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Introduction to Swimbaits and other Big Baits
What’s the hype surrounding swimbaits all about? The bottom line, big fish eat big baits. Swimbaits and other big baits are proven big fish producers, they are definitely not a gimmick. Popularity of swimbaits and big baits have risen dramatically since their first appearance. Nationally televised events such as the B.A.S.S. Elite Series tournament at Clear Lake in 2007 have helped spur the interests of bass fisherman across the country and in parts of the world where black bass can be found. Even out west where big baits enjoy the most popularity and acceptance, there is still skepticism and lack of acceptance amongst fisherman. Swimbait fishing can be the most physically and mentally demanding method of targeting trophy bass, however once a fish is successfully landed it can be one of the most rewarding experiences a bass fisherman can encounter.
We’re going to go over some of the basics of fishing swimbaits in this article, as well as other points of interest. Equipment, rods, reels, line, hooks, terminal tackle, etc will be discussed. Mental focus and meticulous preparation are vital when targeting a bigger grade of fish. Swimbaits have gained enough popularity among the average joe fisherman and many tournament anglers to the point where many fisherman own at least one swimbait setup and a handful of baits. Anglers are willing to spend the first couple morning hours throwing a bait bigger than typical bass lures, only to put them down for the rest of the day in search of “bites”.
1. Mental Strength & Focus
Virtually every bass fisherman has struggled just to get “bites” whether its just fun fishing or in a tournament situation. It’s frustrating when you are attempting to target numbers of fish, greatly reducing your chance at bigger fish only to come up short handed. It takes great mental focus to turn down the opportunity of having a great “numbers” day on the water to give yourself a shot at a single bite. Doing so however can reward you with the fish of a lifetime.
Perseverance and to an extent, stubbornness to put down the big bait when the bite is tough is one of the key factors in being successful. It’s common place for your fishing partner to absolutely put on a clinic on numbers of fish dropshotting or on a standard reaction bait. However if trophy class fish are truly your target, the splashing and jumping of the 1-5 pounders your friend are catching shouldn’t phase you.
It can be equally tempting to pick up a rod with a standard lure when the bite is tough. When your partner can’t even get bit dropshotting a 3 inch worm on 5lb fluorocarbon, it can be difficult to maintain the focus to stick with the big stuff. On the other hand, consider this: If the bite is that tough and you’re fishing for a single bite, wouldn’t you rather have that bite be a potential personal best, or a 13 inch “keeper” caught on a split shot rig? If striking out and blanking for the day is a distinct possibility, you might as well go down swinging for the fences. It could pay off when you least expect it.
Swimbait fishing is like any other technique, it takes time to develop. There’s more to just straight winding a crankbait, chucking and winding a spinnerbait, flippin’ a jig, rigging a worm correctly, etc. All these basic styles of bass fishing all take time on the water under a variety of circumstances and conditions to learn. This is also true concerning fishing big baits. Due to the nature of targeting trophy fish, bites are few and far between compared to other techniques. There are just a lot fewer big fish compared to the large number of fish from 12 inches to 5lbs. This makes the learning curve much sharper, and those followers and bites suddenly become much more important. It takes more mental strength to put together patterns and figure out the habits of bigger fish.
There have been plenty of instances where bass fisherman have caught a 10+ finesse fishing on a spinning rod on 6lb line, but big fish caught on standard techniques truly are few and far between. The best trophy fisherman are truly dedicated to putting in the time and hard work to create their success on the water. Most have multiple fish over 10 pounds, and many more 5-9 pounders. These individuals make their own luck, they don’t allow luck to dictate their success.
2. Equipment
With the sudden growth in popularity and acceptance in swimbait fishing over the last few years, there is a plethora of equipment for swimbait fisherman to choose from. Rods, reels, line, hooks, split rings, storage, scents, and of course the baits themselves are available in a wide range of quality and price. When targeting the larger class of fish with big baits, try to avoid cutting corners or settling for inferior products. You generally get what you pay for, and this holds true in swimbait fishing. These fish will put fisherman and their equipment to the test, do whatever it takes to stack the odds in your favor. Big bass are good at shaking hooks, jumping off, breaking equipment, and finding the most frustrating ways of staying out of your boat and grasp. Don’t do them any favors by scrimping on your equipment.
