Glide Baits for Beginners

[The Baron]

I'm now barely competent with several presentations, so am interesting in adding glide baits to that list.😝

 

Can anyone direct me to some good articles/threads or YouTube videos on the very basics of glide bait fishing?  How about recommendations for a couple "affordable" glide baits - the River2Sea S-Waver looks like a good option?  And am I right they don't come with hooks, so what hooks would go on the 120/168 sizes?  Are there any other beginner glide baits you'd recommend?

[Functional]

A lot of soft swimbaits but there are a few on hard swim/glide baits.

 

https://www.bassresource.com/fishing-lures-articles?field_tags_target_id=152

[JediAmoeba]

Best Shad Profile - Shine Glide

Best Trout Profiles - DEPS 250, Baitsanity Explorer 

Best Wet Noodle Profile - Sixth Sense Draw, Storm Arashi 

 

I really don't like the SWavers. I also think the spro chad shad is garbage because it sinks like a rock. The Bass Pro glides are decent but definitely need a hook change.

[Bankc]

The Bass Pro XPS Boss Glide isn't bad.  I haven't tried their Swerve Glide yet.  Both are fairly cheap so they're easy to get into and figure out if this is something that's worth more time and money.  

 

As for how to fish them, there's really not much to it.  The hard part is casting those heavy buggers.  After that, just count it down and then give the reel about a half spin, pause, half spin, pause...  Just cast it a few feet out in front of you and watch it move as you bring it back in, and you'll get the idea.  You can also fish it on a straight retrieve or like a jerkbait, but the half spin, pause method seems to work best for me.  Occasionally throw in a long pause, especially if you can see a fish chasing it.  And varying the speed and whether you use a full half spin or more or less can change the action.   Enough of a pull and you can get that bait to turn 180° or more.  A smaller pull and it'll just slightly lean over to the opposite side.  You've got a lot of control with them.

 

I'm not a huge fan of glide baits anymore.  They can be a lot of fun because of how much control you have over the bait, and they will hypnotize fish.  Like you'll find some that follow that thing all the way back to the boat and not even notice you until you pull it out of the water.  But you'll get a lot more followers than you will biters.  And, for me at least, they're catfish magnets.  I've caught maybe 10x more channel cats and just as many flatheads with glide baits as I have bass.  I once caught a channel cat that was smaller than the glide bait, which made me laugh.  

[kevinmyfsu]

First rule of swimbaits is that you don't need more than one or two. The second rule is that the first rule is nonsense. Recommendations depend on forage. For sunfish/bluegill, which is all I have around me, the Baitsanity Explorer Gill (check out the extra tail options for different action). If you like big baits but don't enjoy a glide, you might checkout but wakes and multijoint swimmers like the Bucca shad. Recommend joining Swimbait Universe on Facebook or Swimbait Underground forums, lots of good advice and info there.

[JediAmoeba]

2 hours ago, kevinmyfsu said:

Recommend joining Swimbait Universe on Facebook or Swimbait Underground forums, lots of good advice and info there.

Yeah, and then you end up with this...

[Pat Brown]

I just got the floating 6th sense trace 6" model during the tackle warehouse sale and it looks promising.  The Shine Glide is definitely my favorite that I've used so far.  The Glide Swimmer also made by Savage Gear has caught me some big ones.  I like the 9" glide swimmer and the 7.25" shine glide.

 

The Trace is multi jointed and has a soft tail but it floats which should be deadly in the post spawn on super shallow hard spots and staging areas.  Definitely looking forward to throwing the Shine and Glide Swimmer again this spring.  They're both a pleasure to fish and get NAILED by big fish.

 

Maybe some day when I'm rich and don't catch my largest bass on things like small lipless crankbaits and worms and jigs, I'll be more invested in the glide bait thing..... but of the cheaper ones, the Savage Gear offerings are incredibly effective and seem pretty tough!  They are definitely great for revealing big fish when the water is clear and the wind is blowing and they get bit enough for me to say I have confidence throwing them.   Kinda like a Jerkbait and a Wakebait had a large baby.  The key is learning to work them with the reel on a tight line IMHO.  Good luck!

  

[NorcalBassin]

S-waver is a great choice for your first glide bait(s) and it's all you'll need to get started. Glide baits are quite the rabbit hole and can get very expensive, but the s-waver is a great starting point without breaking the bank.

 

 

[Mr. Aquarium]

I’ve dabbled in the beginners glide bait game before. Never liked them until I started fishing higher end baits. Now it’s one of my favorites! 

[Big Swimbait]

17 hours ago, NorcalBassin said:

S-waver is a great choice for your first glide bait(s) and it's all you'll need to get started. Glide baits are quite the rabbit hole and can get very expensive, but the s-waver is a great starting point without breaking the bank.

 

The guys from Tactical Bassin have been advocates of the s-waver for many years, and here's a link to their video from 10 years ago that still holds up today.

https://www.tacticalbassin.com/blog/glide-baits-how-to-fish-the-s-waver

Tactical Bassin' is am amazing resource for swimbaits. There are some basically 2 hour seminars on the subject they have posted.

