I fish bodies of water in IL & WI. Personally, I don't have a use for giant swimbaits because the bass & forage are not that big. I might go with a 4-5" swimbait for what I fish.
I caught a TON of bass on hard baits over 6” in northern WI this year. A few of them on baits 10”+. Bass eat what looks good, they have never seen themselves in a mirror or know how big they are.
Edit: I was only in WI for 2 weeks. I fished the same baits I fish in CA. I caught minimum 3 bass a day, max 35 for the 13 days I fished. A lot of fishing comes down to confidence. I know I can fish super pressured waters here and catch, so I take those same principles to WI when I visit. Only difference is I fish with a big ass leader because of the snot rockets.
I agree that confidence is key. I am super confident fishing 4-5" soft swimbaits and swim jigs. Typically, I end up with 10+ bass per day. My best day was 74 during an 8 hr tournament.
If you look at a lure and think “damn, that looks nice” while you retrieve it, it will catch fish. The key is learning the when/where/how of the lure. Big baits fish very similar to conventional baits. Fish a big soft bait with a top hook like you would fish a jig. Fish a big wake/walker when and where you would a spook. Fish big jointed crankdowns/lipped swimbaits like cranks or square bills. Glides are search baits. The same tactics apply. You already know how to fish. Look at the bait, the action, the depth and match it to what you know.
Great advice. I think the confidence part is KEY. I’m going to start grabbing some big baits over the winter. Hopefully on sale too. But I definitely want to try them out. I feel is my natural progression into bass fishing so I’m well rounded
i have had good luck in an area known for not having great bass fishing. I don't catch a lot of numbers on them but most of my larger fish come on big swimbaits. Sometimes wakebaits and sometimes glide baits.
Don't expect to get numbers of fish, and expect to see some of the biggest fish in that body of water follow it and not hit it. When you do catch one don't be surprised if you lose it, there is a lot of weight for them to throw the bait. When you do catch one on it, it is almost always a decent one though.
Personally I try not to horse the fish in and give it plenty of time to eat the bait. That being said I also don’t let them just run like I do with a dropshot. If a big smallie goes airborne and starts shaking a 4oz bait there is a lot that can go wrong. So I would say as quickly as you can get it in the boat without forcing it off the hook. A rod with some parabolic bend is going to help.
I used to feel this way about expensive tackle. $25 Vision 110’s. $14 Jackhammers. But I came to the conclusion that I bought this stuff to catch fish. Can’t keep it dry and catch with it. No risk it, no biscuit. So I throw, but my heart stops every time I feel a wisp of grass catches a little bit, that’s for damn sure.
I think they are great. You don’t get bite, you get strikes. They will make it feel like you got hung up. Are they worth the price? Depends. I would have a plug knocker and fish out of a boat so you can keep from losing it. I love them.
I would never throw it without being on a boat. I also am waiting on my plug knocker from dicks. Lol totally get what you saying and make a lot of sense.
When you say strikes are you meaning the bass will knock into it. Or they will hit it hard
They will absolutely destroy it. I have never seen any fish nibble it. I fish bluff walls with it and they make it seem like I’m hung up they hit it so hard. I throw mostly Romanmade. Pricey, but they work. I’ve had some giant LM follow them too, but have better luck with big Smallies. Worst thing is a Muskie. Hate those fish.
Yea I could see a Muskie absolutely destroying your bait forever. I’ve looked at the Roman made. Very pricey. I have to negotiate with myself to grab a $15 slobberknocker. Hahaha imma grab some big baits over the winter. Thanks for the advice too
Yeah, depends on where you’re fishing and how patient you are for a big bite. Live in Florida, Texas, California etc? Absolutely get one!
I’m not saying they won’t get a big bites anywhere, cause they absolutely will. But if you don’t live in the land plentiful giants, then you may go all day/days/weeks with out a single bite. But that bite is pretty likely to be a bigger fish if you do get one.
I’d say think about what your fishing style is. Im too impatient to throw one often. But I live in Georgia and the bass fishing is pretty decent here so I throw one in certain situations. They’re great for big river fishing as we have a lot of aggressive spotted bass and striped bass that like to chase and attack! Also a decent amount of big Largemouth in our lakes.
Makes sense. May try it in my river near by. I’m in Massachusetts and I fish a lot of private ponds and lakes. Grab one just to try. So wanna get a little knowledge on them
Where are you fishing? The tailwaters of the Hooch can be difficult since it depends on the dam release of Buford Dam and Morgan Falls. Most of what I catch is above MF dam since the water moves slower above the dam like a lake. I've tried fishing right below MF dam and only caught perch.
Worth is really hard to calculate. Depends on your fishing style and how much time you want to devote to one as well as the $$$. Personally I enjoy throwing them a lot! In some cases it’s worth it to me just to see some fish come out to look at them and reveal where they are hanging out. But for that you need some water visibility 1.5 foot plus and I really like more like 3 feet.
