Ira Waldman

In

Congrats! That is a beast of a fish. I can't imagine that fight in the dark, I know if it was me there would be a whole lot of slipping, sliding and falling into the water!

Those would be above average Oregon fish nice going!

Solid fish! Good stuff

Makes sense it would eat the hook with the blade. I’m surprised companies haven’t started adding them. You’ve inspired me to see what baits I have need that little extra flash!

Nice fish!! Such a great feeling!

That’s awesome! Interesting that Bulltrout and smallmouth (I assume) inhabit the same water.

And when I hit it with rod twitches I hit it hard! It takes a surprising amount of power to make it move.

The 262 definitely does not perform similarly to other glides in its size. I’ve found that the best action comes from rod twitches and then give the bait some line. With this it will glide insane distances. I’m sure it has its own time and place but at first it seems a little useless and frustrating.

That’s a really interesting blade shape! It’s always good to throw something you can guarantee no one else has!

Great fish! All quality models. I bet swinging on those fish deep is a blast.

Good fish! Congrats! Hope you get better soon, or maybe you can just keep fishing instead of work

Completely agree! It’s all about investing in the time. The struggles and frustration I experienced before this fish were absolutely worth it. It definitely makes you a better angler to fail time and time again. When you start to think outside the box and try stuff you never would’ve thought could work is when it all comes together.

They are built really well! And thanks! It can definitely be tough here but it makes those fish that much more rewarding.

A few days ago I joined Swimbait Underground and yesterday I caught my biggest bass ever... coincidence... I think not! About a year ago I began throwing swimbaits and struggled. In Oregon our bass are not notorious for their swimbait eating ability; however, they still eat them good! Due to this, at first I didn't have too much confidence and I wondered if it could be done. After a few months of throwing a glidebait, I finally connected with my first fish: a 3 lb smallmouth that ate off a concrete wall in downtown Portland. Since then, the addiction has steadily increased. I acquired baits such as the Megabass I-Slide 185 and 262, the Deps Slide Swimmer 175 and 250, the Gancraft Jointed Claw 178 and 230, Working Class Zero 6 and 7 Citizen, and I was lucky enough to find a 3:16 Wake Jr from a coworker (I work at a tackle shop) for a fraction of what they resell for. Since I started swimbait fishing (not exclusively) I have found success throughout a variety of Oregon and Washington waters. Before the events that took place over the past few days, my biggest swimbait fish were around a 3.5-4 lb smallmouth and a 3 lb largemouth. However, after recently finding a Roman Made Negotiator in Oikawa Mesu, I put in a full two days at a local lake that has a fairly healthy population of trout. On the second day at 8:30 in the morning, I made a long cast over deep open water where I had seen trout eating off the surface. I began a slow and steady retrieve feeling the bait make wide turns back and forth and about 10 feet in front of the boat, right as I could start to see the bait, I saw the biggest bass I have ever seen make a beeline towards my bait. My eyes became incredibly wide and it took all I could muster to continue the slow and steady retrieve without yelling in excitement and anticipation. Before I knew what had happened, the bass sucked the Negotiator in head first. There was no hesitation, no doubt in its mind, that bass intended to obliterate that bait. After what seemed like an endless battle of violent head shakes and a terrifying run under my boat, the fish was finally in the net. After giving it plenty of oxygen in the livewell, the fish weighed in at 6.96 lbs of pure northern strain goodness! I look forward to learning and contributing more to Swimbait Underground! Gear used: Roman Made Negotiator in Oikawa Mesu Shimano Curado 200k with 20 lb Seagar Abrazx Dobyns Fury 795

Hey guys, I know this thread is pretty old but I was searching around for Oregon swimbait guys and this came up. This is my first year swimbait fishing and I just recently caught my biggest swimbait fish at 6.96 lbs on a RM Negotiator. I work at the Fisherman's Marine and Outdoor at Delta Park (North Portland Location) and there has been some talk of starting to carry more and better bass gear. Could involve some swimbaits!