Swearing at Swimbaits

[Ford]

I'm sure this topic has been hit before, but I can't find it so far.I recently started swimbait fishing. I currently have the BD Shad, Bull Shad 4x4, Hud 68 ROF 5, Bull Gill, Jakall Gantrell and a Bull Shad in bone color. I know the baits can catch fish. I have thrown them all in areas where there are fish actively feeding. I fish the San Marcos (tiny fish central) and a few Texas lakes that are confirmed DD factories. Other than bites on the Hud while tossing it in beds, I haven't had any luck ad I'd appreciate pointers.

[Hammer 4]

I know that feeling all to well. So, for the most part, it could be which spawn cycle the bass are at in your lakes. If they are spawning, that could be the reason for not bites. Pre spawn would be a better time, but the timing has to be right, we are past that time now. If they are post spawn, chances are better, as they start to feed again.

 

I can't tell you how many days I dedicate to throwing only swimbaits only to come up empty. Timing and location is key.

What I would suggest is, take you most weedless bait, and Slowly crawl it on the bottom, I like the Hudd weedless 68 rof 12, but a 5 will work, just takes more time to sink.

 

Lastly, get some Megastrike (craw) and smear on the bait, bass tend to hold on longer doing this. Time, and more time on the water will get you more in tune with how your lakes fish behave, just hang in there. Good luck, and welcome to the forums. 

[ABart61]

I have extremely little experience throwing swimbaits. But I can tell its a grind 99% percent of the time. You’re sacrificing bites for a chance at a larger fish. Coming up empty is apart of the deal. Like Hammer said location and timing is key. Also mental toughness ?

[Bluebasser86]

It's just part of the game. I'll go long dry spells that I can't get bit on big baits and switch to mainly conventional, then I'll get on hot streaks where they're really eating them good. I mainly fishing glides and wakes though, 2 types of baits it doesn't seem like you have. They've been by far the most productive for me.

[Ford]

1 hour ago, Hammer 4 said:

I know that feeling all to well. So, for the most part, it could be which spawn cycle the bass are at in your lakes. If they are spawning, that could be the reason for not bites. Pre spawn would be a better time, but the timing has to be right, we are past that time now. If they are post spawn, chances are better, as they start to feed again.

 

I can't tell you how many days I dedicate to throwing only swimbaits only to come up empty. Timing and location is key.

What I would suggest is, take you most weedless bait, and Slowly crawl it on the bottom, I like the Hudd weedless 68 rof 12, but a 5 will work, just takes more time to sink.

 

Lastly, get some Megastrike (craw) and smear on the bait, bass tend to hold on longer doing this. Time, and more time on the water will get you more in tune with how your lakes fish behave, just hang in there. Good luck, and welcome to the forum

Some have finished and some are still actively guarding beds that look like they were just made. Also saw some fish spawning at the lake and the river. The river is spring fed and stays 73° year round, the lake is a lower plant lake. Both have waves of spawning and I'm thinking maybe the biggest fish are done because the ones on beds are like 2 poundish.

[manansalsa]

That’s just how it goes when swimbait fishing. This time of year females are looking for strong males to mate, and eating a swimbait sized meal will force the male to stop defending the bed as they will have to metabolize, which the female will see as a weakness. Because of this, a lot of times they will jab at the tail of other fish in the area to warn them to stay away instead of fully eating, which might be what you’re feeling as bites on the hudd. A fix might be to add a trailer hook, but putting more time in could be the answer as well. 

 

edit: try a glidebait, if anything you might foulhook one 

[Fishes in trees]

If you're going to swear at swim baits, try to make up some new words.  I'm pretty sure most of us have heard all the common ones, but should you come up with a new and versatile swear word, let us know.  I, for one, could use some new swear words when dealing with trauma and adversity in my life.

[PhishLI]

From what I can tell fishing bigger baits during the day can be a grind wherever you are in the country. It's no different in my area. I throw big baits about 20% of the time, but my brother and a few our friends are all in. It's all they want to do. Their catch rates during the day are low and spread out, dismal really, but after dark it's a different story. They catch consistently and year round. Around here all species bite bigger wakes and glides at night. Even Crappie will hit S Waver 168s , MS Slammeres, Gantarels, etc. It's not rare either. We catch tons of Walleye too while bass fishing at night with those baits. If you can swing it, try night fishing with the baits you've mentioned and see how it goes. We don't fish the spawn, so I can't say how that might go, but any other time of the season night fishing big baits can be the ticket around here.

[JediAmoeba]

When you read about people that are dedicated to swimbaiting they seem to have this mentality that all big baits catch big fish.  It's annoying to a point -  you can post up the worst looking bait that swims like dog crap and you get tons of people saying "send it", "it will get chewed"  and so on...

 

I look at them as a tool to catch fish - and like any lure, sometimes they are hot and sometimes they are not.  I used to throw lures for musky all the time so I know how to fish for days and get skunked, but with bass that shouldn't be the case.

