Does anyone feel like the “fast sinking” Bull Shad is the only one worth throwing in anything more than a foot of water?

[Ohioguy25]

I had done plenty of research before I bought my first Mike Bucca Bull Shad, and everyone in the searches I did seemed to push the 6” slow sink as the standard.  I have a lot of trouble working it effectively in the smaller river I fish that averages 3-5’ with moderate current and intermittent riffles.

 

I finally got tired of having to vary my retrieve to keep it down and pulled the trigger on a 5” fast sink. Night and day, and I am considering still adding weight. The “fast sink” is more of what I would consider a slow sink, and honestly the slow sink is just unusable for anything other than burning it over flats.  I’m now replacing my 6” with a fast sink as well.

[JediAmoeba]

River fishing is completely different. The sneaky pete was designed specifically for the river if you want to check that out.

 

But overall I have almost no use with swimbaits for anything faster than a slow sink if it has bottom trebles.

[Bluebasser86]

I use a 5" fast sink for smallmouth in the lakes I fish. It works great fishes similar to a spinnerbait. 

[Pat Brown]

I haven't fished many of the smaller profile glides but I'd bet $2.50 that a heavier/fast sink smaller profile glide is MUCH easier to impart lifelike action with.  So that makes a lot of sense to me.

[JediAmoeba]

8 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

I haven't fished many of the smaller profile glides but I'd bet $2.50 that a heavier/fast sink smaller profile glide is MUCH easier to impart lifelike action with.  So that makes a lot of sense to me.

Come fish the NE with a fast sink and you will get smoked by someone fishing a XS Sink or even a slow floater. In my experience only young, hungry fish eat fast large swimbaits. And to get big in the NE, those fish are pretty old...

 

 

[Pat Brown]

13 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

Come fish the NE with a fast sink and you will get smoked by someone fishing a XS Sink or even a slow floater. In my experience only young, hungry fish eat fast large swimbaits. And to get big in the NE, those fish are pretty old...

 

 

 

 

I'm only taking very small profile baits.  I would think a slower sink would be a lot better for larger glides.  Just kinda makes sense to me.  One is more of a reaction bait for bites and one is more for targeting a large fish.

 

Truth be told I would think floating below the surface/suspending would be the most deadly to my intuition.  Anyone fish hard swim baits like that with success?

[Ohioguy25]

50 minutes ago, Pat Brown said:

I haven't fished many of the smaller profile glides but I'd bet $2.50 that a heavier/fast sink smaller profile glide is MUCH easier to impart lifelike action with.  So that makes a lot of sense to me.

Bull Shad isn’t a glide, it’s a multi-jointed Swimbait but yeah everything else you said agreed.

41 minutes ago, JediAmoeba said:

Come fish the NE with a fast sink and you will get smoked by someone fishing a XS Sink or even a slow floater. In my experience only young, hungry fish eat fast large swimbaits. And to get big in the NE, those fish are pretty old...

 

 

Depends if you’re talking glides or other style swims. Glide baits are big fish baits, intended to be worked slowly. Mike Bucca has himself personally said the Bull Shad is intended to be burned.  All have their place at different times of year.

[JediAmoeba]

18 hours ago, Ohioguy25 said:

Bull Shad isn’t a glide, it’s a multi-jointed Swimbait but yeah everything else you said agreed.

Depends if you’re talking glides or other style swims. Glide baits are big fish baits, intended to be worked slowly. Mike Bucca has himself personally said the Bull Shad is intended to be burned.  All have their place at different times of year.

I don't believe much of what Mike Bucca says - just look at his history. I also wouldn't trust much of a southern guy telling me how to fish baits for Northern strain giants in the north. 

[NittyGrittyBoy]

I mainly river fish and keep a 4x4 7" bull shad tied on. Why would you want a fast sink in the river anyways?

 

80% of river fish are all reaction strike. 1ft sink is plenty for a 5ft river bank.