By Charles E. White
What lures are 4-13″ long, been used regularly on the West Coast and have caught some of the biggest bass ever? Yep, Swimbaits.
Now a change is happening, these lunker catching baits are being used on the East Coast as well. It doesn’t take a 20 pound bass to eat a 12″ swimbait. One thing the swimbait is known for is big bass and they will catch big bass in any lake if used right.
Some of the swimbaits are pricey to say the least, while some go for $150.00 in the store or more others have been sold on Ebay for $1200.00 each. Why would anyone pay that much for these baits? The answer is easy, they catch fish or are a collectors item or both.
Many of these swimbaits look and act like rainbow trout and there’s a reason for that…trout are one of the big bass’ favorite food. The bass will get a high protein, high calorie dinner and use the least energy with one of these fish in his belly. Swimbaits have come a long way in just the past couple of years.
So, how do you fish a swimbait? The trick is to fish it at the slowest speed you can that will allow the action of the bait to work. Fish it with a slow steady retrieve. Don’t jerk it, don’t speed it up just a slow steady retrieve. Fish the swimbait in places like over the top of submerged vegetation, over submerged points, along docks, over brush, around bridges and anywhere else that bass can ambush their prey. If you see a bass coming after a swimbait by the boat, don’t stop reeling, if anything turn the lure or speed up a little, that is how a fish that is scared would act. You can also troll these bait and cover more water but again, I think slower retrieves works best. If you aren’t having any luck with a slow retrieve then you might want to try trolling or a fast retrieve.
When choosing a swimbait grab the lure by the head, if the tail curves and almost touches the body, that is the one you want. The action will be good. If the tail doesn’t almost touch the body, find another one that will. You want the lure to appear natural.
When fishing a floating swimbait one of the most effective techniques to use to catch suspended bass is called “dead-sticking”. Here is how to use these technique…ready? Just throw the lure out and let it sit, that’s it. You have to realize that a big bass can take 30 minutes or an hour to decide to hit your lure. Just let it sit motionless, be patience and hang on when you get a strike.
You might fish a swimbait all day and only get one or two hits but odds are the fish you catch are going to be trophy bass. Big bass are lazy and use the least amount of energy as possible, so you’re going to get less strikes fishing for lunker bass. Swimbaits can catch the biggest bass in any lake. Have patience and try your luck with these outstanding lures.
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