[Jared]

Tom asked that I post these images here for yall. I have also labeled each image with a number for ease of discussion. Tom will be posting discussion on them so stay tuned

Image 1

Image 2

Image 3

Image 4

 

[Texas Bass Pro]

Can't wait, can't wait, and can't wait. Thanks again for the pictures.

 

[KeithsCatch]

Nice looking swimbaits. What's up with the liquid paper on the bottom of some of them? :tongue2:

 

[oldschool]

Nice looking swimbaits. What's up with the liquid paper on the bottom of some of them? :tongue2:

You can clearly see why I don't post photos, poor quality pictures! The bellies and fins are painted with Barlow's pearl plastic worm paint. I do that to high light the lure for more contrast to make them stand out against the background lightning a little more.
The other reason that I posted these was to show how swim baits are trap hook rigged. Everyone of these swim baits come from the manufacturer with one hook. The Huddleston for example; the top lure is a #12 mid depth range and the trap hook is attached to a hanger supplies by the mfr, a legal IGFA set up. Attaching the belly treble hook with a 46 lb wire set the hook back and prevent the bass from leveraging the hook out, like what was happening to Kennedy during the Clear Lake tournament. The middle Huddleston is a shallow runner #5 and strikes tend to come from under the lure with the bass coming up from deeper water, so 2 treble hooks are added, the rear hook is on a wire attached to the front hook hanger. The lower Huddleston is a deep runner #16 and has a frog hook on the belly that is held to the side of the swim bait with 100#* mono line placed sideways through the bait to hang the hook points onto to the hook up against the lure, until a bass strikes. This set up allow me to let the lure bottom bump without hanging up.
As you take a closer look at these swim baits you will see various trap rigging with a wire running through the lures from the top hook or attached to another hook etc. The only lure not modified is shown in with the Castaic/Stocker, second down from the top and that is a 7" LA Slider from MegaBait and is a $6 lure that works great out of the box. Some of the lures have eyes added, most don't. Just thought you might enjoy some west coast secrets that you can't get anywhere else.
Tom
* a paper clip cut to form a U shaped staple is also used and a small 1/4 D cylinder dot magnet can be super glued into the belly to hold the hook against the belly of the these lures.

 

[KeithsCatch]

Sometimes I wished I could afford to live in California. I would like to get all into the swimbait craze. While they catch a fish here and there out here in Florida, they just don't come close to being as productive as they are in California. I dare say that no other state in the country comes close to California for these techniques.

Is this a perception only? Or is there some truth in that? If so, why is that? I know some CA lakes do not get Trout stockings and huge bass are still caught on Trout swimbaits. Maybe the reality is that California just has 10x more BIG bass (Teen bass) then any other state?

Bottom line, no where else is the Swimbait thing as prevelent then it is out in CA.

 

[oldschool]

It took about 15 years for the swim bait to become popular in CA, it's only been about the past 4 or 5 years for the general bass fishing public. The early swim baits were home made and costs back then was very high. Today you can get several swimbaits that work well for under $15 and the high end Huddleston is around $35. Every swim bait that I posted cost less than $35, most around $15 and the LA Slider is under $7. The other problem with big swim baits is they require special tackle, both over size rods & reels.
Today I believe the swim bait has evolved toward main stream bass fishing with the 5" to 6" versions that appear to be shad, bluegill, crappie, golden shiners and perch. I would think a 5" to 7" shallow running golden shiner swimbait would be a natural for Florida. A 5" bluegill or crappie should also be a good general use swim bait and these lures can be cast with standard med/hvy 7" rods and standard bait casting reels. The biggest hurdle with swimbaits is learning to swim them and not crank them like a reaction lure. They look like a crank bait and get fished like a crank bait, but are are not crank bait, they are a swim bait. A steady slow retrieve works best the majority of the time.
Tom
note; Texas may become a swim bait state soon, with the success at Amistad over the last 2 years. Any water that has strippers should be using swim baits, strippers love a big easy meal.

 

[hi steel basser]

I have rcently put some money into swimbait fishing, as you know, Keith, they have caught some rather hefty GA bass lately. I bought several Mattlures swimbaits, as well as a :dunno: I'm drawing a blank. Also got an Okuma rod to fish them with, and a revo stx. :cool2: I will let ya'll know what I think of my new equipment whenever it arrives and I have a chance to fish it. I plan on throwing a baby bass on a lake that recently produced about 15 or more nonkeepers. Hopefully I will get my fishfinder working this weekend, and go back there next weekend to hit the best spots. I will have to go back and look at my trash bin to see the lures I ordered. There was one that would probably work well in your lakes, Keith. It was a hitch color, 6", daggum if I can remember the brand. Oh, I've seen Optimum swimbaits. Do they really work, Tom? The ones I've seen are ugly, and look cheaply made. I don't know if I'd ever have the confidence in one to throw it. Also, does huddleston make shad- colored or other colors besides trout? Thier lures are sharp, but big for what I want to get into this category.

