .002 smaller dia and cast easier than 20 lb Big Game I used for about 25 years. If you are experiencing line memory issues it's because of very cold air temps or too small of a reel with small spool diameter.

The reason I don't use braid is it cuts soft swimbaits like Hudds severely if it wraps the lure. Don't use braid with leaders because 2 knots to fail and leader knot creates havoic going through guides using heavy lures.

Regarding swimbait choices for use in Texas I would go with gizzard Shad, baby bass, bluegill, crappie and Talopia color shapes in slow sink models, wakes baits a big brown rat and a Shad color Slammer, glides a Deps 175 and 250, R2Sea bone 200 Waver.

Tom

 

[fishwizzard]

23 minutes ago, WRB said:

The reason I use Sunline Armilo Defier 25 lb is it has less memory, .002 smaller dia and cast easier than 20 lb Big Game I used for about 25 years. If you are experiencing line memory issues it's because of very cold air temps or too small of a reel with small spool diameter.

The reason I don't use braid is it cuts soft swimbaits like Hudds severely if it wraps the lure. Don't use braid with leaders because 2 knots to fail and leader knot creates havoic going through guides using heavy lures.

Thanks, that gives me a lot to think about.  I never can considered the line wrapping a lure.  

 

The line did get worse once once it got below 40f here and I am using a 34mm 1016 spool, so just an average bass spool.  If Armilo Defier has less memory then other mono, I will stick with it and try to make it work. 

[WRB]

Small diameter narrow width bait casting reel spools don't have enough line capacity for line diameter over .016D. The average casting distance using heavy swimbaits is over 35 to 40 yards, I often cast over 40 yds to 50 yards and that would nearly empty your spool using 25 lb AD line. My suggestion is get a 300 size reel like a Cardiff for swimbaits that hold 165 yards of 25 lb AD or 150 yards of 20 lb BG.

Tom

[fishwizzard]

1 hour ago, WRB said:

Small diameter narrow width bait casting reel spools don't have enough line capacity for line diameter over .016D. The average casting distance using heavy swimbaits is over 35 to 40 yards, I often cast over 40 yds to 50 yards and that would nearly empty your spool using 25 lb AD line. My suggestion is get a 300 size reel like a Cardiff for swimbaits that hold 165 yards of 25 lb AD or 150 yards of 20 lb BG.

Tom

Yea, I am not trying to cast them nearly that far.  Right now I just fish them from the bank, so I am not trying to cast them beyond a "trashcan lid" level of accuracy, which is not close to 30y at this point. On the longest controlled cast I can make, I will have a little less than half of the line left on a 1016 spool.  I held a 200 size round reel the other day and even that is larger then I would want to deal with.   

[WRB]

Braid is your solution using a 100 or 200 size reel.

[5by3]

How do you guys retrieve the s-waiver 168s? I bought one but it sinks very, very slowly (using 20lb CXX). Do you guys fish it up near the surface or wait for it to sink deeper?

[Can't Catch Bass]

6" BD Shad

6" magdraft

Gantia

Gantarel

Huddleston 68

7" shine glide

6" Spro bbz-1

Bbz rat 50

Mattlures shad

S Waver 168

 

Are all the ones in my arsenal at the moment. The heaviest (I think) is 2.5oz, so they're all within the range you specified.

 

As for gear I'm using a Cardiff 300 with upgraded drag washers and a Fenwick ETB79XH. Through very limited experience before the temps went crashing it seemed to perform well. I was throwing a 2oz spinner on it before I went a little crazy with the brake settings and took my reel out of commission for the day.

[Angry John]

33 minutes ago, 5by3 said:

How do you guys retrieve the s-waiver 168s? I bought one but it sinks very, very slowly (using 20lb CXX). Do you guys fish it up near the surface or wait for it to sink deeper?

Most of my experence is in shallow lakes in TN so far so I let it settle for a few a few seconds and slow roll it in.  Only been fishing it for two months so I have a lot to learn.  

[nd1225]

Would my old school Zillion 100 PLA

 

It holds 125 yards of 14 lb test (.35 mm)

 

Thinking 65 lb braid with mono leader should do the trick.

 

Was able to find a Dobyns Fury 806 on a good deal. Hopefully that holds up until I get a true swimbait reel.

 

Thanks for all the insight everyone. 

 

Picked up 

 

5 - River2Sea S Wavers

2 - Jackall Gantarels

4 - Hudd 68 special

1 - MS slammer

 

thought about getting a reel but my funds are diminished after buying the baits.

 

thanks again everyone

[WRB]

Good choice on the rod.

5 S-Wavers! 

The retrieve that works for me with S-Wavers is a slow motion downward rod sweep, let the lure glide while reeling up the slack line and repeat. Swimbait require slowing down the retreive speed, they are not crank baits.

Tom

[fishwizzard]

23 hours ago, WRB said:

Braid is your solution using a 100 or 200 size reel.

I believe you are correct and will give it ago, starting with less expensive hard baits, this spring.  Thanks for the insight.