Swimbait Techniiques?

[David Razo]

Recently started using swimbaits.. big swimbaits.. any tips or techniques? P

[NorcalBassin]

Throw them across points or better yet any hump near where they plant trout candy.

[ynnhoj86]

What kind of "big" swim bait are you throwing? I only use huddleston. My collection has got 7 in it with all different colors from weedless to treble hooks. I've bought other swimbaits but their movement and balance aren't as nice as the huddlestons. Their really isn't a technique. I reel them in as to where I want the bait to be swimming in the water column. Best advice I learned is that swimbaits are an all day affair. You can't just throw it once or twice expecting a hog, you have to fish with it all day to have a chance at getting a swimbait fish.

[Crestliner2008]

I have seven swimbaits and 3 of them are Hudds. I really do believe what's alread been said, that you have to "committ" to it as your all day techinique. Targeting points and underwater structures that you are reasonably sure can/do hold the largest bass in the waters you fish. You may go one or two trips before you get even one hit though, so get your mind set correctly! But it will probably be a big hit when you do get it.

With the Hudds, I like to cast it out, let it sink to the bottom and slow reel it back. I've seen many BIG follows using this technique. Have yet to get wacked by any giants however. But I'm still a believer.

[J Francho]

I fish Hudds like a football jig.

It would really help if you said what swimbaits you were using.

[Fishin45]

here are the basics slowww in the winter and speed it up a bit in warmer water. fish will follow this bait so wherever you are fishing it always try to bring the bait by a target such as a bush, big rock or something to that effect so the bass feel they have a place they can attack and pin the bait essentially making the bass eat the bait right where you want them. as stated before, a couple of tosses are not going to cut it but your experiences will do way more for you than you can ever hear on the forum. huddleston's have a very unique tail design that makes these baits swim extremely life like and excel in colder water. as it warms though you will find that the paddle tail baits(money minnow, basstrix etc.) will become more productive.

good luck dude hope some of this helps

[RiverFisher13]

As with any technique, it take lots of practice. Don't get discouraged from a bad outing with them, if you don't have confidence in what you're doing, your catch will suffer greatly. When i fish them i retreive it allot like a spinner bait, occasionally ripping it and letting it free fall for a second. I have found i get most of my hits on this free fall period.

[David Razo]

I have been throwing the z-9 bass pro swimbait.. 7 inches,2 ounces. The lake I'm fishing stocks with trout, so I got it in that Color. Would that work? And thanks for the tips.. any more would be appreciated.

[ynnhoj86]

I wouldn't use them but that's me. Those bait aren't gonnna be balanced so fishing them with a slow retrieve will cause them to lean to a side. Especially now with the colder water, fish are gonna be swimming slowly. Also with that bait, fishing it slow will cause it to loose it life like swimming motion. One thing I found about the hudds that I Like than the other baits I bought was their sinking abilities. When their baits, I know how many seconds to wait for that bait to reach certain depts, while other baits its a guessing game.

What kind of reel and pole are you using? I found that a good setup will throw the swim baits farther and cause less fatigue. It can wear you out throwing big baits all day. Also I read that having swimbaits with hooks on the bottom of the bait really hurts the big fish. When they swallow the bait whole, those hooks hook their gills and it can cause servere damage.

[gobig]

I have never personally used this swimbait before. Based on the reviews on the BPS website it sounds like a decent bait. Multiple people claimed to catch several pike on the same bait so it sounds like its fairly durable. And almost every review stated that it has great swimming action.

The first thing I would do is change out the split rings and hooks. BPS has a tendency to put junk hardware on their baits. The last thing you want is to hook a toad and have a hook bend out. I prefer owner hyper wire split rings and I would use at least a 2x trebles.

Next you need to determine the capabilities and characteristics of the bait. For instance the ROF (rate of fall) on this bait is sinking. That does not tell a whole lot. You can use a pool, a 5gal bucket or anything where you have a predetermined depth and clear water. Count how many seconds it takes to reach the bottom. Also pay attention to how the bait sinks. Does it fall nose down? does the tail wag on the fall? does it fall flat? does it spiral? Pay attention to detail. When you swim the bait does it perform well at low speeds? what about high speeds? Will it turn 180deg when you pop the bait? Once you become familiar with the bait you can apply it to the best suited techniques.

I will try to make this as clear as possible on how swimbaits or any other bait for that matter can be applied to a technique. What is the technique? Imagine this... you cast out letting your lure sink to the bottom. You let it set for a few seconds and then you drag it towards you in a small deliberate motion. Your rod goes from 9 o'clock to the 10 o'clock position you pause for a few seconds reel up the slack and repeat. In this description the word lure is general, it could be anything. In place of the word lure you could insert swimbait, jig, carolina rig, droshot or pretty much any lure that has the characteristics and capabilities that allow it to be applied to that technique in the given conditions. The lure does not define the technique the technique defines the lure.

[gobig]

I wouldn't use them but that's me. Those bait aren't gonnna be balanced so fishing them with a slow retrieve will cause them to lean to a side. Especially now with the colder water, fish are gonna be swimming slowly. Also with that bait, fishing it slow will cause it to loose it life like swimming motion.

Please do not take this as me trying to single anyone out. But this supports what I was trying to convey in my post. The above statement could be totally true but it is not the whole picture. We all know how effective rip baits are this time of year. The right swimbait applied to the technique of ripping can be very effective.

[RyneB]

I throw hollow body swimbaits a lot and Mattlures gill and bass. All have caught me decent fish. When i first started throwing swimbaits i would give it 5 casts and never throw it again. Now if i want to fish swimbaits, i throw it allllll day. I have my best luck throwing hollow bodys in grass and trees. I like to throw the Mattlures gill and bass on weed edges. I swim the bass, but i use the gill like a jig. Just kind of scooting it along the bottom.

[Hooligan]

I have been throwing the z-9 bass pro swimbait.. 7 inches,2 ounces. The lake I'm fishing stocks with trout, so I got it in that Color. Would that work? And thanks for the tips.. any more would be appreciated.

The Z( baits are actually a decent bait, I've had pretty reasonable success with them.

[bubbler]

I fish lake casitas...notoriuse for some fat ol bass on swimbaits. If you throw a fast sinker to the dend of a point, turn your boat around, then drag it up the point. Brother let me tell you some big fish hit that sucker. Also i dont know your home lake, but if you have bluffs that drop really steep, then throw it right down them and slow roll it. Good lock Brother

God Bless