Swimbait skunkage...

[BucketmouthAngler13]

Today I took my swimbait rig out for the seccond time. Fished my secret spot for 4 hours, and got one hit. It wasnt anything big, probaly a small bass biting off more than he could cram down. Yesterday I had snagged my one and only Mattlures Bluegill out on a log, so today I brought a big tire tube and went out there and got it back. After a hour or so, I snagged again, and repeated the rescue. It was freeeeeezing, the water couldn't have been over 50* and there was 20 mph winds, and I was out there soaked in just my boxers.

But far be it from me to loose a lure that I payed $26.50 (inlcuding shipping lol) out there to rot.

Anyway, I was running it at a medium speed close to the surface, and wasnt getting much action at all. My friends where catching dinks here and there, and they think I'm crazy with my "new fangled swimbait notions". But I'm not going to catch anything if I dont try. Besides, I rather catch one 5lber than 50 dinks. One of these days, after many hours of fishing, a bass of such size will slam my swimbait that it will shut up the negitive veiws some of my buddies have for good, and after the summer is over, I'll have a whole photobucket page of bass that wouldn't have been cought if I gave up. Thats what keeps me going. Everytime my bait nudges a stick, my heart skips a beat. Its only a matter of time intill a bass can not resist such a tempting bait. I cant wait for the spawn to try out sight fishing.

On the plus side, I got a spinnerbait out of a branch while I was out on the tube, saw a rainbow, and there was a great sunset.

As Fish Chris said, "I was one bite away from the perfect trip"

Keeping on Keeping on,

Matt

[Gotta Love It]

Great attitude Matt!  I had a 7 foot gator nail my swimbait today... didn't know he was submerged near the overhanging tree.  I ran the swimbait under the tree, he hit the lure, started ripping line off the reel, let the lure go and popped his head out of the water.  I thought I had a lunker and it definitely was for 45 seconds!!!   Didn't catch anything else but there is always tomorrow!

[bassmasta7]

You definitely will outcatch your friends with that mindset. Thats how you gotta think with swimbaits. I get similar comments from my fishing buddies. I hope you catch your giant.

[fourbizz]

Keep doing what you're doing dude. There may be many uneventful trips, but that one bite WILL be worth them all!

[T-rig]

That's the right attitude! Sooner or later yuo'll get some big one's and all your friends will want to buy swimbaits as well!

[BD]

My first swimbait trip out (ever) I only caught one on it. It weighed like 2 1/2lb's. They'll eat them, just keep chunking and reeling.

Last night at the pond after work I swam a jig for 40 minutes, caught a bunch of dinks, then threw swimbaits till dark. I only had one tick, but no hook up. Swimbaits are meant to catch the big girls, so stay at it.

[BadKarma42]

dedication

[Lightninrod]

To offer some help to keep from snagging a Matt's lure;  if/when you feel your line to start to get a little 'heavy', it's rubbing against a stump or log as you feel the weight of the swimbait behind it.  If you'll raise your rod tip, you often will bring the bait over the potential snag.  No, that doesn't always work but it can save you from snagging your bait.......and having to go swimming again 8-).

Btw, BPS's lure-knocker has retrieved my swimbaits many times when the lifting of the rod hasn't worked.

Dan

[Nj jedd_ bassboi56]

yea i am one of bucketmouthanglers buddies and i did think he was a little nuts but his buddies and i werent catching dinks we were catching many fish over 4 lbs tooo bad that swim bait is gone now.....with that whole combo :-X :'(

[FivePoundBluegill]

I would actually change over to a different bait if you are haveing no luck on the swimbait. Maybe the bass didnt want to eat swimbaits that day and you just kept throwing it. I would have switched over to another bait. If I throw the same bait for half an hour or so without it realy being hit I put something else on. Dont keep trying a bait that is not produceing for hours.

[roadwarrior]

I would actually change over to a different bait if you are haveing no luck on the swimbait. Maybe the bass didnt want to eat swimbaits that day and you just kept throwing it. I would have switched over to another bait. If I throw the same bait for half an hour or so without it realy being hit I put something else on. Dont keep trying a bait that is not produceing for hours.

Wrong.

If you are going to fish for BIG fish, you have to spend ALL of your time hunting them. You are fishing for ONE bite and there is no telling when that might occur.

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1184651491

and...

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1184593780

[fourbizz]

I think he is right RW. He never said to look for small fish, just to change baits.

You do NOT have to throw a swimbait to be hunting big fish. Remember fish's last post where he chucked a swimbait all day for no fish, then went out in the evening and stuck an 11 on a 3" plastic?

There are times when a swimbait is just not the answer. When Supermat and I had our 48lb 10.5 oz limit, we threw a swimbait for about 2hours, for not one single bite. We ended up with a 13lb 1oz, an 11lb 8oz, an 8lb 2oz, an 8lb 1.5oz, and a 6lb 14oz all on worms, blades, and craws.

There are just times that a swimbait is not the bait to use, not the end all be all.

[the captain]

I agree about switching if one thing isn't working now I don't own no swimbaits 'cause I ain't that rich and I can't find 'em at walmart ;D so they are outta my budget. But if something isn't working that jsut means that the fish don't like that particular bait at that particular time so just switch because the fish may want something different today than they did yesterday or the last time out so it never hurts to try something different now if you are constantly getting hits but can't stick any just try working it differently because there are probably bigger fish in there that just don't like the way you are working it so slow it down , work it faster, work it jumpier, work it smoother, just keep doing all of this stuff until you find where or how the bigger fish like it. This is where patience comes in, but if you are not patient then you are just basically screwing yourself if you can't try something for a while nut doing it all day with one lure and not having a single hit or even one hit is just craziness not patience.

