Soft swimmers- weight or weightless?

[Teal]

I didnt want to high jack another thread so I figured I'd ask it here. Typically with soft swim baits, namely rage swimmers, keitechs, yum money minnows, etc, I rig them with either a 1/8 or 1/4 swim bait jig head (exposed) or a weighted swim bait hook... lately, the Berkeley Fusion hook that has a screw lock.  I have some gammies too.  But I see some of you guys rigging them weightless or even t rig weighted.  

 

I dont run them weightless.    Should I?  What experiences do you have with them?

I may try ot later today when I go back to the lake this evening.  

 

These days I run the swimmers more than I spinner bait.  It's like stealth mode.  

[NJBasstard]

I throw them weightless when I want a slower fall, fishing it like a weightless senko or sometimes when I'm just burning it over thick vegetation. Give it a try.

[Smokinal]

Depends on wind and depth. On a calm day, in a lilly field I'll go weightless but in a little breeze or if I want some depth to the bait, I'll use a belly weighted hook.

[WRB]

Boot or paddle tail soft plastics tend to spin without a weight.

Tom

[Teal]

2 minutes ago, Smokinal said:

Depends on wind and depth. On a calm day, in a lilly field I'll go weightless but in a little breeze or if I want some depth to the bait, I'll use a belly weighted hook.

I typically run mine just over the bottom too with a weight.   

[Teal]

37 minutes ago, WRB said:

Boot or paddle tail soft plastics tend to spin without a weight.

Tom

Thanks that's something I was concerned with..mine run pretty straight on the jig heads and belly hooks.. heck, I have flukes that spin if they arent perfectly straight.  

[Throwafrog]

43 minutes ago, WRB said:

Boot or paddle tail soft plastics tend to spin without a weight.

Tom

If you try to reel them too fast, but thats not the point of a weightless rig IMO. Just slow real them and kill it and let it sink and slow reel it and kill it. 

 

To fish faster I like the belly weighted hooks but to be even more weedless and more subtle with a better hookup IMO I use small nail weights in the belly of the keitechs they are made to do this

[RoLo]

 

A soft swimbait is my favorite bait for fishing the upper water column, I throw them a bunch.

Central Florida is riddled with shallow, weedy lakes, so I fish swimbaits ‘smack’ in the salad,

on or close to the surface. You could liken it to slow-rolling a spinnerbait,

but a swimbait is more weedless and more realistic than spinners (They've virtually displaced my over-spins).

 

I’ve thrown swimbaits ranging from unweighted to over 1/2 oz, but today I pretty much stick to 1/4 oz.

A quarter ounce gives me ample weight for long casts, yet it has enough levity to ride high,

and bounce around in the stalks and pads.

 

Roger

 

[soflabasser]

I mostly fish soft swimbaits with a swimbait hook. Also fish them weightless or on a jighead depending on what presentation I feel will work best in the place I am fishing in.

[primetime]

Most of the weighted hooks frustrate me in grass....I prefer a bullet weight in weeds and pretty much overall unless fishing deeper open water then I will use a jig head with open hook.

 

I only throw the bigger ones weightless when swimming on the surface. 

[RoLo]

On 5/17/2020 at 1:56 PM, primetime said:

Most of the weighted hooks frustrate me in grass....I prefer a bullet weight in weeds and pretty much overall unless fishing deeper open water then I will use a jig head with open hook.

 

I only throw the bigger ones weightless when swimming on the surface. 

 

I love the weedlessness of a swimbait coupled with a bullet sinker (used it exclusively for several seasons)

Unfortunately though, the active tail of a Big EZ or Keitech Fat Swing tended to roll the swimbait.

To prevent rollover, I now use a 1/4 oz swimbait hook (Offset weight acts as a keel).

 

Roger