With that being said, an aspiring big bait fisherman does not need to buy the highest priced goods out there to be successful. There are plenty of quality products out there now that won’t break the bank. It is important however that one can discern between a cheap product and a good buy. There are many sources on the web for reviews on many products that are swimbait related. They should be used as a guideline for making ones own decisions in purchasing tackle. You do get what you pay for, do your best to arm yourself with the best equipment you can afford.
3. Rods
Just about every major rod manufacturer has put out a swimbait rod, or series of swimbait rods. Shimano, Dobyn’s Rods, Lamiglass, Powell, Phenix, Okuma, G Loomis, and Hooked Up Tackle all have some great swimbait sticks. However there are also many rods marketed as ‘swimbait rods’ that were designed by guys who don’t truly grasp big bait fishing as we know it on the west coast.
What to look for in a quality swimbait rod? Well first of all your flipping stick is just not going to cut it. They were designed to fish jigs and soft plastics up to an ounce in weight. Attempting to get away with a flipping stick won’t work with baits that usually weigh at least 4 ounces. You need a rod that can handle the bait your throwing as well as the fish. You diminish your odds of successfully boating the fish if you’re fishing an underpowered rod to begin with.
Tapers and actions vary a great deal between swimbait rods, even in rods from the same line. The reason there are so many different models is that there is no such thing as an all purpose swimbait rod (Although the new Okuma 7’11” Heavy Telescopic model comes awful close). Soft plastic baits require a different style rod than a hard bait with treble hooks. The best analogy to explain this is that soft baits require rods that resemble jig and worm rods in action, while hard baits favor softer actions like other hard baits with treble hooks like crankbaits and topwaters.
Watch a video of one of the greatest fisherman to ever throw a huddleston deluxe, Butch Brown. He absolutely hammers the fish on the hookset, much like the rest of us do when fishing a texas rigged worm or jig ‘n pig. Big fish will often inhale a soft swimbait and clamp their jaws shut. If you try to reel set and just wind into the fish, you could potentially never get the hooks to penetrate the tough mouths of these behemoths. You need a fast action rod without a lot of give to drive that hook into the fishes mouth.
Hard baits such as the 22nd Century Triple Trout or 3:16 Wake jr. on the other hand are virtually oversized crankbaits and topwater baits. How would you normally set the hook on a crankbait fish or topwater fish? Most don’t and utilize a sweeping reel set. With sharp treble hooks and a hard body, the hookup percentages are much higher than soft baits. Bone jarring hooksets are not needed as they are with a soft swimbait, the fish often hook themselves. The important thing with hardbaits is keeping that fish hooked. Just like the rods used for crankbaits, jerkbaits and topwaters, softer action swimbait rods help keep those treble hooks from ripping out and are a bit more forgiving on lightly hooked bass.
The best buy on the market are the Okuma Guide Select Swimbait Series. They were designed by an accomplished west coast trophy angler and built to his demanding standards. They come in at a very modest $119.99 and are backed by a lifetime warranty. These make an excellent entry level rod and with 7 different models to choose from, can cover just about any big bait on the market.
The absolute best swimbait rods we’ve had the pleasure to fish are custom made by Mark Higashi for Hooked Up Tackle. They are built on custom blanks made to his specifications. Lightweight and incredibly strong, he offers a rod that can throw the smaller swimbaits to the biggest and baddest on the market. They utilize a split foam handles that are very comfortable to use on the water all day. The guides are unique in that they are built in an “acid” or “downwrap” style that is simply a pleasure to fish.
