Small Swimbaits

[scaleface]

My second hottest lure this summer/autumn has been a 3 inch DOA swimbait on a 1/4 oz Matzou jighead.     Been using it to cover shallow water ,   deeper   flats and mouths of coves.  Its been producing "every" outing . My biggest problem with it is I set the hook to fast. Reflexes , cant help it.    Been fishing a 200 acre  lake that gets pretty crowded . A lot of spinnerbaits and chatterbaits are being tossed  by other anglers , so I needed to make some adjustments and show the fish something not so belligerent. Its been a good one two punch along with a Texas rigged worm.  I know,   late to the party again . Who else relies on them to catch stubborn bass?

[Mobasser]

I know you know this one. Mr.Twister Sassy Shad. I've still got a big sack in shad color.I fish them on a 1/8 oz Eagle Claw jig head. Old School

[scaleface]

5 minutes ago, Mobasser said:

I know you know this one. Mr.Twister Sassy Shad. I've still got a big sack in shad color.I fish them on a 1/8 oz Eagle Claw jig head. Old School

I have some of those too and will probably use them once my supply of DOA's deplete.

[Steveo-1969]

A 3” to 3.5” paddletail on a ball head jig is probably my #1 confidence bait. On the river I fish this catches smallmouth in warmer water and walleyes in colder water. I throw one every time I fish Spring/Summer/Fall/Winter.

[TheBaitMonkey]

A 3" swimbait with a ballhead is always on - usually rotating between a Spark Shad, Largo Shad, and a 3.25" Jenko Booty Shaker. Sometimes I'll use the Okashira Screwhead to switch it up vs the normal ball head. They smash fish!

[bp_fowler]

I’m a fan also.  Have used both 2.75” Yum Pulse and 3.75” Rage Swimmers. 
 

I have never rigged them with a ball head jig though.  

 

For those of you that do, are you bottom bouncing or swimming them?  Maybe both?

[scaleface]

2 minutes ago, bp_fowler said:

For those of you that do, are you bottom bouncing or swimming them?  Maybe both?

both

[galyonj]

49 minutes ago, you said:

Small swimbaits are my bread and butter. And I mean small.

 

I've had tiny swimbaits and grubs both save the day for me.

[TnRiver46]

26 minutes ago, bp_fowler said:

 

I have never rigged them with a ball head jig though.  

 

 

[WRB]

It may come as a surprise that Worm King in San Diego was making a swimmer that looks exactly like the one posted....in the 70’s they called Anchovy. Fish head jigs with small swimmers have been around nearly 50 years now.

Tom

[scaleface]

5 minutes ago, WRB said:

It may come as a surprise that Worm King in San Diego

I had a French one called a Vivif. It was a harder plastic with downward facing double hooks. It snagged on everything. Those are the first ones I saw.

[Captain Phil]

Try a Zoom Super Fluke. 

[TOXIC]

Yamamoto makes a smaller swimbait in a couple of sizes and in both paddle tail and straight fork tail.  The Zako.  I use it alone and as a trailer on various baits.  Jigs, chatterbaits, scrounger heads, underspins, etc.  If you want to stay small and throw them something different that works very well, try the 2.5 inch Yamatanuki.  

[Catt]

I fish a lot of brackish water & the bass love DOA's Shrimp.

 

[Jig Man]

Keitech fat impact in 2.8 or 3” for the smaller ones white or Tennessee shad.

[bp_fowler]

@TnRiver46 I’ve used them with either weighted belly hooks or Texas rigged them with a light weight (1/16 or 1/8) pegged tight up to the nose of the bait. I did it that way because I was trying to keep them weedless.  
 

I recently figured out that was redundant because I could just fish a swim jig if I’m that concerned about weeds.

 

I was thinking I would buy swim bait jig heads and start using them more in open water, but after reading this thread I like the idea of using ball heads better because 1) I already have some and 2) they seem a bit more versatile.

[galyonj]

Honestly, a ballhead jig'll get you 90% of the way to what you're trying to do in any situation that you'd want to use a jighead in. That other 10% represents edge cases that a specific shape head is designed to excel in, and you'll know those when you see them.

[TnRiver46]

They make weedless ball heads too 

[bowhunter63]

X2 on the Sassy Shad 

[Bankbeater]

The 2" Sassy Shad will catch anything that swims.  It works great in winter for sunfish and crappie.

[LrgmouthShad]

Winter in Missouri I struggled getting bites on a small lake I frequented. Downsizing and going to keitechs on ball head jigs and light line on a spinning outfit allowed me to continue getting some fish, but they were all small unfortunately. 
 

I discovered spinnerbaits and lipless crankbaits produced less fish but better quality

 

Just one scenario

[Kirtley Howe]

9 hours ago, Mobasser said:

I know you know this one. Mr.Twister Sassy Shad. I've still got a big sack in shad color.I fish them on a 1/8 oz Eagle Claw jig head. Old School

I was down on the Susquehanna River today for about 4 hours of shore fishing. The ONLY thing I could buy a bite on was a 1/4 oz ball head jig with a 3 inch Mr. Twister Sassy Shade in Orange/Black color. I did not catch anything to write home about, but I did get 5 smallmouth in the 1 lb. range, and a bonus 2 walleye...one was 12 inches and the other was 14 inches. Sometimes you just cannot beat a sassy shad on a ball head jig. As was said, it will catch anything that swims.

[ChrisD46]

Small 2.75" ~ 3" swim bait with Seibert Outdoors Morel Jig Head 1/8th oz. size .

[ChrisD46]

I'm always game to explore new 2.8" ~ 3.5" swim baits ... Currently only tried the SK Rage Swimmer ,  ,Keitech Fat Swing Impact and Easy Shiner .