Are they worth it?

[The Budget Angler]

I'm trying to prepare now for fall '24 and prespawn '25 to hook a double-digit bass.  I know you can catch 10 lbers on senkos and squarebills and the like, but I've been eyeing the 7" swimbaits and wondering if they're worth buying in pursuit of my next pb.  The "bass pros" on the internet swear by them.  Are they worth it?  If not, what's a tactic that you use to get double-digit bass in the boat or on the shore?  I have a decent shot in NC because we have Florida genetics in our bass (especially closer to the coast).  Any help would be appreciated!  Tight lines!

[MediumMouthBass]

3 hours ago, TheLastBestFish said:

Are they worth it?

Yes. And No.

 

You have to get all new gear, rods, reels, and line. Im all for buying new gear tho so that was a plus for me. And then buy the swimbaits, glide baits, wake baits. Some are cheap (under $20) and others ridiculously expensive. So either way youll be spending quite a bit, even with the budget ones.

 

You will also be spending all day on the water casting over and over again for hours, most days you wont even get a bite, let alone a bass. Even a smaller one.

 

But while quantity will feel almost non existent, you are opening up your opportunity for quality.

Big bass eat big baits, thats a known fact. They also eat small ones tho too so just keep that in mind. But using bigger baits will increase the possibility of catching one, or several.

 Conditions have to be right, your retrieval speed and cadence have to be right, the weather has to be right, and the bass have to be in the mood to have a big meal.

 

Theres alot of negatives about getting into swimbaits, alot of money spent, and wasting time on the water, as well as wanting to give up constantly. But when you catch that big bass, whether its one or several none of that will matter to you. It is a feeling of happiness that will last a lifetime.

 

(disclaimer, i spent a ton of money on rods, reels, line, and even more on the swimbaits and have caught 0 bass on them so far. All my big bass have came from a lipless crankbait, including my 10lber. But i gotta start fishing them more, really want to start catching even bigger bass, and i think thats the way to do it).

[A-Jay]

Fish the gear you have.

Perhaps beef it up a little.

Most importantly - Fish Bodies of water that 

ACTUALLY Have a healthy population of DD bass.

Learning how to target them specifically,

is an entirely separate deal.

Requires, a commitment and type of dedicated & dogged determination

that few bassheads are will to endure.

At least for very long anyway.

Good Luck.

A-Jay

 

[DaubsNU1]

For me, the answer would be no.

 

State record LMB in Nebraska is 10lb - 11 oz, caught in a sandpit in 1965. The likelihood of me catching a double-digit bass in Nebraska is slim and none.

 

 

[The Budget Angler]

17 minutes ago, MediumMouthBass said:

You have to get all new gear, rods, reels, and line

Is 7' medium action apporopriate and 30 lb braid?  Even if it's not preferred, would it work?

3 minutes ago, A-Jay said:

Fish the fear you have

I like this advice...

so is that advice to not buy giant swimbaits?

[DaubsNU1]

If you are looking for something on the inexpensive side -- Brother and I are headed to Canada this summer to chase big Pike in the Churchill River system north of Winnipeg.

 

I picked up two BPS/Cabela's casting rods. One is heavy, rated 1/2 oz to 2 oz. The other is extra-heavy, rated 4-10 oz.

 

They were $49 each, and I mated them to old school Shimano Curado and Citca picked up via eBay.

[Bankc]

To me, the biggest advantage to upsizing your bait isn't catching bigger fish, but not catching as many smaller fish. 

 

Even the big girls will enjoy a small snack if one swims by. 

[A-Jay]

On 6/11/2024 at 5:20 PM, TheLastBestFish said:

Is 7' medium action apporopriate and 30 lb braid?  Even if it's not preferred, would it work?

I like this advice...

so is that advice to not buy giant swimbaits?

I'm not the best angler to offer advice on the effectiveness of giant swimbaits,

as I don't fish them.

I DO fish swim baits but 6 -7 inches is more my style

not the 12 - 16 inch monsters that seem popular today.

My 11-11 oz PB ate a 3/4 oz RES.  The fish below ate a 6 inch swimbait. 

I would still encourage you to fish heavy enough gear to comfortably land the Bigger fish you hope to catch.

Rod, reel & line all need to be pretty stout to deal with the forces a 10 lb plus bass will exert on your gear. Usually Heavy action stuff plays here.  Terminal tackle, like split rings, line ties & hooks all need to be something better than stock offerings at the very least.

Finally, I am NOT a Big Bass Expect, but I've caught a dozen or so and I can tell you that 

going into it, I thought I knew what I was getting into - I have never been more wrong.

DD bass will push you and your gear to the limit.

Best plan is to be ready.

You will not get a lot of opportunities so capitalizing on the few you do get will make you a happy camper.

Good Luck

A-Jay

[AlabamaSpothunter]

1 hour ago, TheLastBestFish said:

Is 7' medium action apporopriate and 30 lb braid?  Even if it's not preferred, would it work?

I like this advice...

so is that advice to not buy giant swimbaits?

 

Definitely don't want to be using that setup imho. 

 

Too short of a rod, not enough backbone, and if you do decide to use braid, 30lb isn't strong enough. 

 

7'9-8' Heavy/Moderate Fast rod

300 sized reel, some of the beefier 200 sized reels will work though

20-25lb Mono or Fluorocarbon  

 

Like A-Jay said, you're gonna have to get a dedicated setup for this technique or you'll wear yourself out, lose expensive baits, and lose fish.       