[WRB]

If I was to get back into swimbaits my 1st glide bait choice would be Deps 175. For Canada the Butch Brown Bluegill reminds of a walleye.

Swimbaits are shown on TW without hooks but come with them.

You have big toothy fish where you are located so wire leader is a must.

Tom

[webertime]

I guess the question needs to be asked, what sort of set up are you throwing them on?  We can recommend a S-Waver 200 but your gear is only suitable for a 120.

 

Smaller:

Deps 175

S-Wave 168

Raid G-Dash

Raid okasana glide

Shimano 

 

Next step up:

Spro Chad

Baitsanity antidote 

Jackal Gantarel

Bps Shad glide thing

 

Big

Deps 250 (Can be had for well under msrp)

S-Waver 200

Baitsanity Explorer 

[Bluebasser86]

Glides is a bait you don't want to go "too small", in my opinion. You'll lose a lot of the good gliding action and the drawing power of the bait. You don't need to go super expensive. I've got quite a few baits north of the $100 mark but I've probably caught as many on a Shine Glide as any of them. 

[The Baron]

Thanks guys.  I’ve got a St. Croix Mojo Bass 7’11” heavy/mod-fast that’s rated for 1/2-2oz.  Thought if I can find a couple entry level glide baits that fit in the upper end of that I’d give it a try.  Might add a 300-size reel for the task, and for pike fishing.

[kevinmyfsu]

39 minutes ago, The Baron said:

Thanks guys.  I’ve got a St. Croix Mojo Bass 7’11” heavy/mod-fast that’s rated for 1/2-2oz.  Thought if I can find a couple entry level glide baits that fit in the upper end of that I’d give it a try.  Might add a 300-size reel for the task, and for pike fishing.

Yea, you're gonna want a rod rated for heavier lures if you try and go any larger than an swaver 168. But you can throw a lot on a 200 as well. Have a Tat200 and a 300. Personally, I kinda like the 200 more (with the HD spool).

On 2/20/2024 at 4:43 PM, JediAmoeba said:

Yeah, and then you end up with this...

I also have this disease. Stay strong, brother.

[The Baron]

Update:  I ended up getting a Curado DC 201HG for my St. Croix 7'11".  Spooled it with 20# Berkley FluoroShield copoly.   I've fished the S-Waver 168 a bit and a 13Fishing Glidesdale 185.  The Glidesdale is 2.5oz. and does feel a bit heavy for my rod.  But, I threw it last week for a couple hours and caught a really good pike which was great.  I haven't thrown the S-Waver yet on my longer rod, but I think the St. Croix will be great for baits in its weight rating (1/2 - 2oz).  I'm on the hunt for a rod rated a bit heavier - there's a huge fishing show coming up in early April, so thinking I might get a deal there on something about 7'10"-8' rated for 1-4oz -ish.  I don't plan to fish anything over 4oz.

I'm headed out for pike again today - this mild weather is offering an exceptionally early start to the fishing season. 😎

[Bazoo]

On 2/20/2024 at 9:34 AM, Bankc said:

The Bass Pro XPS Boss Glide isn't bad.  I haven't tried their Swerve Glide yet.  Both are fairly cheap so they're easy to get into and figure out if this is something that's worth more time and money.  

 

As for how to fish them, there's really not much to it.  The hard part is casting those heavy buggers.  After that, just count it down and then give the reel about a half spin, pause, half spin, pause...  Just cast it a few feet out in front of you and watch it move as you bring it back in, and you'll get the idea.  You can also fish it on a straight retrieve or like a jerkbait, but the half spin, pause method seems to work best for me.  Occasionally throw in a long pause, especially if you can see a fish chasing it.  And varying the speed and whether you use a full half spin or more or less can change the action.   Enough of a pull and you can get that bait to turn 180° or more.  A smaller pull and it'll just slightly lean over to the opposite side.  You've got a lot of control with them.

 

I'm not a huge fan of glide baits anymore.  They can be a lot of fun because of how much control you have over the bait, and they will hypnotize fish.  Like you'll find some that follow that thing all the way back to the boat and not even notice you until you pull it out of the water.  But you'll get a lot more followers than you will biters.  And, for me at least, they're catfish magnets.  I've caught maybe 10x more channel cats and just as many flatheads with glide baits as I have bass.  I once caught a channel cat that was smaller than the glide bait, which made me laugh.  

Thanks for the half spin/pause advice. 

[Bankc]

10 minutes ago, Bazoo said:

Thanks for the half spin/pause advice. 

That's just a rough estimate.  Cast it out a few feet in front of you, and reel it back towards you while it's within view.  You'll quickly get a feel for how far and how fast to reel to get the action you want.  Ultimately, it'll depend on the bait and how fast your reel is.  But I bet it'll be something around a half spin. 

[whitwolf]

I like these from Deep Creek Lures.