[WRB]

Big swimbaits will catch some of the biggest bass in any lake but so will jigs, big worms and several other bass lures.

 Keep in mind you are targeting a very small population of fish, big bass. These fish are older and wiser serviving years of angling pressure, they don't make mistakes very often.

If you want to catch big bass study* them and learn where to spend your time trying.

Low light and uncomfortable weather are advantages when big bass are more active.

Mid day with wind can be good if you know how to cast into the wind using big swimbaits, big bass tend to face into oncoming waves and spook when anything approaches from behind them.

Tom

PS, read* In Pursuit of Giant Bass by Bill Murphy, good book for learning big bass behavior.

[Ford]

5 hours ago, PhishLI said:

From what I can tell fishing bigger baits during the day can be a grind wherever you are in the country. It's no different in my area. I throw big baits about 20% of the time, but my brother and a few our friends are all in. It's all they want to do. Their catch rates during the day are low and spread out, dismal really, but after dark it's a different story. They catch consistently and year round. Around here all species bite bigger wakes and glides at night. Even Crappie will hit S Waver 168s , MS Slammeres, Gantarels, etc. It's not rare either. We catch tons of Walleye too while bass fishing at night with those baits. If you can swing it, try night fishing with the baits you've mentioned and see how it goes. We don't fish the spawn, so I can't say how that might go, but any other time of the season night fishing big baits can be the ticket around here.

I've noticed people talking about night fishing a lot. I don't know how you avoid hanging up in trees and brush. Are you casting further out or are you fishing a less heavy cover body of water?

26 minutes ago, WRB said:

Big swimbaits will catch some of the biggest bass in any lake but so will jigs, big worms and several other bass lures.

 Keep in mind you are targeting a very small population of fish, big bass. These fish are older and wiser serviving years of angling pressure, they don't make mistakes very often.

If you want to catch big bass study* them and learn where to spend your time trying.

Low light and uncomfortable weather are advantages when big bass are more active.

Mid day with wind can be good if you know how to cast into the wind using big swimbaits, big bass tend to face into oncoming waves and spook when anything approaches from behind them.

Tom

PS, read* In Pursuit of Giant Bass by Bill Murphy, good book for learning big bass behavior.

I'll read it. I didn't know about the wave thing, so that may be a big mistake I've been making.

[JediAmoeba]

3 minutes ago, Ford said:

I've noticed people talking about night fishing a lot. I don't know how you avoid hanging up in trees and brush. Are you casting further out or are you fishing a less heavy cover body of water?

Fish waters you are familiar with...don't use lights or you kill your night vision and your eyes take a while to adjust.  You will have those moments that you sling a bait into the trees...

[WRB]

Low light doesn't mean night or total darkness.  Low light is dawn, dusk and overcast or light rain days. I personally haven't had good success with big swimbaits after dark with 1 exception; around marinas with lights. The lights attract baitfish.

At night deep diving crankbaits work better then swimbaits for me and jigs and big worms are my go to lures at night.

Fishing swimbaits from shore isn't easy with long rods making long casts with anything behind you. I would fish at major and secondary point and marina locations with deeper water access with swimbaits.

Tom

[PhishLI]

26 minutes ago, Ford said:

I've noticed people talking about night fishing a lot. I don't know how you avoid hanging up in trees and brush. Are you casting further out or are you fishing a less heavy cover body of water?

In my local spots where no boats are allowed I wade with either full body or hip waders. Those lakes are a nightmare of trees and bushes right up to the water's edge. It's best to do daylight scouting with a wading staff in order to identify go and no-go zones. At my favorite spot wading is a game changer. There are so many juicy areas that are otherwise inaccessible, meaning low pressure. Those spots never see lures as other's can never hit them from the occasional cuts in the tree lines. It's a little spooky at night, but I got over it. If your lake's depth near the shoreline allows you to get out far enough safely, then you can avoid overhanging limbs on the backswing. 

[Jig Rookie]

15 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

It's just part of the game. I'll go long dry spells that I can't get bit on big baits...then I'll get on hot streaks where they're really eating them good.

This has been my experience exactly.

 

 

1 hour ago, JediAmoeba said:

...I know how to fish for days and get skunked, but with bass that shouldn't be the case.

...??? This I don't understand; why should you not get skunked throwing big baits for bass?

[JediAmoeba]

1 hour ago, Jig Rookie said:

...??? This I don't understand; why should you not get skunked throwing big baits for bass?

I am talking to the effect you should be catching bass.  Bass are predators that constantly feed and you are able to trigger reaction strikes.  If you are throwing the same bait over and over and not catching any, you aren't utilizing the proper tools to catch fish.  I liken throwing big baits non-stop, when you are not catching any, the same as fishing any bait over and over without catching any.  

 

Unless you are a glutton for punishment throw other baits and employ traditional techniques.

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

don't use lights or you kill your night vision

Red lights really help here for retying. 