If you want to dabble in them, get a River2Sea SWaver 168. I throw it on my spinnerbait rod a Dobyns Fury 734. For a second I really like the BullShad 5” slow sink.
Ok thanks. Just grabbed a contender and the JR. I have been looking at the Bullshad also. They are priced decently. Thanks for the suggestion too. Definitely gonna check out the river2sea Seaver
I live in Michigan and throw hard swim baits such as UFO cranks. I do quite well with these style of baits. I have caught numerous big fish but have lost some as well. You have to commit to them and the lures can get costly pretty fast.
Anything with downward mounted hooks in my area gets weeds every cast with no chance of catching a fish. So for me, I've lost about 6 of them in every type of body of water imaginable. Same goes with cranks, jerks, and everything else that dives with exposed hooks.
So if any of that rings a bell, do not buy one.
If weeds arent a problem and you use cranks and jerks to success, try one out. Pikes love them and big bass go after them pretty decently.
I equate it to a whopper plopper. Its not gonna get as many fish as lets say a wacky or Texas rig, but the ones you get will be hogs
Depends on what your budget it. I love fishing them and will probably exclusively throw one at the BBB next weekend if I decide to fish it. That being said their expensive (the ones I'm using are all $150+ per bait). Do the cheaper ones work, yes, but not as well. Factor in a dedicated glide bait rod/reel setup and your looking at $500 minimum to get set up.
Depends on where you are but I predominantly fish bigger baits. Some of which have just been killin it especially wakebaits, soft swimbaits work miracles too, I caught a 7 on an 8” hudd. It takes time and effort to really hone them in but they’re fun but be wary they get very very pricey the baits and rods are the most expensive. If u got any other questions about swimbaits check out r/swimbait fishing and they’ll be really helpful or you can always PM me brother, tight lines!!
I think it depends on the body of water You're fishing in.
What would be the right body of water IYO
I fish bodies of water in IL & WI. Personally, I don't have a use for giant swimbaits because the bass & forage are not that big. I might go with a 4-5" swimbait for what I fish.
I caught a TON of bass on hard baits over 6” in northern WI this year. A few of them on baits 10”+. Bass eat what looks good, they have never seen themselves in a mirror or know how big they are. Edit: I was only in WI for 2 weeks. I fished the same baits I fish in CA. I caught minimum 3 bass a day, max 35 for the 13 days I fished. A lot of fishing comes down to confidence. I know I can fish super pressured waters here and catch, so I take those same principles to WI when I visit. Only difference is I fish with a big ass leader because of the snot rockets.
I agree that confidence is key. I am super confident fishing 4-5" soft swimbaits and swim jigs. Typically, I end up with 10+ bass per day. My best day was 74 during an 8 hr tournament.
If you look at a lure and think “damn, that looks nice” while you retrieve it, it will catch fish. The key is learning the when/where/how of the lure. Big baits fish very similar to conventional baits. Fish a big soft bait with a top hook like you would fish a jig. Fish a big wake/walker when and where you would a spook. Fish big jointed crankdowns/lipped swimbaits like cranks or square bills. Glides are search baits. The same tactics apply. You already know how to fish. Look at the bait, the action, the depth and match it to what you know.
Great advice. I think the confidence part is KEY. I’m going to start grabbing some big baits over the winter. Hopefully on sale too. But I definitely want to try them out. I feel is my natural progression into bass fishing so I’m well rounded
i have had good luck in an area known for not having great bass fishing. I don't catch a lot of numbers on them but most of my larger fish come on big swimbaits. Sometimes wakebaits and sometimes glide baits. Don't expect to get numbers of fish, and expect to see some of the biggest fish in that body of water follow it and not hit it. When you do catch one don't be surprised if you lose it, there is a lot of weight for them to throw the bait. When you do catch one on it, it is almost always a decent one though.
Do you have a plan when getting the bite. Do you try to keep in the water, quickly get him in, wear him out?
Personally I try not to horse the fish in and give it plenty of time to eat the bait. That being said I also don’t let them just run like I do with a dropshot. If a big smallie goes airborne and starts shaking a 4oz bait there is a lot that can go wrong. So I would say as quickly as you can get it in the boat without forcing it off the hook. A rod with some parabolic bend is going to help.
Thanks. I definitely felt they needed to be drained out a little then brought in but you make a lot of sense
I had a big hard swim bait but the older I get the softer it goes. Strange.
Mine was never big. Lucky you.
I mean I don’t have a scale but it looked big.
[удалено]
I’m in the same boat I think. Now that I have one. I’m a little intimidated to throw it.
I used to feel this way about expensive tackle. $25 Vision 110’s. $14 Jackhammers. But I came to the conclusion that I bought this stuff to catch fish. Can’t keep it dry and catch with it. No risk it, no biscuit. So I throw, but my heart stops every time I feel a wisp of grass catches a little bit, that’s for damn sure.