Dobyn’s, Lamiglass, Powell, G Loomis and Phenix all make popular and quality swimbait rods that fall in price between the Okumas and the Hooked Up Tackle customs. Do some shopping and see if you can borrow rods from friends to get a “feel” for the different rods. Only you can ultimately decide what feels best in your hands.
4. Reels
What you’re looking for in a reel is a strong and reliable drag (although most fish very little drag when targeting black bass). Enough line capacity to hold enough 20-30lb monofilament for a long, long cast and then some. A high gear ratio is also favorable to pick up line fast when you need to make a quick cast to a boiling fish or to catch up to a hooked fish making a dash for the boat. Even for slow rolling, a high gear ratio is important once you get bit. A faster reel will pick up slack line faster and aid in controlling the fish once hooked. It is usually easier to slow down with a fast reel, than speed up with a slow one. Standard sized bass reels cannot stand up to the continued abuse of casting 4+ ounce baits, heavy to no drag on 20-30lb line, and big powerful fish.
Round reels have dominated the swimbait world since the introduction of the first big baits. Abu Garcia Ambassadeurs have accounted for many swimbait fish, however there have been some incredible advances in reels since then. Okuma Indurons are a great entry level swimbait reel that will hold up to the abuses of throwing heavy baits on heavy line. Shimano Cardiffs, Calcuttas, Calcutta TE’s, are very popular amongst the swimbait fraternity. Daiwa’s Luna is also a great choice when it comes to round reels. Whatever your budget, buy the best reel you can afford.
The popularity of low profile reels for swimbait fishing has skyrocketed with the release of the Shimano Curado 300D & 300E. Slightly larger than a standard sized 200 Curado, the 300D/E has enough line capacity to hold 25lb and 30lb mono for a long cast and not get spooled. With 12 or 15lbs of drag, it is plenty strong to handle the largest freshwater predators. 6:2:1 gear ratio ensures plenty of speed to maintain pressure on hooked fish, yet is powerful to the point where you can “ski” 5 to 7 pound fish across the surface.
5. Line
For everything except topwater walking baits, monofilament or copolymer line works very well.. Fish that will eat a swimbait are generally not line shy, even in the clearest of water. Fishing the heaviest line you can get away with is recommended. 25 or even 30lb is not too heavy when y throwing big baits and chasing trophy fish. Berkley Big Game, Izorline Platinum and XXX, P Line CXX and Evolution, Maxima Ultragreen, and Triple Fish Camoescent are all proven swimbait lines. Pick your confidence color and brand and tie your best knots, you’ll be ready to rock and roll.
Braid is an excellent choice for the big topwater baits like the Black Dog Lunker Punker and Shellcracker, Leviathan 2X4, and rat baits like the 22nd Century Nezumaa Rat, and Jerry Rago Rat. These baits cast a country mile and the zero stretch factor of braid helps maintain control of the bait as well as ensuring a solid hookup in the case you are bit on the end of a long cast. Mark Higashi of Performance Tackle prefers to fish braid on virtually all his baits including the big baits, as does Scott Whitmer of 22nd Century. It works very well for them and some others, however mono works very well for most swimbait fishing.
Braid has the occasional tendency to dig in to itself, especially if it was not put on the reel with a line winding machine. This can cost you lost baits that break off on the cast when this happens. There is just too much momentum with the heavy baits on the cast that if the braid digs in, you’re probably going to lose your bait. Show some caution when fishing heavy baits with a line that has zero stretch, something has to give.
Flourocarbon is an excellent line for sinking baits, hard or soft. Its density helps get baits down and the generally lower stretch translate into a better feel for the baits. The low visibility factor can boost confidence that fish won’t be turned off by the heavy line in clear water as well. Make sure that if you are going to fish a fluorocarbon line, that it’s 100% fluorocarbon and not just coated copolymer. Lines like Berkley Vanish and P Line Flouroclear are not the best choices for swimbait fishing due to their lower abrasion resistance and aren’t as well suited as the 100% fluorocarbon lines.