[roadwarrior]

Well, I understand that "one bait" is not necessarily the "right bait," but being a swimbait rookie, if I am going to fish it, that's all I'm going to fish. So far I have caught ten bass in approximately sixteen hours. On average, I catch one 5+ lb bass on my ponds every four hours. That's exactly where I am with Mattlures Baby Bass. I have given up some "numbers" which I don't care a thing about, so I'm going to stick with the program for awhile.

[fourbizz]

I know what you mean RW. I am still a rookie in relationship to an awful lot of guys. Just going out and sticking with them is the best way to eventually get a good fish. When I really committed to big baits, that was all I threw for about 4 months. I got a lot of fish in the exact "wrong" conditions, conditions where I don't throw swimbaits now, and thus never get those sweet bonus fish. It is good to stick to your guns but when 13 pluses are eating crawdads like no other and haven't seen a trout in months, a jig or worm is a higher percentage bait IMO!

Take a look at Matt's new woodbait. There is a lot of potential there

[fourbizz]

But if something isn't working that jsut means that the fish don't like that particular bait at that particular time so just switch because the fish may want something different today than they did yesterday or the last time out so it never hurts to try something different now if you are constantly getting hits but can't stick any just try working it differently because there are probably bigger fish in there that just don't like the way you are working it so slow it down , work it faster, work it jumpier, work it smoother, just keep doing all of this stuff until you find where or how the bigger fish like it.

Probably the longest sentence in history! just yankin your chain

[Pond Hopper]

But if something isn't working that jsut means that the fish don't like that particular bait at that particular time so just switch because the fish may want something different today than they did yesterday or the last time out so it never hurts to try something different now if you are constantly getting hits but can't stick any just try working it differently because there are probably bigger fish in there that just don't like the way you are working it so slow it down , work it faster, work it jumpier, work it smoother, just keep doing all of this stuff until you find where or how the bigger fish like it.

Probably the longest sentence in history! just yankin your chain

That has my vote for post of the year ;D

[Randall]

I would have to agree that a swimbait is not always the best lure for a big fish. I catch big fish on a bunch of baits and my best bait for big fish year round is a trickworm fished painfully slow with little or no weight on light line. But if they are hitting swimbaits then the swimbait is the best bait to throw and the trickworm or anything else will not even come close to the fish you will get on a swimbait. But ,the best way to learn to fish swimbaits is to throw them all the time for a while and start paying attention to the conditions and little things you notice that tell you when and where a fish might hit a swimbait and when it might not. Then you will know when to pick it up and when to put it down.

[Fish Chris]

Great attitude ! "You will catcha many big fish in yah futcha Grasshoppa" ;-)

But hey now, check this little story out;

I met a guy last Weds, who said he's spent a lot of time on my site, and after catching an 11 lb'er on a swimbait, all he want's to do now, is fish specifically for big fish. So he goes on to tell me how, and where he fishes swimbaits, and it all sounds good to me. So, I threw in a few little pointers about "fishing inside out" and shore fishing when possible.

He then says, his only problem was, that often after not getting bit for 3 or 4 hours, he ends up going back to smaller / numbers types of lures. That, I told him, was the only thing he needed to change. I saw him about 8 hours later, and he was still chucking a swimbait, at which point I thought to myself, "That guy deserves a good one.... and I bet its coming". Maybe an hour after that, I hear him hooping and hollering from the other side of the lake.... probably only a 1/4 mile, but you know sound over water. So, I fire up the gas motor and putt over to him. He had stuck a fat, beautiful 9.8 lb'er. So then he tells me, he had fished all day without a bite...... and had we not talked, he very likely would have "again" switched to a small fish lure. So then he tries to give me the credit..... To which I replied, "Dude ! Your the one who put in all the hard work for that fish ! That ones ALL you man ! Congrats" ! :-)

Peace,

Fish

[Mattlures]

I think most of you are right. I personaly believ you realy need to be in touch with your water to "know" when to put your swimbait down. Most rookies are not even close to being that dialed in. It takes a lot of time on the water throwing swimbaits do develop a feeling for when and when not to throw them. I also beleive unless you are dialed in, you should just keep chucking away, you will be rewarded. Sometimes I feel like I am dialed in and I just "know" I am waisting my time but even then I get suprised. Other times I just "know" I am going to get bit and I almost always do. Theese feeling are strongest when I have been fishing alot especialy on the same lake. If its been a while I will just keep throwing. It breakes down to this. If your dialed in enough to know when not to throw swimbaits then by al means throw something else. If your not sure and especialy if your used to catching small (keeper) sized fish keep throwing the swimbait. I always try and stack the odds in my favor. I am fortunate to have some very good sticks around me so I usualy have a clue before I even get there. without that luxery I always start with the swimbaits unless I "know" its time to change

[Fish Chris]

it's funny you should bring this up.....

Of course I have certainly thrown a swimbait a few (million) times in the last 10 years. But after sticking my last two good ones on a little bitty soft plastic dad, it's got me thinking about going back over all of my best {swimbait} areas, and just doing some ultra-slow stitching of what I used to consider a "numbers" or "small fish bait".... a small soft plastic lure.

Hmmm... next week might be interesting :-)

Peace,

Fish