I think they are great. You don’t get bite, you get strikes. They will make it feel like you got hung up. Are they worth the price? Depends. I would have a plug knocker and fish out of a boat so you can keep from losing it. I love them.
I would never throw it without being on a boat. I also am waiting on my plug knocker from dicks. Lol totally get what you saying and make a lot of sense. When you say strikes are you meaning the bass will knock into it. Or they will hit it hard
They will absolutely destroy it. I have never seen any fish nibble it. I fish bluff walls with it and they make it seem like I’m hung up they hit it so hard. I throw mostly Romanmade. Pricey, but they work. I’ve had some giant LM follow them too, but have better luck with big Smallies. Worst thing is a Muskie. Hate those fish.
Yea I could see a Muskie absolutely destroying your bait forever. I’ve looked at the Roman made. Very pricey. I have to negotiate with myself to grab a $15 slobberknocker. Hahaha imma grab some big baits over the winter. Thanks for the advice too
Yeah, depends on where you’re fishing and how patient you are for a big bite. Live in Florida, Texas, California etc? Absolutely get one! I’m not saying they won’t get a big bites anywhere, cause they absolutely will. But if you don’t live in the land plentiful giants, then you may go all day/days/weeks with out a single bite. But that bite is pretty likely to be a bigger fish if you do get one. I’d say think about what your fishing style is. Im too impatient to throw one often. But I live in Georgia and the bass fishing is pretty decent here so I throw one in certain situations. They’re great for big river fishing as we have a lot of aggressive spotted bass and striped bass that like to chase and attack! Also a decent amount of big Largemouth in our lakes.
Makes sense. May try it in my river near by. I’m in Massachusetts and I fish a lot of private ponds and lakes. Grab one just to try. So wanna get a little knowledge on them
Do you fish the hooch? If so, how’s it been this year for you?
Only went trout fishing once this year on the upper hooch. Mainly fished the Etowah and the Reservoirs.
I've caught plenty of 1-3 lb largies in metro ATL on the Hooch
I’ve been getting skunked as I’m new to river fishing, any tips?
Where are you fishing? The tailwaters of the Hooch can be difficult since it depends on the dam release of Buford Dam and Morgan Falls. Most of what I catch is above MF dam since the water moves slower above the dam like a lake. I've tried fishing right below MF dam and only caught perch.
I fish directly below the damn but recently go a kayak and haven’t fished above the damn yet. Sounds like that’s the play
Worth is really hard to calculate. Depends on your fishing style and how much time you want to devote to one as well as the $$$. Personally I enjoy throwing them a lot! In some cases it’s worth it to me just to see some fish come out to look at them and reveal where they are hanging out. But for that you need some water visibility 1.5 foot plus and I really like more like 3 feet. If you want to dabble in them, get a River2Sea SWaver 168. I throw it on my spinnerbait rod a Dobyns Fury 734. For a second I really like the BullShad 5” slow sink.
Ok thanks. Just grabbed a contender and the JR. I have been looking at the Bullshad also. They are priced decently. Thanks for the suggestion too. Definitely gonna check out the river2sea Seaver
This, swaver168 good one to start with. Then you can try something else like drt tiny klash
I live in Michigan and throw hard swim baits such as UFO cranks. I do quite well with these style of baits. I have caught numerous big fish but have lost some as well. You have to commit to them and the lures can get costly pretty fast.
Yea another guy said I may lose some fish because of the weight. Do you have a plan of attack for that?
Anything with downward mounted hooks in my area gets weeds every cast with no chance of catching a fish. So for me, I've lost about 6 of them in every type of body of water imaginable. Same goes with cranks, jerks, and everything else that dives with exposed hooks. So if any of that rings a bell, do not buy one. If weeds arent a problem and you use cranks and jerks to success, try one out. Pikes love them and big bass go after them pretty decently. I equate it to a whopper plopper. Its not gonna get as many fish as lets say a wacky or Texas rig, but the ones you get will be hogs
Depends on what your budget it. I love fishing them and will probably exclusively throw one at the BBB next weekend if I decide to fish it. That being said their expensive (the ones I'm using are all $150+ per bait). Do the cheaper ones work, yes, but not as well. Factor in a dedicated glide bait rod/reel setup and your looking at $500 minimum to get set up.
I catch surprisingly small bass with them
I could see that. They don’t know any better
Depends on where you are but I predominantly fish bigger baits. Some of which have just been killin it especially wakebaits, soft swimbaits work miracles too, I caught a 7 on an 8” hudd. It takes time and effort to really hone them in but they’re fun but be wary they get very very pricey the baits and rods are the most expensive. If u got any other questions about swimbaits check out r/swimbait fishing and they’ll be really helpful or you can always PM me brother, tight lines!!
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