 

[oldschool]

Castaic Soft baits, http://www.castaicsoftbait.com/platinumSeriesNew.php
Need to check around for the Megabait LA slider products and whatever new maybe available.
Tom

 

[hi steel basser]

I have another question. What is the difference between the slow and fast sinking lures? What depth do you fish a slow sinking bait at, versus a fast sinker? BTW, I really like the Castaic lures. I will have to order a few of them soon.

 

[oldschool]

The faster sinking or heavier a swim bait is the easier it is to keep down at a deeper depth. A fast sinker you can cast out and let sink down like a count down Rapala, except the sink rate is about 3 feet per second or 10 seconds to get down to 30 feet. When you start to reel the lure back it will stay down about that depth until the lure is about 45 degrees of line angle out, then starts to come up.
The slow sinker will sink about 1 foot for every second and tends to fall even slower after 10 feet or 10 seconds to about 1/2 foot per second. It's hard to wait longer then 10 to 15 seconds before you start a retrieve, so if your cast a slow sinker and wait 10 seconds before you retrieve the swim will be about 10 feet down for about 1/2 the cast length, then start to come up until it reaches the boat.
Shallow runner verses deep runner, with the same slow retrieve speed.
If I have metered bass at 20 feet, then I use the fast sinker to sink below the bass and retrieve it up through where I believe they are holding. If I'm casting over points I like the slow sinkers to stay about the same depth as the point depth is where the lure will pass over. Most of the time the bass will come up from deeper water to strike a slow sinker and I tend to like the 10 to 15 foot depth running range most of the time.
Tom
note; Google: Megabait LA Slider and look at the 5", 6" and 71/2" lures. The 6" is a very versatile size with the different weights available.

 

[oldschool]

Thought I would revive this old thread as Bassmaster has featured "Jigging a Swimbiat" with Grant Goldbeck.
Tom

 

[lipstrecher]

Im going to get into some swimmers ,next year .the black hills are stocked with rainbows all year so i think the big fish have got used to eating them ,so im convinced they should work. need more info
on brands and techniques .you've got my attention

 

[jones7773]

i bought some swimbaits earlier this year, fished them a little, but, not much.
a month or so ago, i built out a shikari 7'9" blank, just for swimbaits. when all this rage started about the basstrix swimbaits, i bought some of them, tried them, but, i'm really saving them for the spring & bedding bass at santee.
i have had bass come up & follow them, however, when nothing else was working. ..they're a "fish catching bait.

ronnie

 

[Maineiac]

It does appear the baits will work in a pretty wide area beyond California. There is a growing group that are using them in New England to decent effect. I can't say I have had great success with them this year but it has been a pretty odd year any way so probably not a ggod indicator. But guys are catching fish on the big Huds and the Mattslures as well as a bunch that are pretty adicted to the 7" and 9" MS Slammers. I have caught some fish on both the Optimum and the Osprey and some of the big shad body designs so I guess if one figures from out there to up here they will work most places if given a try.

 

[Wicked Bass-kisser]

I love the Storm *wild-eye* bluegill swim-baits..............they're cheap, look great, and these Rhode Island bass seem to like them.

 

[jakefisherman]

I love the Storm *wild-eye* bluegill swim-baits..............they're cheap, look great, and these Rhode Island bass seem to like them.

I have bought some of them for the smallmouth here but havnt gotten a chance to use them yet are they any good?

 

[Basspro18]

these are the swim baits i want to try. i want the shad one and id like to try the sunfish too. im for sure gona order the shad one. looks so freaken real. come in 6 or 8 inch and u can get it in fast sinking or slow sinking. iv never used swimbaits and im gona start fishing them on lake monticello here in AR its our trophy lake. it has some of the biggest bass in AR. any tips on fishing them big swimbaits? i kno i should use a 7' rod but only got 6'6'' mh so they should do i supose with 17# line.
also swich should i get the sink fast or sink slow? i planned on getting the sink fast but iduno any advice?

 

[Wicked Bass-kisser]

Here in the New England area, bluegill are a main staple of the bass diet. The Storm *Wild-eye* series puts out an incredibly realistic looking bluegill. It's a one-piece bait. At $5.00 for three, it's also a great deal. I'm not cheap but, I don't think I'd drop thirty bucks for a lure................I'd get about 18 Storm bluegill for thirty bucks.

Hey, if Storm puts out a bait-fish lure that's big in your area..................I'd at least give them a try.