Rage Swimmers Alternative

[the reel ess]

I've been using these little jewels (3.75") lately and can't keep the fish off them. I've been rigging them on an EWG hook with a 3/16 oz bullet weight. But they're only good for one fish usually before they're too far gone to use. The last place I fished warmouth wore them all out. Is there a more durable alternative?

[Hook2Jaw]

The YUM Pulse works well for me.  They're very durable with good body roll and kick.  The ribs seem like they help hold depth well.  They're cheap.

 

The only issue is kinked tails, you may have to boil and cold dip a few.

[fishwizzard]

If the nose is ripping, try switching to a twistlock hook.  I fish the more fragile Fat Impacts nail-weighted on an 4/0 Owner and they a dozen or so fish most of the time, some lasting for twice that. 

 

If it's the tails then I would maybe look at the Gambler EZ Swimmer.  It's not the exact same profile/action, but I have found them to be super durable.  

[the reel ess]

30 minutes ago, Hook2Jaw said:

The YUM Pulse works well for me.  They're very durable with good body roll and kick.  The ribs seem like they help hold depth well.  They're cheap.

 

The only issue is kinked tails, you may have to boil and cold dip a few.

That's what I'm reading about most of them in the reviews. I've used the Zoom Super Swimming Fluke with some success. But T rigged, they don't stay upright. 

2 minutes ago, fishwizzard said:

If the nose is ripping, try switching to a twistlock hook.  I fish the more fragile Fat Impacts nail-weighted on an 4/0 Owner and they a dozen or so fish most of the time, some lasting for twice that. 

 

If it's the tails then I would maybe look at the Gambler EZ Swimmer.  It's not the exact same profile/action, but I have found them to be super durable.  

It's the nose that's getting ripped. They work fine on a jighead, but they're fouled with weeds just about every cast. 

[Shimano_1]

Compared to the keitechs the rage swimmers are much more durable in my experience.  I dont know that ur gonna get more durable without compromising action. I find the rage to be the perfect blend of action vs durability 

[the reel ess]

5 minutes ago, Shimano_1 said:

Compared to the keitechs the rage swimmers are much more durable in my experience.  I dont know that ur gonna get more durable without compromising action. I find the rage to be the perfect blend of action vs durability 

Their action is the BEST and they're easy to rig to run straight without a weighted hook. The most bites come when I fish them like you would a T rigged worm.

[fishwizzard]

52 minutes ago, the reel ess said:

 

It's the nose that's getting ripped. They work fine on a jighead, but they're fouled with weeds just about every cast. 

Twistlok hooks are what you are looking for.  I like the Owner thin wire 4/0 hooks for the 3.75 size, it good hook-gap and it leaves enough tail free to let it thump at high speeds. 

[the reel ess]

Thanks guys

[Bass Rutten]

The berkley power swimmer is also a step up in hardness and durability vs the strike king, the extra hardness  comes with a slightly less aggressive thump and has that lovely powerbait odor to boot, makes a great swim jig trailer too.

[primetime]

The BPS Speed shad is more durable and seems to catch fish just as well as the Rage Swimmer. Price wise, they are a little bit less expensive than the Rage Swimmer, and I have never noticed any difference in results. The Keitechs are the softest from my experience and at times I feel they work the best, but price wise I would go with the Speed Shads as overall best value for a ribbed body swimbait. They also have nice patterns and packaged well. 

 

The gambler Ez Series of swimbaits is probably my favorite overall paddle tail here in Florida as they are durable and rarely tear easily, come in plenty of sizes. They have a new one called "Vibes" which is 3.75", has a flat bottom, and is a really nice swimbait as well. Designed to be a trailer on swim jigs/Chatterbaits but it has a nice action with the flat bottom and ribbed body.

 

 

[NYWayfarer]

Rage Swimmers are my favorite swimbaits. I use them on a money minnow Yum jighead. 
 

I also like the 6th Sense Divine Swimbaits. I use them as trailers on a chatterbait and swimjig.

 

I find both more durable than Keitechs. That’s why I started using them 

[Brett's_daddy]

Biospawn ExoSwim. I haven't used them personally but I've heard enough good things about them that I'd like to try them out.

[Way north bass guy]

4 hours ago, Bassjam2000 said:

The berkley power swimmer is also a step up in hardness and durability vs the strike king, the extra hardness  comes with a slightly less aggressive thump and has that lovely powerbait odor to boot, makes a great swim jig trailer too.

I agree with this ^. Today was the first day I got to try the power swimmer on an Owner ball head jig, I caught a half dozen pike and probably about 10 bass up to 4 lbs on the same bait, and hardly even had any tooth rash on the plastic. I am VERY impressed with the durability and action of these baits, and I’ve been using rage swimmers for the last few years. Pretty sure this is gonna be my new #1 swimbait  from here on out. 

[txchaser]

12 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

If the nose is ripping, try switching to a twistlock hook.  I fish the more fragile Fat Impacts nail-weighted on an 4/0 Owner and they a dozen or so fish most of the time, some lasting for twice that. 

 

I'm probably the 5th person or so to say the same thing in this thread. But very soft plastics do really well on some sort of screw-lock head. It's worth picking up some larger CPS screws too, they will hold a good bit better. More often than not I can run the same Keitech until the hook slot is wrecked, and the nose will still be held tight.

 

Related, the owner twistlock light 2/0 or 3/0 do the same thing for senkos.

[smalljaw67]

Eco Pro Tungsten Swing Shad 3.8. I use those for swim jig trailers and the only knock on them is the limited colors. They are pretty durable with good action which I thought was surprising as tougher baits don't normally have great action.