[PhishLI]

9 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

 

Unless you are a glutton for punishment throw other baits and employ traditional techniques

That may be part of the equation/challenge for some dedicated big bait guys. They only want to catch fish on those baits or nothing, even if it means getting skunked. I understand it. There's a lake I fish with my son in law where catching bass with a wacky worm is almost guaranteed. Not a bass, but 15-20, and some 5-6 LBers too. By the third trip there I refused to throw a wacky worm. It just got boring.

[Ford]

5 hours ago, WRB said:

Low light doesn't mean night or total darkness.  Low light is dawn, dusk and overcast or light rain days. I personally haven't had good success with big swimbaits after dark with 1 exception; around marinas with lights. The lights attract baitfish.

At night deep diving crankbaits work better then swimbaits for me and jigs and big worms are my go to lures at night.

Fishing swimbaits from shore isn't easy with long rods making long casts with anything behind you. I would fish at major and secondary point and marina locations with deeper water access with swimbaits.

Tom

I rarely go fishing on a sunny day. Never had a lot of luck catching anything but dinks. The Marina thing I do know to be true. So you throi your baits deeper or around deep water? I fish pretty much only shallow water year round and have caught my biggest bass in rainy mid-forties weather in shallow water, so I generally cast to swim the baits past cover.

5 hours ago, PhishLI said:

In my local spots where no boats are allowed I wade with either full body or hip waders. Those lakes are a nightmare of trees and bushes right up to the water's edge. It's best to do daylight scouting with a wading staff in order to identify go and no-go zones. At my favorite spot wading is a game changer. There are so many juicy areas that are otherwise inaccessible, meaning low pressure. Those spots never see lures as other's can never hit them from the occasional cuts in the tree lines. It's a little spooky at night, but I got over it. If your lake's depth near the shoreline allows you to get out far enough safely, then you can avoid overhanging limbs on the backswing. 

I use a kayak, but I think it would be the same situation. I guess I'll need to try it and find out.

[WRB]

Big bass move into water less then 8' deep rarely. 

The spawn it's necessary for big females to go into water about 3' deep but prefer deeper areas if the water is clear enough to incubate the eggs.

I would use 8' as shallow water the majority of the time and country. The only way to know what depth to target is determine the life zone depth using your sonar. The life zone is the depth the majority of the baitfish are at. The Swimbait bass are eating baitfish.

Tom

[JediAmoeba]

I caught my first respectable bass of the year today on a Storm Arashi Glide in Green Gill.

[Ford]

6 hours ago, JediAmoeba said:

I caught my first respectable bass of the year today on a Storm Arashi Glide in Green Gill.

I haven't caught anything over four all year, so you're ahead of me.

[Harold Scoggins]

On 3/30/2020 at 10:33 PM, Ford said:

Jakall Gantrell

I throw the Gantarel Jr a lot and have had luck running it through the wood. Don't be afraid to run it along side laydowns and over/ around stumps, the resulting strikes is very satisfying. 

[Fishingmickey]

9 hours ago, Ford said:

I haven't caught anything over four all year, so you're ahead of me.

Over four or four out of the San Marcos river is a very respectable bass. You might try hitting some of the Austin lakes (Travis, Lake Austin or Lady Bird). The Colorado River chain lakes (LBJ & Buchanan) do produce some very respectable bass 6,7 & 8's. Don't forget Decker or Walter E. Long as it is known by now. Good luck!

Fishingmickey

 

p.s. Fayette county lake isn't far away either.

[Ford]

On 4/2/2020 at 8:26 AM, Fishingmickey said:

Over four or four out of the San Marcos river is a very respectable bass. You might try hitting some of the Austin lakes (Travis, Lake Austin or Lady Bird). The Colorado River chain lakes (LBJ & Buchanan) do produce some very respectable bass 6,7 & 8's. Don't forget Decker or Walter E. Long as it is known by now. Good luck!

Fishingmickey

 

p.s. Fayette county lake isn't far away either.

Been to Long several times in the past week. Lots of fish, but only off beds. I'm going to Lake Austin while they have the ramps closed and may stay and take advantage of the lights for night fishing. I have seen some big bass in LBJ, but I haven't been there since I got serious about fishing. They had it drawn down last time I tried to go.

On 3/31/2020 at 8:46 PM, WRB said:

Big bass move into water less then 8' deep rarely. 

The spawn it's necessary for big females to go into water about 3' deep but prefer deeper areas if the water is clear enough to incubate the eggs.

I would use 8' as shallow water the majority of the time and country. The only way to know what depth to target is determine the life zone depth using your sonar. The life zone is the depth the majority of the baitfish are at. The Swimbait bass are eating baitfish.

Tom

I fish smaller lakes to avoid the weekend crowd pressure. Usually ends up being a generally shallow lake. I know Fork has giants, but I'm never going over there with the way that place gets hammered every day. Luckily Texas is packed with small lakes that aren't on the radar.