Swing head lowdown....

[DitchPanda]

I've never thrown one so I need some pointers. What is a good brand and all around size? Preferred plastics? Rod,reel and line setup?

[TnRiver46]

I got some that @Bluebasser86makes and put a zoom UV speed craw on it. It has  worked almost every time I’ve tried it so far! I am also a noob to the tactic and just threw it on steep banks with laydowns and you could see the line jump when they hit it. I’ve heard laydowns aren’t good for football head but maybe it works because it’s swinging? I don’t know but they like it. I’m looking forward to trying it during the prespawn on the open flats, inspired by @A-Jaywith his rage bug/swing head success. They should work with any setup capable of throwing a 1/2 jig or something like that, I like 12-15 lb line and MH. Prepare the net!!!

[Luke Barnes]

Ive never used one either. How would one retrieve it?

[NorthernBasser]

13 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

Ive never used one either. How would one retrieve it?

Reel it just like a crankbait. You wanna use a heavy enough head so that you maintain contact with the bottom. Works best with rocky bottoms. The swinghead/bait bouncing and deflecting off the rocky bottom provides much of the action. Whichever bait you choose will do the rest. 

[Bluebasser86]

I use the 1/4oz almost exclusively and I don't use it at all like a crankbait. Instead, I cast it out and drag it slowly along the bottom like a standard football jig. I've never been able to get the straight retrieve bite to work with them.

 

I fish them on an Okuma TCS 7' 3" H/F with a Tatula SV 8.1 with 15lb Tatsu. Plastics are pretty wide open. Only bait I've had no luck with is tubes. Craws, creatures, and beavers are my preferred baits for them though.

[Finessegenics]

I use some homemade ones which I purchase from a local guy. All of them have either 3/0 or 4/0 hooks. If not, I really liked the Big Bite baits version. Comes in 3 sizes with a quality Gamakatsu hook.

 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Big_Bite_Baits_Gamakatsu_Swing_Head_Jig_4pk/descpage-BBBGSHJ.html

 

There’s even the opportunity to match whichever hook you’d like by buying just the heads themselves. I see these becoming a more popular option and one which I will probably try some time in the future. It’s very versatile as you can now throw any size bait you want, just select that appropriate hook for your bait of choice. Mustad offers a lead and tungsten head. 
 

https://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Mustad_Fastach_Football_Weight/descpage-FOM.html
 

As for weight, I never go lighter than 3/8 even when fishing in 3-4 fow. I do run it like a crankbait so it is important that contact with the bottom is maintained throughout the whole retrieve. For me, 3/8 oz and 1/2oz are basically all I use but I do own some 5/8 and 3/4’s just in case. 
 

Craw and creature baits are most popular for this technique but you can put on absolutely any kind of plastic you like. I’ve done well with a 4” Speed Craw and even an XZone Swammer. 

Since I’m rarely exceeding the 1/2oz mark, I’m using a plain old 7’ MH/F with this technique. If you’re going to be throwing a 3/4 oz weight then a H rod is probably a better choice. I don’t think you need any specialized tackle for swing heads but I believe a 6 speed reel is probably ideal for maintaining bottom contact with a steady retrieve. I used to be a straight fluoro/mono guy for my casting setups but I recently switched to braid to leader on some of my setups. I’m using 40lb braid to 15lb fluoro. 

 

Search up “fish the moment swing heads” on YouTube. Johnny’s video helped me the most in learning to use the proper retrieves for this technique. 

[TnRiver46]

I was using it like a jig on a cliff. You’ve got options! 

[A-Jay]

I have been using & abusing the swing head for a couple of seasons now.

Took me a while to figure out some of the where, when & how to trigger bites from the local brown bass population.

But once I did, it was hard to put it down at times.

Now I always have at least one rigged up.

I like a stop & go type retrieve that happens all with the reel.

You can see it in action here ~ 

 

Below is more swinghead specific info:

A-Jay

[Cgolf]

I have used the swing head and found it to be a good change up from my slider heads fishing along bottom. I think these are more of a finesse offering because the swing design allows the bait to be a little more stable as the head is being dragged along bottom bumping off of things. Where as the slider if the head bumps something the bait is moved due to that bump. Both have been good tools for me, but I find I don't use the swing heads as much as I should, perhaps I have a slider addiction.

[DitchPanda]

Anybody using a menace grub on one?

[Cgolf]

17 minutes ago, DitchPanda said:

Anybody using a menace grub on one?

 

Yup, that was the only bait I have used with it. I was a little locked into the menace at that point in time because it was working well for me. It worked just fine.

[Fishes in trees]

I don't have alot of experience with them - however I have done well throwing them when I was on water where I thought they might work.  ( primarily points & creek rock banks/ rocks & stumps banks with little vegetation ). October of 2019 I caught my personal best Truman Lake fish, on a heavier Chompers Biffle Bug (5/8 oz or 7/16 oz, not sure which ). Zoom crawdad trailer in the South African Special color.

