Recommend me a swimbait, BR!

[Hook2Jaw]

I've got a little change in my pocket going jingalingaling.  I caught an itty bitty buck bass on the swimbait rod and reel setup I got last Christmas this past weekend, and lost a 7 shortly after.   Both fish took 5 hours of fishing, but that big stick and big reel feel a whole lot lighter now that I have some faith in the technique.

 

For guidelines as to what baits I can throw, I'm using a Daiwa Lexa WN-300 spooled with 40# braid to 30# big game.  It's on a Daiwa DXSB 8' H rated 2-8oz, which is wrong.  I feel like I can't throw more than 3oz on this stick, anything above that will overload it.  So keep that in mind with the recommendations, please.

 

Baits on my radar are the Huddleston 68 Weedless Special in ROF12, the Spro BBZ-1 4" Shad in Fast Sink, the Spro BBZ-1 6" in Fast Sink, and the Mike Bucca Bull Shad 5" and 6" in fast sink.

 

Also, for recommendations, I'll be throwing these in 8' of water off a dock, and the bottom is stumpy.  Should I go with slow sinks or even floating for the trebles to avoid losing them?

 

Anyway, suggest me some baits that aren't Roman Mother's, please and thank ya.  I'd like to keep the baits under 60 bucks.

[JediAmoeba]

This time of year - get a huddleston or a trash fish.  

[Fried Lemons]

Working class zero citizens. Very snag resistant and shouldn’t weigh more than 2-3oz depending on the size. Also look at 3:16 rising sons. 

[Big Swimbait]

As stated, the Hudds and Trash Fish are great in the colder water months. Also look at the Smash-Tech Convict. Reel as slow as you think you can, then slow down some more...

[fishballer06]

Don't be afraid to toss a 7 or 9" MS Slammer. The Gan Craft Jointed Claw and Deps Slide Swimmer are also solid choices. 

 

@Bluebasser86 is a bit of a big bait junkie. Wait for him to chime in. 

[JediAmoeba]

1 hour ago, Fried Lemons said:

Working class zero citizens. Very snag resistant and shouldn’t weigh more than 2-3oz depending on the size. Also look at 3:16 rising sons. 

Good luck finding them...

[JustJames]

I was given up big swimbait last year ever since I found my new passion of Ultralight fishing for crappie, until I found these. I might give it another shot. BTW for 8’ of water I’d prefer 68 weedless in ROF 5 where I can work it super slow like jig. I will paint one of these like crappie pattern and give it a try (thank Tom aka @WRB)

 

I also like Keitech Swim impact 7” with 12/0 owner beast  hook.

 

[WRB]

My advice is get rid of braid and heavy leader combo, you don't have toothy fish in Georgia. 

None of the lures you currently are using exceed 2 1/2 oz so your rod should be good with those lures. 

Are you shore bound or fishing from a boat?

The reason I ask is to determine the line. I use Sunline Defier Armillo Nylon 25 lb / .016D mono line for all my swimbaits. If you prefer Big Game use 20 lb / .018D.

The most productive hard swimbait I use is 22 Century 7" Triple Trout *is Silver Trout color. Soft swimbait would be 68 ROF 12 trout, I prefer 8" Hudds but you rod is a little under powered for 4 1/2 oz.

Tom

* Triple Trout is a wood lure that pre dates glides, looks plain Jane especally the finish, fun lure to fish with it does so many different movements and can turn around 180 degrees. This lure catches bass everywhere I have used it the past 20 years.

[Dirtyeggroll]

The Hudd 68 Special is a good choice.

 

The new Storm Glide looks like a good option as a "budget" swimbait.

 

Shine Glides are also a good option in that budget.

 

Just remember with the sinking baits, if for some reason you cast them off... they sink.

[Hammer 4]

I would also suggest losing the leader deal. I throw mainly 6" weedless huds in about 8-10 feet of water, for that reason I like the slow sink ROF 5. Depending on where I'm fishing, I use either 17 or 20 lb Sufix Elite Camo line. I shy away from treble hooked baits, only because in most of the park lakes they get snagged. 

[Hook2Jaw]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone!  My hat is off to everyone and I've thrown my likes out!  The help is much appreciated.

 

I can't tag right now because BR seems to be having some issues, but, WRB and Hammer 4, why are you guys suggesting I drop the leader?  I've tried my S-Waver with straight 20# CXX Copolymer and can't cast that thick line for anything.

 

I've had no issues with backlashing and I can huck my 168s about 40 yards with the braid to leader combination.

 

Are your suggestions simply for the sudden stop of the braid on an overrun to prevent me from snapping off mid cast and losing an Andrew Jackson plus a Lincoln?

[WRB]

P-Line CXX 20 lb (.018D) is a high memory line in cold weather and don’t like for that reason. Armillo is a good casting line, small diameter low memory with good knot strength. 
Tom

[Hammer 4]

RE: the leader thing..I snapped off a 3:16 bait years ago to the tune of 150.00 using a leader. Knots did not fail, leader broke after the knot, since then I use straight mono without any issues. I personally do not see any advantage to using braid unless your fishing real heavy cover, and then it would be without a leader, that's just me..

[VolFan]

For baits under 3 oz you can use 15 lb CXX if you're staying on a budget. I Iike the bull shad of the baits you mentioned, or the 68 in ROF 5, and a 9" slammer in the spring.  With those 3/4 baits you can catch a ton of fish in a ton of places.

