a whale on a minnow!

[Fat-G]

Sorry.....had to stop in again

How were you fishing the bait?

What kind of Rod/Reel/Line?

Depth?

Presentation?

Once again, nice fish!

[paul.]

61/2 ft. med. heavy rod.

pfleuger trion reel.

20 lb. berkley big game line.

actually i was fishing in some really shallow water. many times on late fall or early spring afternoons, fish will move in shallow to feed when the sun has been on the water for a while. particularly in small waters, where the shallows might actually be the warmest water in the lake.

to be honest, i had only just started cranking when this fish hit. but my usual retrieve is just a slow to med. crank with an occasional pause or twitch. when i say occasional, i actually mean seldom. do not overwork or overthink this bait. you can twitch and pause too much if you're not careful and it will turn an interested fish off. you wanna just make it look like a little minnow on a casual stroll around the lake, minding its own business, oblivious to harm. most of the time, think "spinnerbait" with your retreive and you'll be o.k. keep in mind water temps and depth control as you determine optimum retrieve speed.

but honestly, this little bait is WAY more versatile than just a "chunk and wind" presentation. experiment and have fun with it. don't be handcuffed to one particular retrieve or cadence. you can fish it like a t-rigged worm, hopping it off the bottom. this is especially effective if there is grass around and the bait suddenly pops up out of the grass and then disappears again as if hiding. you can also use a very erratic retreive at times like a fluke. and you might be amazed at some of the savage strikes you get burning the bait at breakneck speed sometimes. and i had probably better not say how deadly this thing can be on a bed in the spring sometimes. oops, i just did.

so basically what i'm saying is let the fish tell ya how they want the bait, not me. like any other bait, what works one day might not work another. if i have missed something, i'm sure the more experienced swimbaiters on here can elborate. i'm still learning myself. good luck. i

[paul.]

and here's a pretty cool vid i found on youtube which shows the realism of the bait, its key features, and just a few of the colors.   

[sambrochill]

wow, that's a beautiful fish. Congrats on catching it.