It’s vitally important you pay great attention to your knots. Take the time to tie them correctly and make sure they are well lubricated when you cinch them down. This is especially true with fluorocarbon which has the tendency to burn itself. Check them often and retie as needed. A bad knot is a dumb reason for losing a big fish and is one of the factors that is 100% controllable by the angler. Many knots seem to work well for big baits, many swimbait fisherman use the Palomar, Trilene, Uni, Double Uni, San Diego, and Clinch knot with great success. Whatever you tie, just take the time to tie it correctly.
Don’t forget to check your crimps and wire connections either, as they have been known to fail as well. Sometimes they are not crimped perfectly, or the wire gets kinked after hooking fish. Replace them as needed.
6. Hooks
Swimbait hooks have to be sticky sharp and super strong. When that bite comes you want a hook that will penetrate deep and hold, without bending out under heavy pressure. Owner and Gamakatsu make the most popular models, although some baits come stock with bronze VMC’s, Mustads, and Eagle Claws.
Owner’s ST-36 Treble hook comes in a black nickel finish and conical points. They are my preferred hook for black bass fishing. Plenty strong and sharp, they can be touched up when they dull with a file. The ST-41's are 2X strong and feature Owner’s cutting point with a slightly curved in shank. These are also great hooks when you need something a little stronger or if you prefer the cutting points. They are a tad heavier than the ST-36’s however and may affect the balance of some baits.
Gamakatsu’s treble hooks are arguably the sharpest conical hook points on the market. The bronze finish is preferred by those who feel that black nickel may be too flashy and potentially spook fish. They do however have a tendency to bend out under heavy drag, and this must be considered when choosing hooks for your swimbaits.
22nd Century baits come stock with bronze VMC’s, which many fisherman choose to replace with Owners. However there are those who prefer the VMC’s due to the large barbs. Once a fish is hooked they have a hard time dislodging the oversized barb. There is a modification that alleviates this problem and is rather simple. Take a pair of pliers and turn the points slightly in towards the shank. Fish have a much harder time straightening them with this mod.
As far as big bait hooks are concerned, Owners, Gamakatsu's, and VMC’s are all you need as far as hooks go. Make sure to carry a good file to touch them up as they can all dull rather quickly bouncing against rocks, wood, big fish, and the baits themselves. If the hook has been to the point where you’ve filed it down almost to the barb, it is time to replace it.
7. Terminal Tackle
Crimps, wire, snaps, split rings, etc. are all just as important as any other piece of equipment. Your chain is only as strong as your weakest link, and often times this link is a piece of terminal tackle.
Believe or not, many of those big beefy “looking” split rings that come stock on many baits aren’t that strong. Big fish figure out ways to twist and shake those rings right off the baits, break them, bend them out, etc. The most popular big bait split ring that many of the accomplished big bait fisherman trust are Owner Hyperwire Split Rings. These rings are extremely strong, won’t open up, don’t have that same tendency to retain a gap in the ring after putting on hooks or baits, and are just downright tough. If the bait does not come stock with Owner Hyper Wire Split Rings, it is recommended that they are replaced.
Snaps are a touchy subject. There have been reports of snaps of all kinds failing under heavy load, or even on the cast. Just keep in mind that they could potentially fail and decide whether or not the conveniences of a snap are worth possibly losing a fish. Fish an oversized snap with a rating that should offer some room for error.
For stinger hook rigging, it is recommended to use wire and crimps. It can be coated or uncoated, both will work. It is a solid connection with the least amount of risk of failure, as long as it is done correctly. Using braid and super glue works, but it can be a pain to tie exact leader lengths and gluing everything and then waiting for it to dry. Once you get comfortable with a good crimper, you won’t go back to anything else. It is also not recommended to rig trap rigs with monofilament, it has too much potential to fail.
8. Swimbaits and other Big Baits
We’ll cover in depth the most popular swimbaits and big baits on the market in the next articles. Thanks for reading our introduction to swimbaits and other big baits, and we hope what we know about the subject can help others attain their personal goals when it comes to bass fishing.
-Oliver Ngy
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