 

I also like triple trouts like Tom - very very versatile baits. It would equate to the bull shad.

[Bluebasser86]

The 7" Savage Gear Shine Glide has been my go to bait for the past few years along with a 7" MS Slammer. If you're wanting to fish down through those stumps, a Savage Gear 4d Pulse Tail Trout rigged with the treble on the belly would be a good option. The Weedless 68 Hudd is good too. 

[Smalls]

Getcha some Burrito Baits. I’m a big fan of the jig hook gill and the taquito. He usually puts products up on his site on Sundays. 

[Catt]

From now & through the spawn ?

 

Smash-Tech Custom Baits Weedless Poacher & Weedless Convict.

 

[Hook2Jaw]

5 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

The 7" Savage Gear Shine Glide has been my go to bait for the past few years along with a 7" MS Slammer. If you're wanting to fish down through those stumps, a Savage Gear 4d Pulse Tail Trout rigged with the treble on the belly would be a good option. The Weedless 68 Hudd is good too. 

I've got a Savage Gear line through gill in 5" that's accounted for one good bass, and a Savage Gear 3D line through trout in baby bass, but that thing swims so nose up I can't commit to throwing it.  I'll take a look at the Pulse Tail, but the amount of snags I'm fishing through is probably gonna prevent that.

 

I have my Hobie, but if given the option I try to learn baits from the bank and this dock is stacked with a large school of shad and the bass are with them.

 

I think I'm gonna try a Hudd68 first.

 

How does the shine glide compare to the R2S S-Waver 168, @Bluebasser86?

[Bluebasser86]

2 hours ago, Hook2Jaw said:

I've got a Savage Gear line through gill in 5" that's accounted for one good bass, and a Savage Gear 3D line through trout in baby bass, but that thing swims so nose up I can't commit to throwing it.  I'll take a look at the Pulse Tail, but the amount of snags I'm fishing through is probably gonna prevent that.

 

I have my Hobie, but if given the option I try to learn baits from the bank and this dock is stacked with a large school of shad and the bass are with them.

 

I think I'm gonna try a Hudd68 first.

 

How does the shine glide compare to the R2S S-Waver 168, @Bluebasser86?

I much prefer the Shine Glide over the S-Waver, to the point that I don't own any S-Wavers anymore. 

[Hook2Jaw]

Just now, Bluebasser86 said:

I much prefer the Shine Glide over the S-Waver, to the point that I don't own any S-Wavers anymore. 

Cool.  I'm gonna wear my Wavers out for a bit more, the first day I committed to fishing it I got crushed by a tank -- then I found out my braid wasn't tied tightly to my spool and the whole spooled section of line spun as I tried to set the hook and through the short fight.  I cussed up a storm.  But anyway, the next time I grab a glide I will try the Savage Gear offerings.  Which ones do you throw in particular?  They have quite a few glides.  Also, which colors would you recommend for Gizzard Shad, Bluegill, and Blueback waters?  I'm going to take a look myself, but your input would be greatly appreciated.

[Bluebasser86]

43 minutes ago, Hook2Jaw said:

Cool.  I'm gonna wear my Wavers out for a bit more, the first day I committed to fishing it I got crushed by a tank -- then I found out my braid wasn't tied tightly to my spool and the whole spooled section of line spun as I tried to set the hook and through the short fight.  I cussed up a storm.  But anyway, the next time I grab a glide I will try the Savage Gear offerings.  Which ones do you throw in particular?  They have quite a few glides.  Also, which colors would you recommend for Gizzard Shad, Bluegill, and Blueback waters?  I'm going to take a look myself, but your input would be greatly appreciated.

Shine Glide 185 in Bone. My lakes are shad, bluegill, crappie, and shiner lakes, but bone just seems to draw them like a magnet. 

[Hook2Jaw]

43 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

Shine Glide 185 in Bone. My lakes are shad, bluegill, crappie, and shiner lakes, but bone just seems to draw them like a magnet. 

So it looks like I'll keep a Bone as a baseline and then rotate to match the forage should it not produce before eventually grabbing my fairy wand and tossing YUM Dingers at the bank.  Thanks, @Bluebasser86.  I'll probably grab a Shine Glide in gill and a shad imitator in addition to the bone.

 

It looks like I'm going to for sure be throwing some Huddleston 68s, and replacing my Wavers with Shine Glides.

 

Any other recommendations for a multi-jointed hard body swimbait besides the Mike Bucca Bull Shad and 22nd Century Triple Trout?  I see a lot of good opinions on Smash Tech offerings and they make some multi-jointed hard baits.

 

Also, @WRB, @VolFan, any color input for the Triple Trout for my waters?  My closest "lake" is 56 acres and the primary forage is gizzard, my local ponds are bluegill, and my closest -lake- is a blueback herring fishery.

[chubaka]

It might be a little smaller but the Catch Co Baby Bull Shad has done really well for me.

[Tizi]

I have had good success with the 6th Sense Speed Glide.  It’s a smaller bait with great action.

[WRB]

My 1st Triple Trout was the trout color that didn't look anything like a rainbow trout but caught bass. I had Pizz paint the lure rainbow trout colors and didn't seem to ichange it's catch rate but looks better to me. I started using the Silver Tout color and it works good, more crappie/Shad colors with a translucent clear tail that seems to attract a lot of strikes.

Tom