 

Rig was a 7' All Star Carolina Rig Special.  ( Rated MH, fishes on the heavy side of MH with a fast tip )

Curado 200 E filled with 20 lb Abrazx line.   I was throwing it far, about half the spool out and bringing it back at a decent pace - NOT crawling it, but not as fast as I could reel either.   I caught 15 or so fish in 3 days on this rig.

 

The lakes that I fish week to week have a little too much vegetation, the times I've tried the Biffle Bug in those waters I'm picking off too much vegetation to have much fun.    I have some lighter weights but haven't  experimented much with them.  I'm thinking that they would work ok, thrown and worked in the same places you might throw a shakey head, but don't actually know that yet.

[Luke Barnes]

Ok so either hop and pop or steady retrieve as long as it stays in contact with the bottom. 

 

Had anyone tried the Gene Kate's Hard Heads or whatever they call them? Rock bangers maybe? I know them when i see them just dont remember the name. They are local to me so while a big company, I still consider it supporting local business!

[Bluebasser86]

13 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

Anybody using a menace grub on one?

That's what I caught my biggest smallmouth of 2020 on. 1/4oz swinghead with a moonjuice Menace.

[TnRiver46]

20 hours ago, DitchPanda said:

Anybody using a menace grub on one?

No but I’m going to! I save my menaces for special occasions when I’m near big smallmouth 

[Choporoz]

Ok...I'm game, too.

Menace horizontal like a crayfish?  Or vertical like a small feeding baitfish?

[TnRiver46]

1 hour ago, Choporoz said:

Ok...I'm game, too.

Menace horizontal like a crayfish?  Or vertical like a small feeding baitfish?

I always treat them like a crayfish except on swim jig 

[DitchPanda]

Well I ordered some mustad fastach heads so I can put whatever hook I want. Sounds like 2 really good baits on them are menaces and ultra vibe speed craws which is perfect as those are two of my favorite most versatile baits so I have alot of both.

Now I just need ice out...good thing thats only 60-90 days away...barf...

[WRB]

Fish it like a football jig and read my Horizontal Jigging In-Fisherman article.

Tom

[GetFishorDieTryin]

On 1/4/2021 at 12:36 PM, Luke Barnes said:

Ok so either hop and pop or steady retrieve as long as it stays in contact with the bottom. 

 

Had anyone tried the Gene Kate's Hard Heads or whatever they call them? Rock bangers maybe? I know them when i see them just dont remember the name. They are local to me so while a big company, I still consider it supporting local business!

There really isn't a wrong way to fish them IMO.  I fish them a few different ways.

Just like a crankbait, I grind them through rip rap at a decent pace.  When I bang into a rock I pause it for a second or 2 and go back to grinding it.  Usually the hit comes on the pause or as you start to move it again.  I think they call that "bottom buggin." 

Other times I fish it the same way I fish a FB jig in the winter, slowly dragging it a few inches at a time.   

I havent done this with swing heads, but Ive had success wacky rigging stickbaits on a jig.  I wouldnt see why it wouldn't work on a swinghead. 

[roadwarrior]

2 hours ago, WRB said:

Fish it like a football jig and read my Horizontal Jigging In-Fisherman article.

Tom

 

[Bluebasser86]

16 hours ago, Choporoz said:

Ok...I'm game, too.

Menace horizontal like a crayfish?  Or vertical like a small feeding baitfish?

Horizontal

[fishwizzard]

I have ~20 packs of Owner swing heads that I got from eBay a year or so ago.  I think I have used them maybe three times since then.  Most every where I fish has a soft bottom and they seem to bog down worse then a jig/t-rig somehow.  

 

Anyone here ever have much luck using them on a soft bottom? 

[Luke Barnes]

2 hours ago, fishwizzard said:

I have ~20 packs of Owner swing heads that I got from eBay a year or so ago.  I think I have used them maybe three times since then.  Most every where I fish has a soft bottom and they seem to bog down worse then a jig/t-rig somehow.  

 

Anyone here ever have much luck using them on a soft bottom? 

Wow how much did you pick them up for?

[fishwizzard]

6 minutes ago, Luke Barnes said:

Wow how much did you pick them up for?

Like $1.5-2.5 per pack, a total steal.  I had found a seller whom for whatever reason had all these terminal tackle lots that almost no one else seemed to be bidding on. I would throw up lowball bids at like 25% of MSRP and a lot of the time I would get lucky.  

 

So I have this pile of them and really want to find a way to make them work for me in the waters I fish the most often.  The Owners use a split ring to attach the hook, so I can change them out to whatever.  The only thing that seems to work is slowly crawling them, but again, they seem to ding in more than a bullet weight will.