 

To me catching a big fish on a glide is the most exciting thing in Bass fishing, but it's so far from being the most efficient, or effective bait for the job.    You really have to sell out to the technique and accept the fact you might not get a bite all day.  

 

You're only fishing for a couple of bites/fish a day if that.    That's a tough pill to swallow for most anglers, myself included.   

[casts_by_fly]

I’ve started down this path this season. I started with 6” mag drafts and freestyles (and some slightly smaller stuff). The reason I started there was twofold. 1- they work, and 2- at 1.25 oz it doesn’t take a special rod to throw. A bigger heavy like a big frog rod or heavy pitching rod is enough. First trip throwing the standard mag draft I caught a couple and was hooked. I didn’t do it to target double digit bass, but did want to tempt bigger bass with reaction strikes when they aren’t eating other things. I’ve found that they are good search baits when the water is quieter. And, I’ve caught bass down to 12” on a 6” bait so I don’t think I’m sacrificing bites. 
 

im certainly not the expert but I definitely want to learn. When one hits it you know. 

[Big Swimbait]

I have been throwing big baits since the AC Plug boom in the early 90's. When I started, I did not have dedicated "Big Bait" gear. My PB 0f 13-12 was actually caught on a Berkley 7'H Lightning Rod and an Abu 4600. I now have several (LOL) dedicated SB combos. They do make it easier to cast and land big bass. When starting, you do not need to go overboard. When you start having success, you will then get the itch to go down the rabbit hole. A Diawa DX swimbait rod and a Shimano Cardiff reel would be a great start and can be had for $200 if you shop around.

 

That being said, as I near 70 I have fallen in love with the easier to cast BFS gear. So if any of you are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, I will be liquidating all combos and over 200 swimbaits.

[The Budget Angler]

3 hours ago, Big Swimbait said:

My PB 0f 13-12 was actually caught on a Berkley 7'H Lightning Rod and an Abu 4600

That's what I like to hear!  I'll beef up my current setups a little, buy some 6" swimbaits to start, loosen my drag, and see what I can snag!

[rangerjockey]

Personally, I'd book a guide trip to Texas or Florida.

[Mike L]

Can’t help with swim baits, large or otherwise as I’ve never felt the need to catch a DD bass. 
Haven’t even thought about them. 

All of mine were caught on plastic in and around beds and under heavy cover during that time depending on conditions 

 

 

 

 

 

Mike

[The Budget Angler]

2 hours ago, rangerjockey said:

Personally, I'd book a guide trip to Texas or Florida.

Yeaaaa.... gonna be a few years until I can do that.  The reason I keep asking if I can just use what I have is because I'm in college and can't afford new rods and stuff.

 

But, for the future, do you any good guide services?  Andd which is better, TX or FL?

[Zcoker]

Sure, it's worth it but it's only worth it if you can use them effectively. Also, tactics are relative to where one fishes, conditions, and so forth. Where I fish, for example, the water levels are usually quite low, loaded with weeds, which makes swimbait fishing nearly impossible. So I have to resort to other means, which is definitely worth it!

 

This gal came off a small 1/4 ounce swim jig

 

 

 

 

[Pat Brown]

I caught a double digit bass out of a pressured lake in central NC on a 10" worm in July on a point.

 

I have caught multiple fish in the 9 lb class now and they were on lipless crankbaits and swim jig.  I have caught multiple 8 lb class bass now and most were on jigs or worms or frog.

 

I fish big swimbaits but I generally catch 3-5 lb bass with them.

 

I think it's more important to learn where they live and present a very subtle presentation that appeals to them for the most part.

 

YMMV

[The Budget Angler]

10 hours ago, Pat Brown said:

I caught a double digit bass out of a pressured lake in central NC on a 10" worm in July on a point.

VERY good to know...

Perhaps I'll hold off on big swimbaits and stick to my 3.5" swimbaits, ned rigs, and texas rigs.

[ChrisD46]

You could cheaply try a Strike King Rage Swimmer (5.75”) or the Keitech Fat Swing Impact (up to 7.8”) then match with an appropriate size Owner Beast EWG hook or the Owner Flashy Swimmer Beast Hook  thrown on an appropriate size bait cast set up … No need to buy $100 special swim baits to catch big bass !! 

[Texas Flood]

If you find this magic lure that catches 10lbers, please let me know. My PB was only caught on a 3" Yum Dinger.

[Brett's_daddy]

If you want to get into swim bait fishing cheap (relatively speaking) I would suggest starting out with a 7'3" MH/F Shimano SLX A swim bait rod for $109. Nice rod (I have one but haven't used it yet), rated 1 - 4oz which means it's sweet spot is probably 2.5-3oz. which is where most 6-7" swim baits range. Next I got a Daiwa Tatula 200 reel which i found an open box special on eBay for $110 but you can routinely get them for $140 on Amazon too. I am spooling with 22lb. Sunline Armillo Defier. Good luck!

[GetFishorDieTryin]

If you want to get into bigger swim baits start with a 5.8 keitech and go from there.  To be honest I dont buy the big bait=big fish theory at all.  There are instances where im sure its true, but location and time of year is far more important IMO.

[roadwarrior]

On 6/11/2024 at 4:17 PM, A-Jay said:

Most importantly - Fish Bodies of water that 

ACTUALLY Have a healthy population of DD bass.

  

 

 

                                                               

[Dan N]

I’ve never felt the need to use one. Not too many really big bass here in Wi. 
And I would think the Musky and pike would be an issue 🙄